I believe you deserve to live your best life. Your life should be rich and filled with wonderful health, fulfilling relationships, involved in jobs and careers that you love and are passionate about and be blessed with financial abundance.

Why is it that some people struggle along in life, never get out of first gear or hit their limits and feel stuck and confused, yet for others they seem to have the golden touch and everything in their life seems to be working and extremely rewarding?

There is no need to feel hopeless, frustrated and out of control.

If that is how you feel or you are looking to break though existing limits. then let me show you how.

I work with you to identify and change your paradigms – which are your habits and beliefs – which are preventing you from achieving the results you truly want in every area of your life. I focus on the primary goals and objectives YOU want to achieve.

My Coaching is a strategically designed mix of education, accountability, and action. Action toward the progressive realization of your dreams.

Your goals might be in the areas of financial and career success, self-image, personal relationships, or improved business habits and sales strategies. You will identify and change the patterns of thinking that stand between what you have and what you want.

My passion and purpose in life is to see people make positive changes in their lives. I want you to succeed, to feel inspired, motivated and happy.

I am currently in my fourth decade on my journey in this life.  Born and raised in South Africa, I have traveled to many different countries, lived in London and I now call the USA my home.  I worked in Investment Banking for 14 years, Founded my own Digital Marketing Agency and Coaching Business.

Life to me is a continual cycle of growth and opportunity.  No matter how bad the fall or downturn, it is an opportunity for us to makes positive changes in our life and grow.

My life was pretty frustrating for most of my life.  I lost my father to cancer when I was only 11 years old.  I watched my parents lose everything and my mother being left with 4 kids at home, with no income and no money.  I loved my childhood, but it wasn’t always easy with no father and no cash.  Oblivious to me at the time, but my thoughts and those powerful circumstances were adding powerful messages and thought patterns that would shape my life in future years.

Over time more and more layers of disappointment, fear and not knowing my purpose in life created powerful sub-conscious habits, also known as paradigms, that kept me stuck.  The harder I tried, and I ended up doing very well and paid my way through college and successfully fought my way into a career in Investment Banking, I still felt stuck, full of fear and uncertainty.

Eventually my world came crashing down around me, I lost my job, I got really sick for about 5 years, lost all my money and went through foreclosure courts with my house.  It wasn’t fun and I disliked being in those situations, but looking back it was the best thing that happened to me.

I had changed!

I had been studying the mind and personal growth for a few years prior to that.  That allowed me to be better prepared for life’s challenges.  Slowly through more pain and suffering I began to understand that I was actually in control and I wasn’t a rudderless ship exposed to the elements, luck and chance and having my life path dictated to me by powerful unseen forces. When I started to understand this, further my studies and apply this new knowledge, my life began to shift and change for the better.

For the first time in my life I understood my purpose, I had a clear image of what I wanted, how I was going to get there and I took action. So now I want to share that knowledge with you together.  Help you, coach you and be part of your journey to your best life, NOW!

CORY PESATURO

Cory Pesaturo (“C Pez”) is on the forefront of the accordion world, pushing the boundaries on multiple fronts of what is possible with the accordion. The only person to ever win the trio of World Championships on Acoustic, Digital & Jazz Accordion, and the only accordion graduate of the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA. In 2017, Pesaturo became a Guinness World Record Holder, as RedBull® flew him to Austria to break the Marathon Accordion Record, in which Cory played for over 32 hours. Cory’s main contribution is his visionary thinking of how the accordion should be used, played, taught, and presented in modern music. He has given 2 TED Talk’s and 2 Google Talk’s about this, which are currently the only TED or Google talks in the world about the accordion. Pesaturo is also developing his own electric accordion, and already has made the first ever skinned accordion which includes a symmetric lighting system attached to the keys.  

Pesaturo’s extensive resumé includes appearances at the White House for President and Mrs. Clinton on 4 different occasions, starting at age 12, and 8 other appearances for the Clintons since 2000, along with 14 letters from the first family. On one of those occasions, he became the youngest person to ever perform at a State Dinner, performing with the Marine Strolling Strings for the President of Hungary. Some TV appearances include the Late Show with David Letterman, performing with Johnny Depp, and nationally televised programs in New Zealand, Canada, Italy, Tunisia, France, and Finland. On an NYC broadcast, CNBC/FOX host Maria Bartiromo once said “No one is currently doing more for the Accordion than Cory”. He has judged accordion competitions in the US, Canada, and Europe, in addition to other music competitions, and currently gives masterclasses at various universities throughout the US and Europe on Accordion and Improvisation.  

For his Classical side which is lesser known, a win in a concerto competition at 16 years old gave Pesaturo the rare opportunity to perform with the Brockton Symphony Orchestra as a featured soloist, where he became the youngest accordionist to ever solo with a symphony orchestra in the US back in 2003. Concerning his Jazz side, Cory recorded two CD’s with saxophone legend George Garzone and his known band “The Fringe” at age 19, and has become friends with Jazz and Music Legends Quincy Jones and Wynton Marsalis. His performances at all 3 of his World Championships were played on accordions that were not his, and were generally 90% improvised; both aspects are unheard of in the accordion world.  

The instruments most famous legend in the US, Dick Contino, said when Cory was only 15, “Of all the accordionists I’ve seen over the years, Cory is the one to pass the torch to, the only one who has all the tools to bring the accordion back to its former glory.” Guido Deiro’s son, the “Father of Piano Accordion”, has stated “I’ve worried greatly about the future of the accordion since my father died, but not anymore since seeing and hearing Cory.”  

Pesaturo is also heavily involved and respected with the weather and motor sports worlds as well. He composed the Official list of records set by the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season and also wrote the lists for the 2007 and 2008 Seasons as well. Moreover, he has put out reports on Winter Seasons for the US which have been featured on Accuweather.com, HurricaneCirty.com, and others. Cory is known for his FreeSledding work, including his own sledding mountain called “CN Mountain”. He has written sports blogs for sites like Bleacher Report, and has collaborated with members of the Red Sox and the Drop Kick Murphy’s on the “Fenway 100″ album released in 2012. His music has been played on Formula 1 broadcasts on NB

Major Records

– Only person to win World Championships on Jazz, Acoustic Accordion, and Digital/Electric Accordion.
– Youngest person to ever play at a State Dinner at the White House – 12 years old
– Youngest person to ever win the US National Accordion Championship – 15 years old
– Youngest person ever to be an accordion soloist with an orchestra – 16 years old
– Only Person to Major/Graduate in Accordion at the New England Conservatory
– Created the first Skinned Accordion, and first Skinned Accordion with a connected lighting system.

DANIELLE CROOK

Danielle is a multi-disciplinary performing artist with diverse professional qualifications.  She acts on-camera in TV, film and commercial productions; and on-stage in musicals, plays and operas. She is also a choral singer and conductor, private voice teacher, and vocal soloist.  

Currently based in Los Angeles, Danielle was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California. Danielle graduated cum laude from UCLA with a BA and highest honors from the musicology department. She then pursued a masters degree from San Jose State University in Voice Performance, where she was privileged to study with mezzo-soprano Layna Chianakas. Danielle was the vocal winner of the 2010 Concerto Competition at San Jose State and the national anthem soloist at commencement.

Film/TV

Danielle co-starred in two episodes of the Hulu original series Chance starring Hugh Laurie, and has appeared on networks such as The Food Network, the Travel Channel, The Fine Living Network, and MTV, as well as in independently produced films and music videos. See IMDB and Resume PDF for additional credits.

Theatre

Favorite theatrical roles include Morticia in The Addams Family Musical, the Governess in The Turn of the Screw (Jeffrey Hatcher), Maria Reiner in The Sound of Music, Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, Cecily Cardew in The Importance of Being Earnest, Marian Paroo in The Music Man, and Aeneas (a trouser role, with a beard!) in the Bay Area premiere of La Didone, a baroque opera. Danielle has a special interest in premiering new works, and has been involved in five seasons of the annual short play festival “8 Tens at 8” in Santa Cruz, CA, as well as two world premiere operas and a world premiere musical.

Vocal

A classically trained soprano of Norwegian heritage, Danielle has specialized in art song from Nordic countries and she sings in Norwegian, Icelandic, Danish, Finnish, and Swedish. She also enjoys performing standard lyric soprano repertoire in English, German, French, and Italian, as well as less-commonly performed pieces in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan and Russian. She has received recognition for her art song work by the National Association of Teachers of Singing-Bay Area, and a grant from the Scandinavian Cultural Center of Santa Cruz for her work in Scandinavian song.

She has been a soloist with the San Jose Wind Symphony, Monterey’s Del Monte Brass Band, and San Jose State’s Wind Ensemble, Jazz Orchestra, and Symphony Orchestra. She is available for live performances and special events.

Choral

Danielle has sung in or directed a choir nearly every year of her life since the age of eight. As a choral and ensemble singer, Danielle has performed at Davies Hall in San Francisco; Disney Hall, Royce Hall, and the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles; San Jose City National Civic and St. Joseph’s Basilica in San Jose; and the Santa Cruz Civic and Kuumbwa Jazz in Santa Cruz. She has worked with diverse ensembles such as Areté Singers, Awaken A Capella, Superdevoiche (a Bulgarian women’s choir), and as a choral member and soloist with the UCLA Chorale and Chamber choir, and the SJSU Concert Choir. She served as the choir director at the Congregational Church of Soquel for many years, and has worked with other church, public school and after-school ensembles as a director and voice teacher.

Attorney John B. Wells is a retired Navy Commander (Surface Warfare) and a disabled veteran, who served from 1972 until 1994. He was assigned to six ships and several shore commands. He is qualified in all aspects of surface warfare including command at sea. He is a graduate of the Surface Warfare Officers School Department Head and PXO schools. Mr. Wells served as a Special-Court Martial convening authority, member, senior member and witness before administrative boards and courts-martial. He has administered non-judicial punishment under Art. 15 of the UCMJ. Mr. Wells attended law school at night while still on active duty. He was a member of the Law Review Staff and contributed to several law school publications. Upon retirement from the military, Mr. Wells settled in Slidell Louisiana and opened a general law practice that emphasized military and veterans law. Mr. Wells has represented military members and veterans throughout the country. He is at home in both state and federal courts and travels often to Washington, D.C. for cases there.

Commander Wells was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in November of 1994, the Supreme Court of Louisiana in October of 1995 and the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in April of 1996. He is also admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States. In addition, Mr. Wells is admitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth, Federal and District of Columbia Circuits. He is also a member of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and all service courts. He is admitted to practice before the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and the United States Court of Federal Claims. Mr. Wells is also admitted to many federal district courts including the District of Columbia.

Mr. Wells is married to Janice Burton Wells of Perth Australia and has two daughters, five grand-children and one great-grand son. He has spoken before numerous groups on militaty and veterans issues. He is also a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel.

Ariann Thomas, B.S., J.D., is an international healer, teacher, ceremonialist, speaker, Shaman, hypnotherapist, and an ordained non-denominational minister.

Ariann carries the profound subtle energy of an elder, advisor and wisdom carrier. She is part Cherokee by heritage and is a ceremonialist, an intuitive reader and healer, and practices Ancestral Lineage Clearing, and Shamanic Healing.

She works with clients to make direct contact with ancestors in the past through Shamanic Journeys. Ariann takes them through time and space through hundreds or thousands of years to connect to ancestors through their DNA. For the past 35 years Ariann, has studied metaphysics, spiritual teachings and healing.

She engages in energetic healing work, having studied healing in the native traditions of North and South America. She is an initiated Keeper of the Water Ceremonies and an Elder in the Tradition of the Sacred Feminine, does Shamanic Journeying for soul retrieval, curse release and healing, and is initiated in the 9 Rites of the Munay-Ki, Healing Touch, Reiki (1st and 2nd Degree) and animal healing. She is a Certified Basic Ericksonian Hypnotist. She was awarded Featured Thought Leader by the Wellness Universe.

“Ancestral Lineage Clearing is such a powerful transformation and healing tool. It releases so much energy in a short period of time to allow people to move on and create happiness in their lives.” She was so impressed with how it positively affected clients and others in the family that it became her major healing tool.

In addition, Ariann is the Administrative Director of the New Dream Foundation, a non-profit organization operating as Sacred Feminine Awakening whose mission is to create a global spiritual family through education, ritual and service. She is a Keeper of the Water Ceremonies and an Elder in the Path of the Sacred Feminine.



She is the author of  two Amazon best-selling books: Healing Family Patterns, Ancestral Lineage Clearing for Personal Development, and Changing Our Genetic Patterns, Creating a New Reality for Ourselves and Future Generations,

 

Ariann presently lives in Northern California with her cat Gigi. She volunteers at the local cat shelter, loves to travel, read, go to movies, and stay current with the latest scientific developments. She is committed to women’s enlightenment and the Sacred Feminine.

Prior to opening the coolest wedding chapel in Las Vegas, Reverend Polek’s Chapels at The Pawn, Scott J Polek spent 10 + years working with the world’s most gifted psychics, mediums and healers, (and also learning the true meaning of spirituality). The man everyone knew as Scott J Polek, became known as "The Reverend Scott J Polek". His years of working with them really opened his mind, body, and soul to endless possibilities in our world!

Welcome to Reverend Polek’s Chapels at The Pawn

“Las Vegas weddings the way Las Vegas weddings were meant to be done”

Your new home in Las Vegas for all of your wedding or wedding vow renewal dreams. Located on Las Vegas Boulevard, inside of Pawnstars Plaza and conveniently next to the world-famous and iconic “Gold and Silver Pawn Shop”,

The Chapels at The Pawn combines the mystique and sexy vibe of a 1920’s speakeasy with the loud, bright and vibrant world of 2020, which we are about to enter. All of us here at The Chapels at The Pawn, wish to take a step back from the “family and Instagram friendly” environment, many parts of Las Vegas have become, and back to Las Vegas’ roots of a fun, care-free “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” mentality. It’s your wedding day –ENJOY IT!

For far too many years Las Vegas has been home to a self-proclaimed “Wedding Queen of the West”, however, times have changed, it’s now time for a “Wedding King” to emerge in Las Vegas.

The Chapels at The Pawn is all about YOU, our soon to be newlyweds. Our Reverends and our staff will do whatever is necessary to create an atmosphere that will have you forever remembering your Las Vegas wedding ceremony. We have done things very differently here at The Chapels at The Pawn, we will be doing things you don’t see in most other Las Vegas wedding chapels.

So take a tour of our site, meet our Reverends, see our wedding packages and our amazing wedding day additions – It’s your special day, we are just here to help make it perfect for you!

Give us a call whenever you’re ready to book your big day. 

Rev. Scott has been married for 24 years, the father of two boys (18/22) and three dogs, lives with his family in Spring Valley, Nevada. The Reverend, who is also a yoga enthusiast, has been a lifelong non-smoker and non-drinker.

Former 3-star Admiral Joe Sestak is an experienced, independent leader who served in the Navy for 31 years and then as the highest ranking military officer ever elected to Congress when he represented Pennsylvania’s Seventh Congressional District.

When Joe Sestak’s daughter, Alex, was very young, she drew two red shoes and wrote above them, “Joe Sestak is Walking in Your Shoes.” Joe hung Alex’s drawing on his office wall to remind him of what service means: to walk in someone else’s shoes and see the world through another’s eyes.

Joe has walked in many different shoes in his life: as a father and a husband, as an officer and then an Admiral in the U.S. Navy, as a Congressman from Pennsylvania, and as he walked 422 miles across the state to speak with Americans during his Senate campaign.

It was the experience of Alex’s battle and defeat of brain cancer as a four year old child that moved her Dad to serve his country in Congress after 31 years of naval service. With her courage and the care she received from Joe’s military healthcare coverage, Alex beat that demon and Joe dedicated himself toward everyone having access to the same quality of healthcare. After resigning from the Navy and Alex’s recovery, he ran and won in a Republican District under the slogan, “National security begins at home, in health security.”

Joe Sestak is an experienced, independent leader who rose to the rank of 3-star Admiral.  He was the highest ranking military officer ever elected to Congress when he represented Pennsylvania’s Seventh Congressional District from 2007-2011. He commanded an aircraft carrier battle group that conducted combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq with 30 U.S. and allied ships and more than 15,000 sailors and 100 aircraft.  Joe served as President Clinton’s Director for Defense Policy on the National Security Council in the White House, the first Director of the Navy’s strategic anti-terrorism unit (Deep Blue) after 9/11, and the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Requirements responsible for the Navy’s five year $350 billion warfare requirements. As Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, he proposed a controversial reduction in ship-levels from 375 to 260 ships that proved unnerving to the military-industrial-congressional complex, advocating for a greater future capability by harnessing cyberspace, at less cost.

In addition to leading a series of operational commands at sea, Joe received a PhD in Political Economy and Government, and a Masters in Public Administration, from Harvard University.  But he is most proud of being dad to Alex and the husband of Susan, whom he somehow convinced to marry him, as she has also taught him much. This includes from work in international environmental issues, from Kazakhstan to Mozambique; Russian relations, even into Soviet Union archives as U.S. teams still search for clues to our missing POW/MIAs, and on suicide prevention for the Veterans Administration and the Defense Department.

Born and raised in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, where he attended Cardinal O’Hara High school prior to graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, in 2006 Joe defeated a ten-term Republican incumbent in his nearly 2:1 Republican home District to become the second Democrat congressman since the Civil War. As a member of both the Armed Services and Education & Labor Committees, and as Vice Chairman of the Small Business Committee, Joe had 19 pieces of bi-partisan legislation passed in the House during his first term, and was named the most productive member of his Congressional class by the Majority Leader’s Office in 2007. He was also recognized for serving four times the constituent cases than the average Congressional office, while hosting an average of 15 large summit gatherings in his district each year on key issues. As a result, his Republican District re-elected Joe by 20 points without his having to air a single campaign ad.

Joe ran for U.S. Senate in 2010, despite the opposition of the Democratic party’s Washington establishment. He disagreed that Republican Senator Arlen Specter should become the party’s nominee in order to avoid defeat in the Republican primary after his 30 years of damaging votes, particularly his humiliation of Ms. Anita Hill when she testified about her sexual harassment by now-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Joe believed Pennsylvanians deserved a leader who would always be accountable to the principle of people first, ahead of self, party or special interest. Against the odds, he overcame a 40 point deficit to win the Democratic primary over the 30-year incumbent. The general election was decided by only two points in the Tea Party year where the party lost the Pennsylvania governor’s race and five Congressional seats by an average of 11 points – all despite being outspent more than any other Senate or Governor’s race (except one) in America that year.  Afterwards, Joe went to each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties to thank his supporters, including countless African-American churches, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship that welcomed him.

In Joe’s second Senate race, Joe launched his campaign by walking 422 miles across Pennsylvania, from the border with New Jersey to that with Ohio, stating that “we are in a fight for the soul of America” at the kickoff and throughout the remainder of the election. He held a town hall each day in small towns and cities, and then went to each of the remaining 67 counties. Simultaneously, he published his vision in a policy-based book, “Walking in Your Shoes to Restore the American Dream.”

However, the Democratic Senate leadership directed Joe to “stop walking and just fundraise.”  When Joe demurred, the Democratic leadership sought a primary opponent, funneling over $6 million into false opposition ads that the Washington Post assigned its highest rating of falsity, to win the primary, but losing the general election.

In Congress, Joe championed fiscally accountable “pay-as-you-go” legislation to help ensure its passage.  He advanced educational legislation, from pre-K through retraining; seniors’ quality of life – including authoring and passing the first Elder Abuse Victims legislation in 17 years — and veterans’ educational and healthcare expansion.  He sponsored small business legislation for access to start-up capital, tax and regulatory relief, and workforce development, including initiating and passing legislation for a 35% increase in funding for Women’s Business Centers. He pursued healthcare issues ranging from pediatric cancer to mental health parity, as well as autism as he authored the first successful increase in funding for autism in 12 years. Chosen to serve on two bi-partisan national security Select Congressional Committees, he worked on refocusing our security force posture toward the Western Pacific and China, advocating a new emphasis on cyberspace warfare, and reprioritization of defense funding toward such newly emerging warfare capability areas, with a reformed accountable defense procurement system.  Joe also supported energy development legislation for renewables, with environmental safeguards and job creation, to address Climate Change.

After Congress, Joe taught courses on Ethical Leadership and on Restoring the American Dream at Cheyney University – the oldest historically black university in America – and Carnegie Mellon University, and was the General Omar N. Bradley Chair in Strategic Leadership, a joint faculty appointment at the United States Army War College, Dickinson College, and the Penn State University Dickinson School of Law and School of International Affairs.  

Admiral Sestak remained active in public service through the Center for Refugee and Disaster Response at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; the Ploughshares Fund working on the reduction of nuclear weapons; the Lenfest Foundation focused on education in Philadelphia, pre-K through early childhood, and those who had or were about to drop out of high school; co-chair with former Republican governor Mark Schweiker of the Pennsylvania State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, focused on U.S. diplomacy and development; then-Secretary of State Clinton’s Advisory Committee on U.S. educational programs; and the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation, as well as issues regarding small businesses, energy and the environment.

Finally, Joe convened the youth of the world from nearly 160 nations at Constitution Hall in Washington DC for the inaugural robotics Olympics highlighting the need for global STEM education, as teams from the Congo to Iran, a Syrian refugee team and an all-girls Afghan Muslim team showed we have more in common in the world than we do differences.

Most importantly, having served with all Americans in the global canvas of the Navy, and served you as a Congressman, Joe knows that Americans have more in common than we do differences. Now, as President, Joe will need all of you to help answer the call for America’s leadership to restore a just world order so it serves us by raising our collective good, here at home – done by Joe’s gaining your trust that he will always remain accountable to you, alone.

Gene Barretta is an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books. Among his honors are the Carolyn W. Field Award and the Bank Street Cook Prize Honor.

His books include, “The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver,” “The Bat Can Bat: A Book of True Homonyms,” “Muhammad Ali: A Champion is Born,” “Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare,” “Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin,” “Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo Da Vinci,” “Jack the Tripper,” “Dear Deer: A Book of Homophones,” “The Bass Plays the Bass and Other Homographs” and “Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives.”

Gene has contributed illustration and animation to Sesame Street and Between the Lions.  He has also designed characters for The Jim Henson Company. 

He lives in Bryn Mawr, PA. For more information on Gene and his work, please visit:

www.genebarretta.com