Jill Bolte Taylor – Whole Brain Living
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained and published neuroanatomist who experienced a severe hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of her brain in 1996. On the afternoon of this rare form of stroke (AVM), she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. It took eight years for Dr. Jill to completely recover all of her physical function and thinking ability. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey (published in 2008 by Viking Penguin). In 2008, Dr. Jill gave a presentation at the TED Conference in Monterey, CA, which turned out to be the first TED talk to ever go viral through the internet. TED and Dr. Jill became world famous instantaneously and her TED talk is now one of the top 5 most viewed TED talks of all time. This now famous 18-minute presentation catapulted her story into the public eye, and within six weeks of presenting that TED talk, Dr. Jill was chosen as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2008, she was the premiere guest on Oprah’s Soul Series web-cast, and her book My Stroke of Insight became a New York Times bestseller.
Dr. Jill feels passionate about helping others find their way back from neurological trauma, and is involved with the development of the upcoming feature film of her life. Dr. Jill created the not-for-profit organization Jill Bolte Taylor BRAINS, which is dedicated to providing educational services and promoting programs related to the advancement of brain awareness, appreciation, exploration, education, injury prevention, neurological recovery, and the value of movement on mental and physical health, as well as other activities that support this purpose. The Brain Extravaganza was the not-for-profit’s first educational awareness program and you can learn more about that community project at jbtbrains.org. In March of 2017, ten of these big brains will be on the Butler University campus as a part of their Butler ONE Brain Project. The brains will remain on display until after graduation.
Dr. Jill remains the National Spokesperson for the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center (Harvard Brain Bank), and educates the public about the shortage of brain tissue donated for research into the severe mental illnesses. Since 1993, she has been an active member of NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) and is now president-emeritus of the NAMI Greater Bloomington Area affiliate in Bloomington, Indiana, after serving as the president for over ten years.
Raymond Aaron – Get Your Book Written
Raymond Aaron is an eight-time New York Times best-selling author: ‘Branding Small Business for Dummies’, ‘Double Your Income Doing What You Love’, ‘Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul’ and the co-author of the New York Times bestseller ‘Chicken Soup for the Parent’s Soul’, and following participating in the 350-mile footrace to the North Pole: ‘How to get Rich, Without Getting Cold’.
He is a professional speaker, a renowned success, and an investment coach. Raymond has shared his vision and wisdom on radio and TV, utilizing his expert guidance to help people achieve greater wealth, branding, recognition, respect, and authority – dramatically changing their lives for the better.
Using his own innovative techniques, Raymond will show you how to take conscious control of your own world to unlock your potential, so that you can double, triple and even quadruple your income doing only what you love. He is absolutely committed to helping you achieve what you want out of life, just as he has helped thousands of others in their pursuit of wealth and happiness, building their own business brands to become respected thought-leaders and experts in their fields.
Kian Gohar – Radical Adaptability
Kian is Founder & CEO of Geolab, an innovation venture lab in Los Angeles that explores impact-driven innovation moonshots to tackle grand challenges. He is a master facilitator and has coached the CEO and leadership teams of over 50 companies in the Fortune 500 on topics as diverse as innovation, disruptive technologies, exponential thinking, the future of work, the future of mobility, and leadership. Previously, Kian founded and was Executive Director of the world’s leading corporate innovation ecosystem, called the Innovation Partnership Program (IPP.biz), a joint venture of two of the world’s most advanced futurist organizations: the XPRIZE Foundation & Singularity University. His 20-year innovation career spans venture capital, academia and startups around the world. Early in his career, he was a venture capitalist in the UK and China investing in early stage digital media companies, and was a Luce Scholar and faculty member at China’s leading business school. Kian is passionate about the intersection of technology, society and policy. A sought-after public speaker, Kian has presented at the World Economic Forum, been featured on CNBC and Axios, delivered a popular TED talk, and coauthored a seminal report called “The Work Ahead” about the future of work. He speaks 5 languages, is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, the London School of Economics, and Northwestern.
Jim Kwik – Becoming limitless: Upgrade Your Brain and Learn Faster
Jim Kwik is a widely recognized world expert in accelerated learning, brain performance, memory improvement, and speed-reading. For more than 20 years, Kwik has served as the brain coach to educators, entrepreneurs, seniors, and students, and as an advisor to numerous of the world’s celebrities and leading CEOs.
He is a Brain Coach, Mindvalley Trainer, and well known for his speed-reading and memory techniques. Jim Kwik is also the founder of Kwik Learning, where he taught people how to learn something very fast, how to optimize their brain for high performance and memory improvement.
He is also the host of Kwik Brain Podcast. He has trained companies such as Nike, Fox Studios, Virgin and universities namely Harvard University for optimal brain development performance.
Fred Johnson – Forging Understanding and building a foundation for racial justice and equity in our personal and professional lives
The fact that Frederick Johnson has opened for both Aretha Franklin and Dr. Deepak Chopra points to his versatility as an artist. An acclaimed jazz vocalist, author, and arts educator, Fred is a graduate of the National Academy of the Performing Arts as well as the Master Performers School of the National Mime Theater. He has opened for or recorded and toured worldwide with jazz and R& B legends Ramsey Lewis, Chick Corea, Sonny Rollins, Christian McBride, Richard Elliot, George Benson, Boney James, Joe Zawinul, Ottmar Liebert, David Sanborn, B. B. King, Patti LaBelle, Herbie Mann, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat Adderley, and Miles Davis.
He is recognized globally for his work in the health and wellness community and was instrumental in establishing the inspiring “HeArts & Hope” program at the University of Florida. His presentations on the healing power of music have caught the attention of internationally recognized holistic health practitioners and the medical community. Fred presents lectures and seminars all over the world re-accentuating the importance of creative expression as a catalyst for personal and communal empowerment, health and healing, and giving voice to the voiceless.
Mentored by masters of the African oral and percussion legacy, Fred has been hailed as one of the true guardians of an oral tradition transplanted and nurtured to create a fusion of cultural heritage that is uniquely American and inherently African. His global presentations of “Jazz, it’s Roots and Branches” has served to inform and inspire audiences around the world to recognize and celebrate a creative global tapestry set by the first woven thread sown from the artistic richness of Africa. His fifty years of experience as an artist, arts administrator, and educator has uniquely equipped him to be poised to both create structure and artistically inspire. Fred currently serves as Artist in Residence, Community Engagement Specialist, and Director of the Arts and Health initiative at The David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Florida. He was the first artist to perform at the Straz Center when it opened in 1987 and served as the Vice President of Education and Humanities from 1996 to 2005. His return to Tampa Bay after 15 years of international travel welcomes the opportunity to again add to the richness of the arts legacy of The Performing Arts Center and the Tampa cultural community.
Emily Fletcher – Ziva Meditation
Emily Fletcher is the founder of Ziva Meditation offering courses in Vedic Meditation to all levels of meditators in NYC and LA. She is also the creator of zivaMIND the world’s first online meditation training. She’s also taught at Google as well as conferences worldwide. Emily started meditating during her 10 year career on Broadway. She became a meditation teacher after seeing how much meditation improved her mental and physical performance.
Chunyi Lin – Spring Forest Qigong
International Qigong Master Chunyi Lin is known among the Qigong community as one of the most legitimate Qigong teachers both in the United States and globally. Drawing off of several lineages of Qigong in China dating back hundreds of years in addition to vast knowledge of herbal medicine and other Chinese health concepts, Lin has established the Spring Forest Center in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, where he currently teaches Qigong and other classes related to health and wellness.
Lin originally arrived in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota in the USA in the early 90s as part of an exchange teacher program between China and sister schools in the state. It wasn’t soon that he found himself drawn to teaching others the ancient practice of Qigong while holding night classes at a local community college. Through these classes of helping others he would find his true calling for teaching the practice to locals and later developed into the international program known today as Spring Forest Qigong that is studied by tens of thousands across the globe.
Lin’s background in Qigong is a fascinating one and can be best understood in his book entitled Born A Healer. In short, Chunyi was drawn to alternative healing methods for curing his legs, which suffered severe damage during basketball playing in his college days. After trying several methods including rehabilitation he was introduced to attend a Qigong seminar from a famous Qigong teacher and healer from China’s Shaolin Temple. During this talk in which Lin describes the event as having enough attendees to fill a football field, the Qigong Master was able to heal everyone in attendance by sending his Qi. Lin, who has trouble walking during the time to the point where he was unable to stand up at times was lying down when this happened and wrote that when the master sent energy across the crowds he began to roll back and forth in a euphoric manner on the ground. He then began to feel his body rejuvenate its energy and Lin suddenly felt that the blockages causing him pain suddenly vanished and he was able to stand up without any pain. Lin said his was amazed at what he encountered and knew that he had to learn more.
From there on, Lin sought out this teacher studying underneath his guidance both in person and long distance when he went back to college and later into his career in teaching. During his teaching days, Lin said he would arrange his classes on certain days and time frames so that the rest of his time could be fully dedicated to Qigong practice. As his practice progressed, Lin would seek other teachers when he felt his level and connection with a given teacher was complete all the way until he was undertaking long Qigong retreats in the mountains of China to take his practice until advanced levels. Following this, Lin went about his career as a teacher, healing and teaching others when the opportunity arose and would later find his calling as a full-time Qigong teacher and healer in Minnesota.
Chunyi has one basic, yet powerful message for people-you have the ability to heal yourself and others. Everyone is born a healer. Qigong in addition to balanced emotions, eating and exercise are key for living a quality life, and it is Lin’s goal to teach people how to achieve healthy living through these concepts with Qigong at the core. Chunyi Lin is by far one of the most humble and down to earth people one could meet, displaying only acts of kindness and no apparent ego, which in the opinion of the author, rare characteristics in terms of Qigong teachers these days. Lin provides the most comprehensive school of Qigong that is written down and recorded for Western readers in the modern day world, and continues to teach openly across the world to anyone who is interested.
Matt Weinstein – Playtime with Matt
Matt Weinstein is the nation’s foremost authority on the use of fun and humor in team building. Called “The Master of Playfulness” by PEOPLE Magazine and “America’s Pied Piper of Play” by the Houston Post, his playful vision has been the subject of dozens of national newspaper articles, magazine features, and television appearances. Matt Weinstein has recently been featured in The Wall St. Journal, The Los Angeles Times, and CBS This Morning.
Matt is the founder and Emperor of Playfair, Inc., an international consulting firm based in Berkeley, California whose philosophy is, “If you take yourself too seriously, there is an excellent chance you’ll wind up seriously ill!” Matt Weinstein was elected to the Speaker’s Hall of Fame by the National Speaker’s Association, and was honored by Successful Meetings Magazine as one of “21 Speakers for the 21st Century.”
Matt Weinstein’s television special FUN WORKS!: The Power of Humor in the Workplace was broadcast nationally on PBS. Matt is the author of two bestselling books about building a team, Managing To Have Fun (Simon and Schuster) and Work Like Your Dog (Random House). His latest book, Dogs Don’t Bite When A Growl Will Do: What Your Dog Can Teach You About Living A Happy Life will be published by Penguin/Putnam in November of 2003.
Peggy Cappy – Yoga for all
Peggy is the creator of the PBS Yoga for the Rest of Us DVD series and the founder of Gentle Stretch Yoga for seniors and others who need a gentle or modified approach to yoga.
Peggy has perfected an adaptable yoga program that is easy, effective, and enjoyable. Peggy’s unique approach to yoga has adults finding they have energy and flexibility they never dreamed possible at their age.
For more than forty years, Peggy Cappy has been practicing and teaching yoga, meditation, and guided relaxation, helping others create greater comfort and ease in body, mind and spirit. Her studies have taken her to India, the source of yoga, to study with yoga and meditation masters.
Peggy’s desire to create the Peggy Cappy PBS Yoga for the Rest of Us DVD series came from her interaction with a special group of elders that she has been teaching for decades. The average age of the group is over 80 and her oldest student is more than 100.
Because of the success of Peggy’s DVDs, St. Martin’s Press asked her to write a book on yoga. Peggy’s book Yoga for All of Us was released April 18, 2006. In the book, each pose is described in detail with easy-to-follow instructions. Her book is a great reference for anyone who would like to extend their yoga practice beyond the material presented in the DVDs.
Peggy has created audio programs that teach meditation and breathing techniques. Peggy knows that people often need special help in learning how to relax. Peggy’s audio programs for relaxation are designed to take you to a place of comfort in 15 minutes of listening.
Pepper Pepper
So spice she named herself twice! Pepper Pepper turns tragic into magic and brings magic to the people.
Pepper Pepper is the holistic combination of personalities; the performance and fine artist Kaj-anne Pepper with writer Garrett Christopher.
Slightly chaotic, always creative and decidedly curious Pepper presents a unique blend of humor and vulnerability.
Kaj-anne Pepper AKA Pepper Pepper is a multidisciplinary artist working in performance, video, drag, installation, theatre and dance.
Pepper (he/they pronouns) explores vulnerability, artifice and identity while turning tragic into magic and trauma into drama.
Pepper has premiered hybridized dance/theatre work at RISK/REWARD, DANCE+ The Headwater’s Theatre, PICA’s T:BA festival, Performance Works Northwest, and internationally at OFF! Biennale Budapest. Pepper has exhibited 2d, 3d and installation work at Linfield College and at The Budapest Art Fair.
Pepper has been fortunate to have been an artist in residence at:
Macdowell, Monson Arts Center, Playa Summer Lake, Monson Arts Center, Caldera Arts, Space Gallery Maine, Signal Fire, The Lucky Penny Workroom Atlanta, Pelican Bomb New Orleans, New Expressive Works Residency, CON/VERGE at PonderosaTanz and PICA’s Creative Exchange Lab.
Pepper Pepper has been featured in drag at The Austin International Drag Festival, Bushwig, Off Beat Bar Budapest, MSBeat Festival Chemnitz Germany, Bar Mattachine LA, Club Mother SF and The Stud (SF) and countless fundraisers and charities across the Pacific Northwest and West Coast. Pepper produced the wildly successful Drag/Art/Ball “Critical Mascara from 2012-2017 and was featured in the book “Fabulous Rise of the Beautiful Eccentric” by collaborator and author madison moore. One time as “Pepper the Potter” they performed an original lampoon of the ceramics community at NCECA’s Randall Session to a crowd of 4500!
In 2016 Pepper premiered the first cycle of their on-going project Diva Practice. Diva Practice is a performance and research project about drag queens dancing with uncertainty, technology and identity. In 2017 with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council, Oregon Arts Commission Pepper toured the country to develop “Diva Practice: Solo” as a work-in-progress culminating in a 2017 premier in Portland OR. at The Headwaters Theatre. Pepper has brought Diva Practice: Solo to Oregon State University Bend and SPACE GALLERY Maine as well as teaching “The Diva Practice Workshop” nationally.