Hi bloggers, I’m Sonia. I’m pleased to share my views on well being from the Career and Community Wellbeing points of view. I’ve been helping people find and keep employment for about twenty years. I’ve been lucky to get to work and live in several different parts of the county which, I think, gives me a unique perspective to talk from. Recently I’ve become a mediator and help others solve problems and make decisions using the techniques of interest-based mediation.
Sonia Keffer, M.A., Community Relations Director, Concord Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
I taught Computer Science at several universities after getting my Ph.D in mathematics. After accidentally learning to be a management consultant in the late 70′s, as a fellow at a Fujitsu’s research institute, I became a full time entrepreneur after a twenty year career in academia. Then, twenty years after my daughter decided to become a Buddhist nun, my wife and I moved into a Buddhist monastery. We made that move seven years ago as long term volunteers. All in all, I had a wonderful life sampling different careers and traveled widely.
Dr. Raymond Yeh, City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, Volunteer, Ukiah, California.
I am a Pueblo Indian in New Mexico and founding director of HAMAATSA which supports my celebration of an indigenous holistic way of life. I have worked as a corporate trainer and executive coach, education specialist and national speaker perpetuating the living oral tradition of Pueblo Indian culture. My experiential learning curriculum model, Learning to Listen©, has been implemented across the nation in classrooms, boardrooms, university auditoriums, theaters in D.C. to San Francisco. I am one of the first American Indians to produce, write and direct films for and about Native people in the United States including playing the lead role in the feature motion picture, House Made of Dawn, based on N. Scott Momaday’s Pulitzer-Prize winning novel.
Larry Littlebird, Founder, HAMAATSA Indigenous Continuum Learning Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
I am an architect, artist and generalist dedicated to experiencing and reflecting upon wellbeing. I am the father of two and grandfather of four. My contributions are related with education and the creation of Cultural Alliances throughout the world. I am a former recipient of a Community Arts Program Grant from the United States Government. I am a Director of R & D of Solidaridad Integral S.A. de C.V. a company dedicated to the development of educational programs for human creativity and wellbeing.
Pepin Hernandez Laos, R&D Director. Solidaridad Integral S.A. de C.V. Guadalajara, México.
Hi, I’m Kimberly Wiefling, founder and president of my own consulting business, executive editor of the Scrappy Guides(TM), and the author of “Scrappy Project Management”. The biggest compliment that anyone has ever paid me is that I am a “force of nature”. Now I do more than half of my work in Japan, enabling my clients to achieve what seems impossible but is merely difficult. Cheers from Tokyo!
Kimberly Wiefling, Author, Scrappy Project Management & Scrappy Women in Business, and President, Wiefling Consulting, LLC, San Francisco, California.
Born and raised in the Netherlands, I learned to bike and speed skate only just after learning how to walk. In my later teens, my fascination with life around me inspired me to backpack my way through Europe and South East Asia every summer holiday. Having worked in investment banking and managed complex international projects, I have personally experienced how stress can impact your well being. That has motivated me to start my business, InDepth Strategies in San Francisco, to inspire and enable people to take action to live the life of their dreams. Believing you should live life to the fullest, wherever I can I combine my busy work schedule with my two greatest passions—scuba diving and motorcycling.
Nathalie Udo, President, InDepth Strategies, LLC, San Francisco, California.
I live in San Francisco and spend my days pushing pixels and writing code. My goal is to create memorable and engaging interactive computer experiences. I’ve started several companies, written a couple of books, given speeches and lectures, taught design and programming, ridden the booms and busts of the information age – and all the while I’ve been searching for my own creative wellbeing, which has proven quite elusive. Having recently stepped away from my most recent venture, I am hoping to chronicle my current transition from burnt-out digital workaholic to something more creative and personally fulfilling.
Michelangelo Capraro, Digital Experience Designer, San Francisco, California.
I joined Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. in Topeka , Kansas in 1997. I am a certified personal finance and HUD Housing Counselor. Robert has played a major role in developing HCCI’s community outreach education programs, including a pilot financial family mentoring program. Previous work experience includes teaching English, working as a community organizer and grant writer and working in the performing arts as a writer, producer and director.
Rober Baker, Director of Education, Housing & Credit Counseling, Inc., Topeka, Kansas.
I am an independent aviation and financial consultant. My career includes: founding a nationwide computer company later on acquired by Western Union; as CEO of Directional Robotics I created the first nationwide IPO using the Internet; 25 years as a turnaround consultant for middle market companies; author, lecturer, and commercial pilot. My education includes an MBA in Finance and Marketing, an M.A. in Art (Sculpture), a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, and a B.A. in Mathematics and Physics. At the young age of 74 I am an active Certified Flight Instructor in gliders and powered aircraft, an author of a book on Soaring, and was selected as FAA Flight Instructor of the Year in 2008 for the Western Central Region of the Federal Aviation Administration. I live with my wife, Raphaela, in Fresno, CA. My son, Harold III, is a proud member of the U.S. Army, stationed at Ft. Riley, KS, with his wife and two children.
Some of my claim to fame are my books which include Marry Smart:The Intelligent Woman’s Guide to True Love (2009) and Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women (2006). My new book venture is Generation WTF: From “What the $%&#” to a Wise, Tenacious and Fearless You will be published in 2011.
She and her husband Peter live and work in Pittsburgh with their dictator cats, Chairman Meow and Evita Purrron. Dr. Christine Whelan, Sociology Department, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
I am about creating sustainable collaborations. I love preventing, resolving and teaching others about communication, collaboration and conflict. I was given gifts that help me help you – empathy, patience, listening and “hearing” ability and compassion. The knowledge that with just a bit of help most conflict can be prevented or resolved motivates me. Like so many things, it’s about education – learning to think differently, and learning how to have the difficult conversations.
Stewart Levine, Founder, Resolution Works, Oakland, California.
My well-being is nourished in the bountiful Valley of Heart’s D elight, now known as the Silicon Valley. Surrounded by natural beauty and intense intellectual activity I have survived at Intel, Oracle, and others. I am now chairman of the Institute for Service Organization Excellence where I participate in growing networked communities for health and healing. I bring the discipline of well being, skills from mathematics, finance (MS MIT) and emotional intelligence about compassion, all contained within an appreciative, inquiring mind, curious about what it means to earn and keep trust.
Mei Lin Fung, Chairman, Institute for Service Organization Excellence Palo Alto, California.
I’m Deanne Amato, Certified Life Coach and owner of Life’s Direction, Empowerment/ Success Coaching. I work with people from all walks of life, teens, college students, single parents, unemployed and anyone wishing to live a more fulfilling, meaningful life. I’m also a motivational speaker and conduct workshops on topics such as relationships, life purpose, the power of perspective, confidence and overcoming fear. Everyone deserves to live a full life and I hope what you learn here will make a difference in yours.
Deanne J. Amato, Certified Life Coach and Owner of Life’s Direction Success/Empowerment Coaching, Omaha, Nebraska
After graduating from Harvey Mudd College and UC San Diego with degrees in engineering, I spent several years in Japan in engineering research at the University of Tokyo. Upon returning to the US, I worked with Silicon Valley startup’s where I focused on product development and engineering management. As I shifted from technical problem solving to organizational problem solving, I developed a problem-solving methodology having roots in the Enneagram. Now, I run a consulting practice to help client teams of cross-functional leaders solve complex business problems.
Matt Schlegel, Management Consultant and President, Sakino Consulting, Palo Alto, California
I am an old “new ager”. If I had been a couple of years younger I’d probably have been a Hippie. I’ve had a hybrid career between Universities and entrepreneurship. My career has involved statistics, financial modeling, group decision technology, a BSc degree in IT Innovation, historical preservation, art galleries, and now a focus on Wellbeing. The latter is influenced as a result of being a Gallup Senior Scientist.
Dr. Jerry Wagner, Presidents Office, Director Institute for Wellbeing, Bellevue University, Bellevue, Nebraska.
I’m a former newspaper columnist and author, as well as a Performance Enhancement Trainer/Consultant, who combines the fields of sport psychology with clinical psychology when working with amateur and professional athletes and sports teams. I’ve also worked with cancer patients, at-risk youth and corporate executives. I specialize in motivational psychology and the building of an individual’s inner self. My program, Psycho Self-Imagery, is based on the premise that we create what happens to us based on our own feelings of self-worth and whether or not our lives are in harmony. I am married and have three grown children.
Marv lives in Branson, Missouri.
My passion is in the development of individuals and giving worth to everyone’s talent, potential, and their well-being. I believe that all things are connected, and that our actions have a great impact on those around us. I am the Director of Human Service Programs at Bellevue University and am in the process of creating classes in well-being. Previously I was at Gallup as a consultant in strengths development and engagement.
Irene Burklund, Director Human Service Programs, Bellevue University, Bellevue, Nebraska.
I have undergraduate and graduate studies in Economics; however, I have always believed that one needs to go beyond the current compartmentalization of knowledge in order to have some insight into fundamental human issues. Thus, besides Economics, my studies have revolved around philosophy, sociology, political science and, most recently, psychology. The study of happiness provides me with an issue which is intrinsically transdisciplinary and which is inherently human. It forces me to work with human beings of flesh and blood rather than with academically-constructed agents. Hence, I am very happy studying happiness as well as everything that relates to people having the experience of being well.
I am Costa Rican and I live in Mexico. I appreciate the importance that Latin Americans place in interpersonal relations, which are an important source of well-being.
Dr. Mariano Rojas is professor of economics at FLACSO-Mexico and UPAEP, Mexico.
I am Randi Raymond. My career began in western medicine and has evolved into my receiving a Masters in Science in Traditional Oriental Medicine at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego, CA. I have a private practice in Costa Rica where I have lived for the past five years. I combine many different modalities of medicine, healing, nutrition and counseling in order to put my patients on the path to find their own healing. During my time in Costa Rica I have created and managed two wellness centers, hosted retreats and published numerous articles about health and wellness. Currently I am working to create a line of natural herbal skin care products; I am on the advisory board for a national skin care company and I sit on the board of directors for Apotheque lifestyle spa in San Diego, CA.
Bob Block has extensive experience in the computer software, communication and entertainment industries including pioneering roles in commercial and pay television and cellular telephone operating companies. He is widely known for his pioneering work in communications, information and management technologies and is the inventor and patent owner of more than 150 issued US and International patents. His inventions are licensed to most of the major consumer electronics manufacturers in the world and have influenced entertainment, sports and information and education services worldwide.
Block graduated from the U.S. Army Medical Corps Pharmacy School and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Wisconsin and a degree in Foreign Trade from the Latin American Institute. He has Honorary Doctorate from the United States Sports Academy.Stewart Levine, Founder, Resolution Works, Oakland, California.
Laura Musikanski is an attorney with a Masters in Business Administration and certificate in Environmental management. She is the executive director for the Happiness Initiative. She has worked as a sustainability director for a large company and as executive director for Sustainable Seattle, one of the nation’s oldest sustainability indicator organizations. Laura’s story includes growing up below poverty line in a single parent household, raising a daughter as a single mother while running her own small business and completing graduate school in law, business and environmental management.