Moments with Marianne

Jenny Lecoat was born in Jersey, Channel Islands, where her parents were raised under German Occupation and were involved in resistance activity. Lecoat moved to England at 18, where, after earning a drama degree, she spent a decade on the alternative comedy circuit as a feminist stand-up. She also wrote for newspapers and women’s magazines (Cosmopolitan, Observer), worked as a TV and radio presenter, before focusing on screenwriting from sitcom to sketch shows.  www.JennyLecoat.com 

Maika Moulite is a Miami native and the daughter of Haitian immigrants. She earned a bachelor’s in marketing from Florida State University and an MBA from the University of Miami. She’s sharpening her skills as a PhD student at Howard University’s Communication, Culture and Media Studies program. Her research focuses on representation in media and its impact on marginalized groups. 

Maritza Moulite graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s in women’s studies and the University of Southern California with a master’s in journalism. She’s worked in various capacities for NBC News, CNN, and USA TODAY. Maritza is a PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania exploring ways to improve literacy in under-resourced communities. https://www.maikaandmaritza.com

Kimberly S. Reed, MEd, CDP, is an award-winning diversity and inclusion expert, international speaker and corporate trainer. The Corporatepreneur Chief Transformational Officer of the Reed Development Group (RDG), LLC, she has developed a distinguished reputation as having one of the most distinct and powerful voices on the lecture circuit, transforming the thinking of thousands. Kimberly earned her B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and Public Administration from Westchester University. Kimberly also received her certification in Global Organizational Leadership, Human Resource Management, Fox School of Business. Kimberly also earned her Masters of Education, Adult Organizational Development and Public Policy, and received certifications in Training and Development and Communication and Conflict from Temple University. https://www.thereeddevelopmentgroup.com 

Tammy Letherer is a writing coach, blogger, and author. She lives in Chicago with her three children and enjoys yoga, swing dancing, reading a good novel, Earl Grey tea, and spending time outdoors. Read her blogs about creativity, spirituality, and the writing life on the Huffington Post. https://tammyletherer.com 

Amy Newmark is the bestselling author, editor-in-chief, and publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soulbook series. Since 2008, she has published 133 new books, most of them national bestsellers in the U.S. and Canada, more than doubling the number of Chicken Soup for the Soul titles in print today. She is also the author of Simply Happy, a crash course in Chicken Soup for the Soul advice and wisdom that is filled with easy-to-implement, practical tips for having a better life.  http://www.chickensoup.com

Bill Konigsberg is the award-winning author of six young adult novels. He has won the PEN Center USA Literary Award, the Stonewall Book Award in 2016, the Sid Fleischman Award for Humor, was a finalist for the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award and Lambda Literary Award in 2014.  His debut novel Out of the Pocket won the Lambda Literary Award in 2009. In 2018, The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)’s Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) established the Bill Konigsberg Award for Acts and Activism for Equity and Inclusion through Young Adult Literature. https://billkonigsberg.com

Teri Smith-Pickens is an award-winning and best-selling author and speaker, in addition to her work as a mental health practitioner and coach. She has inspired and transformed many lives through her coaching, speaking and media appearances. In 2007, Teri had a supernatural revelation that changed the course of her life, giving her unerring courage to confront important, controversial mental health issues in children’s lives and the society at large, giving birth to her book, The Fear Cure in Four Miraculous Steps. https://thefearcure.com

Dr. Peter Lovatt is an academic psychologist who specializes in the study of movement and dance. Before training as a psychologist, Peter was a professional dancer. Peter trained in dance and musical theatre at the Guildford School of Acting before becoming a professional dancer. After taking degrees in Psychology and English (BSc), Neural Computation (MSc) and Experimental Cognitive Psychology (PhD) Peter found himself in the Faculty of English at Cambridge University, where he studied how the brain processes language. While he was at Cambridge he had the idea to apply his scientific knowledge of the brain and human behavior to his love of dance. He set up the Dance Psychology Lab at the University of Hertfordshire in 2008 to study the science of dance and dancers, and he currently teaches Dance Psychology to dance students, and to students of dance teaching, at the Royal Ballet School in London. https://www.peterlovatt.com

Naz Beheshti is an executive wellness coach, speaker, Forbes contributor, and CEO and founder of Prananaz, a company that provides corporate wellness solutions for improving leadership effectiveness, employee engagement and well-being, and company culture. Clients include Nike, JPMorgan Chase, Omega Institute, UCSF, Columbia University, and Stanford University. Naz also cofounded Rise2Shine, a nonprofit helping to alleviate the suffering of young children in Haiti.  http://www.NazBeheshti.com

The future is Brian David Johnson’s business. He is a professor of practice at Arizona State University’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society, and a Futurist and Fellow at Frost & Sullivan. From 2009 to 2016, he was Intel Corporation’s first-ever futurist. Johnson has more than 40 patents, and he has been published in many consumer and trade publications, including the Wall Street Journal and Slate, and he appears regularly on Bloomberg TV, PBS, Fox News, and the Discovery Channel.  

Harlan Cohen is a New York Times bestselling author of seven books and a speaker who has visited over 500 high schools and college campuses. His books have sold over one million copies, and he has helped countless readers navigate change and get comfortable with the uncomfortable.  A leading expert on social and emotional learning, leadership, grit, resilience, college readiness, navigating change, parenting, and getting comfortable with the uncomfortable, Harlan has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Today Show. www.HarlanCohen.com

Travel connoisseur, motivational speaker and four-time Emmy award-winning director and host Joseph Rosendo has been a travel journalist and broadcaster since 1980. Since 2007, he has hosted, directed and written Joseph Rosendo’s Travelscope, the award-winning PBS travel television series. Joseph has been published worldwide and is the Consulting Editor for DK Eyewitness Travel Guides’ Where To Go When and Where To Go When – the Americas, as well as the author of an Insider’s Guide to Los Angeles. http://www.travelscope.net 

Intimacy Expert, Allana Pratt is a go-to authority for those who have suffered heartbreak and are ready to live unapologetically and attract an open-hearted, ideal relationship. A certified coach with nearly 5 million viewers on YouTube, Allana offers private, group, and online coaching programs for singles and couples to help her clients develop a healthy, intimate relationship with themselves first, which naturally attracts and enhances their ideal partnerships. This Ivy League grad is the author of six books and hosts the edgy podcast Intimate Conversations. She has been chosen as an Icon of Influence, is a columnist for the Good Men Project, and has been featured in Huffington Post, People Magazine, and Forbes and on CBS, ABC, TLC & FOX and The Jenny McCarthy Show. www.AllanaPratt.com

Esteemed Bible scholars and teachers Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Z. Brettler take readers on a guided tour of the most popular Hebrew Bible passages quoted in the New Testament to show what the texts meant in their original contexts and then how Jews and Christians, over time, understood those same texts.

Rabbi Simon Jacobson shares emotional, psychological, and spiritual skills to help people live their most meaningful lives. An “engaged sage” with an open, empathetic, and non-judgmental approach, he provides clarity, solutions, and new perspectives based on timeless teachings. He is the author of the best-selling book “Toward a Meaningful Life” and Founding Dean of The Meaningful Life Center. www.meaningfullife.com

Guy Finley is an internationally renowned spiritual teacher and bestselling self-help author.  He is the Founder and Director of Life of Learning Foundation, a nonprofit center for spiritual self-study located in Merlin, Oregon. He also hosts the Foundation’s Wisdom School — an on-line self-discovery program for seekers of higher self-knowledge. He is the best-selling author of The Secret of Letting Go and 45 other books and audio programs that have sold over 2 million copies, in 26 languages, Guy is now offering online classes every Wednesday evening and Sunday morning. These classes are free to alland have been attended by hundreds of students throughout the world. You can learn more and register at https://mailchi.mp/guyfinley/7practices 

Whitney Jefferson Evans is a spiritual seeker: she spent the years of 2015–2018 studying the energy healing modality of Reiki, where she completed all four levels of training and eventually received the title of Reiki Master. She spends her free time learning about other healing modalities and using herself as a test subject for the latest in wellness trends. Throughout her studies, she’s received certificates in Crystal Reiki and Color Psychology. In her day job, Whitney currently serves as Deputy Editorial Director and Director of Pop Culture at BuzzFeed, where she manages a bicoastal team and oversees all entertainment content for BuzzFeed. https://www.whitneyjeffersonevans.com/

Tabitha A. Scott is an international author, speaker, and advisor on powering personal potential. Her book, Trust Your Animal Instincts, is set to be released in 2020.  Formerly CEO of Cole Scott Group and Military Assistance Company, and SVP of Innovation & Sustainability at global companies Balfour Beatty Investments and Lend Lease Americas, she has deep experience bringing inspirational messages to professional, academic, female-focused, and faith-based audiences. https://powering-potential.com 

Dr. Jacob Kashiwagi is a thought leader in leadership development, procurement, project management, and supply chain management. He worked alongside his father, Dr. Dean Kashiwagi, to co-develop the Best Value Approach through a global research effort. Their groundbreaking model is the most licensed technology out of Arizona State University in the past 20 years (54) and has been tested on over 2,000 projects valued over $2 billion, with a 98% success rating (on time, within budget, and client highly satisfied), and savings of 10-30% on all project costs. 

Mandara Cromwell is the Founder and Board President  of ISTA (The International Sound Therapy Association), producer of Cymatics – The Science of Sound and Vibrational Healing Annual Conference, CEO and President of Cyma Technologies, Inc., and 2013 Nominee for the Thomas Edison Award for Innovation in the fields on Science and Medicine for the AMI 750. https://www.cymatechnologies.com  

Diana Cole is a spirit translator, thought leader, and author. Passionate about spirit guidance, she is committed to teaching people how to access it for themselves so they may find freedom from pain and limitation and live a life of abundance, fun, and inspiration. Diana offers her empowering tools for spirit guidance in group settings, speaking engagements, live workshops, and through her vibrant Instagram and Facebook communities. www.DianaCole.com 

Bob Burg is a sought-after speaker at company leadership and sales conferences on topics at the core of the Go-Giver books. A former television personality and top-producing salesperson, Bob has shared the platform with some of today’s top business leaders, broadcast personalities, coaches, athletes, and political leaders, including a former U.S. president. https://burg.com 

Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Escape Artist and many other bestselling thrillers, as well as the “Ordinary People Change the World” series. He is also the host of the History Channel TV shows Brad Meltzer’s Decoded and Brad Meltzer’s Lost History, which he used to help find the missing 9/11 flag that the firefighters raised at Ground Zero. http://bradmeltzer.com

Dr. Carla Stalling Walter writes about dance, spirituality, and wellbeing, and has a PhD in dance history and theory. She is also the founder and CEO of Dance in the Spirit, LLC, a company that provides workshops, retreats, and classes on sacred dance meditations at locations around the world. https://sacreddancemeditations.com 

Whitley Strieber is the author of over forty works of both fiction and nonfiction. His books The Wolfen, The Hunger, Communion, and The Coming Global Superstorm (as The Day After Tomorrow) were all made into feature films. His sci-fi series Alien Hunter became the SyFy Channel series Hunters.  https://www.unknowncountry.com 

Dr. Dravon James is the founder of Everyday Peace, the host of Everyday Peace on Unity Radio, an Inspirational Speaker and Life Coach, and the author of Freedom is Your Birthright. As an inspirational speaker, Dravon’s goal is to educate, empower, and inspire others to build the life of their dreams no matter what shows up in their lives . . . good, bad, or otherwise. https://drdravonjames.com 

Annie Auerbach is a speaker, consultant, brand strategist, and the co-founder of trends agency Starling, which specializes in helping brands understand cultural change in order to stay relevant. Starling’s clients include Pepsico, Nike, Google and Unilever, and Auerbach was named a 2019 Timewise Power Founder alongside a range of flex working trailblazers who are changing the future of work.  https://starlingstrategy.co.uk 

Amy Newmark is the bestselling author, editor-in-chief, and publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. Since 2008, she has published 133 new books, most of them national bestsellers in the U.S. and Canada, more than doubling the number of Chicken Soup for the Soul titles in print today. She is also the author of Simply Happy, a crash course in Chicken Soup for the Soul advice and wisdom that is filled with easy-to-implement, practical tips for having a better life.  http://www.chickensoup.com

Amoda Maa is a spiritual teacher, a warrior of the heart, sharing a fresh approach to the age-old search for spiritual freedom. Her essential teaching features a timeless truth that is highly relevant to this moment – for contemporary seekers willing to go to the raw edge where spirituality meets humanity. https://www.amodamaa.com