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Rethinking Everything
Conference 2010
Presenter Bios and Photos
Brent Cameron
Brent Cameron is an unreasonable person. Reasonable people go along with convention, while unreasonable people, at least have a chance at transforming current thinking. After university, Brent decided to re-discover what he had lost from his own childhood rather than join his friends and head out into the world of work to capitalize on what he had learned. The next ten years of rediscovery of the child's world view set the stage for him to be a different person and a different parent, than he had known. He was able to honor the integrity of his infant daughter and create a relationship with her based on respect and interest in her point of view as an authentic and unique perspective.
Of course a child in touch with her integrity and her own sensibilities will not easily embrace a schooling experience focused on conformity. His daughter lasted two weeks before she realized that she was losing her chance to do what she loved doing and to learn what she wanted to learn. She asked her father to create a school that would honor her deep desires. Brent understood that schooling has been designed to shape individuals into patterns of living that serve the needs of the
masses and those in power in business and politics. In Brent's lifelong rebellion against authority, he discovered that authority is not an external over there condition - that it is about authority within or authorship. He realized that actually we are each the authors of our own lives. He wanted to create an opportunity for his daughter, and for all children to grow up in touch with their own sensibilities, in alignment with their own inherent wisdom and to design their lives as an entwining of passion to live and curiosity about the world. He created a learning community beyond the paradigm of schooling. He created the space for the individuals involved to truly learn and to actually emerge as growing and maturing beings. Human beings are the design that designs ourselves and individuals are self-transforming learning organisms. SelfDesign is the ever emerging process of human beings engaging in co-inspirational relationships.
In the fall of 1983 Brent began an experiment in support of his daughter's right to learn what she wanted to learn, the way she wanted to learn it. This prototype for change had a humble beginning, as Brent worked with twelve children who learned and played together for eight years. His focus was on the great adventure of learning, on discovery and on conversation that engages. He wanted to create a space where learning is fully chosen and experienced by everyone as an unfolding of our their own unique infinite wisdom.
Now, 27 years later, Brent just received his Ph.D. for a study of SelfDesign and research into twenty-seven of the graduates of SelfDesign's various programs in BC. The impact of self-initiated learning and authentic living has been a profoundly positive and transformative influence on the lives of these learners. There are now over 1000 learners in the SelfDesign Learning Community in BC and a growing interest globally in what it is to SelfDesign one's life.
Steve Bhaerman,
aka Swami Beyondananda
Steve Bhaerman is an internationally known author, humorist, and workshop leader. For the past 22 years, he has written and performed as Swami Beyondananda, the Cosmic Comic. Swami's comedy has been described both as comedy disguised as wisdom and wisdom disguised as comedy.
As Swami, Steve has written four books, including Swami for Precedent: A 7-Step Plan to Heal the Body Politic and Cure Electile Dysfunction.
In his past life (before Swami), Steve started an alternative high school in Washington, D.C., taught history to autoworkers at Wayne State University, and co-founded Pathways Magazine in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
His latest book, written with cellular biologist Bruce H. Lipton, PhD is Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There From Here (Hay House, 2009). Steve is active in transpartisan politics and the practical application of Spontaneous Evolution.
He can be found online at http://www.wakeuplaughing.com/
Rupert Isaacson with wife Kristin Neff and son Rowan
When his son Rowan was diagnosed with autism, Rupert Isaacson was devastated, afraid he might never be able to communicate with his child. But when Isaacson rode their neighbor's horse with Rowan, Rowan improved immeasurably. He was struck with a crazy idea: why not take Rowan to Mongolia, the one place in the world where horses and shamanic healing intersected?
The Horse Boy is the dramatic and heartwarming story of that impossible adventure. This is a deeply moving, truly one-of-a-kind story--of a family willing to go to the ends of the earth to help their son, and of a boy learning to connect with the world for the first time.
Rupert was born in London to a South African mother and a Zimbabwean father. His journalism and travel writing has appeared in the Daily Telegraph, Esquire, National Geographic, Independent on Sunday, Conde Nast Traveller, Daily Mail and The Field. He has travelled extensively in Africa, Asia, and North America and now lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Kristin, and their son, Rowan.
Read an interview with Rupert here: Interview
Scott Noelle
My obsession with the inner workings of all things - especially abstract things like creativity, learning, and relationships -- goes back at least to the age of two. My grandmother, who worked in the field of early child education, would take me for a stroll and was perplexed by my long periods of silent observation. By today's standards I might have been labeled "high-functioning autistic," but back then I was just plain weird.
Fortunately I learned to appreciate my weirdness and avoid the pressures of conformity enough that I was able to make a number of unconventional choices. At age 19, long before I heard of "unschooling," I dropped out of college and decided that real life would be my education and the whole world would be my school.
Through my 20s I worked as a singer, vocal arranger, and voice teacher. Music was the context in which I met my beloved partner Beth, a world-class singer and pianist. And helping adult singers fulfill their dreams of authentic self-expression provided much of the foundation for my current work as a parenting coach.
The birth of our first child in 1997 ignited my latent interest in children's development. After reading The Continuum Concept, I worked with author Jean Liedloff to create an online support organization for readers of her book. Over a period of several years, my work with the Continuum Network evolved into a career as a parenting coach. While many parenting coaches focus on behavior management, my focus is on helping parents cultivate a shift in consciousness that makes behavior management more-or-less obsolete. Not surprisingly, many of my clients are unschoolers.
I've always been interested in metaphysics and spirituality. In 2005, I was re-introduced to the Law of Attraction through the work of Esther and Jerry Hicks (a.k.a. "the teachings of Abraham"), and I was amazed at how well it fit with the conclusions I had come to in the process of applying Liedloff's continuum principles. Since then I've been working on integrating the two perspectives (natural and metaphysical) in an approach I call Attraction Parenting.
My book is The Daily Groove: A Creative Parents' Guide to the Art of Attraction Parenting. You can get a brief excerpt from the book emailed to you every day by subscribing to The Daily Groove mailing list.
Beth and I are blessed with two wonderful girls who will be 9 and 13 at the time of the conference. Unschooled from the beginning, their education continues to be entirely pleasure-driven. We currently live in Portland, OR.
My main website is called EnjoyParenting.com.
S. Rafe Foreman,
our weekend "lawyer-hating" lawyer
S. Rafe Foreman is a partner in the law firm of Foreman, Lewis & Hutchison, P.C. where he practices law in jurisdictions across America. The firm's web site may be viewed at www.WarriorsforJustice.com.
Rafe has an undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University and his law degree from Texas Tech University. Since 1988, Rafe has practiced in all areas of law in State and Federal Courts. He has extensive experience in civil rights, criminal law, real estate litigation, oil & gas, personal injury and other areas of civil litigation. He has tried hundreds of cases to juries in America. Rafe's practice is limited to the representation of people who have been wronged or wrongfully accused.
Rafe is a well known trial lawyer and has tried cases all over America. He became a part of the Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College in 2002. He has been a staff member since 2003 and is currently on the Warrior Board and formerly the President of the board. He currently is a member of the Trial Lawyers College Board of Directors.
Rafe brings to this conference an exciting program of group interaction designed to help you understand your legal rights and obligation from a different prospective. His program is very dynamic and fun for all involved. The key is you cannot attend his session and not feel compelled to be involved. Legal topics will be discussed with questions and answers discovered in real time. Dont miss this!. You will not be disappointed in his group entitled, Freedom & Justice: An Insider's View and Criticism.
Rafe is a member of the following professional associations: State Bar of Texas, member since 1988, (Member, Criminal Law Section); State Bar of New Mexico; Oklahoma Bar Association; American Bar Association; Texas Trial Lawyers Association (staff member); Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association; National Association Criminal Defense Lawyers. (Board Certified, Criminal Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Texas Auctioneer Association, American Quarter Horse Association and American Paint Horse Association. Rafe has been named among the Outstanding Lawyers In Texas, America and Dragons List. He is a five time Super Lawyer in Texas as named by other lawyers . Rafe's email address is warriorforJustice_seeyouincourt.com.
Teresa Graham Brett is a life-long learner who looks for opportunities to push beyond her comfort zone in order to find her true path in life. She started as a fairly typical child who sought to be successful in the eyes of her parents and teachers, while trying to reconcile her need to tell her own truth throughout life.
This balancing act has led to many adventures in trying to find her true path. Along the way she went to college; graduated from law school; rejected a legal career for working as a university administrator; all the while believing that she could make the world a better place. She spent time working at the University of Arizona, the University of Michigan, and the University of Texas, Austin.
She found a passion for social justice education and sustained dialogue and started on the path of unlearning as much as could of what she had learned as a child and adult.
When Martel, the first child in her life, came along, he challenged her to grow far beyond any other experience in her life. He exposed her hypocrisy as an individual committed to justice by showing her how she continued to perpetuate oppression in her attitudes and beliefs about the parent-child relationship.
Thus began her journey to integrate her commitment to justice, learning, and parenting through her relationship with Martel and now extended to Greyson, the youngest child who is sharing her journey. Her partner, Martel, and Greyson travel with her on the journey that is life while refusing to give up on her, no matter how much she needs to undo all the learning of her past. You can read about some of her journey and her struggles to remain true to a life of respect at http://www.parentingforsocialchange.com.
Teresa is hosting a session on Liberation Parenting at this year's conference and hopes you will join her for a day of unlearning and learning!.
Raymond Francis, Sc.D., M.Sc., RNC
One of the few scientists who has achieved a breakthrough understanding of health and disease, Raymond Francis is on the cutting-edge of biological science. A graduate of M.I.T. and
an internationally recognized leader in the field of optimal-health maintenance, Dr. Francis has created an entirely new concept of health along with a simple program for achieving it called the Beyond Health Model. Having survived a near-death terminal illness by using his knowledge of biochemistry, Raymond has devoted the remainder of his life to improving the health of people everywhere.
Raymond is chairman and CEO of Beyond Health Corporation, a supplier of highly advanced health education and world class health-supporting products to the public. He has addressed health conferences all over the U.S. and in Germany, Switzerland, Greece, Canada and Egypt. He is the publisher of Beyond Health News, a newsletter supplying advanced health information to the public. He is the author of the revolutionary best-selling books Never Be Sick Again and Never Be Fat Again. He has been a guest on over 1500 radio and television shows. His books have been presented on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. For over fifteen years, Raymond has been the host and producer of his own syndicated radio talk show The Beyond Health Show.
The former CEO of an international management consulting firm, Raymond is also the founder and president of the nonprofit, Health-e-America Foundation (HeAF). The foundation's purpose is to end the epidemic of chronic disease by using unique approaches to teaching the
basics of good health. HeAF is the sponsor of TPED (The Project to End Disease), a growing international movement to teach people how to get well, stay well, and end disease in their life.
Raymond makes free health reports available to the public on his website: http://www.beyondhealth.com
Sarah Parent
Sarah Parent is the whole-life unschooling mother of two children who are powerful in their acceptance and exploration of freedom. Along with her husband and favorite companion, Chris, they live life with an adventurous spirit and minds filled with questioning. This Rethinking, as it were, has resulted in the co-publication of Rethinking Everything Magazine (www.rethinkingeverythingmagazine.net) a quarterly compilation of amazingly diverse and empowering personal stories of change received from Rethinkers all over the world. Sarah is the host and producer of the Humans Being podcast (www.werhumansbeing.com) in which she discusses unschooling, living consensually, and supporting authentic development. She shares the Parent family's adventures, trials, and wisdom in a blog of their free-living adventures Clan of Parents (www.clanofparents.com). When Sarah is not at the computer or the microphone, she is filled by camping and traveling adventures, organic gardening, hikes, crafting, and culinary endeavors (though cooking for more than Chris seems to throw her entirely off her game).
Krenie Stowe, M.D.
Dr. Stowe describes herself as a mother and activist first, a physician and attorney second. Grounded in a lifelong commitment to social justice, she is a tireless advocate of sweeping health care reform. After graduating cum laude from Phillips Academy in 1977, she attended Yale, receiving her BA in 1981. She received her MD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1985. Following a pediatric internship at New York University Medical Center, she attended Harvard Law School, graduating magna cum laude in 1990. She then returned to New York to complete pediatric residency training at Montefiore Medical Centers Residency Program in Social Medicine. Committed to providing medical care to underserved communities, she moved to North Dakota in 1992 to practice on a remote Native American Territory.
Newly aware of the crisis in rural health care, she sought an underserved, demographically complex region in which to implement a unique plan. Texas, ranking near last in the health status of children, fit the profile. She relocated there in 1994 and, with her mother, Dr. Maria Stowe, co-founded the Frontis Project, a non-profit health care facility that provided medical care, emergency assistance, and social support and advocacy services to 11,500 children and their families.
In 2004, she resigned that position to pursue her dual passions of health care and educational reform by writing and consulting. In 2005, she founded HEAL, Health Education, Advocacy & Literacy, and is now working on growing The Real School, an unschooling co-operative. She also practices with a small group, MFC Clinic, in The Woodlands. She published her first book,
A Doctors Story: A Personal Journey & A Call For Reform, in 2006. She has been honored by the Houston Young Lawyers Association and the Center for the Healing of Racism. Her work has been featured in the Houston Chronicle and numerous local newspapers. She has done dozens of radio and television spots, and can be heard frequently on local radio station KPFT. Her 14 year old son, Isaac, a lifelong unschooler, is the center of her universe.
Marjory
We are a family of four that became very concerned about the existing food supply. We began in earnest to develop methods for conserving water, growing food, and generally becoming free of the collective systems for basic needs. We have implemented and experimented with a variety of food production techniques drawn from organic farming, permaculture, agroforestry, indigenous teachings, historical anecdotes, and relief work in developing countries. Our backgrounds were in engineering and business, with only a small amount of agricultural experience. Along the way we've taken every opportunity to gain skills which includes certification in Permaculture Design, Citizen Forrester, homesteading workshops, gardening workshops, farm visits, learning wild crafting, primitive skills, naturalist studies, and herbalism.
for more info, see www.backyardfoodproduction.com
Paula Schermerhorn
Paula Schermerhorn is a gifted Medium, Certified Paranormal Investigator (University of Nevada), a Certified Parapsychologist (Flamel College) Bachelor of Metaphysical Sciences (University of Metaphysical Sciences), and UFO Investigator. She lived in a haunted house growing up and has always been a sensitive for as long as she can remember. Paula has first-hand knowledge and experience with ghosts and other paranormal activity in her private sessions as well as in resident, hotel, and historic buildings throughout the United States including, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Virginia City, Dallas Fort Worth area and many sites in Texas, her home state. A gifted Dowser, Paula has assisted area Police and Sheriff departments in missing person cases. Paula is well trained to introduce people to paranormal possibilities through her private sessions, investigations and instruction. Paula is alao the co-host of the Internet talk show UFO2Go with Jerry Pippen.
Osie Adelfang (on right)
Osie Gabriel Adelfang is an Israeli-American writer and editor, part-time marketing director for her husband's design-build firm, and full-time unschooling mom. In a previous life, she wrote and was a copy editor for various trade magazines, corporations, nonprofits, and other clients. Her work has appeared in such popular outlets as software manuals, corporate
annual reports, product specification sheets, and many company newsletters, as well as in non-commercial literary publications such as The Sun and Screamachine: the mamacoaster 'zine. She has also taught writing to elementary and community college students but was frustrated with the
system, which placed nothing but obstacles in the path of learning.
Osie holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, an
MFA in creative writing from Antioch University LA and an UN-something from living the unschooling life (taught mostly by my kids!).
Chris Parent
follow his blog:
http://unschoolingdad-perspective.blogspot.com/
Chris Parent is the whole-life unschooling father of two who has come full circle in his views on not only schooling, but also on life. Raised in a traditional home and going into parenthood with the same beliefs he was raised with, Chris has had his entire perspective transformed on what living means, and the greatness of having the freedom to choose in everything you do. He and his family communicate openly about anything and everything and everyone is an equal partner in the household. Chris and his wife (and best friend) Sarah share a lot of the same passions and love spending time together. When not working his day job in doing IT work for a large financial services company, he likes to spend time with his family, play basketball, and enjoy the occasional (occasional?) video game. He has also been exploring future work options in hopes of being able to expand on this life of freedom and trek around and see more of this great country and planet with the family as they continue to learn and grow together.
Bio Maria Frontis Stowe, M.D.
Maria Frontis Stowe is a lifelong activist and advocate for children. She describes her politics as left of left. She received her B.A. from Columbia University in 1972 and her M.D. from Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1977. Prior to medical school, she worked for the City of New York for 7 years as a youth worker and program planner in urban ghettos focusing on at-risk adolescents such as drug addicts and pregnant teens. While in medical school, she worked in areas of abject poverty in rural Mexico and also arranged to do clinical rotations at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The contrast proved truly educational. Following medical school, she worked extensively in the field of obstetrics and gynecology in Mexico and opened a maternal and family health care clinic in Juarez. After leaving Mexico in 1980, she worked as a family therapist for 12 years and has done extensive work in somatic psychotherapy. In 1994, she co-founded the Frontis Project, as described in daughter Krenies bio, and functioned as its Executive Director for 11 years.
Maria has extensive experience in the areas of psychotherapy, addictive behaviors, sexuality, breastfeeding, and family planning. She is passionately interested in the evolutionary history and psychology of sexuality and reproduction and their effect on reproductive decision-making. She plans to write and further develop theories on these and related topics. She is currently working on an autobiography. She functions as a consultant for H.E.A.L. and works closely with The Real School Co-op.
Isaac Taylor
Isaac Taylor is a life-long unschooler and describes himself as "an aspiring artist, a nihilist, a person comfortable with chaos and disorder." He is an avid video and computer gamer, writes poetry and has begun work on his first novel. At 10 years of age he helped to create The Real School aka Dragon Valley, an unschooling co-op that he continues to attend.
Greg Black
Greg Black grew up in a major Midwestern city before gravitating to California and the San Francisco Bay Area, largely due to the resonation of the socio-cultural revolution from the 1960s. He has studied music, film and journalism and has written for several fairly well-known alternative news weeklies. He is currently a freelance journalist and musician in a Southern city known for its music scene. If the world doesn't change in 2012, he may well consider retreating from this dystopian society and joining a Buddhist monastery.
Dr. Joseph DuChene DC
started his pre-medical training when he was enlisted the United States Air Force. He graduated with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Parker College of Chiropractic in Dallas, Texas. While still in school he obtained his diplomate certification in Bio-Energetic Synchronization Technique and was chosen to represent the college as an intern at the VA Hospital in Dallas.
Dr. DuChene is a compassionate and dedicated chiropractor who specializes in reducing the harmful effects of stress on a persons health and nervous system. He is trained in over 10 different chiropractic and healing techniques not limited to the spine. He also utilizes the most cutting edge technology in his practice. He is dedicated to education the public on the importance of the effects our lifestyles have on our health. That is why he created his Enhanced Living seminar series to give advanced training to the public about their health. His seminars Change your pH, Change your life! are the newest introduction in his series.
Dr. DuChene is a facilitator, educator and a Peace Station for The Peace Project in Dallas. He has donated his time to the Peace Project since the conception. He is one of the teachers in the Dallas area for Emotional Freedom Techniques as well as his Enhanced Living seminars specifically for the Peace Project. He obtained his training in Emotional Freedom Techniques from Dr. Garland Landreth of What the Bleep do we know fame. He has been studying and excels at mind/body/energy techniques which he practices in his office. He is also a dynamic teacher for Senergy medical group educating communities about the importance of pH.
Feel free to visit me on my website:
www.duchenenaturalhealth.com
John P. Strelecky
is the #1 Best Selling inspirational author of several acclaimed books including The Why Cafeé, Life Safari, and The Big Five for Life - Leadership's Greatest Secret. His works have been translated into 20 languages and inspired readers around the world.
John has been honored alongside Oprah Winfrey, Lance Armstrong, Deepak Chopra, and Wayne Dyer as one of the 100 Most Influential Thought Leaders in the field of leadership and personal development.
He has had the pleasure of speaking alongside Nobel Peace Prize nominees and award winning philanthropists, to share his learnings about the Big Five for Life, an approach to living which is based on a life changing experience he had while in Africa.
When he isn't writing or speaking, John spends extensive time traveling with his wife (Cindy) and their unschooled daughter (Sophia). Their longest trip was a nine-month backpacking adventure circumnavigating the globe on $40 per day. They have taken additional extended trips to the Amazon Basin, Yucatan Peninsula, Eastern Europe, Brazil, Central America and China.
John's personal path to re-thinking everything hit a major high in 1997 on a beach in Costa Rica, only to be slowly buried for the next five years as he returned to corporate America. Then in 2002, he made the permanent leap to living life on his terms. He has never looked back since.
For more about John and the Big Five for Life approach he shares, please visit www.bigfiveforlife.com
Susan Burke design
& RE Documentary
Susan Burke is excited to paint your body! She has been painting faces, arms, hands and clavicular areas for about 3 years. She is breaking into the big time with this gig at Rethinking Everything! Usually she paints at local NH unschooling gatherings, her chiropractor's office, or private gatherings. She uses Lyra and Snazaroo paints and body glitter. While there will be pictures of designs you can choose from; she is excited to hear your design ideas and work with you to realize them in paint on your face!.
The Documentary - Susan wants YOU.
Cecilia Zuniga
Cecilia L. Zunúñiga, Ph.D., is an author, counselor, life coach, teacher, and trainer. She is a Board Certified Professional Counselor and a Nationally Certified School Psychologist with a doctorate degree in Educational Psychology. She has a private counseling and spiritual life coaching practice, teaches Kundalini yoga, and offers experiential workshops and trainings in and around the Wimberley Valley area where she lives. She is a 10-year practitioner of Kundalini yoga and has been teaching it for two years. She recently published the holistic parenting book AD/HD Generation: Holistic Ways to Support Children that can be purchased online through the publisher at Trafford.com and at Amazon.com . Dr. Zúñiga is currently working on a new spiritual book and is also in the process of finalizing production issues for several childrens books. She believes that it is in honoring all aspects of the self - the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and energetic - that each person can thrive and shine their best and brightest in the world. Visit her website at www.myinnerscapes.com for more information about her new book, personal support, classes, workshops, holistic parenting articles, and free gifts just for you!
Shylah Ray Sunshine
Shylah is a tribal mama, musician, spiritual midwife, birth and postpartum doula, childbirth educator, activist, lactivist and intactivist! Born naturally and raised in Canada, currently living greatfully in an intentional community in Topanga, California. Owner of Amma Mamma Love, a company that provides optimal childbirth education and abundant resources, as well as pregnancy, birth and postpartum wellness services. Shylah is a contributor for several publications such as Mothering, Compleat Mother, (Rethinking Everything*) and discusses topics on sexuality, childbirth and child-rearing on several radio shows. Shylah believes in the power of womyn, mothers, babies and the future generations to come. She praises the Earth and will continue to use her primal intuition above all else. For contact, more information and about her services, please visit www.ammamammalove.vpweb.com
Courtney Taylor Clay
is a 28-year-old lifelong unschooler, adventurer and lover of life. Her childhood memories consist of hours upon hours of creative, imaginative play with her sisters and friends. She was encouraged to pursue her interests at all times, which took her on many adventures in such diverse activities as ballet, figure skating, immersive book reading, obsessions with airplanes and world geography, theatre, music theory, playing guitar and piano, traveling, 4 years of community college, starting 3 of her own businesses, infinite sustainability, invinceable health, gardening, and much more.
Her recent greatest joy is mothering her first child, an amazing boy named Cedar, born last year. Her pregnancy and birth were some of the most cosmic, empowering experiences she's had yet! She greatly respects and honors her son, and does her best to see the world from his perspective so she can facilitate the most beneficial experiences for him. He's never worn a diaper (and never will), sleeps in his family's bed, is nourished by his mama's milky bliss, plays in clover patches outside every day, and has never seen a doctor, vaccine or any sort of test or procedure, even in utero. He is strong, gorgeous, expressive, and interested in everything he sees!
Courtney is passionate about her family, community and living sustainably... especially when all three of those are combined. She is currently imagining into existence an infinitely sustainable community where her family will live with 100-200+ of their closest friends, each family with a space of love to call their own... building our homes from earth matter, growing foods designed specifically for us, and organizing and participating in community festivals, celebrations and workshops on sustainability and joyful community living.
Courtney lives on a beautiful 6 acres of land in McKinney, Texas, with her wonderful husband Isaac and their little son Cedar.
Melissa Morrill
Melissa Morrill is a freelance writer, website designer, holistic childbirth educator/doula, certified breastfeeding educator and consciously working towards a higher spiritual path. Melissa graduated from the University of Tulsa in 1999, worked in corporate America for 3 years, and then owned and operated a natural pregnancy and family center in Tulsa, OK. She now operates her business from home (www.naturallullabies.com) while unschooling her 3 boys. Melissa is the mother of a spiritually sensitive child who often has visits from angels and spirits and has stretched her own understandings of life. She is dedicated to bringing awareness to this new generation of children and opening dialogue about the inevitable changes to come for many families.
LaVonne Parker
mother of three always unschooled daughters, 18, 16 and 10 and a newly reunited son after being adopted for 21 years, has been a regular attendee of Rethinking Everything almost since the beginning. She is a senior at Texas State University as a nontraditional student, entering the college world at the age of 40. In the spring of 2011 she will graduate with a degree in Anthropology as well as 2 minors, Women's Studies and Spanish. She has spent two summers in Costa Rica doing study abroad for her spanish minor.
La Vonne's main focus is tarot, however and she looks forward to appeasing the masses by attaching a degree to a skill usually considered to be somewhat wishy-washy. Tarot is not usually considered a science but when applied to anthropology and women's studies the craft takes on new life and new meaning.
Get acquainted with other women while attending La Vonne's Women and Tarot Getting Acquainted Circle, using tarot as a tool for opening doors of discussion and melting walls of newby discomfort. You can also find La Vonne doing private and couple readings. She always offers quick 1 card readings for free (great for curious kids) as well as offering insightful readings at $1.00 per minute with a minimum of 15 minutes. Find the sign up sheet posted near the registration desk to schedule your own appointment. Checks and cash are accepted. Bartering is always a consideration...just ask.
Rhonda Spellman
is an award winning childrens book author, professional speaker, coach and Autism Advocate. She first became a published author at 17 and has worked in many areas of the writing / publishing / media field since then.
Rhonda self-published her first childrens book, an EVVY award winner, in 2003. Her second childrens book was produced by a large publishing house in 2007; her third book The Journey, Home from Autism, was released on January 1, 2010.
Her life changing story is positively changing lives of those who read it. When a form of Autism took her sons voice in 2001 and threatened to take his ability to live a normal life, she began to search for better answers. In seven years and over 7,000 logged hours of research Rhonda found more than she was looking for. She created and discovered ways to help her son and then she began teaching other children. Since 2004, she has taught over 5,700 children (most with special needs) to write a complete 16-page book. Turning these stories into a childrens T.V. series is in the negotiation stages.
Teaching adult care-givers soon followed. She has taught Autism Awareness programs to thousands since 2005. Her video series Autism 101: Beyond The Spectrum, coming soon, will help people globally to understand that Autism is not the end of the world ~ Autism is the beginning of a journey around the world!
Her mission: To Reach, Teach and Inspire Special Children AND the Adults who Love Them!
Visit her online: AutismWithRhonda.com,
HelpMyChildWithAutism.com,YouTube.com/RhondaSpellman
Melissa Cantrelle
Melissa Cantrelle is a transformational life coach, certified NLP Master/Trainer, author, speaker, and workshop facilitator. She uses NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) as one of her primary coaching tools, along with visualization practices, life coaching processes, Theta healing, hypnosis and her invaluable intuition. Melissas coaching style is so powerful that you can have a transformational impact on your life from just one session with her.
Melissa comes from a background of over 12 years in the corporate arena of management consulting and is continually delighted with her decision to transition to the entrepreneurial world of life coaching. She enjoys using her coach training, business background and her heart-driven NLP skills to help you discover your life purpose, create a vision for the life you desire, and remove obstacles along the way. She is a compassionate catalyst for you to activate your own inner resources and her passion for causing joyful fulfillment seeps into everything she does. Melissa offers life coaching, empowering workshops, and self-study tools from her website: www.catalize.com.
In her years of personal growth work, Melissa found that upgrading your physical health directly impacts your ability to upgrade your life: mentally, emotionally, and all around. That's why she also promotes delicious, densely nutritious superfoods (like Chocolate Bliss) to support you on your life journey. You can learn more about how great superfoods are for you, and watch videos of easy raw food recipes on her website www.LovingSuperfoods.com
Originally from Seattle, Melissa now lives with the love of her life in Carrollton, Texas. She thoroughly enjoys empowering the unschooled kids and unschooled wannabes that are a major part of her everyday living as she continues to detox and unschool herself.
Tracey Huguley
Tracey put together a sweet little video of last year's Soul Art session at RE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMCJ-oGailU
Tracey Huguley is a writer, published poet, artist, spiritualist, lover of life, self-directed life learner, student, SoulArts practitioner, mother of three self-directed learners, wife, and workshop presenter.
Tracey found her writer's voice through doing art and has not stopped since. She published her first poem "Deaf Orchestra" last year and is currently writing her memoir Finding My Voice, after being sexually abused as a child, and being told to be silent by her abusers.
Tracey is currently pursuing a B.A. in Creative Writing from St. Marys of the Woods College in Indiana and studied under Ronda LaRue M.S. for four years (SoulArts teacher, artist, author) See Ronda's work here www.ojaisoularts.com
Nick Cooper
Cooper was born in New York, New York and grew up in Manhattan.[ He played in bands in highschool and began political activism at that time with the anti-Apartheid movement. He went on to study as an English major at Rice University in Houston, where he joined the band Sprawl.[] Sprawl toured the U.S. many times, and released four CDs, breaking up in 1994. Cooper also worked with Rastaman Work Ethic productions in Houston, and produced a compilation CD, Texas Funk (1990), that included Sprawl and other bands.[] In 1996, Cooper started Free Radicals.[] In 2000, Cooper travelled to Los Angeles to cover the protests against the Democratic National Convention. Coming soon after the 1999 protests against the WTO, many activists were converging there as was the new indymedia network. Upon returning to Houston, Cooper began the Houston branch of indymedia with other local activists, and began travelling to work with other indymedias[]. In 2003 and 2005, Cooper traveled to Brazil[] to document somatherapy, with a DVD eventually being released in 2006. In 2004 and 2006, Cooper traveled to Chiapas to study the Zapatista movement and used the information he learned as the basis for a workshop entitled "Nazis vs. Zapatistas, Struggle and Co-optation" which he has facilitated in the U.S. and Latin America.
Quinn Eaker
I am so thankful to have lived my life consciously so far. The pain and the joy, the empowerment and the despair. It is all part of it & it is about realizing that I ALLways have the opportunity to play my hand, ask for a new hand, or change the whole game!, knowing that anything is possible & that its all ok. The freedom inherent is extreme & the unfolding of reality from it is empowering indeed.
Having a place like RE to share such profound possibility is an honor. It brings forth much inspiration for me about what's important and activates expansion within on the potent possibilities I want to share.!
This RE, my wish is to be of maximum service for the most enjoyable benefit for anyone who wishes to activate such realities. Any question is ok. We are all where we are right now and right now we are all capable of anything else.
When we accept what is, let everything else go, breathe in, becoming fully aware & conscious of every thought, feeling and movement. We have all the ability, all the energy & all the time/space reality to do it in.!
Oh, the endless opportunity this life provides for expansion. To find the balance of both embracing all opportunity while giving it all up. To be able to expand not for the sake of getting somewhere but because it just FEELS SOO GOOD.!
I am here for this and much more. I am here knowing nothing & embracing it all. I give my self fully in service, not because it is good or right but because it is what I want. This is not a task but a dance, a dance that I love. I am ready.
Shela Tarwater
Shela is a free-spirited traveler, non-conforming, tree hugging, earth loving, aspiring spiritual writer, yogi and passion seeker. She is a proud and loving SINGLE mother to an amazing little girl who was born at home under the most peaceful circumstances. Shela's personal and spiritual experiences have led her passionately to begin working with mamas and babies to create a more peaceful world.
She is excited to speak from a place of inner wisdom (that is available to us all) to help encourage and uplift mamas to find their truth so that they are better able to parent honestly with joy and compassion. Shela just began a new and exciting venture with her dear friends to create a conscious, sustainable village in the heartland of America. Stay tuned.
Daphne Osunlade Edwards
Daphe Osunlade Edwards lives in Dallas and has attended the Rethinking Education Conference for 6 of each of the 7 years that her family has been on the life without mainstream schooling journey. She is the mother of three amazing and inspiring whole life learning sons - Ifayemi, 14 Muntu, 6 and Osa who will be almost a year old at the time of the 2010 conference.
She sees family as her main spiritual practice, and relies on processes like journaling, the Work of Byron Katie, African Spiritual traditions, meditation, yoga, and E.F.T. to help support her. Her other roles and titles include: loving partner, good friend, traditional African spiritual healer, New Thought practitioner, metaphysician, entrepreneur, healing diets specialist, spiritual lifestyles counselor, professional writer, writing teacher, dancer (African), holistic mamma, and lay herbalist. (*She is presently creating an online course for families seeking to prepare fabulous foods free of gluten, wheat, sugar, and harmful toxins. It is especially geared toward those seeking to gift someone with an autism, adhd, candida - free life. This project and her communal seasonal cleanses keep this mamma/wife inspired.)
[Her beautiful children are: Osunlade (Yoruba) - Oh-shoon-lah-day - The spirit of love, fertility, beauty, joy and abundance reigns supreme; Ifayemi (Yoruba) - ee-fah-yay-me - The Wisdom of God/the Universe blesses me; Muntu (Bantu) - mun-too - the spirit of God/the Universe in man; Osaro (Edo) - Oh-sah-row- God's gift]
Jerry & Michelle Ananda
with Jerrian Michael
Jerry and Michelle Ananda are yoga instructors for kids and adults, and just brought into the world a new little yogi, Jerrian Michael.! Jerry and Michelle have passionately delved themselves into their yoga practice for many years, and believe it is not just something to be practiced on occasion, but could be your very way of life. Jerry and Michelle love to bring yoga to teens at schools and to children and adults at community centers, yoga studios, fitness clubs, dance studios, parks, and farms, alongside other techniques such as dancing, drumming and gardening.
Michelle teaches pre and postnatal yoga and mom and baby yoga, and Jerry teaches Thai Yoga Massage classes. Their favorite class is their free yoga classe at Discovery Green, which now has over 100 students attending every week.
They are so grateful to their many teachers from all over the world, who constantly transform their practice through their incredible teachings and meditations.
Cheryl Kruckeberg
I was born in Los Angeles, California in 1959 to a mom who's middle name was adventure. Growing up we spent a lot of time traveling and were in and out of towns, states, countries and public schools, where I had never really felt very much at home any way. In 1973 my mother, sister and I moved to Austin, Texas and , at long last, settled down.
Recognizing that the public school system was not really working for her two children my mother found a Free School nestled 35 miles outside of Austin, and a whole new adventure began.
