The Power of One Conference Guests
Terry Odis
Chicago-born, Dallas-based architect Terry Odis has a busy life. His job as an architect in a consulting firm in downtown Dallas keeps him busy during the day, but it's during evenings that he's making a difference with younger generations. He's the Executive Director of Dallas Youth Poets, a nonprofit organization that gives youth a platform to express themselves, improve their literacy and train their public speaking skills. Terry also teaches emotional literacy through poetry/spoken word at schools for minorities.
Sophie Eckrich
Sophie Eckrich is a social entrepreneur and founder of Teysha, a company that works with artisans in Central America to make exquisitely designed footwear and other home goods and accessories. Teysha strikes a perfect balance of providing a beautiful, quality product while ensuring that the people who produce them are treated with the utmost respect.
Holly Dear
Holly Dear not only owns one of the most successful salons in the DFW Metroplex, Dear Clark, but she also spends time and energy supporting our local arts community. Local artists are allowed to show their work all over the salon, and she periodically hosts evening events that give them the opportunity to network and meet potential buyers. Her heart is so big and can be felt in her salon, Dear Clark, where all of the stylists are happy, the energy is rich, and you can occasionally catch her purple-mohawk canine checking out the activity.
Chonnie Richey
Chonnie Richey, founder of Independence Gardens, was inspired after a visit to her daughter's elementary school cafeteria to have lunch during which she was appalled to see the food they were serving the children. She proceeded to get a garden installed at her daughter's school and by doing that, she became aware of how many children were completely unaware of where their food came from. Since then, Independence Gardens has successfully installed gardens in 3 other local elementaries in order to connect kids with the food they are eating.
Dallas Youth Poets
Dallas Youth Poets is a non-profit organization in Dallas that seeks to provide inner-city youth poets with a safe space to meet, write, and speak their truths. The program is facilitated by award-winning teachers, poets, and mentors: Princess McDowell, Terry Odis & Rage Almighty. Initiated in Spring of 2012, Dallas Youth Poets was designed with the goal of teaching youth poets that their voices are their power and with their voices they can right the wrongs of the world one poem at a time.
Students who actively participate in the program throughout the year become eligible to compete in the Dallas Youth Poets area wide competition, where the highest scoring poets form the current year's Dallas Youth Poets team, that will go on to represent Dallas at the Brave New Voices Youth Poetry Festival.
Oscar Miranda
Oscar Miranda is a Dallas chef who is committed to bringing healthy food to the masses. During some time in the Army, he explored his love of food and later assisted in the opening of several bars in which he was able to hone his craft. Most recently, Oscar and his brothers opened Wholesome Grub in Plano where they pride themselves on serving wild-caught seafood, grass-fed meat, and non-GMO, organic vegetables to their customers. Oscar teases us with his latest project integrating genetic coding and food recommendations into his restaurants which could entirely change the way we think about food, nutrition, and health.
Scott Bradley
Scott Bradley is a Texas native with true grit. Born and raised in Fort Stockton, he graduated from Texas Tech University and then moved to Dallas, where he earned two law degrees from Southern Methodist University. As Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission for 15 years and Mayor of Westlake for 14 years, he battled developers to maintain the bucolic environment the town leaders envisioned, and was a founder of Westlake Academy, an International Baccalaureate World School.
Cynthia Pierro
Cynthia Pierro, B.S., LMT, PLP, NLPP is a Wellness Coach, holistic bodyworker and Yoga teacher. In her private one-on-one sessions she is best known for her nurturing hands-on touch that allow the mind and body to become healthier and feel happy. Cynthia began her professional healing-touch work in 1984 at 'Health Care from the Heart', with Dr. Marc Matson in Northridge, CA. She has studied Polarity Therapy with every teacher who has written a Polarity book and many other teachers such as Deepak Chopra, M.D., Tony Robbins and Ilana Rubenfeld.
Cynthia shares weekly yoga classes at Park Cities Yoga, and at her Circle of Energy Center, both in Dallas. In addition, Cynthia teaches massage CEU programs through the year and her Goddess Initiation program is about to bloom!
Eric Hanson
Eric Hanson was a web and graphic designer for over 20 years before he was inspired by his 2 year old daughter to become a full-time painter. Eric is best known for painting his Dallas cityscapes, not only in his studio, but also live in random coffee shops as well as on location in various parts of town. We hope you'll join us in celebrating his story about career transition and following passions - as well as his art! - at the conference.
Mari Woodlief
Mari Woodlief is the co-owner, CEO and President of Dallas-based Allyn Media, a local public relations powerhouse. But it was her founding of a local meditation center, Mastermind, that drew her to our attention. After discovering the effects of meditation in her own life in 2015, she felt compelled to create a space for mindfulness in a data-driven, secular environment. We have much to learn from Mari as she is a powerful business woman leading with conscious, balanced choices.
Sarah Beth Hurley
Sarah Beth Hurley is on staff at The Four Winds Society, an energy medicine school founded by Alberto Villoldo, PhD. She's also the owner of a private energy medicine practice, Heartlight Services, where she focuses on healing behavioral issues and childhood trauma, inspired by her work with foster youth. She developed the Indigo Aztec Method, an energy medicine technique specifically designed for children. This led her to publish a children's workbook, "Heal Your Feelings", giving children tools to empower themselves to heal their own emotional blocks and upsets.
Sarah is a published essayist, writing mostly about her experiences as a foster and adoptive mom. Her family provided care for both domestic and international refugee foster children for a period of several years. Alongside her husband, she launched Switchlife, a non-profit providing free after-school skateboarding lessons and a goal-setting curriculum to at-risk youth.
Vicki Johnston
Vicki is the founding director of the Living Ethics School, now in its 31st year, and the author of two books on education: HeartWings: An Account of Children Learning through Heart-Centered Education and A Heritage of Great Thoughts: Advocates for Children Learning Naturally & Joyfully. Over the last 20 years, she has developed the ground-breaking, story-telling based Harmonies Way Teaching Stories curriculum as a natural approach to learning for 3 to 11 year olds.
With over 40 years of teaching experience, Vicki serves as an advisor/consultant to the school staff, ensuring a heart-centered education philosophy remains at our core. She has generously shared this wonderful 6 acre property with us to provide a home for the Inspired Learning Academy. She is our loving and wise elder.
Andrew Newman
"Make story time your family's spiritual practice, " is the primary message behind Andrew Newman's project, The Conscious Bedtime Story Club. He believes that the last 20 minutes of your child's day are precious, and his company has set out to provide families with stories that will help create connection, integrate the day's lessons, and help children fall asleep feeling safe and loved. Although his stories are primarily geared for 3-7 year olds, his studies show that adults also greatly benefit from the quiet, reflective time spent with the stories and family.
Dorsey Standish
Dorsey Standish is the Chief Operations Officer of Mastermind, the region’s first “gym” for your brain. Dorsey has nearly ten years of experience practicing and teaching mindfulness. She’s completed four-day and ten-day silent retreats and is currently studying the UMass Medical School’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction technique. Dorsey has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and is currently working on earning a M.S. in Applied Cognition & Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas. In 2016, Dorsey left the tech industry to pursue a career in teaching mindfulness, where she teaches high performers how to harness greater equanimity and depth of focus through mindfulness-based brain health.
Clay Shelburn
Clay Shelburn is a singer/songwriter who we first heard perform at the Texas Bison Music Festival in Quitaque, TX several years ago. Clay was on stage with Gary P. Nunn and in between songs, he just started picking in the incredible way that he does. We watched as Mr. Nunn looked on, mesmerized. Check out the video that moved him towards success, or our host Christine Crockett Smith's interview with him, then come hear more at the conference!
Ron Hall
Ron Hall was born on a Texas farm and went on to become a successful international art dealer. Fascinating circumstances during his first marriage led him to become an author and the main character in the 2017 film Same Kind of Different As Me. His advocacy for the homeless, that came from this extraordinary adventure, has helped raise over $85 million for those in need.
Willie Baronet
Would you buy a sign from a homeless person? Willie Baronet would. The award-winning artist and SMU professor started collecting homeless signs in 1993, and what started as a reaction to awkward encounters became a long-term project that now consists of over 1,300 pieces. Willie started his 'We are all homeless' project as a way to promote awareness and compassion for the homeless through national and international exhibitions. He also traveled the country to make the documentary, "Signs of Humanity" about his journey of interviewing more than 100 people on the streets and purchasing over 280 signs. Was Willie ever living on the streets, or asking help for money you may ask? No, all he wants is to have people think about the concept of home.
Carol Phelps
Carol Phelps has been a licensed marriage and family therapist for over 30 years. Her fondest wish has been to help individuals heal their wounds in the most expedient way possible. She has certifications in many types of energy healing, including Reiki and Ayurveda, but today works mostly with Energy Psychology and Energy Medicine.
Caroline Murphy
Caroline Murphy is a Dallas-born singer-songwriter and playwright. Having earned her Master’s Degree in Musical Theater Writing from NYU, she won an ASCAP scholarship for musical composition. Her songs have been featured in television and movies, including Madame Secretary, The Leftovers, and The Mayor. Her debut studio album is scheduled for release in the summer of 2018.
B.R. Lively
Bryan Blaylock (aka B.R. Lively) was raised the youngest of four kids in Dallas, TX. After failing to make the basketball team three years in a row in school, he decided to teach himself how to play the guitar at age 13. Now, he is teaching himself how to earn a living playing music on the road full time at age 27. He currently lives in a 1991 Winnebago mini-motorhome with his dog, Kato. Drawn to poetry and music at a young age, Bryan has been fascinated with the craft of songwriting more than anything. He seeks to create music that speaks from the soul; something meaningful that connects to the core. That’s the music that has changed his life, so he can only hope to help create some positive change through his and give back in a way that enables him to help others in need and take care of the planet.