Pathways Radio by Paul O'Brien

Richard Koob, founder of Kalani (a non-profit retreat center in Hawaii's tropical rainforest), has made a remarkable contribution to self-development and education. He toured the world as a professional dancer before building the community with his partner in the 1970's. Kalani Oceanside Retreat Center opened in 1982. Before Richard retired from managing Kalani in 2013 it had become Hawaii's largest and oldest retreat center. Kalani sponsors an extensive Community Arts Program with more than 50 offerings per week -- typically free to the public or by donation including offerings of yoga, Hawaiian culture, dance and performing arts, wellness, and personal growth. Kalani also sponsors special events; hosts diverse residential retreats and workshops; provides lodging and meals for guests; oversees volunteer, sabbatical, and visiting artist education programs; and houses a sustainable community of residents in an ecovillage.

Helena Norberg-Hodge is an analyst, author, speaker, filmmaker and producer of a new award-winning documentary entitled The Economics of Happiness. She is founder and director of International Society for Ecology and Culture. A pioneer of the ‘new economy’ movement, Helena has promoted an economics of personal, social and ecological well-being for more than thirty years. Trained in linguistics, she has given public lectures in seven languages, and has appeared on broadcast, print, and online media worldwide, including MSNBC, The London Times, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Guardian. Her ground-breaking work in Ladakh, or ‘Little Tibet’, earned her the Right Livelihood Award, or ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’ and her book, Ancient Futures, along with a film of the same title, has been translated into more than 40 languages. The Economics of Happiness Conference [1] is this February 27 - March 1, 2015. [1] http://www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org/the-economics-of-happiness-conference-portland

Our guest this week on Pathways is Richard Weijo, author of Our Dreams for our Children: Creating Legacies that Inspire Each New Generation to Achieve a Brighter Future. This is a new book recently published by this Portland consultant and writer.  Rick received an undergraduate degree from Concordia College, and went on to receive his MBA and PhD degrees from the University of Minnesota.  His passion is to inspire the seventy-six million baby boomers to take a comprehensive view of creating legacy by providing a thoughtful planning guide to help them realize how they can enrich the lives of their children, grandchildren, and future generations.

Our guest this week on Pathways is Sarah Mirk, author of Sex From Scratch: Making Your Own Relationship Rules. Sarah is a journalist whose work focuses on gender, politics, and good ideas. As an editor for national feminist magazine, Bitch, she writes online daily about tricky issues of race, class, and sexuality. Previously, Sarah worked as a staff writer for The Portland Mercury and The Stranger (in Seattle). In addition to traditional reporting, she also writes nonfiction comics, ranging from personal stories of female Guantanamo veterans in Symbolia Magazine to a very successful series of small press comics about Oregon history. She lives and works here in Portland, Oregon.

Our guest this week on Pathways is Stewart Blackburn, author of The Skills of Pleasure: Crafting the Life You Want. He is a practicing modern shaman who uses pleasure as his primary healing modality, with both a local and online practice. Stewart is an Alaka'i, or senior teacher, of Aloha International, an organization promoting healing of all kinds throughout the world. He is a former professional chef with a Master's Degree in Food Science. His passion is in helping people become connoisseurs of feelings, reclaiming their own joy and excitement for life.. He teaches Huna: Hawaiian Shamanism weekly, plus monthly workshops on aspects of an empowered life on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Our guest this week on Pathways is Gary Ferguson, author of the new book The Carry Home: Lessons from the American Wilderness. Over the past twenty-five years Gary has established himself as an expert chronicler of nature, having written for a wide variety of publications from Vanity Fair to The Los Angeles Times. He is the author of nineteen books on science and nature, including the award-winning Hawk’s Rest. He is also a highly regarded keynote speaker at conservation and outdoor education gatherings around the country and is currently on the faculty of the Rainier Writing Workshop Masters of Fine Arts program at Pacific Lutheran University.

Our guest today on Pathways is Tina Gilbertson, author of the new book Constructive Wallowing: How to Beat Bad Feelings by Letting Yourself Have Them. Tina is a licensed psychotherapist whose practice here in Portland includes individual therapy and non-traditional career counseling. A popular blogger and workshop leader, her first book cuts to the chase and teaches people how to accept and feel their feelings instead of stuffing them and teaches the value of having a little self-compassion for our own lives.

Our guest today on Pathways is Terri Daniel, author of the new book Turning the Corner on Grief Street. Terri is an ordained interfaith minister, clinical chaplain and intuitive counselor who assists dying and grieving individuals to discover a more spiritually spacious understanding of death and beyond. Her unique perspective on birth, death and the journey of the soul helps the dying and the living find meaning and healing through meditative and ritual practices that open a conduit to other dimensions. Her unique form of "radical mysticism" incorporates elements of Buddhism, Shamanism, ancient pagan practices, gnostic Christianity and other spiritual traditions to break down limiting beliefs about forgiveness, divine judgment and negative experience. Terri replaces these beliefs with an empowering vision of a co-created universe where there are no victims or perpetrators, only souls seeking expansion and awareness. She is also the founder and president of the Afterlife Education Foundation and producer of the annual Afterlife Awareness Conference.

Our guest this week on Pathways is Nick Bantock, author of the new book, The Trickster's Hat: A Mischievous Apprenticeship in Creativity. Nick is the author/artist of twenty-five books, including the Griffin & Sabine books, which stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for two years. Nick's works have been translated into thirteen languages and over five million copies have been sold worldwide.

Our guests this week on Pathways are Josette and Ba Luvmour, developers of Natural Learning Relationships -- a whole-child understanding of childhood development that supports optimal well-being in children. Josette serves as Director of Family and Professional Development at Summa Institute, a nonprofit organization that provides Natural Learning Relationships™ programs to students, families, and professionals. Ba Luvmour is the director of Summa Academy.

Our guest this week on Pathways is Rachel Davey, executive director of The Haven [1]: A Center for Growth, host-site for the 2014 International Holistic Centers Gathering [2]. Rachel worked internationally in education management and consultancy for more than 15 years, for organizations including the British Council and the United Nations. She first came to The Haven in 2001, traveled to Canada from Cyprus every summer to take Haven programs, and began working at The Haven in 2006. [1] http://www.thehaven.ca [2] http://www.centersgathering.com

Our guest this week on Pathways is Shamar Rinpoche, author of the new book, The Path to Awakening: How Buddhism's Seven Points of Mind Training Can Lead You to a Life of Enlightenment and Happiness. He is the 14th Shamarpa. Born in 1952 in Tibet, Shamar Rinpoche was recognized by the 16th Karmapa in 1957, and by the 14th Dalai Lama. In 1996, he started to organize Bodhi Path Buddhist Centers, a network of centers covering many continents, which practice a non-sectarian approach to meditation. In addition, over the years, Shamar Rinpoche has founded several non-profit organizations worldwide and engaged in charitable activities such as schooling underprivileged children and promoting animal rights.

Our guest this week on Pathways is Rak Razam, author of the new book Aya: A Shamanic Odyssey. Rak is a frequent lecturer on the shamanic revival sweeping the West, and is the co-director for the Aya: Awakenings film. He has been hosting dynamic speaking engagements, panel facilitation and lectures across Australia and North America for the past five years, weaving together the New Age, counterculture and progressive thought, and he has been called one of the leading spokespersons for the new paradigm. A prolific media maker and networker, he hosts the popular podcast show, "In a Perfect World."

Our guest today on Pathways is Betsy Chasse, author of the new book, Tipping Sacred Cows: The Uplifting Story of Spilt Milk and Finding Your Own Spiritual Path in a Hectic World. Betsy is an internationally known author, filmmaker, and speaker. She is the co-creator of the film, "What The Bleep Do We Know?!" and the author of Metanoia – A Transformative Change of Heart, and the companion book to What the Bleep..., Discovering the Endless Possibilities for Altering Your Everyday Reality. She also blogs for Huffington Post, Intent.com, and other sites.

Our guest this week on Pathways is Sonia Miller, author of The Attraction Distraction: Why the Law of Attraction Isn't Working for You and How to Get Results- Finally!. Sonia has helped seekers around the world to realize their greatest aspirations since 1983. By sharing her expertise as an international life coach, teacher, speaker and energy healer, seekers discover how to reclaim their true nature as the Ultimate Manifestors of their lives.