Pathways Radio by Paul O'Brien

Our guest this week on Pathways is Shannon Kaiser, author of the new book, Find Your Happy: An inspirational guide to loving life to its fullest. Shannon Kaiser has been labeled a true sparkling star by Healing Lifestyles & Spas. She left her successful career in advertising to follow her heart and be a motivational speaker, life coach, travel writer and author. She is paving the way for seekers to find authentic peace and happiness. She is a four-time contributing author to the best-selling book series Chicken Soup for The Soul. Shannon’s work has been featured in media outlets such as Good Morning America, Good Day New York, Inside Edition, KATU AM Northwest, MindBodyGreen, Tiny Buddha, Elephant Journal and The Daily Love.

Today's Pathways radio show guest is Naomi Wolf, author of the new book, VAGINA: A New Biography. Author, social critic, and political activist Naomi Wolf raises awareness of the pervasive inequities that exist in society and politics. She encourages people to take charge of their lives, voice their concerns and enact change. Wolf’s landmark international bestseller, The Beauty Myth, challenged the cosmetics industry and the marketing of unrealistic standards of beauty, launching a new wave of feminism in the early 1990s. The New York Times called it one of the most important books of the 20th century. In her long-anticipated new book, she asks, “could a profound connection between a woman’s brain and her experience of her vagina affect her greater sense of creativity—even her consciousness?” She argues that this connection is not only real—and long-overlooked—but that it is fundamental to a woman’s sense of self.

Our guest this week on Pathways is Donald Altman, author of the new book, The Joy Compass: 8 ways to find lasting happiness, gratitude & optimism in the present moment. Donald is a practicing psychotherapist, an award-winning writer, former Buddhist monk, the vice president of The Center for Mindful Eating (TCME.org), and an adjunct professor at Portland State University and Lewis and Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling. The author of One-Minute Mindfulness, The Mindfulness Code, and other books, Altman leads workshops around the country on mindful living and mindful eating. He lives in Portland, OR.

Our guest on Pathways this week is Polly Campbell, author of the new book, Imperfect Spirituality: Extraordinary Enlightenment for Ordinary People. Polly is a writer and speaker specializing in personal development and spirituality topics. Her work appears regularly in national publications and she is a blogger with Psychology Today, and a teacher for Daily Om. For more than two decades, Polly has studied and applied the techniques she writes and speaks about to her own life. Polly and her family live in Beaverton, OR.

Our guest this week on Pathways is Dr. Paulette Kouffman Sherman, author of the new book When Mars Women Date: How career women can love themselves into the relationship of their dreams. Paulette is a licensed psychologist and owner and director of ‘My Dating School’ in Manhattan, where she is a dating coach, offering classes in dating issues. Her company works with singles of all ages and backgrounds around the world by phone and online to provide relationship advice. Dr. Sherman has coached many private clients to create long-term successful relationships. A leader in the field of dating coaching, she hosts an online social networking community where singles learn from each others' dating experiences, while benefiting from her expertise.

Our guest on Pathways this week is Douglas E. Noll, Esq, author of the new book, Elusive Peace: How Modern Diplomatic Strategies Could Better Resolve World Conflict. Doug is a full time internationally recognized mediator and peacemaker, specializing in difficult, complex, and intractable conflicts. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators, a Fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators, on the American Arbitration Association panel of mediators and arbitrators, and is certified under international standards established by the International Mediation Institute.

This week's Pathways radio show guest is ANA FORREST, author of the new book, Fierce Medicine: Breakthrough Practices to Heal the Body and Ignite the Spirit. She is an internationally recognized pioneer in yoga and emotional healing. In her search to become a better healer and teacher, she studied Native American medicine and ceremony, Homeopathy, Hands-On Healing, Martial Arts, Psychotherapy, and Regression Therapy. Ana is a well-known contributing expert to Yoga Journal and other national wellness publications. She has journeyed to India, Nepal, Costa Rica, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and throughout Europe and the United States and currently teaches internationally at yoga conferences, workshops, and teacher trainings. Ana is on the board of Advisors for the Foundation for Athletic Research & Education (F.A.R.E. Play)and is an instructor for continuing education at the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic. She lives on Orcas Island, Washington.

Jan Dworkin, PhD is a certified Process Worker living in Portland Oregon. One of Arny Mindell’s original students, Jan is a pioneer and co-creator of Process Work theory and practice. She has been developing, researching and refining process work for over twenty years. She serves as Dean of Students for the Process Work Institute’s degree programs and is a senior faculty member of the Diploma program in Process Work as well as the Masters in Conflict Facilitation. She has co-founded and co-authored various Process Work training programs both in the U.S.A. and abroad. She is a co-founder of the Process Work Institute in Portland and the Global Process Institute.

Our guest on Pathways today is Phillip Moffitt, author of the new book, Emotional Chaos to Clarity: How to live more skillfully, make better decisions, and find purpose in life. Former Esquire magazine CEO and editor in chief, Phillip left his successful publishing career at the age of forty to embark on a path that led him to become a Buddhist meditation teacher and found the Life Balance Institute, where he trains executives and individuals in skillful living. He is co-guiding teacher at Spirit Rock Medititation Center in Northern Califronia and the author of Dancing with Life: Buddhist insights for finding meaning and joy in everyday life. This is Phillip's second time as a guest on Pathways.

Our guest on Pathways today is David Rynick, author of the new book, This Truth Never Fails, A Zen Memoir in Four Seasons. David is a Zen teacher authorized in two lineages, a Korean Linji lineage and Japanese Soto one. He’s a founding teacher of Boundless Way Zen, a rapidly expanding national network of Zen groups. Since 1991 Rynick has worked as a life and leadership coach as part of the International Coaching Federation and through the Coaches Training Institute. He provides faith-based coaching to individuals and peer coaching for clergy from diverse faiths. He has created and led numerous professional workshops and classes on leadership, systems thinking, coaching, meditation, diversity, and creativity, and has served as a faculty member at Cambridge College and the president of his Universalist Unitarian church. A former professional potter and improvisational dancer, he is also an avid landscape gardener as well as licensed as a Certified Maine Kayak Guide. Rynick holds a B.A. and an M.A.L.S. from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. He is the resident teacher of the Boundless Way Zen Temple in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife, also a Zen teacher.

Our guest on Pathways today is Marney Makridakis, author of the new book, Creating Time: Using Creativity to Reinvent the Clock and Reclaim Your Life. She founded the Artella print magazine and the online community for creators of all kinds. A popular speaker and workshop leader, she created the ARTbundance approach of self-discovery through art. She lives in Dallas, Texas.

Our guest on Pathways today is historian and author, Thai Jones. Thai is familiar with protest and its consequences. Born while his parents were fugitives from justice, he went by a series of aliases until the age of four. His first book, A Radical Line:From the Labor Movement to the Weather Underground, One Family's Century of Conscience, was a personal exploration of the history behind the experience. His new book is More Powerful Than Dynamite: Radicals, Plutocrats, Progressives, and New York's Year of Anarchy, and it stems from his PhD work at Columbia University. Formerly a reporter for Newsday, he has written for a variety of national publications, ranging from the New York Times to Monthly Review. A graduate of Vassar College and the Columbia Journalism School, he lives in New York City.

Our guest on Pathways is Kayt Sukel, author of the new book Dirty Minds: How our brains influence love, sex, and relationships. She has written for The Atlantic, USA Today, The Washington Post, and others. She earned a BS in cognitive psychology and an MS in engineering psychology. She is a partner in the renowned family travel website Travel Savvy Mom and is also a frequent contributor to the Dana Foundation's many science publications. Kayt has recently returned to the United States after living abroad for six years. She lives in Houston, Texas.

Our guest on Pathways today is Michelle Wirta, a teacher, writer, and speaker with a background in clinical psychology, coaching, holistic health, and movement therapy. She's the owner of Spiral Life Consulting, a business offering positive life design coaching, and is a specialist in teaching processes that release subconscious self-sabotage. She is currently planning a community festival premiering in Portland in 2012, (which offers play-based learning for adults, brain science, and local community based businesses) called Brain Circus. Michelle is also collaborating with her group Divine Deviants, to write From Soul Bondage to Brave Hearted Living: Why 11 women whole heartedly believe in you and how your story can change the world.

Our guest on Pathways today is Jonah Lehrer, author of the new book, Imagine: How Creativity Works. He is also a contributing editor at Wired and a frequent contributor to The New Yorker. He writes the "Head Case" column for the Wall Street Journal and regularly appears on WNYC's Radiolab. The author of two previous books, Proust Was a Neuroscientist and How We Decide, he graduated from Columbia University and attended Oxford as a Rhodes scholar.