The New Dimensions Café

Richard C. Schwartz, Ph.D. is the creator of the therapeutic model known as Internal Family Systems [IFS] and founder of the IFS Institute which offers training for professionals and the general public. Formerly an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago and later at Northwestern University, he is currently on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. He is the author of many books including No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma, and Restoring Wholeness with The Internal Family Systems Model (Sounds True 2021)Interview Date: 1/26/2024    Tags: Richard C. Schwartz, Internal Family Systems, IFS, alternative therapy sessions, family therapy, multiple personality disorder, legacy burdens, inner protector, psychotherapy, Personal Transformation, Psychology

Omkari L. Williams has devoted her life to change-making. She leads activism workshops and trainings and is the host of the podcast Stepping into Truth, where she interviews activists from all walks of life. She is the author of Micro Activism: How You Can Make a Difference in the World (without a Bullhorn): Small Actions Equal Big Results. (Storey publishing 2023)Interview Date: 12/15/2023    Tags: Omkari L Williams, narrow our attention, perseverance, collaboration, Personal Transformation, Social Change/Politics, Community

Robert Fuller, Ph.D. is a physicist and former president of Oberlin College. He has consulted with Indira Gandhi, met with Jimmy Carter regarding the President's Commission on World Hunger, and worked to defuse the Cold War in Russia when it was known as the USSR. As Fuller reflected on his career he realized that he had been, at different times in his life, a somebody and a nobody. His periodic sojourns into “Nobodyland” led him to identify rankism - the abuse of the power inherent in rank - and ultimately to write the book Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank. He has become a recognized leader of the dignity movement to overcome rankism and keynoted a Dignity for All conference hosted by the President of Bangladesh.Tags: Robert Fuller, Robots, slavery, dignity, evolution, technological species, dignity movement, Red Queen Syndrome, sexual harassment, rankism, AI, artificial intelligence, intuition, synchronicity. Social Change, Politics, Science, Spirituality, Technology

Marguerite Callaway is the founder and CEO of the Callaway Leadership Institute, an international leadership development and strategy company whose mission is to help current and aspiring leaders reach their full potential. She is the author of The Energetics of Business: A Practical Guide for Bringing Your Business to Life (Lincoln Park Productions 2006)Interview Date: 12/20/2023     Tags: Marguerite Callaway, grandmother, ancestor, leadership, emotional intelligence, polarization, usefulness, Personal Transformation, Psychology

Richard J. Leider is the founder of Inventure -The Purpose Company, whose mission is to help people “unlock the power of purpose.” He is the author of many books including: The Power of Purpose: Find Meaning, Live Longer, Better (Berrett-Koehler Publishing 2016).     David A Shapiro is a philosopher, educator, and tenured philosophy professor at Cascadia College in Seattle.    Leider and Shapiro are the co-authors of many books considered classics in the personal growth field. They include: Repacking Your Bags and The Power of Purpose (Mjf Books 1996) and Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old? The Path of Purposeful Aging. (Berrett-Koehler Publishing 2021)Interview Date: 12/8/2023    Tags: Richard Leider, David Shapiro, life purpose, aging, youthfulness, obsession, purpose fundamental to health, healing, happiness, longevity, grow old not get old, life-long learning, creating community, career, Dan Kildee, retiring, Walter Mondale, Personal Transformation, Psychology, Aging

Oren Jay Sofer teaches meditation, mindfulness, and nonviolent communication in secular and Buddhist contexts. He received his degree in comparative religion from Columbia University and is a Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication as well as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner for the healing of trauma. He serves as a member of the Spirit Rock Meditation Center Teacher’s Council in Northern California. He is the author of Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication (Shambala Publications 2018) and Your Heart Was Made for This: Contemplative Practice for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity & Love (Shambala Publications 2023)Interview Date: 10/24/2023    Tags: Oren Jay Sofer, engaged Buddhism, suffering, Four Noble Truths, happiness, freedom, activism, despair, beloved community, patience, visualization, Buddhism, Personal Transformation, Social Change/Politics

Nicki Scully has been teaching shamanic arts and Egyptian mysteries since 1983 and is the founder of Shamanic Journeys, Ltd., which specializes in spiritual tours to sacred sites in Egypt. She has written many books including Power Animal Meditations, Alchemical Healing, Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt (co-author Linda Star Wolf) (Bear & Company 2008), Planetary Healing: Spirit Medicine for Global Transformation (co-author, her husband Mark Hallert)(Bear & Company 2011), Sekhmet: Transformation in the Belly of the Goddess (Bear & Co 2017). She’s the creator of the CD set Becoming an Oracle (Sounds True 2009). Tags: Nicki Scully, Sekhmet, Egyptian Mythology, Ma’at, enough is enough, fierce compassion, goddess, alchemical healing, Mythology, Shamanism, Spirituality, Personal Transformation

Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D. developed depth hypnosis and the “Coming to Peace” process after years of academic training and studying in the field with shamanic and spiritual teachers. Her studies include linguistic anthropology, comparative religion, and transpersonal psychology, all of which form the basis of her approach to healing and wholeness. She founded the Foundation of the Sacred Stream, a school for consciousness studies in Berkeley, California, to house the training programs. In addition to training hundreds of people to be spiritual counselors, she has taught thousands of students seeking personal growth through the Foundation’s other academic programs of applied shamanism, applied Buddhist psychology, integrated energy medicine, and empowered living. She is the author of Coming to Peace: Resolving Conflict Within Ourselves and With Others (Sacred Stream 2016)Tags: Isa Gucciardi, Coming to Peace Process, Insight Inquiry, hurricane Harvey in Houston, TX, depth hypnosis, karmic patterns, negative intentionality, attachments, positive, Psychology, Shamanism, Spirituality, Buddhism

Robert Thurman is an eminent scholar of Asian and Tibetan history and Buddhist art and sciences. For over 50 years he has been a close student, colleague, and personal friend of the Dalai Lama. He’s professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University, and co-founder with his wife Nena, and President of the Tibet House U.S., a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan civilization. He is author of many books including Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of the Dalai Lama of Tibet (graphic novel co-creator) (Tibet House 2016) and Love Your Enemies: How to Break the Anger Habit & Be a Whole Lot Happier (co-author Sharon Salzberg) (Hay House 2013)Tags: Robert Thurman, violence, peace. China, industrial consumerism, industrial militarism, nonviolence, elections, Muhammad, Islam, materialism, Red Tara, women's power, feminine power, vote, anger, Shantideva, interrupting, creatively rude, humor, skillful means, Sarah Drew, Gaia Codex, Peace, Non-Violence, Global Culture, Ecology, Nature, Environment, Buddhism

Carlyn Montes De Oca is an acupuncturist, plant-based nutritional consultant, and animal-human health expert. A former film editor for Lucas films and spokesperson for the Guardian Campaign at In Defense of Animals. She is the founder of The Animal-Human Health Connection and the author of Dog As My Doctor, Cat As My Nurse (She Writes Press 2017)Tags: Carlyn Montes De Oca, nature in our homes, dogs and cats, Chinese Medicine, environment, Parkinson’s disease, wildlife, antidote to disliking a person, hero’s journey, Joseph Campbell, animal companions, rescue animals, animal communication, Animals, Health & Healing, Personal Transformation