A Quest for Well-Being

— All bodily sensations, including those visceral feelings from your chest and stomach, are relayed back to the brain through the pathways via the spinal cord. Your already anxious and highly alert brain then processes these signals at both conscious and unconscious levels. The insula is a part of the brain specifically involved in conscious awareness of your emotions, pain and bodily sensations. The prefrontal cortex also engages in self-awareness, especially by labeling and naming these physical sensations, like feeling tightness or pain in your stomach, and attributing cognitive value to them, like "this is fine and will go away" or "this is terrible, and I am dying." These physical sensations can sometimes create a loop of increasing anxiety as they make the brain feel more scared of the situation because of the turmoil it senses in the body. Although the feelings of fear and anxiety start in your brain, you also feel them in your body because your brain alters your bodily functions. Emotions take place in both your body and your brain, but you become aware of their existence with your brain. — by Arash Javanbakht, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University Valeria interviews Dr. Megan Plotkowski on the topic of The Neuroscience Of Anxiety — Dr. Megan is an EMDR-trained Associate Marriage and Family Therapist who brings a rare fusion of scientific precision, emotional depth, and intuitive clarity to her clinical work. She holds a PhD in molecular biology and biochemistry with an emphasis in neuroscience, as well as a master's degree in clinical psychology—bridging the world of hard science with the complexities of human experience. Megan currently works in both private practice and community mental health, specializing in clients who feel overwhelmed, emotionally stuck, or disconnected—particularly those navigating anger, anxiety, addiction, trauma, or complex family dynamics. Before entering the field of psychotherapy, Megan worked as a research scientist at Amgen and UCLA, contributing to groundbreaking studies in molecular genetics and neural protein structure and function. She also taught at UCLA. Her academic background continues to inform a therapy style rooted in evidence-based practice, intellectual rigor, and deep compassion. In recent years, Megan has also come to recognize and trust a deep intuitive knowing that emerges both in her personal life and in the therapy room. This awareness led her to develop a dual-wisdom model of therapy that honors both the analytical and the unseen—a framework that bridges neuroscience and symbolism, logic and lived experience, insight and mystery. Whether drawing from hard science, depth psychology, or intuition, Megan's work is grounded in the belief that healing often begins where the visible ends—and that true transformation happens when the unspoken is finally brought into the light. To learn more about Megan Plotkowski and her work, please visit: https://www.thescientisttherapist.com/

— The Art of Living Your Best Life Through the Codes of Creation: The seen and the unseen worlds can be a fascinating journey in living your best life. The world seen is perceptible through the five senses, while the unseen world can't be experienced by our senses because it transcends the 3D world. The Balinese believe the seen world (Sekala) and the unseen world (Niskala) are interconnected and that everything in the physical world is because of its counterpart in the unseen world. Everything is energy and therefore has frequencies and wave patterns. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there. The 3D world of matter consists of wider, slower frequency waves visible to the human eye. We receive and perceive this information through our sensory body. If we take a slow frequency wave and shift it to the speed of light, we move from the 3D world of matter to the fourth and fifth dimensions of higher frequency. Essentially, life exists at varying frequencies, with higher frequencies being superior. Angels and light workers operate in higher frequency fields. To be seen, they must lower their frequency pattern. We can learn to work with frequency patterns in everyday life, so they automatically resonate with our environment, body, mind, and spirit, promoting healing, harmony and balance. This is the art of living your best life and deepening your connection with the universe. Valeria interviews Mary-Jane Kasliner — She is the author of "Mother Nature, A Bridge to Conscious Living." Mary Jane Kasliner has dedicated her life to helping others improve their health and well- being. She started her professional life as a Respiratory Therapist and Dental Hygienist before she shifted her path into Metaphysics in 2002. For the past 23 years, Mary Jane has helped people improve their lives through various techniques, including yoga, pranayama, astrology, feng shui, and her signature program, The Art of Living Your Best Life Through Codes of Creation. Her approach is simple: to unify and amplify energy frequency patterns of the three-tier temples we all have. The Law of Resonance is a major player in the amplification process. Utilizing sacred form in movement, quantum-level mindset models, meditations, the power of nature's bit language, signs, and symbols has profound implications on how we experience life. Mary Jane knows this firsthand when she turned her life around after a divorce that left her with her home in foreclosure and a two-year-old child to raise. Mary Jane is the author of nine books, two online coaching programs, and DIY Power of Attraction in Design. She has been a guest speaker on the Steve Adubato TV show and Lasting Lifestyles. Mary Jane's soul's mission is to help others live life from their highest self, which creates a holographic effect that impacts the world. To learn more about Mary-Jane Kasliner and her work, please visit: https://www.mjkasliner.com/ and https://www.mjkasliner.com/trainings

— You can create an amazing life! Do you have an incessant urge to become more of who you truly are? to start a new chapter of life? Are you getting, a quiet nudge to fulfill a dream? Now is the time, no matter your age or stage! Linda wrote the book "Envision Your Extraordinary Life: Living Happy, Joyous and Free" with the purpose to take you on a journey to create an extraordinary life worth living. Her firm conviction is that we all have the power to create an amazing life. Whatever your age or stage of life, Linda's hope is that you will envision, realize, and enjoy a life that is beyond your wildest expectations; a vision that will move you on your life path to be happy, joyous, and free. You deserve it! Her book will guide you step by step with tools, guided imageries, inspiring stories, and action steps to help you create your unique and extraordinary life. Valeria interviews Linda Hogan — She is the author of "Envision Your Extraordinary Life: Living Happy, Joyous And Free." Linda Hogan is a visionary coach, organizational change leader, business improvement expert, and author dedicated to empowering individuals and Fortune 100 companies to achieve breakthrough results. Holding an M.S. in Management & Organizational Development and recognized as a Certified Performance Technologist, Linda leverages her expertise and a proven transformation process to help you create the life you envision—whether through visionary planning, executive leadership growth, or high-performance team building. Linda's expertise spans: • Visionary planning to craft a compelling future • High-performance team building for outstanding organizational results • Executive leadership programs to accelerate your professional growth • Business improvement strategies for lasting impact • Women's group coaching for connection, support, and transformation As the author of "Envision Your Extraordinary Life," Linda inspires clients to tap into their full potential and live with clarity, passion, and purpose. If you're ready to take action and design the extraordinary life you deserve, Linda Hogan will guide you every step of the way. Outside of her professional life, Linda finds joy in traveling the world with her amazing husband, Bill, sharing laughter with her daughters, Sarah and Anna, and friends, attending the theater, and keeping active through running. She is deeply grateful for her life exactly as it is. To learn more about Linda Hogan and her work, please visit: https://www.envisionyourlife.coach/

— Over the past 7 years or so, Sheryl Roessler has seen a huge uptick in students with anxiety (sometimes mixed with depression). She has always had clients who deal with anxiety, but our world has changed dramatically. Sheryl first saw indications of this with the broad use of cell phones and social media –TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and in the past, Facebook. It began with feelings of missing out or seeing people who looked a certain way and wanting to be like them. As the outside world has become closer to us, and news travels faster, events that would not have been known are now binging on their cellphones all hours of the day. The teens and young adults have lived through school shootings, lockdown drills, a pandemic, climate change issues, hearing people spouting hateful ideas and thoughts such as racism, anti-Semitism, anti-LGBTQ trans rhetoric, and now, a war in Ukraine. The pandemic only heightened student's fears and anxiety on top of losing a normal part of their school life during lockdown. They basically lost 14 months academically, socially, and emotionally. It is most important that students are given a safe place to land. Hopefully, that is at home, but as academics have been impacted, home sometimes becomes a place where an emphasis is on schoolwork and test taking and everything else takes second place. Valeria interviews Sheryl Roessler, M.A. — She is an educational therapist who started North Shore Educational Therapy to bridge the gap between tutoring and therapy. Sheryl earned her undergraduate degree in Special Education and earned a master's degree in counseling. With decades of experience as a special education teacher and counselor in Chicago's North Shore, Sheryl has developed educational and therapeutic resources for students with issues that impact self-confidence and academic success. With her unique approach, Sheryl is equipped with the tools to help struggling students succeed in their academic endeavors. Sheryl bases her services in Chicago's North Shore suburbs, but sees clients virtually all over the country, and often internationally. Sheryl works with the student to become more accountable and self-confident, while also giving guidance and support to the parents. Not everyone gets to live their dream. Sheryl is living hers by helping her clients achieve theirs. This is where her heart lies. To learn more about Sheryl Roessler and her work, please visit: https://northshoreeducationaltherapy.com/

— Critical Memory Integration (CMI™) is an experiential psychotherapy that uses memory reconsolidation to help individuals integrate even the most distressing of experiences into their existing mental framework. Unlike conventional therapies, CMI™ facilitates integration through direct experience rather than conversation or explanation, resulting in a more efficient process. The person is guided to tune into signals of bodily sensations and emotions, uncovering the root causes of patterns and responses. The process fosters deeper connections to capacities for growth and adaptiveness, leading to a renewed sense of self, and sustainable change. Valeria interviews Estefana Johnson — She Is A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Trauma Therapist And The Director Of Clinical Training At ARISE Alliance, Is Leading The launch of a Powerful New Therapy Model Called Critical Memory Integration (CMI™) She began her career in 2001 as a Behavioral Health Technician, briefly stepping away in 2005 to teach in Japan. Her diverse background spans multiple roles and settings, including residential treatment for at-risk youth and medical social work, giving her a well-rounded perspective on mental health care. As the Director of Clinical Training for ARISE Alliance Institute, Estefana Johnson oversees the professional development and training of clinicians on Critical Memory Integration (CMI™). Her role involves designing and implementing comprehensive training curricula for mental health professionals to enhance clinical skills, particularly in trauma-focused care, PTSD treatment, and therapeutic interventions. Estefana also develops and delivers trauma-informed programming tailored to the needs of at-risk populations, bringing these services directly into community-based settings to ensure accessible, responsive care where it's needed most. She is currently a practicing clinician and Dosing Session Monitor at Lighthouse Psychiatry and TMS in Gilbert, Arizona, contributing both to clinical care and research trials exploring the therapeutic use of psychedelics. Estefana's work in community mental health, coupled with her personal experiences as a first-generation child of immigrants, has deeply influenced her therapeutic approach. Passionate about supporting foster and adoptive children, Estefana serves as Lead Volunteer, Board Member, and Clinical Director for ASA Now, a nonprofit organization that provides critical assistance, support, and advocacy for foster and adoptive children and their families. Her role with ASA extends to Shade Tree Academy, a therapeutic school designed for children impacted by foster care and adoption who have not thrived in traditional school settings. There, she provides trauma-informed staff training and has contributed to program development to support healing-centered education. With a commitment to education, advocacy, and compassionate care, Johnson continues to make a lasting impact in the mental health field and in the communities she serves. To learn more about Estefana Johnson and her work, please visit: https://arisealliance.org/

— "The inner journey is a mystery, so we lean into the exploration with a sense of experimentation, of playfulness, of openness, trusting we have the answers inside of us." Valeria interviews Dr. Loi — She is a somatic psychologist, coach ("midlife midwife"), mother, workshop presenter, guided meditation leader and Ecstatic Dance facilitator. Dr. Loi integrates her years of clinical training with her movement and awareness-based practices, grounding them into connection with the earth to facilitate a deeper understanding of presence, embodiment and reverence. Dr. Loi has a background in the non-profit world (founding the single parent resource network in Austin Tx), has worked in radio, co-produced newspapers and music festivals, and owned an event production company. Her clinical work began in 2005 when she began graduate school as a single mother (after an almost 10 year break from school). She has worked with pre-school aged victims of trauma and neglect, in low income clinics that offered depth therapy, in a college counseling center, with couples, those mandated to attend domestic violence batterer groups. Her CRP was entitled, "The Role of Empathy in the Domestic Violence Treatment of Male Batterers" through a feminist theory lens and she graduated in 2011. She was licensed in 2014 after 3 years of postdoctoral training in a private practice neuropsychology clinic where she offered neurocognitive assessments and treatment after TBI (traumatic brain injury). Dr. Loi currently is in private practice seeing individuals and couples throughout California for therapy and intensives, via teletherapy and in person with a collaborative, holistic approach. She incorporates Somatic, Ketamine-Assisted-Psychotherapy, mindfulness, parts therapy, CBT, neuropsychology, Brainspotting (certified), and energy psychology grounded in a psychodynamic, depth-oriented framework. She specializes in affect regulation (anger management/anxiety reduction), integrating transformational experiences, prenatal/postpartum, parenting issues, midlife and menopause with a focus on empowering clients and encouraging their connection to themselves, others and the earth. She occasionally offers workshops and trainings, and hosts Ecstatic Dance Sebastopol (since 2014), often offering the closing sound baths and meditations. Through her own journey of healing from physical and emotional over-sensitivities, she learned how to manage these overwhelming states and teaches this to others. More recently, after a TBI forced her to stop "business as usual" she created a program to assist women in midlife learn to slow down and reconnect to their inner wisdom. Dr. Loi educates and empowers her clients with practical strategies and guides them to a place of greater coherence and vibrancy. She believes that we are born wise and can re-learn how to live with ease and pleasure. She offers these clinical, spiritual and heart-based practices to assist humans in healing, reconnecting and awakening to the joy of being. To learn more about Dr. Loi and her work, please visit: https://www.drloi.com/

Patrick's book, Tears Run Dry: A Story of Courage in the Face of Poverty, Tribalism and Racism is a gripping memoir that chronicle Dr. Kalenzi's extraordinary journey from war-torn Uganda to achieving the American dream. More than a personal story, this powerful book represents the global struggles of refugees, the silent strength of immigrants, and the deep resilience of the human spirit. With wisdom, vulnerability, and hope, Patrick shares the life lessons, cultural insights, and defining moments that shaped his path—from surviving systemic injustice to becoming a community leader and healer. Valeria interviews Patrick Kalenzi — He is the author of "Tears Run Dry: A Story of Courage in the face of Poverty, Tribalism and Racism." To learn more about Patrick Kalenzi and his work, please visit: https://www.patrickkalenzi.com/

— How do you feel when you hear the word "psychic"? Spine-chilling goose-bumps or a thrilling allure? A burning desire to discover more or an impulse to run? Fascination or fear? We all have intuition, perhaps even psychic ability. So why don't we use it? Fear of the unknown, fear of losing control, fear of meeting our dark side or the fear instilled in humankind during the Spanish Inquisition that still sits in our cellular memory and hold power over out otherwise unlimited minds? Natasha Rosewood brings the word "psychic" out of the witch's closet and into the light of the New Age. "Now, more than ever in out history, the planet needs all of us to acknowledge our power by paying attention to our inner voices. But first we need to embrace and trust our intuition." Valeria interviews Natasha J. Rosewood — She is the Author, Quantum Healer, Intuitive Coach, TV Host, Spirit Medium, Past Life Regressionist and GhostBuster. A long time ago, in a far away land—England—Natasha Rosewood worked as a flight attendant, during which time her life also took off into the metaphysical world of palmistry and other divine knowledge. But it was when she moved to Canada in 1983, that she evolved from palmist to Intuitive Spiritual Healer, and then Past Life Regressionist, Ghostbuster, Quantum Healer, Author, Screenwriter as well as radio and TV Host. In her dedicated healing practice of many years, she has empowered thousands of people to remember who they really are and to find their joy. All five of her beloved enlightening, comedic and poignant books: Aaagh I Think I'm Psychic, (And You Can Be Too) Aaagh, I Thought You Were Dead, (And Other Psychic Adventures) Ghostly- Mostly True Stories, Flight of Your Life - Confessions of a 1970's Air Hostess and The Longest Flight of Your Life -Confessions of a 1980's Air Stewardess are intended to inspire the knowing intuitive inside each one of us and remind us all of humanity's unlimited potential to create, laugh and, of course, love, especially The Self. To learn more about Natasha J. Rosewood and her work, please visit: https://www.natasharosewood.com/

— Do you ever feel like you're juggling a million things, constantly reacting to life's demands, and struggling to find peace? In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to get lost in thoughts, emotions, and external pressures, leaving us feeling overwhelmed and disconnected. But what if there were a simpler way to navigate the chaos? What if you could access calm and clarity, not by adding more to your to-do list, but by reconnecting with the wisdom within? The key is to shift from resisting life to embracing it. This means listening to your body's wisdom, honoring your emotions, acknowledging your thoughts, and releasing the limiting beliefs of the ego. And, surprisingly, this path can be easier than the struggle of resistance. Valeria interviews Manal El-Ramly — She is the author of "Transcending Anxiety: From Fear to Freedom: Transforming Unacknowledged Fears Into a Life of Freedom and Happiness." Manal El-Ramly empowers self-discovery, inner peace and alignment. With the mind of an engineer and the heart of a spiritual guide, Manal El-Ramly created the Mattain Method and founded Mattain LLC— a self-growth company dedicated to helping individuals evolve beyond life's struggles and discover their inner truth. Manal's work is featured on Insight Timer, in OM Yoga & Lifestyle Magazine, and she is also a TEDx speaker. Her book, Transcending Anxiety, is now available. Manal is actively building her social media platform, engaging with potential readers, and she is a member of the Hay House Writers' Community. To learn more about Manal El-Ramly and her work, please visit: https://www.mattain.me/ and TEDX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvr5jBstT_0

— "In the gentle ebb and flow of life, we often seek to make a difference in the lives of others, hoping to touch them with a spark of our spirit. But sometimes, in the midst of giving, we find ourselves on an unexpected journey of receiving. Over the past month, a beautiful realization has blossomed in my heart: as I've reached out to heal others, I've been healing myself in profound ways. Energy healing, a cornerstone of my life's work, has always been a path of connection for me—connecting to the divine energy of the universe, to the unique vibrancy of each client, and to the deep, often unspoken layers of emotional and spiritual experience. Recently, I've seen an increase in clients seeking solace and healing in the therapies I offer. With each session, as I channel energy and intention towards their healing, I've noticed a mirror-like reflection of healing light that shines back on me. It's a curious and marvelous phenomenon—the healer healing thyself through the act of healing others. This personal evolution has profoundly impacted my closest relationships, particularly with my husband. The more I engage in healing others, the more I find that the heart wall I built around myself is crumbling. Similarly, the connection with my children grows richer each day. As I align more with the universe and the energy flows through me, I notice a beautiful increase in the love and joy we share. Reflecting on this, I'm struck by the profound truth that our capacity to help others heal is intrinsically linked to our own healing. In every moment of connection, we are not just facilitators of healing; we are participants in a grand, intertwining dance of rejuvenation." ~ Lucia Valeria interviews Lucia Nicolini — She is a Holistic Health Practitioner. Lucia's journey in holistic healing began with her foundational training in Reiki and Craniosacral Therapy. Over the years, she expanded her expertise to include the Emotion Code, Body Code, and Belief Code, mastering the art of releasing trapped emotions, correcting imbalances, and shifting limiting beliefs. Recently, she has embraced the transformative power of hypnosis, creating her signature Pleasure Awakening Hypnosis sessions. Combining hypnosis with gentle hip movements inspired by yoga and Reiki energy work, Lucia offers a unique, holistic approach to healing that empowers women to connect with their sensuality, release trauma, and embrace joy and abundance. To learn more about Lucia Nicolini and her work, please visit: https://www.lucianicolini.com and https://heal.me/lucia