AwareNow: Issue 14: The Inclusion Edition by AwareNow™

AWARENOW

ISSUE 14

T H E AWA R E N E S S T I E S ™ O F F I C I A L M A G A Z I N E F O R C A U S E S CREATOR’S CALLING CHIEF OGIMAA

(ON THE COVER)

FROM THE BEGINNING TO NOW: LESSON 5

FEAR OF RAIN CASTILLE LANDON

ONE SECOND PAUL S. ROGERS

UNSPOKEN JONA GENOVA

GET OUT OF THE WAY LEX GILLETTE

MY PRIVILEGE

DR. DELA TAGHIPOUR

WEATHERING THE STORM JONATHAN KOHANSKI

BREAKING DOWN THE BOYS CLUB LORRAINE D’ALESSIO

BE WATER, MY FRIEND NICK BOTTINI

WRITE YOUR OWN CRAZY BEAUTIFUL STORY ADRIENNE ANKOLA-ROCHETTI

THE INCLUSION EDITION

H U M A N I T Y

T H E

T H A T

B I N D S

U S

SUICIDE IS A PREVENTABLE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS. YOU C A N BE TH E O NE TO STA RT TH E CONVERSATI ON . H F T D.O R G

THE INCLUSION EDITION

AwareNow™ is a monthly publication produced by Awareness Ties™ in partnership with Issuu™. Awareness Ties™ is the ‘Official Symbol of Support for Causes’. Our mission is to support causes by elevating awareness and providing sustainable resources for positive social impact. Through our AwareNow Magazine, Podcast & Talk Show, we raise awareness for causes and support for nonprofits one story at a time.

O6 MY BAG

48 WRITE YOUR OWN STORY

76 DON’T BE COLORBLIND

10 FEAR OF RAIN

52 UNSPOKEN

78 DIVERSITY IS NOT ENOUGH

16 CREATOR’S CALLING

56 GET OUT OF THE WAY

82 DIGNITY

22 WEATHERING THE STORM

60 MY PRIVILEGE

84 UNSUGARCOATED/SEAN SWARNER

30 LIFE LESSONS FROM COVID

62 LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION

86 THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

34 PERFECTLY MADE

64 BE WATER, MY FRIEND

90 THE BODY DOES NOT LIE

40 ONE SECOND

68 BREAKING DOWN THE BOYS CLUB 92 ACCESS IN WONDERLAND

44 MITAKUYE OYAS’IN

72 CONSUMING WITH CONSCIENCE

OLIVER KAYE

ADRIENNE ANKOLA-ROCHETTI

CASTILLE LANDON

JONA GENOVA

OGIMAA

LEX GILLETTE

DR. DELA TAGHIPOUR

JONATHAN KOHANSKI DR. GERARD JENKINS LORI BUTIERRIES

CHARLOTTE ALEXANDRA NICK BOTTINI

MIKE DIAMOND

KELLY A. LOVELL

DESMOND CLARK AALIA LANIUS THI NGUYEN

LORRAINE D’ALESSIO

PAUL S. ROGERS

KRISTEN MARTIN

MORGAN’S WONDERLAND

JACQUI HAMLIN/TANITH HARDING

KEYA KYEA

GET READY JOIN THE AWARENESS TIES COMMUNITY

I AM AWARE NOW.

www.iamawarenow.com

AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

The very premise of Awareness Ties and AwareNow is built on the principles of inclusion and diversity. Our platform serves as a table where everyone is invited to sit and a stage with a standing invitation to be seen and heard. Our amazing columnist and trusted advisor Joel Cartner states it perfectly: “Inclusion to me is a person's ability to comfortably bring all of themselves to a table and both be seen as that complete person and then use whatever personal experiences or knowledge they have if and when they see t. Sometimes that requires institutional or personal action to make sure that everyone can get to the table and be heard in an equitable way, but it all boils down to being able to see the entire person not just a race, disability, gender, or orientation etc.” We will always do our part to insure inclusion and diversity as a priority in our work. We are all connected by what we refer to as ‘the human cause’. You, me, we are all connected by our humanity and empowered through our empathy. We will no longer ask for permission to change the world. We’re doing it now, a story at a time… and so are you. By reading and sharing these stories, you are doing your part. Have a story or idea of your own that you’d like to share. We would love to hear from you. Our door (i.e. inbox) is always open: info@awarenessties.us

ALLIÉ McGUIRE

EDITOR IN CHIEF & CO-FOUNDER OF AWARENESS TIES Allié is a Taurus. She started her career in performance poetry, then switched gears to wine where she made a name for herself as an online wine personality and content producer. She then focused on original content production under her own label The Allié Way™ before marrying the love of her life (Jack) and switching gears yet again to a pursue a higher calling to raise awareness and funds for causes with Awareness Ties™.

JACK McGUIRE

PRODUCTION MANAGER & CO-FOUNDER OF AWARENESS TIES Jack is a Gemini. He got his start in the Navy before his acting and modeling career. Jack then got into hospitality, focusing on excellence in service and efficiency in operations and management. After establishing himself with years of experience in the F&B industry, he sought to establish something different… something that would allow him to serve others in a greater way. With his wife (Allié), Awareness Ties™ was born.

www.IamAwareNow.com @AWARENESSTIES @AWARENESSTIES @AWARENESSTIES

www.IamAwareNow.com

AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

in·clu·sion: (noun) the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those who have physical or mental disabilities and members of other minority groups

ORIGINAL POETRY BY ALLIÉ MERRICK MCGUIRE

MORE AND LESS

A POETIC EXPRESSION OF LIFE WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS try as i ma

how can you figh

every night and every da

an enemy withi

i’m feeling less and les

when there’s nowhere to star

more and mor

no place to begi

my hands, my finger

and so we’ll just b

my feet, my toe

my ms and m

every day i feel les

feeling more while feeling les

as numbness grow

ironic i confes

sometimes there’s tinglin

try as i ma

sometimes nothing at al

every night and every da

as anxiety rise

i’m feeling less and les

defenses fal

more and more

MORE AND LESS ORIGINAL POETRY BY ALLIÉ MCGUIRE

www.IamAwareNow.com

AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION l

I can overcome my condition, so I can overcome anything. OLIVER KAYE

INVISIBLE DISABILITIES ADVOCATE AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH OLIVER KAYE

MY BAG

STEPPING ON STAGE WITH A BAG TO END THE STIGMA There are those that hide their chronic conditions behind a curtain, and then are those who bring them to centerstage. At age 16, Oliver Kaye was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and chose to pull back the curtain of social stigma and take the public stage with his own story that includes not only a major surgery but a stoma bag that he’ll carry the rest of his life. Allié: Many people have heard of Ulcerative Colitis but have no idea what it is. For those unfamiliar with this in ammatory bowel disease, ll us in. What has been your experience with UC? What symptoms led up to your diagnosis? Oliver: I rst began experiencing symptoms in August 2019. This included loose stools and very mild weight loss. I was diagnosed after having a few blood and stool tests, plus a colonoscopy which led to my diagnosis in January 2020. Ulcerative Colitis is an autoimmune condition that causes in ammation and ulceration of the colon. It’s a form of IBD along with Crohns Disease that can cause in ammation anywhere along the digestive tract. UC is a chronic illness, so there is no cure; however, medication can and often does keep symptoms under control or surgery may be necessary. I was rst put on some anti-in ammatory medication that I would've had to take for the rest of my life. My colitis progressed very rapidly to acute severe in the space of a few weeks and I was hospitalised. I missed weeks at school and time with my mates. I luckily got better in hospital and returned home. Long story short, I was put on some more, stronger meds and was in and out of hospital right through the rst lockdown. None of my medications were working. So, after tough discussions and nal tests, I had my colon removed in June 2020 which left me with a stoma bag. Having stoma surgery gave me back my quality of life and was the treatment that worked for me.

MY BAG

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH OLIVER KAYE

www.IamAwareNow.com

AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

Having an invisible illness is tough, but it will make you a stronger and better person. OLIVER KAYE

INVISIBLE DISABILITIES ADVOCATE AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

“Everyone has their own ways of dealing with and talking about the individual battles and that's okay…” Allié: Many people live with Ulcerative Colitis and use medication to manage their condition. Was the surgery you had (an ileostomy) required or an option you chose? Was the physical adjustment dif cult? What about the emotional adjustment Oliver: My surgery was an emergency but also was planned. I knew I was very likely to have it, and because I was so ill at the time, all I wanted was to get better. The rst few days after the surgery were incredibly tough mentally and physically. Physically, it was painful to move but the pain-meds helped a bit. Each day the pain got less and less as I healed. Mentally, it was tough seeing the stoma for the rst time and having to learn how to change this thing. I managed to learn to change and clean it fairly quickly, but I’m still learning to perfect it 7 months on. Having stoma surgery is short term pain for long term gain. Each day and every week after the surgery, I began to feel stronger and healthier. I could put on weight again. I could sleep through most nights. I could go out and eventually play sports again that I love to do.

Allié: While there are wraps, special belts and clothing options and hacks for concealing a stoma bag, you didn’t nd a need for these. You found a need instead for having the bag seen and your story heard. In your own words, why? Oliver: There’s often quite a lot of stigma around stoma bags and bowel disease in society. So by educating people and raising awareness we can hopefully break that stigma so people feel more comfortable to share their symptoms with medical professionals and get the right treatment. Also, when I was at my worst in hospitals, I turned to social media (as a teenager would) and was fortunate to discover an amazing community of people in similar situations to me who are living a happy life. This inspired me to want to share my story so I could give people (and especially young people, where this disease is most predominant) that extra comfort that life will get better eventually. My bag is always hidden under my clothes or belt when I exercise. So, no one would be able to tell I have a stoma unless I told them because I look healthy and I’m active, play sports etc

Allié: Your bravery to make seen what is usually unseen is so inspiring. To those afraid of having their invisible illness seen or known, what advice do you have, Oliver Oliver: Having an invisible illness is tough, but it will make you a stronger and better person. When you face another challenge in life, you say to yourself that I can overcome my condition, so I can overcome anything. Everyone has their own ways of dealing with and talking about the individual battles and that's okay, but there are people out there: family, friends, teachers and doctors who are there to help you and make you better. ∎

FOLLOW OLIVER ON INSTAGRAM: @THEKIDWITHABAG SUPPORT HIS CAUSE HERE: GO.RALLYUP.COM/THEKIDWITHABAG1

www.IamAwareNow.com ?

AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

Stigma can only exist within silence. CASTILLE LANDON

DIRECTOR, WRITER & ACTRESS

10 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH CASTILLE LANDON

FEAR OF RAIN

MENTAL HEALTH BROUGHT MAINSTREAM THROUGH FILM Film is a powerful medium not only to entertain but to educate and empower. In ‘Fear of Rain’, director Castille Landon does all three through the speci c mental health lens of schizophrenia. In this lm, a girl living with schizophrenia struggles with terrifying hallucinations as she begins to suspect her neighbor has kidnapped a child. The only person who believes her is Caleb - a boy she isn't even sure exists. Allié: There was ‘Benny and Joon’ in 1993, ‘A Beautiful Mind’ in 2001 and a few other lms before and after about schizophrenia. Now, in 2021, you bring ‘Fear Of Rain’ to the screen, Castille. Why did you choose to bring this mental health condition to centerstage? Castille: I wanted to talk about mental health in general, with the aim of destigmatizing mental illness and challenging conventional knowledge (or lack thereof) by placing the audience inside the head of our lead. Schizophrenia made the most sense in two ways: it is perhaps the most stigmatized and misunderstood mental illness, and the visual and auditory symptoms gave an opportunity to recreate the experience Rain might be having, so the audience could hear and see her ‘reality’.

FEAR OF RAIN

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR CASTILLE LANDON

www.IamAwareNow.com

11 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

12 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

Allié: As a director, what was your biggest challenge in accurately portraying schizophrenia? Was it harder for you to understand the disorder yourself or to translate the disorder on screen for others Castille: I loved researching and getting to know the various facets of schizophrenia, so I think the biggest challenge was in narrowing down what Rain sees and hears. Unlike physical ailments, where the symptoms are generally agreed upon (i.e. if you have asthma, you’ll likely experience shortness of breath, wheezing, and/or coughing), there so many different symptoms someone with schizophrenia might have; some people have visual hallucinations, many don’t. There is really no singular ‘right’ way of portraying it. Also, there are so many layers and complexities, that it was dif cult to narrow down what the audience *needed* to know in order for the story to make sense, versus what was just interesting. Hopefully the lm makes viewers curious to dive in and learn more about mental illness and mental wellness, for themselves.

Allié: What was the most impactful thing about schizophrenia that you learned while making this lm Castille: I think the biggest thing was learning how much more common it is than I had previously realized. I think there are a lot more functional people in our everyday lives that we don’t know are silently struggling or successfully managing, because it is so stigmatized.

Allié: Fear of Rain is a horror lm. Do you feel there is a lot of congruence between the genre and the disorder itself Castille: I think there is an overlap or a correlation, but I don’t think it’s the same horror that is often associated with mental illness or schizophrenia. Too often, people are portrayed as either being violent, and therefore are the antagonists, creating the horror, or they are portrayed as geniuses. In FEAR OF RAIN, we’re watching a ‘normal’-whatever that means-- high school girl, who just happens to have schizophrenia. The horror element comes from the tricks her brain plays on her, the way she’s treated by her community and sometimes the medical community, and the way she’s silenced or not believed.

“We must adopt an ethos of humanity, whereby we stop marginalizing people due to their mental status, their gender, age, or race.” Allié: Your lm is a powerful one with the potential to do much more than just entertain. Mental health for too long has been stigmatized to pandemic proportions. To increase awareness and improve empathy, what is it speci cally that you hope people will take away from your lm and share with others Castille: At the risk of being redundant, I hope that people take away a greater awareness of what schizophrenia truly is, rather than the idea that someone must be either violent or brilliant to have it, and that we must be supportive and encouraging of people-- especially young women-- to speak their truth. We must adopt an ethos of humanity, whereby we stop marginalizing people due to their mental status, their gender, age, or race.

www.IamAwareNow.com ?

13 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

“I wanted to talk about mental health in general, with the aim of destigmatizing mental illness…” Allié: As Hollywood’s stage continues to shift along with the times, with regard to inclusivity, are we getting closer to where we need to be? Certainly women and people of color are being represented more. However, when it comes to people with disabilities (the largest minority group to date), while there are many roles that portray them, there are few disabled actors that actually play them. Do you think we’ll soon see a shift Castille: I hope so. I think it’s becoming less and less acceptable for lms to perpetuate ableism, particularly when it comes to physical disabilities and mental disabilities with physical symptoms (i.e. autism, down’s syndrome, etc.). That being said, I think it’s going to take longer than we may want. You would think that, as long as equity in terms of women and people of color has been a ‘hot topic’, we’d be at a point of parity, but I think we’re still quite a bit off, especially with studio lms. ∎

WATCH ‘FEAR OF RAIN’: LIONSGATE.COM/MOVIES/FEAR-OF-RAIN FOLLOW CASTILLE ON INSTAGRAM: @CASTILLELANDON

FEAR OF RAIN OFFICIAL TRAILER

www.IamAwareNow.com

14 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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AwareNow™ Podcast is the 'Of cial Podcast for Causes'. Presented by Awareness Ties, AwareNow is rated 'O' for original and organic content to raise awareness for the causes we're all tied to, through personal stories and exclusive interviews. Tune in as we raise awareness a story at a time about topics that aren't always easy to talk about through conversations that are sometimes hard to have. Together, we are aware now. Listen and download. Available via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts & more.

S U B S C R I B E

A W A R E N O W P O D C A S T. C O M

OGIMAA (ACHA-KOOH-WAAY), JIM

ANISHINAABE KNOWLEDGE KEEPER, CHIEF OF FOOTHILLS OJIBWAY ON TURTLE ISLAND 16 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

As long as the sun rises...water ows and grass grows and there are people, we are together and so we must take care of each other. www.IamAwareNow.com

‘FROM THE BEGINNING TO NOW’ EXCLUSIVE COLUMN BY OGIMAA (ACHA-KOOH-WAAY), JIM, ANISHINAABE KNOWLEDGEKEEPER FROM FOOTHILLS OJIBWAY ON TURTLE ISLAND

CREATOR’S CALLING FROM THE BEGINNING TO NOW: LESSON 5

Once again, I'm talking to you from here on what we used to call Kânata, it became Canada. It was one part of this world we call Turtle Island (this includes North America). The Anishinaabe people always maintain the connection to Turtle Island, in spirit. What I mean by that is there are spiritual ties, spiritual connection, in my leadership. People call me Ogimaa (Acha-Kooh-waay) …which means leader of the sky. I maintain that, because it has to do with the Spirit. That’s how we had our connection to the beginning of the creation, for this part of the world, Turtle Island. “We are all in one world together…when we were put in this world it does not matter who we are …or where we are… it is the same world, same water, same spirit, same environment...same people…put here by Creator It does not matter who you are or where you are, you are part of this one world and the world keeps us the same. Today I was thinking about how we are impacted by Covid but we are still here together. We are all as one, supporting each other, to be here, to be safe. All pulling together to get through these hard times

I think Covid teaches us…it reminds us that we are all the same. It can happen anywhere in this world. It is not good but it is happening. It tells us we are all the same. It reminds us.

“We are all spiritual people.” Whether it is colored people, Asian people, white people, red or First Nation people…we were created by the Creator himself. It gives us that connection. We are all spiritual people, and we are all the physical people God or The Great Spirit has created, including everything else. It is all part of us. Everything is part of this Creation . As long as the sun rises...water ows and grass grows and there are people, we are together and so we must take care of each other Respect one another...be a helping hand to another human being and the environment. She needs our help too. Things that happen all over the world does impact us all What happens in this world, even if it is not in the island where you are, impacts the whole world in someway. We hear about people getting sick…it makes us think. It makes us feel for other people, so it impacts us all. I just want to say it is important to think about the spiritual connection to everything in this world…

”

www.IamAwareNow.com …

17 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

The butter ies appear in so many colors… They are part of us. OGIMAA (ACHA-KOOH-WAAY), JIM

ANISHINAABE KNOWLEDGE KEEPER, CHIEF OF FOOTHILLS OJIBWAY ON TURTLE ISLAND

18 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

“…natural colors of the Creator. They are part of us.” Let’s not forget ‘future generations.’ They are part of us. They are spiritual children. They are spiritual human beings just as God intended us to be. We are always going to be connected. Let them enjoy the things we enjoy today The world is beautiful, and it has all that we need. It has a spirit, the future generation has a right to enjoy Imagine the environment...and the world for them. The spring with the little tiny owers and the cuteness of them when they come up. Even the tiny green grass and tiny trees start to grow. Green comes. Those babies start to grow. This is Creator’s creation. There is a spirit to that…as it was meant to be. Then there is summer and trees are grown enough to be like teenagers. Lots of energy. It is very nice. Beautiful...tall grass and strong winds. There is-lots of energy...like teenage life. We get to live that life. We get to have the children...raise the children. (The young family time. In Turtle Island, the colors are changing and the children are grown up. It is adulthood...the beauty of nature changing into yellow, brown, red. What beautiful changes to go through as the colors change…. The butter ies appear in so many colors…some are yellow, green, spots, brown and white. Those are natural colors of the Creator. They are part of us.

We are spiritual beings. That spirit will always be there...we will always fall back to that spirit…We must care about each other as Creator intends. God gave us these rights. They are God-given rights, to have, to raise and feed our children, and to decide how we are going to teach them. He has given all a right to be part of everything. He has given everything we need. We must remember that. Do not treat anybody different. Do not leave anyone out, because we are the same. Do not keep anyone out because we must belong as God intended. Do not forget we are all the same. It doesn’t matter who you are. God gave us the right to be human beings. He gave different animals and birds the same right to be here. And the seeds I mentioned have a right to be here for the seasons So there’s those stages of life…in spring the babies…the little tiny things…everything is beautiful. Then we get into the teenage life. Then middle aged life. It is still beautiful. We have children and grandchildren. Then we start going into the winter, becoming elders, grandfathers, grandmothers. That is the natural order of everything and we are never going to go around that because this is from the Great Spirit that we are part of Today, when I think about the awakening we were given, like Covid, it makes us think about the people at all seasons because we are all human beings.

)

www.IamAwareNow.com

19 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

Let's work together to teach our young people that because that’s important...that way we can respect each other… care about each other. That way they will know that what they need will always be there for them. The great spirit has put that there and we are part of it When we talk about owers, grass and trees we are part of them; everything. We still believe in that same spirit that people believe in all over the world. It is the same God, Creator, Great Spirit. He made it so the land takes care of us. The things we need are still here today. We need to think about that…Those things are still here for us. Think about the spirituality that is connected to all things.   He created us to be part of all things ……to be part of all those beautiful things. We are here to see that whatever happens…and however it happens…it impacts all of us…because we are all one!

“We are all in it…” Whether it is colored people, Asian people, First Nations people wherever they are, and our white brothers and sisters; we are all together as creations of the spirit, Creator, God himself. He gave us one air, one sun, one moon, it is one day to be shared, one night to be shared. We are all in it. It doesn’t matter where you are, those values are there. We need to take care of the world, because we need the world to take care of us Everything we need is part of the spirit. It is part of the future generations, and it is very important to treat one another kindly because that is what God intended for us. We are to respect everything we were given in this world We are all human ……and the animals, the birds, the trees and everything is part of us It means a lot to me to think about the future generations. We have to think about them. We decide for them. Let’s enjoy the spiritual gifts we were given. Let’s appreciate them. Everything God has given us is a human right for us and for them… Mii'gwetc This is ‘Thank you’ in my language. ∎ Respectfully recorded and submitted by Kathy Kiss OGIMAA (ACHA-KOOH-WAAY), JI Anishinaabe Knowledgekeeper, Chief of Foothills Ojibway on Turtle Island  www.awarenessties.us/ogimaa I am Ogimaa (Acha-Kooh-waay), I begin with words from my own language to say hi to everybody. My identity… which is… because God put me in this part of the world is my Annishinaabe language and name. That means “leader” for people and environment here. So I am not saying I am the leader of Turtle Island but that’s what that means. It is an individual’s name, which is a spirit name that we carry on from our traditional culture and lineage in this part of the world. We were put here on this Turtle. This Turtle Island is massive.

…

www.IamAwareNow.com

20 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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I want to look back and have the memories of what I tried and did, not what I didn’t. JONATHAN KOHANSKI

NH OPEN WATER SWIMMER, PHOTOGRAPHER & BATTLING MS SINCE 2004

22 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

PERSONAL STORY BY JONATHAN KOHANSKI

WEATHERING THE STORM RIDING THE TIDES OF MS

So here I was, 25 years old, I had just experienced my rst MRI and was now sitting in the ER when a nurse walked up to me and muttered two words that created the biggest in ection point in my life… multiple sclerosis (MS). At that time, I had no idea of what MS was, what it did, treatments, prognosis, etc. Lucky for me the iPhone was still a few years off, including the habit of researching things that you shouldn’t, least of all when sitting in a hospital. I sat there alone…waiting… Winter is a funny thing here in New Hampshire. It’s a season that people seem to either love or hate. I had found my reasons to love the winter season, and the cold. When I was younger, my joy took the form of backpacking and hiking in the White Mountains throughout the entire year, but winter was something special. It was beautiful and there was something cathartic in the desolate winter landscapes that was both otherworldly, yet at the same time home. I remember it like yesterday, the solitude, the imagery, the sounds of the wind and biting cold. I was home from a recent foray in the mountains when I woke up one morning and couldn’t walk without bracing myself against something, my balance was gone... at out...gone. This was symptom #1. Some months after that, I started having vision issues and disturbances. I reluctantly made an appointment with my optometrist, mentioned balance problems and the rest of that day was a fast-froward blur with a trip to an ophthalmologist for some testing, some weird results, an immediate call from my GP who told to go to the ER for an MRI and now me sitting in the ER, alone, waiting on a neurologist after having been told by a nurse that there were indications of MS Up to that point, my life was de ned by adventure, the outdoors, pushing myself and my limits as far as I could. At the age of 15 I started rock-climbing and did this 7 days a week, I fell in love with it. This was the rst hobby/activity that I was legitimately good at, and the wild gritty lifestyle of this sport felt one part Hunter Thompson, lled with debauchery and partying, and one part Ansel Adams for the stunning backdrops that I continually found myself in. Despite my age at the time, I was readily accepted, encouraged, and taught everything that they knew. The comradery and community of tight-knit individuals from all walks up life was truly amazing. It seems such a far cry from today’s social landscape. As I got in my early 20’s my focus shifted to hiking and backpacking throughout the mountains, again nding ways to push myself harder and into more extreme conditions. Hiking in the White Mountains during the winter is amazing. Above tree-line, the winds, the temperatures, a literal wasteland of rock, snow, and ice and I felt home. I felt invincible in my youth Everything changed after that day, my initial symptoms never resolved themselves 100%, neither did that comfort level of being out in the backcountry on my own. As I continued trying to pursue the activities I had always known, I discovered some of the nuances of my MS. My balance got much worse in the dark, a discovery made while hiking at night in February with a friend. It was a bit surreal and comical to see my body not functioning while doing something that was both straightforward and also second-nature to me. This scared the hell out of me. What if something happened while I was backpacking miles away from anyone? Or on a cliff? Just as MS has an exhaustive list of issues it can cause; I mentally generated an equally impressive list of “what ifs”.

www.IamAwareNow.com

23 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

At 25, the invincibility of my youth gave way to the contemplation of my own mortality. I lived within the con nes of “safety” for years after that, afraid of what might happen, fearful of the unknown nature of MS. If I lost my balance overnight, what else could I lose? So, I waited. I waited for MS to progress, for the next thing to happen. I waited, ready to watch my body that had taken me to so many places, fail me. I waited, doing things that were safe and kept me somewhat content from the adventurist lifestyle I had known…I waited

“I missed pushing my limits, nding some edge and daring to go past it.” Having struggled with mental health my entire life, it was second nature for me to retreat within and isolate myself. Closing the door on everything I did or wanted to do is unbelievably easy when self-con dence and self-worth aren’t your strongest qualities. The “pity party” at times could be overwhelming and there were many nights I went to sleep hoping I didn’t wake up because I simply didn’t want to think about what my future could possibly look like or deal with it. There are days when I still feel that way. Mental health and MS have some interesting similarities to each other, the two that stand out most to me are 1) The uniqueness to the individual as nobody seems to suffer in the exact same way. 2) It’s practically impossible to describe what or how you feel. My balance makes me walk and feel like I’m drunk, and that’s about the most applicable association I can make with it, but it doesn’t actually feel like that. Without having gone through it yourself and been to the depths that depression can bring you to, I would argue it’s impossible to understand. Of all the chronic illnesses, quite honestly, it needs a lot more attention than it gets, as does mental health as a whole After 13 years of living with MS, I had developed a repertoire of skills that had kept me occupied, but I felt like a hollow shell of my former self. I missed the adventure. I missed pushing my limits, nding some edge and daring to go past it. The sedentary, slow-paced lifestyle wasn’t me, and it left me feeling restless and incomplete. I had been running and cycling, on an indoor bike at work, when someone mentioned I should swim and take up triathlon. I laughed it off as something I couldn’t do because of MS. The next morning while drinking coffee, I was reminiscing my youth and remember watching the Ironman triathlon with my dad in awe at what people were capable of. I looked it up on Youtube, clicked on a video and I’ll never forget the rst line of that video… “There are really just two types of people, those who say I can, and those who say I can’t” In that instant, I looked back at my life and I realized that since my diagnosis I had been telling myself everything I couldn’t do. I watched this video as person after person crossed a nish line, old, young, thin, heavy, amputees, people in wheelchairs, etc., etc. I saw people that had the odds stacked against them, yet all found a drive to do an absolutely amazing feat of endurance. What was my excuse? My balance and vision sucked? I had all my limbs and they worked. That re and fuel for adventure, it went from a smoldering coal to a raging inferno in an instant...13 years of waiting for something to happen to me instead if me making something happen ended that morning. So much of what I do these days is rooted in the inspiration I get from seeing others overcome obstacles and achieve some goal that’s outside the con nes of normality. As the video ended, I had one nal thought…why not me? What excuse did I really have not to be bold and push myself like I had so many years before? This was all transpiring during the course of a divorce, the second actually. I literally buried myself in training and put everything into it, every day before work, there was a schedule that I followed lie it was the only thing that mattered. I told myself I had at least one more adventure left in me and after 14 years of waiting for MS to take more from me, I decided it was time to take something back. For those who are unfamiliar, triathlon is a swim, bike, and run all done in succession. Running I could do, biking with bad balance scared the hell out of me and it was going to take some work, and that left swimming. My swimming abilities could best be described as…I wouldn’t drown right away.

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24 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

At 25, the invincibility of my youth gave way to the contemplation of my own mortality. JONATHAN KOHANSKI

NH OPEN WATER SWIMMER, PHOTOGRAPHER & BATTLING MS SINCE 2004

25 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

“When you’re pushed down by a wave, it’s darkness and chaos, you have no control, no concept of which way is up...you’re along for the ride. Like MS.” I found a coach, someone more than capable of what I was after, and as luck would have it there was a notable local swimmer whose mission now is to give back to the local swimming community… his claim to fame? The Triple-crown of open water swimming which included the English Channel. More inspiration? Check. Within a year I went from barely making it across a 25-yard pool to swimming 2 miles in the open ocean. He took me out into storms and swells that only the surfers enjoyed and it was every bit of chaos that you could image. Getting rolled under, and held there, by an 8-foot wave is no joke. When you’re pushed down by a wave, it’s darkness and chaos, you have no control, no concept of which way is up...you’re along for the ride. Like MS The bike was never my favorite. Swimming, something that I had literally just learned to do was my new vehicle for adventure. After learning to swim and seeing how far I could go, I gured an open water swim race would be fun…in comes the Nubble Light Challenge a 2.6-mile ocean swim...check. I did a few triathlons and at that rst race, as I was standing in the lake ready for the “go” signal, I took a look around. I was here, I was alive, and I was actually doing this. As I took it all in, I remembered the road it took to get there, the hours of training before the sun came up while the rest of the world slept, the people that helped, the coaches, the friends I had made along the way and their encouragement. Oddly enough, I found myself thankful for everything including the crashes, the injuries, the fear, the things I sacri ced and even for MS, because without it, I would have never turned down this road. Race day is simply a culmination of all the training effort and being at that line knowing you’re ready. That was my accomplishment. Good and bad things are unpredictable and happen during every race, fortunately during this race, good things happened and at the end of the day I had taken 3rd in my age group. I wasn’t the fastest by any means, but I had pushed my fears aside, put my training time in and I showed up.

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26 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

I’ve gone down roads that I very likely wouldn’t have explored. JONATHAN KOHANSKI

NH OPEN WATER SWIMMER, PHOTOGRAPHER & BATTLING MS SINCE 2004

27 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

The next season after having battled injury after injury, due to leg/gait issues (thank you MS), reality literally came crashing in when I lost balance on the bike, clipped a guardrail (my biggest fear in the bike was now happening), and I went head rst over it at 18mph. This was the second bad crash I had on the bike in as many years. I had pushed myself and trained up to a 70.3 triathlon, where I crashed. I walked away with some healthy bruises and abrasions, but didn’t break any bones or require any stitches, it was a minor miracle. This was the reckoning; do I crawl back to my “safe” life or do I adapt and keep going with this adventure or another one? So much about MS is about adaptation, learning how to do things in a different way or nding workarounds. I knew from day one that the bike wasn’t exactly safe for me, I didn’t feel safe at all when on it, but sometimes you just need to throw caution to the wind and go for it. I feel that meeting with the guardrail was the inevitable outcome on the bike, but I’d do it all again Rewinding back to all of my swim training and my coach taking me out into tropical storm swells. He taught me the value in being comfortable in uncomfortable situations. If you train in worse conditions than any race would be held under, you’ll be prepared for the conditions in every race. Even the surfers looked at us and asked what we were doing, surprised to see anyone out there, let alone swimmers pushing out through the break. The ocean was now my winter mountain retreat. It provided the solitude, the beauty, the challenge, and adventure that I needed As the pandemic has unfolded over the past year, with the gyms and pools shuttered, races not held, everybody knew certain aspects of life were going to change, I once again found myself changing gears. I needed something to keep me going, reasons to keep my adventure going. So I decided that the ocean was going to be my pool for the winter. I decided to combine my love of water, photography, storm swells, and swimming. I bought a water housing for my camera. I reached out to a swim friend who surfs, told her what I was doing, and she introduced me to a couple of her friends and started going out in the storms to photograph them. I acclimated to the cold water as summer turned to fall, and fall into winter. Always looking for new challenges, I wanted to see how cold I could go without the wetsuit. I’ve embraced the cold water and have found some relief from MS related pain as well as the mental health struggles that are so often ignored with chronic illness So often, MS is talked about and portrayed in terms of what it takes from us, that it’s a disease that disables, sometimes visibly and sometimes invisibly. I’ll be the rst one to acknowledge my lifelong struggles with depression which have been compounded by MS. I look at what I have lost physically, even where I was a few short years ago, frustrated with the things that could have been if I was fully able. I struggle at times with a level of anxiety that has me tossing and turning for hours a night, worried about what my future holds and how I’m going to make it through, or noticing a smidge of progression and wondering if my world is going to be ipped on its head again when I wake up. On the ip side of all that though, MS has given me things that aren’t as tangible as what it’s taken away. I’ve gone down roads that I very likely wouldn’t have explored. I’ve discovered passions, interests, strengths, and had insights into myself that I may never have found. This isn’t not just me, this is all of us. These aren’t my struggles alone but millions of people worldwide live with MS. Our disease is as unique to each of us as our ngerprints, but we all persevere, we nd strength, and we nd a way. We get up each day and put on the bravest face we can, despite the sadness that may lie inside. When I started my MS journey, the organizations weren't all there, technology to meet others with MS was in its infancy. It was years before I met someone else who had MS. My journey was largely solitary at the beginning and I had to gure things out on my own. Now I’m connected with people around the world who are doing amazing things, who are inspiring and showing that life doesn’t end with an MS diagnosis. If viewed from the right perspective, it can be a catalyst to living a more authentic life. It changed my perspective of what’s really important to me and gave me the courage to be true to that...for that, I’ll thank my diagnosis because in the end I want to look back and have the memories of what I tried and did, not what I didn’t. ∎

FOLLOW JONATHAN ON INSTAGRAM: @SWIM.THE.SWELL

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28 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

Achieving such success only further encourages me of the hope that lays ahead. DR. GERARD P. JENKINS

CMO OF NATIVE AMERICAN HEALTH CENTER

30 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

PERSONAL STORY BY DR. GERARD P. JENKINS

LIFE LESSONS FROM COVID A DOCTORS EVOLUTION THROUGH 2020

It was November 20th 2019 when I received a phone call from a friend and colleague asking me to join him as an executive leader at Native American Health Center (NAHC) and to serve as the next Chief Medical Of cer (CMO). NAHC is a nonpro t, Federally Quali ed Health Center proudly serving California’s Bay Area Native population and other underserved communities since 1972. NAHC works at the local, state, and federal levels to deliver high quality medical, dental, and behavioral health care, as well as community wellness and social service programs for its 15,000 annual members of which there are no tribal or ethnic requirements. Needless to say, I was excited to take on this amazing new role and I felt up to the challenge. When I re ect back to that call and conversation, it’s impossible to imagine anything that would have prepared me for what I was about to encounter as a healthcare leader in 2020. It’s been approximately 1 year since the State of California initiated the Execute Order to Shelter-In-Place following the escalation of COVID-19, and this journey has been like none other – once in a century perhaps. As I re ect on this past year, I would categorize my experiences into 3 concepts, which in and of themselves do not directly correlate to the timeline of the pandemic but are more a re ection of perspective. These perspectives are powerless, fearless, and hope Throughout my years of education and training as a medical doctor, there has always been some form of playbook. That is, throughout my years of medical school, residency, and even as an attending Internal Medicine Physician, I could always re ect back to a speci c way to identify and manage a disease or health problem based on what was either taught to me or through what I gained from many direct experiences. As COVID-19 cases began to grow in the Spring of 2020, reality set in. That tough truth was that I had no consistent way to identify patients with the virus, and worse than that, I had no way to help them. In that realization, I truly felt powerless, and for a brief moment I felt hopeless. Talking to a patient over the phone to tell them they have COVID-19 or looking a patient in the eyes while wearing a hazmat suit and instructing them to go to the hospital if they can’t breathe felt overwhelming because I had no cure, drug, therapy, or resource to improve their condition. Those early days of the pandemic were extremely hard because for the rst time in my career, I believed nothing I did could have a positive impact for my patients.

“…it changed my view of living in fear to looking for hope.” I am grateful to have had many wonderful people in my life to provide keen words of wisdom over the years. One of the mottos my parents have always told me, as well as a close mentor, is ‘focus on what you can control and don’t worry about things you can’t.’ Given all of the challenges I experienced and witnessed in healthcare from the Spring and Summer of 2020, it was very hard to accept this advice; however, by the Fall of 2020 I realized they were absolutely correct. My feeling of powerlessness quickly left and it was replaced by fearlessness. As long as I held the belief and took the actions of what I could do to prevent COVID-19, I would be doing my part in ghting the battle of this pandemic. I did my best to educate my family, friends, staff, and patients about the control and power they have in preventing the disease. I know this advice wasn’t easy for some to accept or understand, though it changed my view of living in fear to looking for hope.

www.IamAwareNow.com

31 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

Shortly after Thanksgiving, approximately 1 year from when the COO of NAHC asked me to join, I received word that a COVID-19 vaccine was just weeks away from being approved. My rst thought was skepticism as I didn’t believe a resource of this magnitude could be developed, manufactured, and distributed in the timeframe to treat the masses of people in need. Having studied Biochemistry as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, Biotechnology and Biomedical Informatics as graduate degrees at Columbia University, medicine at Vanderbilt University, and Pharmacogenomics as a post-doctorate scholar at the University of California San Francisco, I did due diligence by reviewing the data, science and technology of the vaccine. My sense of cynicism was quickly replaced by optimism. Within a month I was vaccinated and began taking every measure to educate my family, friends, staff, and patients about the importance of vaccinations. I reminded them that while 2020 was an extremely dif cult year on many accounts, the future remains bright and we have to continue to look and move forward. NAHC has been a leader in the Fruitvale community of Oakland doing large scale testing since July 2020 through partnerships with the city, county, and private industry. Thus, when the opportunity arose to continue to this service the community and offer mobile COVID-19 vaccinations in partnerships with the Of ce of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the California Governor’s Of ce of Emergency Services (Cal OES), we didn’t hesitate to respond to the call and meet the need. With less than 48 hours to prepare, we were able to implement a mobile vaccination site that ran for 1 week and provided over 2,000 vaccinations to healthcare workers, teachers, food and agriculture workers, the elderly and disabled. Achieving such success only further encourages me of the hope that lays ahead. ∎

FOLLOW & CONNECT WITH DR. JENKINS ON INSTAGRAM: @GERARD_PIERRE

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32 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

The hardest part of raising two children with special needs is ensuring that both the kids' needs get equally met. LORI BUTIERRIES

AUTHOR & MOTHER OF TWO CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

34 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH LORI BUTIERRIES

PERFECTLY MADE

PERSPECTIVE ON RAISING KIDS WITH DISABILITIES Lori Butierries is a full-time caregiver to two children with special needs, one child being terminally ill and physically disabled. Lori uses her life experiences and the medical knowledge she gained while serving as a Hospital Corpsman in the United States Navy to help others facing similar hardships. Lori focuses primarily on advocating for and educating others about the special needs, mental health, and veterans communities. Her long-term goal is to reduce the stigma associated with disability by talking about it with people of all ages, thus minimizing the fear and the mystery attributed to the unknown. Allié: What you manage in a single day may very well be more than most do in an entire week. Walk us through a typical day in the life of you, Lori Lori: My son, Jacob, requires round-the-clock care because he cannot do anything on his own. For instance, Jacob cannot move his arms or legs, sit/stand/walk, scratch an itch, x his head if it falls sideways, feed himself, go to the bathroom independently, etc. Jacob's primary diagnosis of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type I is a terminal and degenerative condition that attacks and destroys the body's motor neurons. (Note: "Motor neurons are nerve cells in the brainstem and spinal cord that control essential skeletal muscle activity such as speaking, walking, breathing, and swallowing," according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.) As such, SMA is the number one genetic killer of children under the age of two.

PERFECTLY MADE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH LORI BURIERRIES

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35 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

By now, twelve years into living this lifestyle, I have established a system regarding the day-to-day distribution of medications, g-tube feeds, diaper changes, range of motion exercises, overall hygiene care, educational services, therapeutic treatments, position changes (even throughout the night), etc. It isn't an easy life, but like with most lifestyle changes, you adapt, and it becomes your new norm. It is worth noting that my day-to-day routine hasn't signi cantly changed since the pandemic kicked off because my family and I have lived in a type of isolation for the better part of twelve years anyway. However, the slowing down of medical appointments and the decrease of in-home services due to the risk of contracting COVID have given me time to feel the physical, mental, and emotional toll that living in constant ght-or- ight mode has taken on me

Allié: What are the hardest things mentally and physically about being a mother of a child with disabilities? Lori: The hardest part of raising two children with special needs is ensuring that both the kids' needs get equally met. My daughter, Abigail, has an ASD diagnosis too. However, since she is "high functioning," and her condition doesn't require the same intensive interventions that Jacob does, her needs or wants often get triaged and placed behind her brothers in the line of importance. Saying that out loud makes me feel like such a failure as a parent. It hurts to know that I cannot give each of my kids the time, attention, or love that they deserve when they need it. I remember talking to my daughter over the phone one night as I prepared to spend another evening with my son in the PICU, and she sadly asked, "When are you coming home? Aren't you my Mother too?" That memory haunts me to this day, but I use it to motivate me to make sure that that I do better in the future by both my kids

“Do not let pride stop you from asking for help.” Allié: Being a mom is hard work. Being a mom of a child with a disability is harder. For other moms out there raising a child with a disability, what advice would you offer for the hard times Lori: To my fellow special needs mommas out there, I would encourage you to reach out for support when times get tough. This lifestyle can be lonely, but you do not have to endure it by yourself. Do not let pride stop you from asking for help. It is not a competition to see how tough you are, and neither is it necessary to prove to anyone how good you are at "sucking it up. It is okay to be a awed human being. No one is perfect. Speaking of which, please know that people do not grieve or cope with life's hardships the same way. So, try to give yourself, your spouse or signi cant other, your friends & family, etc., some grace if or when they let you down. Turn to support groups or utilize behavioral health therapeutic services to maintain your mental and emotional well being instead. There is no shame in needing a shoulder to lean on from time to time.

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36 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION .

Lori: (continued) Jacob’s secondary diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) adds another layer of complication to his day-to-day care because it sometimes hinders Jacob's ability to articulate his thoughts, feelings, wants, or needs. So, a lot of what I do is a guessing game of trial and error, which is a terrifying problem-solving method, but it works. So, does doing research and asking other parents that have children with the same conditions for advice.

Jacob's primary diagnosis of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type I is a terminal and degenerative condition that attacks and destroys the body's motor neurons. LORI BUTIERRIES

AUTHOR & MOTHER OF TWO CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

37 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

Lori: One of the bene ts that I gained from being a Hospital Corpsman in the United States Navy is that I learned medical skills that the average citizen wouldn't have acquired. So, when my son got diagnosed with SMA, I wasn't as terri ed by all the equipment, treatments, medications, etc., that became part of our lives overnight. I understood their purposes, which allowed me to make good decisions regarding what would improve my son's quality of life, and that allowed me to take it all in stride and roll with it even when my life was falling apart around me The military was instrumental in teaching me how to think under pressure and gave me the training needed to operate in high-stress or extreme situations effectively. I could never have imagined how much I would need those abilities once I got out of the Navy and became a full-time caregiver to two kids with special needs, but I am beyond thankful to have them

Allié: People write books for a number of reasons. Please share why you wrote ‘Gift From God’ Lori: The journey for most special needs parents truly begins on "Diagnosis Day." Granted, that may not be the case for everyone, but I can only speak on what I know to be true in my case I have noticed that Diagnosis Day is not often discussed in polite conversation beyond mentioning its anniversary, which I nd sad. I am determined to change that because Diagnosis Day is an essential chapter in many people's special needs parenting stories. It is worth being shared- knowledge breeds understanding, compassion, patience, and acceptance For me, Diagnosis Day was a scary and confusing point in time that was challenging to wrap my mind around. I remember feeling like somebody had suddenly pulled the rug out from beneath my feet, and I couldn't breathe through the panic trying to suffocate me as I desperately tried to stop myself from falling into the pit of despair waiting to consume me Back then, I didn't have anyone I could talk to about the struggles of becoming a special needs parent overnight, nor were there any resources available that weren't full of cold medical jargon or scary facts about my son's SMA condition. It was hard to move forward with only those resources to assist me, which is one of the reasons why I created my book, GIFT FROM GOD. I wanted to provide others with a resource that both children and adults could bene t from reading regarding Diagnosis Day and how to move forward after the fact The picture book GIFT FROM GOD directly touches on the sensitive subject of raising a child with a disability (unspeci ed) by using poignant but straightforward illustrations and loving words from a mother to her child that honors the truth of their journey together. To be clear, the story GIFT FROM GOD does not shy away from addressing the struggles associated with the special needs lifestyle; nonetheless, that is not the primary focus. Instead, GIFT FROM GOD aspires to show readers how God can give beauty for ashes by changing a person's perspective instead of their circumstances through the use of hope and faith. ∎

PURCHASE ‘GIFT FROM GOD’: AWARENOW.US/GIFT-FROM-GOD FOLLOW LORI ON INSTAGRAM: @DORY_LORI_SWIMS_0N

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38 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION fi

Allié: You were a Hospital Corpsman in the US Navy. First of all, thank you for your service, Lori. What did you gain in the Navy that has helped you as a mom

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If I gave you just one second, what would you do with it? PAUL S. ROGERS

BEST SELLING AUTHOR, LIFE COACH & DIRECTOR AT CORE MENTORS ASSOCIATION www.IamAwareNow.com

40 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

PERSONAL STORY BY PAUL S. ROGERS

ONE SECOND LIFE BEFORE & AFTER

One second. What is the value of one second to you? In a blink of eye, in less than a second, my family and I lost everything we knew. Little did I know that one second can change your life. We are extremely fortunate to be here and to tell you our story. I thought that having been diagnosed with skin cancer in 2014, and beaten that, life had already given me my life challenge to go through. This, however, was not the case The 19th of March in 2018 is a date which we now refer to as ‘life before and after’. Life was just about to change in one second

“We also cannot imagine what it was like for our 2-year-old to suddenly be without both parents.” My family and I were driving back from picking up my then two-year-old son from daycare. We had our beautiful white husky malamute in the car. My wife was sitting in the back of the SUV with our two-year-old, and the dog was behind the back seats. This seating arrangement is particularly important to what was just about to happen next We still, to this day, cannot remember what happened; our story of that event has been pieced together from various sources. You hear people talking about reaching a crossroads in their life. This was our crossroad life in every sense. We passed over an unmanned railway crossing which was obscured by a 10-foot snowbank. As we drove over the crossing a train struck the car on the passenger side, T boning the car. The car was completely obliterated on impact and so were we. We also cannot imagine what it was like for our 2-year-old to suddenly be without both parents We both died 3 to 4 times en route to 3 different hospitals where we stabilized enough to continue onto the next. We both were given a 7% survival chance.

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41 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

In just one second my parent’s world was to change forever. “There has been an accident. You need to come now. You will need to be prepared to make the nal decision.” They immediately jumped on a plane from the UK to Quebec, Canada. A 7-hour plane journey without communication and racing against a clock which for us was about to stop My wife and I were to wake up 10 days later in the ICU at a large hospital in the Lac St-Jean region, Québec. I never really knew what life-changing injury meant until this happened. We both sustained severe TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). My wife required emergency brain surgery on arrival. My injuries were fractured C6, suspected broken neck, L2 and L3 vertebras and… a smashed skull We cannot remember the accident. The rescue services were to relay that our beautiful white husky malamute on the impact jumped over the rear seat to land on top of my wife and son covering them with his body. Without which they certainly would have been killed on impact. It is this nal act of bravery, love and compassion that cost him his life.

This nal act of bravery, love and compassion that cost him his life. PAUL S. ROGERS

BEST SELLING AUTHOR, LIFE COACH & DIRECTOR AT CORE MENTORS ASSOCIATION

www.IamAwareNow.com fi

42 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

“…you are not your story. You are the lessons that you have learned from your story.” What has taken place in the last nearly 3 years has been a complete rebuilding of a new life, one second at a time; from not being able to walk to fully conscious today. The pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) means that, for me, that one second of being triggered reliving the accident subconsciously is never far away. To say this period of our lives has been “dif cult” would be my classic British attitude of “I will walk this off and we will be ne.” This humor has pulled me through a seven-hour brain operation to remove large parts of the skull from the brain, a further operation to sew both my eyes back in a straight line. All in, we got off lightly Is there a path back? Is there light, hope and opportunity? To both of these questions, the answer is an emphatic yes. We tell our story, not for sympathy or pity, quite the opposite. We tell and showcase our story, to illustrate just how strong and resilient a person and a relationship can really be. How have we achieved what we have achieved, I really do not know. What I do know is that, although we may have not been responsible for the accident, we are responsible for every part of our recovery since. Trauma shows up in everyone's lives, in various ways. What is important is this: you are not your story. You are the lessons that you have learned from your story. Would I go back to change that one second at the crossroads of our life? NO. Would I wish this on my worst enemy? NO! These concepts are based on a blame and scarcity mindset What we have gained and discovered about life and ourselves, is that every second counts. We have found our truelife purpose, passion and strength. My wife and I are closer and stronger than we ever thought possible. Our now 5 year old boy is a beaming light of con dence and fun. The Covid pandemic has been something we are all collectively, as a race, being traumatised by. The mental consequences are still yet to show. There is nothing “post-traumatic” about the current trauma, it is real and present. It is a drip drip menace and is actually a traumatic stress disorder. My own experience is that my PTSD came months after the accident itself Everyday we get to make the same choices as everyone else. Victim or Victor. At the end of the day, we are all left with a choice. My choice is to help and support others whether it be by posting on social media, speaking, writing, joining and being a director at the non pro t “Core Mentor Association. If I gave you just one second, what would you do with it? What choices would you make in the here and now? You can see from our story that life can change in a second. Make sure, as we now do, that every second is precious and counts. ∎ TUNE IN & SUBSCRIBE TO PAUL’S ‘RELEASE THE GENIE’ PODCAST: AWARENOW.US/RELEASE-THE-GENIE-PODCAST CONNECT WITH PAUL ON LINKEDIN: WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/PAUL-S-ROGERS-63B828146/

”

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43 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

Let’s grow beyond divide. KEYA KYEA

FOUNDER OF DIVINE TIME & CREATOR OF THE QUANTUM RÉUNIFICATION TECHNIQUE

44 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

PERSONAL STORY BY KEYA KYEA

MITAKUYE OYAS’IN ALL ARE RELATED

Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ is a phrase from the Lakota language. It reflects the world view of interconnectedness held by the Lakota people of North America. This concept and phrase is expressed in many Yankton Sioux prayers, as well as by ceremonial people in other Lakota communities.   We often say these two words: Mitakuye Oyas’in These two words express so much that they cannot easily be translated from the Lakota language. However, we’ve come to a time in history where it has become fundamental to acknowledge the wisdom conveyed by these two simple Native American words of wisdom. They mean everything and deserve to be understood and remembered. Whether as a singer-songwriter, a soul healer in the Quantum, a language teacher or a simple human, woman and mother, I always use them with great reverence to the Lakota elder who taught them to me upon my first INIPI ceremony, back to 1996 and every time I write them or pronounce them, it is with great honour to him and to both the Lakota Nation and land, where my heart somehow still belongs and to the Star Nation where my soul somehow still belongs In this day as in every day, my prayer to you, Great spirit, Great mystery, is that all Sisters and Brothers can finally recover their lost memory and remember that we are One in the One Heart of the Universe and that we can sing again the songs of harmony and respect towards All That Is - including ourselves, all forms of life and with honor to our common parents: our Mother Earth and our Heavenly Father Sky.   On the Earth, everything that becomes food for us grows and prospers, the Standing Elders (trees) provide wood for our homes, our fires, our paper, yet they are also the wise ones, who can teach us so much about connectedness! In the Sky are Grandmother Moon and Grandfather Sun, without the Light of which we are not much, really. And the Stars from where we came illuminate our skies and teach us about beauty.    We love to sit in the Sun yet without the rain provided by the Cloud People and the Sacred Water element, we can very quickly lose our life and no seeds can grow. Water is sacred and key to our healing too, although official medicine hasn’t yet measured the treasure it is

“We’ve never ever had so little time.” Life was designed by an intelligence far greater than ours and all life meant to flow according to natural cycles that are perfect and have allowed life to prosper and develop into many great civilisations, ours being only one among many. Man, however, has done beautiful things also, created very sophisticated machines and high tech designed to save our time and efforts, and allow us more freedom. The irony is this: We’ve never ever had so little time. Oh! We have access to all knowledge and can communicate throughout the entire planet without having to move our physical bodies. That’s the magic of our times. Yet, it comes with the two sides of the coin and requires great discernment that our children sometimes teach us, do they not?

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45 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

“…grow within to change that which takes place without.” We have invented very sophisticated equipment to predict weather changes, earthquakes, oods and we have created climate change. We have invented vaccines and painkillers. Cures and surgery have made amazing progress, yet, when the world is out of balance we’re not able to prevent viruses from prospering. Instead of serving health and addressing the root cause of disease, we keep on living in the same way, ignoring the relation of cause and effect. The food we eat is making us sick and most of us eat too much because such food does not truly nourish the body. From our consumer habits and this need to have always more, the pillage done to existing natural resources granted by Nature are running short, while the 6th continent is one of plastic, oating somewhere in the middle of the Ocean, killing and poisoning Ocean’s life and the people who eat from it.    I cannot help believing we are all by now aware of these facts, are we not?   It is about time we took action, is it not? And it is with trust and con dence in the process of life itself that I am writing these words today. We can and will take a stand to unite our strength, our common awareness and also our common sense to realise that only Man can change that which was done by Man. Will we not The Earth doesn’t belong to us, the Earth is a living being, a conscious being that has her own initiative and holds the memory of much more than what we can even conceive. She, as this highly respectable, non-judging of our actions as well as loving towards all forms of life dwelling on her back. Forgiving and resilient, she has been more than patient with us. The thing is that we need her more than she needs us HERE and NOW, not tomorrow or in 10 years, WE all need to come together - to stop our foolishness and grow wiser. Our choices, individually just as collectively, will determine the outcome of the present chaos, which is just another wonderful opportunity to become the positive pivotal element that will allow the turn to be taken, in a good way. In the name of Love, let’s do this as only WE can take a stand. Let’s be grateful for all we have, forgive others as well as ourselves for all the misery that we have been creating in our lives out of the need to experiment with this density. Let’s visit all the possibilities that a human life can offer. Let’s grow beyond all sorts of prejudice, whether racial, economic, political or religious to name just a few… Let’s grow beyond divide, grow beyond the ego-mind, and grow within to change that which takes place without What does it truly take to become a decent human being? Not much really. The courage to transcend our fears and to become the dancers of Love that we were always meant to be. Thank you for the gift of you to this world. Gratitude and Love, eternally so.    Mitakuye Oyas’in! We are all related and all life is related. ∎

CONNECT & FOLLOW KEYA ON INSTAGRAM: @KEYAKYEA LEARN ABOUT HER WORK: WWW.QUANTUMREUNIFICATION.COM

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46 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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…a chance to create something new and beautiful for not only ourselves, but for the world to see. ADRIENNE ANKOLA-ROCHETTI

VICE PRESIDENT, SOCIAL IMPACT AT CSM SPORT & ENTERTAINMENT

48 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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PERSONAL STORY BY ADRIENNE ANKOLA-ROCHETTI WITH ANUJA ANKOLA-ROCHETTI

WRITE YOUR OWN CRAZY BEAUTIFUL STORY

A BRAVE & BRILLIANT NARRATIVE FOR LOVING ON YOUR OWN TERMS MY BIG FAT GAY INDIAN ITALIAN WEDDING “Vedi Belissima”, crazy beautiful, exclaimed our wedding of ciant and brother-in-law Ryan as he described our journey with an original phrase to honor our Indian and Italian backgrounds. On that day, September 1, 2019, we stood in front of 250 of our closest family and friends and said “I do” (or in my head “hell yes”) to what many people still believe will be a much harder path, but what we could only see as one thing: a crazy beautiful life together. In many ways, our wedding day had me feeling the transcendental energy one would imagine a character in a fairytale experiences. But that’s about as far as I’ll go with any comparisons to a fairytale. Our path was real. It was incredibly challenging, even terrifying at times. It was worth it. It is worth it

“A dif cult coming out experience that challenged me to my core had left me stuck between a place of self preservation and hearing a deep, nagging voice pushing me to hope for more.” From the time I was growing up, through my 20s and 30s, as friends were getting married or making plans to, it felt like I was regularly elding questions like “how do you dream of your proposal” or “where do you see yourself getting married?” While these questions were well intentioned, for me they were incredibly problematic. Not because I was single and frustrated with the ups and downs of the NYC dating scene (which I was). These questions exposed a darkness that I did not know how to talk about. The darkness of trying to picture a life for yourself and just seeing a void, a devastating blankness. A dif cult coming out experience that challenged me to my core had left me stuck between a place of self preservation and hearing a deep, nagging voice pushing me to hope for more. As a basketball player, I used to wear a weighted vest as part of my training regiment. In college, my 5 foot frame would carry around 20+ pounds in the vest. After a workout, I would remove it and feel like I could y down the court and jump right out of the building. I liken what happened in the next phase of my life to that feeling of removing the vest and being able to y again.

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49 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

THIS GOLDEN GIRL FINDS HER WING For me online dating had two gears: (1) I’m all in - update the pro le, dedicate an hour a day to swiping, join as many apps as possible (2) delete all apps and ll the swiping hour with Golden Girls reruns. Anuja and I matched on a dating app around the time I was transitioning from gear #1 to full Golden Girls mode. With that, we never quite made it past “hello” and “that’s cool you like to surf.” Much to my surprise, and thanks to what can only be described as fate, serendipity, the work of whatever God you believe in, a few months later I started a new job. Sometime in the middle of my rst day, I heard a voice that sounded immediately comforting to my ears, and if you know Anuja, also quite loud. When I turned to see who it was, Anuja was standing there. I returned to my desk, I’ll admit a little dazzled, but also confused. I knew I recognized that face but from where? Suddenly a wave of excitement, and then horror, came over me. This was the girl I had “ghosted” on the dating app

“…we come to believe the stories we tell ourselves, no matter how negative and off-base.” For the better part of 8 months I went about my job business as usual, avoiding Anuja under the assumption that she knew who I was and thought I was the cold-hearted, dating app bandit. Finally, with ample coaching and moral support from my friends, I reached out to Anuja to see if she wanted to grab coffee. What I hoped would be an opportunity for me to “clear the air” turned into the rst of many dates to come with the woman I now proudly call my wife. For the record, Anuja had zero recollection of our dating app encounter. Another lesson for me in understanding the power of our inner voice and how we come to believe the stories we tell ourselves, no matter how negative and off-base.

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50 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

“…the underdog in this match, love, decidedly conquered fear.” HITTING THE JACKPOT IN ATLANTIC CITY Fast forward a few years to planning our wedding. We initially considered escaping to some far off destination for an intimate ceremony, but quickly came to understand that this vision was born from fear and running away, rather than towards our dream celebration. Ultimately, we knew we wanted to get married surrounded by our loved ones, but doing that would mean coming out to family members of all ages and beliefs, from California to New Jersey to India and everywhere in between There were many moments along the way that both challenged and inspired us as individuals, and as a couple. One that stands out for me is the rst time our parents met, a few months following our engagement. On that fateful night in Atlantic City, NJ my parents, Anuja, and I stopped by my cousin Rocco’s birthday party before dinner. Many glasses of wine later, we emerged to meet up with Anuja’s parents at the Atlantic City Bar & Grill. First things rst, I must point out that Anuja’s Dad had hit the Atlantic City outlets earlier that day and showed up for dinner in what can only be described as an “urban cowboy” style hat. Thankfully this provided us all with some much needed levity to cut the anxiety. The hat wasn’t the only extraordinary occurrence that evening. Something shifted for our families. Seeing the love that not only Anuja and I shared, but also how each other’s parents had embraced us as individuals and as a couple, had a transformative effect on them. The reasons for them to choose fear far outnumbered those to not - fear of letting go of the vision they had always held for their daughter’s future, fear of a harder life for us, fear of cultural or religious dismissal, fear of rejection by other family members. But on that glorious night in Atlantic City, the underdog in this match, love, decidedly conquered fear. That "blankness" I once saw for my life started to feel different - it was being lled by a combination of selfacceptance, the feeling of friends and family pulling for us, and the strength and boldness emanating from Anuja's love. I was able to see the void through a different lens, one of opportunity rather than sadness and fear. That "blankness" was actually our blank canvas, a chance to create something new and beautiful for not only ourselves, but for the world to see. This feeling and actuality of how we now see and embrace the journey ahead of us is perfectly captured by a Toni Morrison quote that, during our wedding ceremony, we asked Ryan to share: “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” ∎

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51 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

When my hands reached his heart, I received a download… JONA GENOVA

HEALER & MEDITATION COACH

52 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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PERSONAL STORY BY JONA GENOVA

UNSPOKEN

INCLUDING THE PREVERBAL IN OUR HEALING Hovering my hands by the ears of his fourteen year old body, I noticed the curl in his blonde hair and the softening muscles in his face. He was lying on his back, arms resting alongside his body with a blanket covering him. It was our second session and so far I knew him to be present to me, sometimes look away when we spoke, and somehow, he let me know there was a tenderness he was willing to show me. I wondered about the complexities of his life. Outside this room, these boys were loud and physical, the way teenage boys can be. When they saw me and in this room, they were different. Gentle, connected, interested, appreciative, trusting. When my hands reached his heart, I received a download: paternal rage, mother cowers and appeases, she is afraid, he (the boy) is heartbroken and con icted/confused, also angry. In grade school, these downloads came as a knowing that another student was hungry at home and that his “parents” were much older or a sense about someone’s deepest insecurity; a warning to protect them. For a long time, I tried not to hear these downloads because it felt so intimate and I wasn’t sure they had consented to my seeing their vulnerabilities Unlike the girls’ sessions, gentle tears would often drip out of my eyes during the boys’ sessions. I did not know their histories. I pulled up to this beautiful home once a week with my Mary Poppins bag of crystals, bells and fragrant oils to spend a nearly silent hour with each client. Usually, they would lie down for the treatment. They were always happy to see me. This was their time to heal the unspoken - the unspeakable My sensitivity to what is unspoken has shown me that institutional and systemic oppression often occur on the preverbal plane; unspoken, power over, when the victim may not have the vocabulary or fuller context to cognitively process the events with verbal language. I consulted with the clinical team on the young man and my download was accurate. This particular client, and so many other wealthy white boys who I felt the energy of paternal rage running through their developing bodies, was forced to bear witness to his father’s rage which scared his mother. All prior to learning concepts like toxic masculinity that could help him to process what he saw. Toxic masculinity, until recently, was an unnamed set of behaviors born out of systemic oppression. The oppression and harm of women is more obvious. Men are not allowed to explore aspects of their humanness which do not t a set of “norms” such as feeling sadness, uncertainty, attraction to men, etc with very real consequences such as mental health issues and even substance use Furthermore, the language welcomed in talk therapy has been established by white, educated, adult, cis, men. Imagine that. The whole structure of the therapeutic model that is supposed to heal you was created by and to meet the preferences of the very type of person who has harmed you. When healing hinges on forcing a client to translate their embodied experience into the language of the oppressor, I believe the very participation in this treatment can be traumatizing for victims of social injustices including BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and even teenage boys witness to patriarchy, misogyny, generational abuse, and toxic masculinity.

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53 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

“…intergenerational traumas, including those that we unconsciously participate in, need healing.” There is compelling evidence that both the oppressed and oppressor hold these experiences in their bodies so intergenerational traumas, including those that we unconsciously participate in, need healing. Since these events often occur on the unconscious plane, in my experience, healing modalities that can access subtler aspects of a client’s experience are highly effective. My team has developed one approach that has worked for thousands of clients in treatment for co-occurring disorders, mental health challenges, disordered eating, and associated traumas. Now, I’m working with NFL players and coaches. The results are always the same: connectedness, trust, reduced anxiety, improved mood and outlook, more compassion for self and others and surprise because no other therapy has helped them in this way. Some thoughts 1. Often, experiences occur on the preverbal plain. It is important that we recognize this when treating clients with complex traumas so that we meet them with the appropriate language which may not be verbal. Energy healing can be one safe and suitable approach 2. We must include systemic and institutionalized traumas in our scope of healing. 3. Many popular forms of therapy (including meditation) used in treatment were created by, for and tested on WEIRD (white, educated, industrialized, democratic) populations and may not resonate for marginalized groups. Discussing the trauma in the language of the oppressor may actually be re-traumatizing. 4. We have collected signi cant evidence that our method of energy healing is both accessible and effective for clients, including marginalized groups and those at early stages of treatment. 5. Including this approach supports other forms of therapy in treatment So while we’re thinking about inclusion, I hope we’ll consider including the unspoken, the unspeakable and the experiences of those without a voice. ∎

CONNECT & FOLLOW JONA ON INSTAGRAM: @JONAGENOVA LEARN MORE ABOUT HER WORK: WWW.REIKICOLLECTIVE.COM

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…

54 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

Most would consider my story to be about the successes of an athlete, but look a little deeper than that. LEX GILLETTE

4X PARALYMPIC MEDALIST, 4X WORLD CHAMPION & KEYNOTE SPEAKER

56 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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NO NEED FOR SIGHT WHEN YOU HAVE VISION BY LEX GILLETTE

GET OUT OF THE WAY 3 STEPS TO REALIZE YOUR OWN POTENTIAL

When I re ect on the powerful, strong women in history – many names come to mind. There are the countless women who have paved the way for others to enjoy the rights they have today. On a more personal level, I have trained alongside female athletes whose dedication and bravery have often surpassed comprehension. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize the most important woman in my own history - my mother. Late last year, I facilitated an online program for a group of professionals who work with students who are blind and low vision. The purpose of the event was to share my experiences as a blind student and to offer suggestions that might be useful for these professionals as they work with their students. This particular session was different. Why? I had a special guest who joined as well

That special guest was my mom

“…it was my mom who set the course for me.” I think that I have some pretty good advice to offer when it comes to helping the blind and visually impaired, but if you really want to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth - it was my mom who set the course for me. I followed her lead and the rest, as they say, is history

I thought it would be amazing for my mom to join me for the virtual program, and as I suspected, her input was incredible. It never gets old listening to stories of how she moved mountains to ensure I had everything I would need to be successful in life

As I listened to my mom, I couldn’t help but notice the reoccurring theme. She would say things like, “I didn’t want to shelter Elexis. I wanted him to be a kid and have fun. In order for that to happen, I had to get out of his way. I’m not going to be around all of the time, so I taught Elexis how to do household chores like wash dishes, vacuum the oor, and take out the trash. My goal was to teach him these things, and then, move out of the way.

I’m not a parent, but I’d imagine that letting go is hard at times. It’s a natural feeling to want to protect your little ones at all cost. But, when I think back on things, my mom made sure I was safe, all while having the courage to loosen the leash, and let me go. I’d say it worked out pretty well, don’t you think?

”

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57 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

I’ve gotten this question before. Lex, what would you suggest we do to help others realize their own potential? Well, after some life experience, this is my recipe for success. Step 1: Give others the power. The goal should be to enable others, to give them an opportunity, to assist them in seeing what’s possible. Empower your family, your friends, your teammates, and your colleagues. Provide a safe space for someone to stand on their own two feet, to try new things, and to think on their own. It’s the worst when people take full control and they don’t allow you to do anything whatsoever. Give up some of that control, empower others, and help them harness and unleash that potential that lies within Step 2: Be a guide for them. One of the chapters in my book, “Fly!,” is titled Where’s Your Wesley? Wesley is my guide and friend who helps me compete. He provides support, and with his support I’m able to y. I leaned on the strength that my mom provided. I lean on Wesley in competition. Allow them to lean on you. Provide guidance and advice that will help them understand which direction to go. Be that solid foundation on which they can stand Step 3: Get out of the way. That might sound a little harsh, but it’s true. At some point you must, in my mom’s words, move out of the way. I’ll use another example from the long jump. Wesley yells and claps his hands so I know which direction to run. I’m running full speed down the track, and at the precise moment, Wesley gets out of the way and I y. If he doesn’t move, I’ll run into him and it’s likely I’ll hurt myself, and him. Please don’t be the person who refuses to get out of the way. That’s a collision waiting to happen That’s it. Three simple steps that have helped me be successful in life. Three simple steps that will help you, and others, realize the potential that lies within Sadly, there are people out there who could care less about the steps above. They’d rather give someone a sh, instead of teaching them how to sh. They’d rather practice dependence instead of giving independence. They’d rather you nd comfort in employment, instead of realizing the power in deployment Most would consider my story to be about the successes of an athlete, but look a little deeper than that. It’s really about the story of a child who was empowered, a kid who had support, and it’s the story of a group of dedicated folks who knew when to get out of the way, and let that young boy y Thank you seems too small a gesture to capture how grateful I am for the love and support of my mother. But in my own small way, I am sharing my gratitude for her, by doing for others, what she has done for me. And look what happened. I’m still ying to this day! ∎

LEX GILLETT 4x Paralympic Medalist, 4x World Champion & Keynote Speaker  www.awarenessties.us/lex-gillette Lex Gillette has quickly become one of the most sought after keynote speakers on the market. Losing his sight at the age of eight was painful to say the least, but life happens. Things don’t always go your way. You can either stay stuck in frustration because the old way doesn’t work anymore, or you can create a new vision for your life, even if you can’t see how it will happen just yet. His sight was lost, but Lex acquired a renewed vision, a vision that has seen him become the best totally blind long and triple jumper Team USA has ever witnessed.

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58 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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AwareNow™ Talk Show is a series of conversations on social causes. In this national broadcast, a selected cause serves as the topic for a raw, un ltered panel discussion among a diverse group of individuals. Prior to the one hour live conversation, a thirty minute preshow sets the tone with musical performances, poetry, stories and statements. From actors to artists to athletes and impact leaders to industry legends, featured panelists share personal stories and perspectives to raise awareness for relevant issues and identify actions viewers can take to change the narrative and bring sustainable change to our communities. A national broadcast with global reach, AwareNow is featured on KNEKT TV and available on Apple TV and Roku.

S U B S C R I B E AWA R E N O W TA L K S H O W. C O M

59 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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60 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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AT THE HEART OF THE MATTER BY DR. DELA TAGHIPOUR

MY PRIVILEGE

PERSPECTIVE FROM AN IRANIAN IMMIGRANT Old post but still relevant… ‘White Privilege. One Middle Eastern Woman's Perspective.’

“Acknowledge the differences. Then be completely outraged.” Even I, an immigrant from Iran, who speaks English as a second language, who carries the weight of being considered a second-rate Naturalized citizen... still has White privilege in this country. See... when my black hair is dyed blonde enough; when I say my name in the Americanized way people prefer, without the use of the accent that comes with my mother tongue; and when I put on my white doctor's coat, I am White-passing. Don't get me wrong. I'm proud of my roots. Proud of my name. Proud of my melanin. Proud of my language and culture. Proud of what makes me a Middle Eastern woman. But in this world, people see what they want to see. So even when I'm called a terrorist, a sand nig$#, an oil monkey, a camel jockey; even when I'm being told to leave the country to go back 'home.' Even when I can't return to Iran to say goodbye to my dying grandmother during the 'Muslim ban' despite not being Muslim... still I have White privilege. Why, you ask? Because I would never have to be in Breonna's shoes. Cops would not be able to kill me in cold blood and not be charged or be charged for shooting the White walls around me. My family would never need to wonder if my case would go without any arrests because I am not a Black woman. I do not have to suffer the crushing injustice of blatant dismissal of my life. I admit my privilege -- not because I had an easy life, not because I didn't face racism too -- but because for all the rest of us, we will never have to face the horror that happened to Breonna Taylor or so many others I hope this story, my story, is a reason to look within. A reason to understand the deep debilitating feeling this case has brought out in me and in so many others who are in disbelief and rage. Acknowledge the differences. Then be completely outraged. I'm fu%$ing exhausted. ∎

DELA TAGHIPOUR, MD, MPH, MB Physician, Medical Correspondent & Awareness Ties Ambassador for Heart Disease  www.awarenessties.us/delataghipour Venous and Lymphatic Medicine Fellow, Medical Journalist, and Activist. Prior training in Preventive Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and General Surgery at Howard University Hospital Dr. Delaram Taghipour spent two years as a Research Fellow at the Clive O. Callender, M.D. Howard-Harvard Health Sciences Outcomes Research Center, contributing to the eld of outcome disparities; authoring or coauthoring several abstracts, posters, manuscripts, and presentations. Dela also had the opportunity to propose grants to help better de ne the impact of Medicaid expansion via the Affordable Care Act on patients’ outcomes; contributing to one of the seminal health policy debates of this generation.

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61 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

We need to be the directors for the stories of our own lives. CHARLOTTE ALEXANDRA

FOUNDER & CEO OF ELEVEN 11 MEDIA NETWORKS

62 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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FEARLESS BY CHARLOTTE ALEXANDRA

LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION BE THE DIRECTOR OF YOUR LIFE STORY

Anxiety & despair are spreading rapidly. The world we live in is changing, and not for the better. We’re allowing the focus to be the one channel that is controlling our egos, our insecurities & our fears. Instead we need use our vision to see through the static, to take control of the remote control to our lives, and tune into our true self. We need to turn off the noise. We need to start seeing the bigger picture, and step into the directors chair for the stories of our own lives. Is it a story of joy, adventure, love and triumph, or is it a story overruled by drama? Are we being true to ourselves and be the person we are in our core? Or are we playing a role… a character? Pretending to be someone we are not…just to feel included A big part of our fears stem from a lack of inclusion in our society From memories when we just didn’t feel included... when we didn’t feel smart enough to times when we didn’t feel pretty enough or good enough to be included. We were judged on our appearance, our gender and our background. It’s only when we have the courage to accept who we truly are and create inner acceptance and therefore feel inclusion within ourselves that we can start to be the leading person in the movie scripts of our own lives. We also have the power through media to help others feel empowered. We can help change being fearful into being fearless. I am Charlotte Alexandra I’m the CEO of Eleven11 Media Networks, and I’m inviting you to join ‘The Fearless Movement’ www.awarenessties.us/fearless Together we can change the channel and tune into a frequency of positivity and fearlessness. ∎

CHARLOTTE ALEXANDR Founder & CEO of Eleven 11 Media Networks  www.awarenessties.us/charlotte-alexandra Charlotte Alexandra, founder & CEO of Eleven11 Media Networks is a business mentor, empowerment coach & serial entrepreneur with a passion for Media. She is on a mission to help You unlock your fullest potential! Helping people around the globe expand, grow, connect and to build a business they are proud of, a life they love and a mindset that will take them places. After kickstarting her career in Marketing + Advertising following a journalism & communications degree, she decided to launch Eleven11 Media Networks. Creating a platform for likeminded creatives to collaborate on spreading a positive message through media. Her work as both an entrepreneur and a media coach has provided her with an international network of inspirational and influential associates ranging from entrepreneurs, business leaders, public speakers & celebrities - uniting and combining their talents to make to world a better place.

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63 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

We forget that there is a deeper truth at the heart of our very humanity. NICK BOTTINI

AUTHOR, SPEAKER & COACH

64 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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‘MUSIC FOR MENTAL WEALTH’ EXCLUSIVE COLUMN BY NICK BOTTINI

BE WATER, MY FRIEND MELTING UNCONSCIOUS FEARS

Much of my childhood involved messing about, playing with my two sisters and being creative. I used to love art and music in particular. We used to play with playdough that my mother would cook on the stove and then dye with food colouring. My sisters and I would sit around the kitchen table shaping characters out of the still-warm play dough, creating stories and meanings to accompany our playtime. We would also play in the mud, paint, and dance around the garden. All a moment-to-moment flow of ideas and fun. All with no particular agenda. All for no particular reason other than we wanted to. I vividly remember dancing around in our living room to Paul Young’s cover of Love of the Common People. This is my first musical memory. At that time I had absolutely no sense of who or what I should be – I simply was. I certainly had no idea of myself as being a ‘musician’. I was simply there, and so was the music. And whatever this music was, I was fundamentally made of the same stuff. I felt totally free and I took that freedom completely for granted as all children do. I knew nothing else Fast forward a couple of decades. As a music college student, I found myself in much the same kind of headspace that most adults do at one time or another – a space you no doubt know well too. The narrative self, the so-called ‘inner critic’, the problem solver (and problem finder) not only chiming in for better or for worse, but also mistakenly claiming to be who you truly are. And doing it persistently as a kind of background (or rather foreground) ‘hum’ in your life.

“We think the inner critic is our voice.” Whenever something judged to be positive happened, the narrative self puffs its chest and claims it as its own achievement. Whenever something judged to be negative occurs, so too does the narrative self assertively claim the action and berate itself. Most of us become so deeply acclimatised to this mental noise in the foreground of life, and it becomes so unquestioningly trusted, that we misguidedly think that it’s actually who we are. We think the inner critic is our voice. We think it is us. And by extension we also think that whatever the critic says about others is true too. The story it carves out grabs our attention so strongly and we invest so heavily in that story that we forget what the story was carved out of in the first place. Silence. Stillness. Wellbeing. Oneness. We forget that there is a deeper truth at the heart of our very humanity. I share this because hopefully you’ll see how it was no accident that I would end up calling the first book I wrote ‘Just Play’. Today, as a transformative coach working in the music industry, I often hear these two words echoed in other musicians’ experience – they just want to return to that open playful space before the narrative self imposed a kind of totalitarian regime over their life, or career, or musicianship. They too have a deep yearning to return to that free, formless, pre-cognitive space. They want to ‘just play’ again The challenge, of course, is that we actually grow very attached to our conditioning and not only that - we’ve developed well-crafted unconscious beliefs that keep it in place, too. We then unknowingly grow scared of what might happen if we let those beliefs go. Carl Jung referred to the dark side of this fear-based conditioning as the ‘shadow’. Anything that is seemingly not me. A portion of the true self that we learn to reject. The anger you don’t allow yourself to feel, the feelings of perceived weakness that you don’t allow yourself to fully experience, the thoughts you have that you try to supress. All a kind of self resistance. The polar opposite of true integration and self acceptance. As you read this you may be thinking that integrating this ‘shadow’ may be a little too much to bear, but experience shows that this idea is based on nothing more than fear. An idea that can melt back into peace; into wholeness.

www.IamAwareNow.com .

65 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

Picture this – you’re a musician who’s performing at a lavish wedding. In the break between sets you take a stroll around the venue. In a marquee where people are mingling you spot some elaborate centrepieces. Beautiful, expertly-carved ice sculptures, slowly dripping in the warmth of the open space. Each one a divinely unique creation carved from a single block. One is an elegant peacock. Another is a mercurial-looking dolphin. There’s a noble lion. But there’s also what appears to be an oddly misplaced donkey. You look at the whole collection and balk at the donkey – even going out of your way to walk over to your band mate and crack a joke about the ugly-looking thing. But they just stare back at you vacantly. “Donkey?” they ask “Are you talking about the horse? You look back – and sure enough – from your new viewing point next to your band mate you now see the horse. And not just any horse – a powerful, mesmerising ice sculpture of a horse. You instantly realise the illusion you innocently fell for. From one highly specific angle it did indeed look like a donkey, but after one tiny shift in perspective the whole picture is revealed and suddenly you feel yourself relaxing.

“…seek to understand what is true.” A few years ago Jonny Bowden, a dear friend and coach of mine, introduced me to ‘Psycho-schlerosis’ a tongue-incheek Brian Tracy term. The medical term schlerosis simply means ‘a hardening of’, so all ‘Psycho-schlerosis’ is referring to is the kind of hardening of the personality, of the psyche, that adults often fall prey to. Dr Carol Dweck called the same phenomenon the ‘fixed mindset’. Others may call it conditioning. Now, when it comes to relationships or personal development, many books have been written on trying to take a different perspective on these psychological ‘ice sculptures’ or even trying to painstakingly re-carve them. But they all miss one simple fact – these creations are not fundamentally made of ice at all. They are made of water. And no matter what temporary form the ‘ice’ takes, or whatever the perspective you take on it, as the ice is allowed to melt the many characters dissolve back into one unbroken body of water. One humanity. One shared spirit The illusion of separation may be compelling, but instead – seek to understand what is true. Don’t forget the foundational connection that all human beings share, no matter the shape the ice sculptures take or how they are viewed. ∎ “Be Water, My Friend.  Empty your mind.  Be formless, shapeless, like water.  You put water into a cup, it becomes the cup.  You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle.  You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot.  Now water can flow or it can crash.  Be water, my friend."  - Bruce Lee NICK BOTTIN Author, Speaker & Coach  www.awarenessties.us/nick-bottini Nick Bottini is the author of the number one bestseller Just Play: The Simple Truth Behind Musical Excellence which was endorsed by Grammy winners, music industry professionals and mental health experts. Nick is also a speaker and transformational coach to the music industry and for over ten years has worked with musicians at all levels from competition winners, child prodigies, entrepreneurs, conservatoire students, sports people, to aspiring professional musicians and international rock stars. For more info about Music For Mental Wealth visit: musicformentalwealth.com

www.IamAwareNow.com

”

66 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

I couldn’t be prouder of the efforts we make in breaking up the boys club. LORRAINE D’ALESSIO

FOUNDER & CEO OF D’ALESSIO LAW GROUP

68 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

‘CROSSING’ EXCLUSIVE COLUMN BY LORRAINE D’ALESSIO

BREAKING DOWN THE BOYS CLUB HOW A WOMAN’S TOUCH IS VITAL IN THE COURTROOM

Imagine what an American courtroom looked like prior to 1869. We’ll circle back to that year in a bit - but close your eyes and imagine the voices you’d hear in the room. Open your eyes and you’d see wig-wearing men arguing their cases, making jury determinations, and even presiding over all of the proceedings. Tobacco smoke wafts through the room while loud men talk over each other, all eager to make their case. Where were the women? I frequently think back to how crucial cases in early American history would have played out had there been a single woman in the room. I mention 1869 because that was the year that the rst woman was admitted to a state bar. Even though women were not allowed to take the Iowa bar exam, Arabella Mans eld took it anyway and passed with ying colors. She challenged these restrictions in court, and Iowa amended the state licensing statue to accept her. It took one fearless woman to change an entire system

“It’s not hard to think about how different our present might be had we been included throughout these crucial moments in history.” Even though these changes in 1869 marked the beginning of a new era, it took another three decades for a state to allow them the right to serve on juries. But women wouldn’t regularly serve on juries until well into the 1930s. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 allowed women the right to service as jurors in federal cases. But unsurprisingly, it took nearly two more decades for all states to pass similar legislation I mention these years because the past is not as distant as many of our peers would want us to believe. Many of these changes have only happened within a span of a single lifetime. We’re not far-removed from these facts, and in many ways we still feel the burden of the past in terms of the law. Women’s History Month is an opportunity for us to look to the past as a way for manifesting the future we want for ourselves Court cases prior to the women’s suffrage movement lacked a woman's perspective. It’s not hard to think about how different our present might be had we been included throughout these crucial moments in history. As the founder and CEO of a women led organization, where the majority of our lawyers and staff are strong, resultsdriven women, I couldn’t be prouder of the efforts we make in breaking up the boys club. Historically speaking, law has very much been a male-dominated profession, and the net effect is widely felt even if it’s not recognized on the surface.

www.IamAwareNow.com .

69 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

“…industries need to re ect the reality of those they serve.” When speaking with new clients who come to us after working with other lawyers or law groups, I’ve heard the frustration in their tone. They come to us because their concerns have not been met by previous counsel, their goals have not been addressed or understood, and they leave feeling ignored. The challenges they face in their career paths are already hard enough given the state of international business, but to not feel like their concerns are even being heard compounds the frustration that only adds fuel to the re Putting women in leadership positions broadens our perspective as a rm when interfacing with clients, and helps us better understand and grasp what needs to be done in order to help our clients reach the next level in their careers. Sometimes, the challenges at hand take a woman's touch. We see angles to attack common problems, we see unexpected openings that can lead to larger opportunities. We make our clients feel heard in the scope of their own lives and careers. But even more importantly, industries need to re ect the reality of those they serve. Of course it’s good for business to have employees who can connect to their clients, but we all should be prioritizing giving women their proper due within their elds. Our clients are revolutionizing the way business is done within the tech, entertainment, and corporate industries. They are receptive to the way we do business and the type of care we offer because they are also familiar with the same frustrations we feel within their own industries as well. Kindred spirits and likeminded souls gravitate towards each other. Clients want to see themselves in the people they rely on to get things done. Hiring and putting women in leadership roles is a necessary step in making corporate business re ective of our own humanity outside of the of ce. In the past ten years practicing within a eld that can oftentimes be as rigid as it is unyielding, I’m proud to re ect on our accomplishments we’ve achieved, the hurdles we’ve covered, and the challenges we’ve conquered with a little bit of determination and a lot of hard work. The modern woman is already equipped to multi-task, collaborate, and grow, but to be surrounded by other women who share the same values and drive has helped me reach heights I have only dreamed of. There are numerous age old sayings about progress not being a straight line. Going one step further, progress can also feel like a puzzle. The more like-minded pieces you put together, the clearer the image becomes. Goals become more tangible, you can see the nish line with each piece you connect. We all know the pieces t. Let’s prioritize, hire, and support each other. Let’s make future generations of women proud, and give them something to look back on with admiration and pride. ∎ LORRAINE D’ALESSI Founder & CEO of D’Alessio Law Group  www.awarenessties.us/lorraine-dalessio Founding partner of D’Alessio Law Group, Lorraine was named the 2017 Leader in Law by the Los Angeles Business Journal and is the recipient of the 2018 Enterprising Women Award. A former Ford model turned legal powerhouse, Lorraine is a multi-award-winning, immigration expert who regularly contributes to the Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, LA Business Journal, Playback and other leading outlets in the U.S.. Lorraine has provided counsel to hundreds of prominent and award-winning entertainment agencies, unions, private companies, academic institutions, tech startups, entrepreneurs and enterprises, and has worked on highly successful refugee and deportation cases with immigrant communities across Los Angeles.

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…buying good and buying less is a good rst step. JACQUI HAMLIN

COO OF BEYOND BAMBOO www.IamAwareNow.com fi

72 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

‘GLOBAL GOOD’ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS BY TANITH HARDING

CONSUMING WITH CONSCIENCE SUSTAINABILITY IN THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE

Jacqui Hamlin is the new COO for the ethical and beyond sustainable community and marketplace, Beyond Bamboo. Her passion for fashion began when she studied at Loughborough College in 1977 and she is absolutely passionate about changing the way consumers shop to be more ethical and beyond sustainable. Tanith: Jacqui you have recently stepped up from Global Sourcing Director to COO for Beyond Bamboo, how are you enjoying the new role Jacqui: Yes, it’s very new and I’m really excited, I’m working with people involved with other joint projects and they’re absolutely amazing. The way the business has developed with my new role I’m able to harness their skills and utilise their strengths within our business pro le so instead of nding the people to suit the job, Im nding the job to suit the people. It’s very liberating to be able to do that, usually you have a job spec and you interview and nd the right person, but for a business to be able to ow, grow and expand you need people who do that naturally and organically within their own lives, so their beliefs and lifestyles become inclusive of their work environment and that leads to working with people who love their job, care about everything they are doing and their self growth which goes hand in hand with the growth of the business. So yes i couldn’t be happier to be the COO and a Director of Beyond Bamboo Tanith: You have a real passion for ethical fashion and recently did a TEDx talk on sustainable materials. How important is it for consumers to understand where products come from Jacqui: It’s super important, not only in the textile and fashion industry but in everything we buy. We need to question where it comes from? Who’s making it? How’s it made? Why’s it so cheap? Since high fashion became fast fashion we have become totally unaware of what we’re buying - the questions we ask ourselves when buying a garment has changed. We no longer ask if it’s a good lasting material, that washes well and keeps its shape, or a classic design I can still wear next summer. Now the thought process is, ´Does it t me now? Is it cheap enough? If so I will take four, without taking into account that if I can afford four, then how much is the person making it getting? What conditions do they work under and what about the costs of the materials themselves and shipping and duties. Is the fabric likely to be dyed using chemicals that are harmful to us and the planet? More often than not if clothing is cheap then it’s potentially bad for us and the environment, so being a conscious consumer thinking about quality over quantity, buying good and buying less is a good rst step Tanith: With so much green-washing going on these days how can consumers be certain that the products they are buying are ethical, sustainable and planet friendly? Jacqui: That’s one of the reasons that Beyond bamboo came into fruition, we wanted to work towards the global goal of environmental rejuvenation and whilst working with organisations to directly support this, we were aware of just how much ‘stuff’ we buy that’s bad for us. Even when trying to be ethically and environmentally aware, we still buy products that are green-washed to make us think they’re doing good and buying them means helping to make change for the better. It’s not always the case. For example, my mother bought a set of bed sheets that were labelled bamboo. The sheets were affordable and looked ne, but were viscose and the wood pulp used was bamboo. That’s where the natural element stopped. The chemical used for fabric manufacture and dying process in viscose is highly toxic, but they can be labelled as bamboo because it’s the base material of the fabric. The company manufacturing the cloth isn’t lying, but the people who are buying believe it’s an ethical and sustainable product.

www.IamAwareNow.com .

73 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

It could be a company hyped as the brand to buy, you believe is Jack and Bill from around the corner, but in fact they’re the front of the business and the materials are not coming from a sustainable source. How can anyone be expected to know that the bamboo product they are buying is anything but good. At Beyond Bamboo we do the research so the buyer doesn’t have to. Every seller that joins the community is checked to nd out where and how those products have been made. It's what we call ´behind the label stories´ so a buyer can read for themselves about the people who are offering their products

“We’re moving beyond the stereotypical ´men mean business´ women mean business too.” Tanith: The Beyond Bamboo Board is made up of three women and one man, which is quite unusual for a tech company. How do you think this impacts the business Jacqui: Hugely, female tech roles make up only 34% of the industry globally and only 27% in leadership roles across tech and engineering companies, but it’s about balance. Each and every one of us has a masculine and feminine side, being aware of both elements is immensely important in any industry. So far it has been a masculine run world but it’s nally emerging that we need the feminine leadership as well, so our ratio isn’t necessarily about men and women but about the balance in all of us. Our historically male dominated society has always been supported by women who’ve been the physical labourers or nurturers and the strength that holds everything together. Whether at home or in the work environment now we are bringing those strengths into leadership level. We’re moving beyond the stereotypical ´men mean business´ because women mean business too, we just don’t have to act as men to do it, we need to go beyond the norm, and continue to bring women into leadership roles and ensure balance.

CONSUMING WITH CONSCIENCE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JACQUI HAMLIN

www.IamAwareNow.com ?

74 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

“Beyond Bamboo is not just about our marketplace but a community for change.” Tanith: I know you have been busy working on brand new tech for the marketplace, what is next for Beyond Bamboo and what are your ambitions moving forward Jacqui: I’m excited where we can take BB. We're working with sustainable spas to introduce a B2B/wholesale supply chain initially with the hospitality industry. We're offering a consultancy service to support businesses small or large. You could be starting on a journey from a spare room or garage wanting to make change but don’t know where to start. Our founder and chairperson also heads up RoundTable Global an award winning learning and development organisation so we have amazing expertise to offer. We want to promote to our sellers and suppliers how to work within an ethical and sustainable supply chain. Beyond Bamboo is not just about our marketplace but a community for change. It’s about working towards going beyond sustainability helping to bring awareness about how simple it is to make change and re-think our behaviour. One of my aims is to partner with packaging and delivery companies to offer our sellers a service that’s in line with our ethos and mission which is to help bring sustainability into the affordable marketplace, so it becomes the norm. ∎

LEARN MORE ABOUT BEYOND BAMBOO: WWW.BEYONDBAMBOO.LIFE

TANITH HARDIN Director of International Development, The Legacy Project, RoundTable Global  www.awarenessties.us/tanith-harding Tanith is leading change management through commitment to the RoundTable Global Three Global Goals of: Educational Reform, Environmental Rejuvenation & Empowerment for All. She delivers innovative and transformational leadership and development programmes in over 30 different countries and is also lead on the international development of philanthropic programmes and projects. This includes working with a growing team of extraordinary Global Change Ambassadors and putting together the Global Youth Awards which celebrate the amazing things our young people are doing to change the world.

www.IamAwareNow.com

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Guide the way, and be the bridge that helps connect us. MIKE DIAMOND

TV PERSONALITY, DIRECTOR, INTERVENTIONIST & AWARENESS TIES OFFICIAL AMBASSADOR

76 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

‘THE CONSCIOUS OUTLAW’ EXCLUSIVE COLUMN BY MIKE DIAMOND

DON’T BE COLORBLIND SEE THE GAP, BE THE BRIDGE

Growing up in small town Perth, Western Australia, was very interesting. There was a lot of racism and it was accepted as normal. Being Greek Australian, kids treated me a little different. My parents never really embraced our European culture 100%. They tried to t in and it just didn’t feel right. When I moved to America in 1997 I was blown away at the level of divide. Reading stories about segregation and the way black people were treated was absolutely horrible. I visited places like Harlem, the Bronx and went deep into the boroughs of Brooklyn. I wasn’t exposed to that kind of poverty in Australia. I still can’t believe the level of racism that exists in the world today. Being a human being means being human - to look at others equally and fairly no matter what they look like on the outside. In 2021, with all the money, information and access we have, we need to educate and create systems to help people. There shouldn’t be people suffering in the inner cities the way they do. In a nation with so much wealth, why are so many people homeless and suffering? It’s our job as leaders, entrepreneurs, coaches, authors, CEOs, and teachers to provide resources and funds to help others in need.

“This blindness needs to end.” People love promoting mental health, but are they truly helping others with their mental health? This scarcity, fearbased mindset needs to go. We need to think with light, love and abundance, knowing we all come from the same source that doesn’t judge. We need to be of service and nd ways to empower others not hurt them. This small minded inhuman unconscious thinking must stop now. This blindness needs to end. Be the person who sees and takes the road less traveled - not tomorrow but now. Guide the way, and be the bridge that helps connect us. ∎

MIKE DIAMON TV Personality, Director, Interventionist & Awareness Ties Of cial Ambassador   www.awarenessties.us/mikediamond Mike Diamond is a Television Personality, Director, Life Coach, and Interventionist. Known for his work on the hit TV shows NY Ink and Bondi Ink Tattoo Crew, which is currently nominated for a Logie Award for Best Reality Series. Learn more at www.themikediamond.com.

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We start by offering our hand. KELLY LOVELL

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR, SPEAKER & CEO OF BRIDGINGTHEGAP VENTURES

78 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

BridgingTheGap To A Better Future A COLUMN BY KELLY LOVELL

DIVERSITY IS NOT ENOUGH INCLUSION AND BEYOND

Diversity and inclusion are topics that are universally brought into conversations—in governments, corporations, society—yet do we truly understand what they mean? Though often married together and used as a single concept, diversity and inclusion are different. Diversity refers to representation—having a variety of perspectives and backgrounds in a group—whereas inclusion is about active involvement without prejudice. You can have diversity in a workplace or government without having inclusion, and we see this happen more often than not As inclusion strategist Vernā Myers says, “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.” Having a diverse guest list and ensuring those normally not at a party are present is not the same as creating spaces where they can be active participants in the experience. While representation is a necessary step in bridging opportunity gaps, inclusion —let alone equality—will not come from solely checking off all the boxes on our guest list Building upon Myers’ party concept, to truly create inclusive spaces and uncover the threads of humanity that bring us toward unity, there are other factors that must be considered:  Who is organizing the party? Who gets to decide the guest list? Who is asking us to dance? And, why are we considered guests? While diversity is a step toward inclusion, inclusion is also merely a step toward achieving the greater belonging and unity humanity seeks. We want to be seen and heard within a community—not only by being respected and appreciated, but being an active contributor with the power to shape its future And so, when considering our party and the structures within it, we must evaluate the role we play, the power we hold and the decisions we make at each level.  The Organizer of the Party: The community in question. The fact that there is a guest list implies exclusion—if you are not on the guest list, you, therefore, do not belong at the party. How are we inherently perpetuating biases within our communities—in areas of government and work but also our neighbourhoods and friend circles—and how can we create more welcoming spaces for those not yet invited to contribute and feel belonging The Planning Committee: The current power structure or governing body. We must ask ourselves: Do all community members and guests have an equal opportunity of being on the planning committee? If not, what can we do to change this The Dancer: An existing member of the community. As members of the community, are we serving as advocates and opening invitations for more to join us? Are we acknowledging the power we have to extend our hand and ask those being left out to participate in the experience?

www.IamAwareNow.com .

79 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

The world certainly needs diversity and inclusion, but ultimately, we should strive for unity—equal opportunity access and belonging are essential. The socio-economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated existing inequalities, disproportionately impacting those already being left behind. In 2019, it was estimated it would take 257 years to close the gender gap;1 to make matters worse, women were one of the most vulnerable populations to job loss due to the pandemic. As of April 2020,1.5 billion of the world’s learners were kept out of educational institutions due to COVID-19 closures,2 and for many, remote education is now the only option. Considering only 55% of households globally are able to access the Internet,3 this means a significant portion of the world’s population is being left out of education and consequently, the economy. In governance, there is a global tendency for government officials to be quite older than those they represent; in fact, the average American is 20 years older than their representative in Congress,4 thereby excluding young people—the future leaders who will inherit the economy—from contributing to policymaking and decision-making processes. Be it based on gender, race, ability, age or income status, our current world remains divided Therefore, as we reflect on that which binds us together, let us remember we are one humanity and that to be whole we cannot exclude any of our parts. We start by offering our hand, bringing new members into our communities. We progress by creating opportunities for collective participation. We change by removing the guest list entirely. ∎ 1 World Economic Forum, 2019: Mind The 100 Year Ga 2 UNESCO, 2020  3 World Economic Forum, 2020: Coronavirus Has Exposed The Digital Divide Like Never Befor 4 Quorum 2017

KELLY LOVEL Social Entrepreneur, Speaker & CEO of BridgingTheGap Ventures  www.awarenessties.us/kelly-lovell Kelly Lovell, a 19-time award-winning entrepreneur and three-time TEDx speaker, empowers young people to prepare for the changing workplace and solve global challenges. In addition to being the CEO of BridgingTheGap Ventures and MyEffect, Inc., she is the founder and Global Chair of YOUNGA Forum. Lovell is globally recognized for her expertise in the future of work, youth-led innovation and social entrepreneurship. Her youth networks reach young leaders in 200 countries and her leadership impact has been recognized by distinguished leaders including the Queen of England, former heads of state and representatives of the G7, G20 and the High-Level Political Forum.

www.IamAwareNow.com e

80 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

When you trust your ability to execute; other people will trust your ability. DESMOND CLARK

SPEAKER, AUTHOR & FORMER NFL PLAYER

82 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com

PRINCIPLES OF WINNING AN EXCLUSIVE COLUMN BY DESMOND CLARK

DIGNITY

OUR MOST VALUABLE ASSET

If you grow up playing football, or any sport, you learn to value people. To be on time. To show respect. But I wasn’t truly ful lled until I learned that my most accurate measure of success is showing up when no one else is looking

“…the people who have the dignity get my business every time.” Our words are our bond. We all seem to recognize that when we give it to other people. But primarily, it’s true when we give our word to ourselves When I mentor, and someone is frustrated with knowing they are capable of more but haven’t been able to execute, I ask them to acknowledge, right now, that it is no longer acceptable for them to disappoint themselves If we said we’d make ten sales calls a day, we can’t stop at eight. Eight maybe our best day on record; still, stop at ten. Not for the money. Not for the contracts. Not for your boss Stop at ten Dignity, in the end, is the human being’s most valuable asset. In a room, you can tell there are people who de ne their success with their cars and watches, and there are people who de ne their success with their dignity, and the people who have the dignity get my business every time When you trust your ability to execute; other people will trust your ability. ∎

DESMOND CLAR Speaker, Author & Former NFL Player  www.awarenessties.us/desmondclark Empowering sales professionals and leaders with ‘Principles of Winning’ to create a standard of excellence, Desmond Clark is a former star NFL Tight End, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Author, Speaker, and Inspirational Business Coach. During his 12 year tenure in the NFL, he played with the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, and 8 years with the Chicago Bears, retiring as the second leading Tight End in Bears history for catches, yards, and touchdowns behind only Hall of Famer Mike Ditka. Before entering into the NFL, Desmond set Wake Forest University receiving records and nished his college career as all-time leading receiver in Atlantic Coast Conference history and a degree in communications. For more information about the ‘Principles of Winning’ group coaching course call 863.581.5161 or email desmond@dezclarkspeaks.com.

www.IamAwareNow.com .

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What you do every morning becomes a pattern, and that pattern becomes who you are. SEAN SWARNER

TWO-TIME CANCER SURVIVOR, PHILANTHROPIST AND FOUNDER OF THE SUMMIT CHALLENGE,

84 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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UNSUGARCOATED AN EXCLUSIVE COLUMN BY AALIA LANIUS

UNSUGARCOATED WITH SEAN SWARNER CLIMBING MT. EVEREST & BLOWING UP CANCER WITH LASERS Sean Swarner is a two-time cancer survivor, a philanthropist, and the founder of The Summit Challenge, a new initiative to help struggling people overcome their challenges. Sean joins Aalia to talk about his cancer diagnoses (7:58), climbing Mount Everest with one lung (10:55), and the Amazon Prime documentary based on him, True North:The Sean Swarner Story. Sean talks about falling to his knees at the top of the highest mountains in the world, being unable to stop climbing lest his sweat freeze to his body, and fostering the mind-body connection to make it possible. Sean recounts a vivid vision of himself entering his own bloodstream in a miniscule red blood cell space-ship, travelling through his heart and to his cancer, and demolishing the growth with his ship’s lasers (35:22). Consistency, good habits, and positive visualization are important to Sean, who was named as one of the top most inspirational people in history. Inspire your own resilience with Episode 47 of UNSUGARCOATED with Aalia. ∎

BECOME UNSTOPPABLE IN YOUR LIFE & CAREER! SIGN UP FOR THE SUMMIT CHALLENGE: WWW.THESUMMITCHALLENGE.COM (FOR EVERY PROGRAM SIGN UP, SEAN WILL GIVE AWAY A FREE MEMBERSHIP TO A RECENT CANCER SURVIVOR.) FOLLOW SEAN ON TWITTER: @SEANSWARNER FOR MORE INFORMATION ON UNSUGARCOATED MEDIA OR YOUR AWARD-WINNING HOST, GO TO WWW.UNSUGARCOATEDMEDIA.COM STAY CONNECTED WITH AALIA ON IG: @AALIA_UNSUGARCOATED

AALIA LANIU Novelist, Speaker, Podcast Host & Social Entrepreneur  www.awarenessties.us/aalialanius Aalia Lanius is the Founder and President of Unsugarcoated Media, a 501(c)(3) media organization. Dedicated to helping survivors of trauma lead mentally healthier lives, Lanius' focus is creating media and events that empower, educate, heal, and inspire another the way it has for her. Lanius is also a multiple award-winning American novelist, social entrepreneur, and advocate with over 20 years of sharing her personal experiences with audiences of all age groups and diverse backgrounds. Executive Producer and host of the awardnominated seasonal podcast show, “UNSUGARCOATED with Aalia”, a visual and audio experience that features conversations intended to bring value and amplify voices that create more empathy and understanding of one another.

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85 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

…this new home was vastly different from the one I ed. THI NGUYEN

NONPROFIT CONSULTANT, ENTREPRENEUR & PHILANTHROPIST www.IamAwareNow.com fl

86 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

GO GREEN DRESS AN EXCLUSIVE COLUMN BY THI NGUYEN

THE ADVENTURE BEGINS WE START IN VIETNAM

As I step into this vehicle of in nite possibilities, I am grateful for the opportunity to share my adventures, experience and joy with the world. My hope is to open a portal of wonderment, to engage your senses and activate your curiosity. A refugee from the destruction of the Vietnam War, I'm often reminded of the division and inclusion that binds us in a new world; a world lled with colorful treats displayed sky high and an abundance of goods sprinkled in every corner. With tree lined streets and fast moving automobiles... this new home was vastly different from the one I ed. Too young to understand the dynamic changes my family was going through, I was extremely grateful for all the love, kindness and compassion received from complete strangers. This, for me, was humanity at its best. During my visit back to my birth country in 2019 after a 10 year gap, I was in awe of the development and growth Vietnam has undergone. Combining the old and new, surviving and thriving, the country has risen from the ashes of war after war to welcome every individual to share in its culture. Anthony Bourdain fell in love with Vietnam and once said, “Going to Vietnam the rst time was life-changing for sure. Maybe because it was all so new and different to my life before and the world I grew up in. The food, culture, landscape, and smell; they're all inseparable. It just seemed like another planet; a delicious one that sort of sucked me in and never let go.”

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87 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

We travel the world not just to explore the unknown, but to capture the unknown and share it with the world. THI NGUYEN

NONPROFIT CONSULTANT, ENTREPRENEUR & PHILANTHROPIST

88 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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“…open your eyes and jump start your heart to continue discovering the beauty this world encompasses.” As for me, I feel blessed to have a second chance, an opportunity to start over, the freedom to make choices and the ability to travel. Sewn into the fabric of diversity, I arrived to a land with riches beyond my imagination and the knowledge that anything is possible. "As long as you can believe it you can achieve it", was the American dream. So follow along on my adventures of the GoGreenDress. Travel with me as I attempt to explore every crevasse this planet has to offer. Adventure with me as I climb every mountain my body can endure. My only wish is that it will open your eyes and jump start your heart to continue discovering the beauty this world encompasses. And every now and then, I'll share a poem, a quote, a little writing to inspire, unite and instill the wanderlust in all of us. I look forward to spreading a sense of wonder, adventure and a sprinkle of joy into your life. Be bold. Stay beautiful. Explore. Follow me on Instagram @GoGreenDress and be sure to subscribe to AwareNow for more adventures. ∎

THI NGUYE Nonpro t Consultant, Entrepreneur & Philanthropist  www.awarenessties.us/thi Thi Nguyen brings with her over 2 decades of non pro t experience as a participant, advisor, board member, consultant, volunteer and research and development specialist. Her expertise combining technology to further advance the vision and mission for philanthropic causes has allowed her to serve as a trusted partner with many notable organizations large and small. Thi has experience working with organizations focusing on combating various global issues such as: human sex traf cking, homelessness, poverty, fair wages, global warming, malnutrition, gender equality, humanitarian assistance and human rights. She's currently developing an app to connect individuals and corporations to assist nonpro ts in furthering their vision and mission.

www.IamAwareNow.com fi

89 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

THE BODY DOES NOT LIE BY: KRISTEN MARTIN

90 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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‘THE ARTISTRY OF ANXIETY’ EXCLUSIVE COLUMN BY KRISTEN MARTIN

THE BODY DOES NOT LIE AN ARTISTIC EXPRESSION OF ANXIETY

This painting is titled, “The Body Does Not Lie”, from the book my sister (Dr. Jenny Martin) and I released, “Your Therapist is Anxious, Too”. When my sister approached me about this chapter, it was not dif cult for me to translate the meaning behind it into art. I could immediately relate based on the title alone

“Our bodies we can trust.” If we are in touch with our physical selves, we can often identify our anxieties. When we are struggling mentally, those struggles often manifest somewhere our bodies. I painted this in hopes that it would be a gentle reminder to listen closely to our whole selves. Our bodies do not lie. Our bodies we can trust. ∎

KRISTEN MARTI Broadway Actress, Artist & Awareness Ties Of cial Ambassador  www.awarenessties.us/jenny-kristen-martin Kristen is a Broadway actress residing in NYC, where she appeared in Wicked and Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. National Tours include Wicked, A Chorus Line, 42nd Street & Cats. "Through acting we are forced to empathized with, as well as deeply evaluate the human condition. Our mental health journey dictates so much of how we react to each and every moment of our lives as it unfolds. I want people to embrace the great care we should consistently be gifting our minds. I want people to feel comfortable expressing their struggles as well as triumphs. I believe the current stigmas still surrounding mental health is not only primitive but dangerous. I’ve struggled with my own mental health, and my goal is to help break down those barriers surrounding what is simply part of the human experience."

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91 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

92 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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FEATURE STORY WITH MORGAN’S WONDERLAND

ACCESS IN WONDERLAND

THEME PARK SETS NEW STANDARDS IN ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL Morgan's Wonderland is the rst theme park of its kind in the world. In 2017, the ultra-accessible™ theme park opened its expansion, Morgan's Inspiration Island, which was named on the 2018 "World's Greatest Places" list by TIME Magazine. Guided by its mission of inclusion, the park strives to bring together guests all ages and all abilities through the power of inclusive play. Call her a catalyst, a spark, an inspiration. Morgan Hartman doesn’t realize it, but her ability to smile through physical and cognitive challenges spurred her parents – Gordon and Maggie Hartman – to do things never before accomplished for individuals with special needs and their families. Morgan inspired not only the creation of a one-of-akind theme park but also other initiatives bene ting the special-needs community The tipping point occurred in 2005 when Gordon observed Morgan wanting to play with other vacationing kids at a hotel swimming pool, but the kids were leery of Morgan and didn’t want to interact with her. Then and there, Gordon resolved to create opportunities and places where those with and without disabilities can come together not only for fun but also for a better understanding of one another. That led to the construction of Morgan’s Wonderland in an abandoned quarry in Northeast San Antonio. It’s apropos that the butter y is the symbol of this unique theme park; soaring to one success after another is now commonplace.

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93 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

“…a shrine of inclusion.” When it celebrated its grand opening on April 10, 2010, Morgan’s Wonderland became the world’s rst theme park designed with special-needs individuals in mind and built for everyone’s enjoyment. The completely wheelchairaccessible park features more than 25 elements, including rides, playgrounds, and other colorful attractions. From the very beginning, anyone with a special need has been admitted free of charge, no questions asked It is Morgan’s fervent hope that everyone with a special need – young and older, healthy or ailing, introspective, or outgoing – will be touched extraordinarily by Morgan’s Wonderland: a shrine of inclusion, an oasis of friendship and an unforgettable wonderland "Morgan's Wonderland is built on inclusion and kindness, and we are committed to advancing a culture of inclusion,” says Brooke Kearney, Chief Mission Of cer. “We believe we are stronger together, and we count on people like you to make inclusion and accessibility a part of everyday life rather than a passing thought. At Morgan's Wonderland, you matter, and at Morgan's Wonderland, you are always welcome.” Morgan’s Wonderland, located in San Antonio, TX, is just like any other theme park except for a culture and environment that assures 100 percent enjoyment by every person who enters through the Welcome Center. Unfortunately, countless children and adults with special needs do not have access to facilities that enable them to fully enjoy outdoor recreation. Morgan’s Wonderland has begun to change that. ∎

LEARN MORE ABOUT MORGAN’S WONDERLAND: WWW.MORGANSWONDERLAND.COM FOLLOW THEM ON INSTAGRAM: @MORGANSWONDERLANDTEXAS

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94 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

95 AWARENOW / THE INCLUSION EDITION

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THROUGH THESE STORIES WE SHARED

I AM AWARE NOW. www.IamAwareNow.com

R E A D , L I S T E N & WAT C H

T h e M a g a z i n e , T h e P o d c a s t & T h e Ta l k S h o w