With a degree in psychology and master’s in screen writing, Selene Calloni Williams has 
authored several International best-selling books and documentaries. Her focus is on psychology, deep ecology, shamanism, yoga, philosophy, and anthropology. As a direct student of James Hillman, she studied and practiced Buddhist meditation in the hermitages of the forests of Sri Lanka, and is an initiate of Shamanic Tantric Yoga. She is the founder and the director of the Imaginal Academy Institute Switzerland.
All posts by Editor-in-Chief
Abortion and Political Football – by Deborah Levine
(Originally appeared in The Chattanooga Times Free Press)
I hate the idea of abortion. I hate everything about it and I know I have plenty of company. No one has warm fuzzy thoughts about abortion. Whether you’re pro or anti-abortion, the term evokes pain and suffering as well as sorrow and mourning, Abortion has been a political football for as long as I remember, but the game has become more intense than ever.
Abortion was just a whisper in high school back in the sixties when a friend got pregnant at sixteen. She had the baby, dropped out of school, and never returned. It wasn’t an uncommon story since Roe vs. Wade didn’t became law until 1973. Birth control pills weren’t even a whisper because while legal in 1965, it was only for married couples. Unmarried women weren’t allowed to purchase birth control until 1972, another seven years.
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Inspiration for Aspiring Leaders – by Deborah Levine
Inspiring the Aspiring
Presentation by Deborah Levine for young Rotarians – aspiring leaders in the Philippines. Hear her words of wisdom and sage advice as she connects the art of leadership with the art of writing. Want to write and brand yourself? See her workbook Write that Book! Tell that Story!
Pamela Teagarden: Systems Models to Sustain Inclusive Diversity
As a former banker, with grad studies in behavioral psychology, Pam Teagarden works from the intersection of business and behaviors. She developed AI models of ‘Inclusive Diversity’ using cutting-edge systems information to provide performance-based measures of effective inclusion, linking diverse workforces directly to increasing competitive advantage and to sustainable high levels of employee engagement.
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Leadership Planning Podcast Series – by Deborah Levine
Planning for Leaders
Welcome to the 4-part podcast series created to assist new and aspiring entrepreneurs and community activists in planning for the future. Originally created from entrepreneurs in Cameroon, this series demonstrates how to map your Vision & Mission, proceed to Goals & Objectives, map your tasks & budget, and create your success story.
PART 1: VISION & MISSION
PART 2: GOALS & OBJECTIVES
PART 3: TASKS & BUDGETS
PART 4: THE STORY
Dr. Val Margarit: Transformational Education
Dr. Val Margarit is an expert in Transformational Education, an award-winning educational leader, college professor, speaker, and the author of Why Not You? How to Become an Empowered Woman.
Val has a Doctorate in Education/ Educational Leadership and Masters & Bachelors degrees in Sociology and political science. She teaches, mentors, and advises future educational leaders. A passionate advocate, Val speaks on education equity, women empowerment, gender equality, diversity and inclusion.
Val grew up on a farm in a third world country, without money or indoor plumbing, and was determined to change her family’s legacy. Her mother’s lack of education set her on a transformational journey from working on a farm, working in a factory at 16 years old, moving across the globe, learning English, working multiple jobs, and becoming a transformational educator. Val believes that ”achieving one’s full potential has less to do with genetics and IQ and everything to do with opportunity, high quality education, and how you think about and live your life – the habits, self-discipline, resilience, hard work, and mindsets.”
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Keith Weedman: Empowerment & Change
Keith Weedman is Principal/ Founder of Level 3 by Design, LLC. focusing on empowerment & change. He is also a member of the Strategic Diversity & Inclusion LinkedIn network. His background includes an advanced degree in Psychology and undergraduate degree in Industrial Management. Founder of a non-profit organization that empowers public assistance clients to become financially self-sufficient, he also boosts volunteers’ empowerment skills. Weedman’s expertise in socio-economic diversity is featured in a case study by Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
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Call terrorism by its name – by Deborah Levine
It was painful waking up to the terrorism news that suicide bombers in Sri Lanka had targeted hotels and churches during Easter services. Hundreds of people were killed and hundreds more were injured. At first, officials pointed to the perpetrators as a local group of radical Islamists espousing a terrorist ideology. Then they announced that international connections had helped design the attacks. At this point, Sri Lanka shut down online social networks, a move that would limit conspiracy theories, copy cat attempts, and violent revenge attempts. Was the ban prompted by guilt that warnings had been ignored, or by the experience days before in Paris?Continue reading Call terrorism by its name – by Deborah Levine
Be Healthy! – Interview with Alicia Mitchell
Think Healthy. Live Healthy. Be Healthy.
Alicia Mitchell, owner of The Smoothie Patch in Oak Ridge, TN, is helping communities understand how eating real food can by healthy: restore and maintain health.
Over the last 5 decades, Americans have had ill-fated food options that have become sources for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and non-alcoholic Fatty Liver disease (NASH), to name a few.
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National Welding Month: Challenge & Opportunity – by Deborah Levine
In April, I joined the Chattanooga Regional Manufacturers Association (CRMA) Alliance in Manufacturing Excellence (AIME) as Editor-in-Chief of the American Diversity Report. I was invited to be the official communications person by Lulu Copeland, the facilitator and committee chair of CRMA AIME. Copeland is also the founding member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) for whom I facilitated an inaugural panel years ago. My assignment at this event marking National Welding Month was to interview women in the welding profession.
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