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Agent of Change: Andrea Powell

Co-Founder and Executive Director FAIR Girls    

Meet Andrea Powell, a revolutionary in the protection of Women around the world. She is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the local anti-trafficking non-profit, FAIR Girls, and 2012 nominee for the Diane Von Furstenberg (DVF) People’s Voice Award.     Andrea and I met in 2009 and instantly became soul sisters. How could I not bond with a powerhouse woman who is single handedly saving hundreds of young women's lives daily.     Growing up, Andrea had a powerful desire to protect those women around her who were being abused. In 2003, she co-founded FAIR Girls, an organization that prevents the exploitation of girls worldwide with through empowerment and education. Since that time, she has led FAIR Girls’ efforts to prevent the sex trafficking and exploitation of girls in the United States and in FAIR Girls’ global programs in Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, Russia, and Uganda. In her current position as Executive Director of FAIR Girls, Andrea over-sees all operational, programmatic, and developmental aspects of FAIR Girls. She is also FAIR Girls’ chief liaison to the D.C. Anti Trafficking Task Force and has trained hundreds of U.S. and international audiences, including federal and local law enforcement, service providers, state and federal policy makers, and teachers, how to identify and assist child victims of sex and forced labor trafficking.         Also a professor for the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, Andrea teaches courses in global sex trafficking and girl’s empowerment.         One of my favorite ways to help is to donate clothing to the girls who go thru the FAIR Girls program, most of the time they come off the streets with the clothes on their back (which isn't much - sometimes even just lingerie) and need to start from scratch. It feels good to me to give the clothes I don't wear to these girls, do you want to join in on that feeling?         Learn more about FAIR Girls and how you can help put an end to human sex trafficking here.

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Agent of Change: Beth Lambert

Executive Director of Epidemic Answers & Author of A Compromised Generation

Epidemic Answers is her company. A Compromised Generation is her book. The   Documenting Hope Project is her mission. I am thrilled to be part of her team.  

Beth Lambert and I met a year ago when I had the wild idea to make a documentary film called NUMB, which features children who fall on the spectrum and are overly medicated at a very young age that would show alternative ways of healing.  

When I heard Beth’s incredible film the   Documenting Hope Project that nspires a social and educational movement that will help ignite lasting change on our approach to healthy living by documenting the complete recovery of fourteen chronically ill children.    The  Documenting Hope   Project envisions a world where health care is well care and children’s health and development is supported by a personalized, integrated and ecologically sound approach to wellness.   Beth's initiative inspired within me an urgent call to action, and so we met to collaborate on our goals with the underlying mission to spread awareness about these issues that have affected so many children. We concluded to join forces rather than shed light on this subject separately. United, we knew we could make a powerful difference.  

Educating the world through learning is a key component in this film, as scientists, physicians, healers, parents and children’s health advocates join together in this important initiative, which consists of the following:

·  A pilot recovery program based on 14 cases of chronically ill children

·  Documentation of their recovery with scientific analysis including biomarkers    and observational data

·  Their inspirational stories recorded on film

·  Sharing these findings with anyone and everyone

Beth’s book,  A Compromised Generation exposes the seemingly benign elements of American culture that are in fact making millions of children chronically ill, disabled, or dysfunctional. Her findings, along with experts in the medical field, reaveal that children today are diagnosed with illnesses such as autism, asthma, allergies, and ADHD at an unbelivable rate, and so parents, medical researchers, and healthcare practitioners dedicated to unraveling the mystery are beginning to put the pieces of the puzzle into place.   These children's heroes have found that environmental factors that cause autism are the same ones causing epidemics of ADHD, juvenile diabetes, asthma, gastrointestinal disorders, and many other chronic illnesses. The underlying causes are the same, which include, surprisingly, decades of pharmaceutical over-usage, toxic or nutritionally anemic diets, excessive exposure to environmental toxins, specific American habits and lifestyles, and excessive or improperly administered vaccines.   Join us on Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at the  Empowered Parents Workshop in NYC.

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Agent of Change: Avital Scharf

Over a year ago, I received a message on Linkedin from a woman asking me what I did with the wellness business. I so rarely check this message box, and for some reason that day-luckily I did! Avital Scharf had read about me in a wellandgoodnyc.com interview from years ago and found me on Linkedin. It turns out that it is one of the most fulfilling relationships I have ever had.

I am proud to be growing Avital’s new app/site -  wellb which serves to change how we can access the wellness world through its online wellness marketplace. wellb is a new digital platform that provides our clients 24/7 online access to a variety of professional, screened wellness providers who are eager to help you achieve greater overall mental and physical health through yoga, personal training, meditation, reiki, massage and many other related services.

Through the wellb platform, you can find and instantly book one-one-one wellness sessions that are customized to fit your schedule, location and budget. wellb now makes it easy and convenient to access this wellness industry, whose services aim to get and keep you fit and healthy.

As the New York City representative, it has been a honor to learn the “ins and outs” of a tech start up here in my native city. I have tapped into every single wellness connection I have to find the most wonderful practitioners and experts in their respective fields. It has not been easy, but to see the app take off is just a wonderful feeling and personal/professional education. My team has interviewed over 150 wellness practitoners all over New York City–to see clients book their healing or exercise needs and have them fulfilled at their home or office is rewarding. It’s like uber for wellness!  

On top of it, to help another woman make her dreams come true and knowing that my work will make people feel healthier is another reason to appreciate people like Avital in my life who inspire others to spread the wellness feels good…and thats the core feeling of being an  Agent of Change.

Sign up today and receive $20 off of your first booking.

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FEBRUARY’S FOCUS - Love yourself - build your business and improve your health.

As most of you know, my word of the year is FOCUS and in this month of love, I’ve decided to focus on two things:

1 ) growing my business to higher levels than ever before, and 2 ) improving my health.

Growing Your Business

I was so grateful to be able to produce Marie Forleo’s “Rich Happy + Hot” Live summits for 3 years in a row. There were numerous “AH-HA” moments due to some of the greatest inspirational thinkers of all time sharing their insights: Kris Carr, Danielle LaPorte and Mama Gena. I not only produced the summits, I bought the Kool-Aid: I learned how to own what I wanted in life and truly manifest my dreams.

I am a proud, loving soldier in Marie’s army, setting out to tell the world about her amazing B-School program. If you’re interested in signing up for this year’s 8 week online course, watch this video which will nix your 7 Common Excuses That Kill Your Successful Business

“The three C’s” - connect, capture and convert. Connect with your dream audience, Capture their attention, and Convert them into buyers. Watch this video now to learn more and to begin profiting from Marie’s expertise as I have. All you need is a computer and the drive to learn.**

Improve Your Health **

If you’ve got your health, you’ve got everything, they say. Personally, I pay a lot of attention to what I eat and what I do; I’ve tried many diets and cleanses but nothing has made as much of a difference as caring for my microbiome with the help of functional and integrative medicine Dr. Raphael Kellman. If your body’s natural flora is where it needs to be, your body, mind and soul will flourish.

Dr. Kellman is an internationally renowned physician and early champion of proper microbiome health. He’s recorded a series of 33 informative and action-positive interviews with such wellness superstars as Deepak Chopra, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. David Perlmutter, Dr. Aviva Romm, Alisa Vitti, Dave Asprey, Sayer Ji and many more.

Understanding your microbiome is vitally important, especially for people suffering from chronic diseases of the heart and digestive system, autoimmune disease, diabetes, thyroid disorders, and more. Sign up for the Microbiome Medicine Summit now and you will learn how to:

• Strengthen your immune system • Reduce inflammation • Impact your genetic expression • Improve your metabolism • Control your caloric absorption • Upgrade your overall quality of life • And more!

JOIN ME Join me for these two life-altering programs that will help you to improve your health and make your business dreams come true! Subscribe through the link above to activate my referral fee!

In gratitude,

Rachel P. Goldstein Founder + CEO Agent of Change

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Agent of Change: Carissa Reiniger

I wrote on Facebook the other day that my word of 2016 is going to be FOCUS. As a single mother, my goal is to focus on my son and raising him to be a strong open minded cultured man. As a business owner, my goal is to build my business up again and truly go the distance in making a membership program for fellow Agents of Change to utilize mine and each others skills. As a friend, to only allow in people who focus on my good as most people know, I am always taking care of my nearest in dearest any which way I can.   In saying that.. this month’s Agent of Change is Carissa Reiniger.

Have you ever had a friend that doesn’t back down in getting in your face for the pure desire of being simply there for you? Carissa is relatively new in my life but WOW has she been an incredible light shining over me.  

Carissa’s Silver Lining program for small businessess has helped thousands of companies expand to the highest limits. I am so excited about her program, which I just signed up for that I want the rest of the world to join too. They teach you how to create an action plan, train you basic skills and support your business goals. I am not sure if you are like me who went into business for myself and just jumped right in head first utilizing my logistical, coordination and marketing skills yet dreamt bigger for what Agent of Change could be. Well, 2016 is going to be a stellar year FOCUSed on growth and success! To change things up a bit, each month I will tell you more about my FOCUS of the month…. Business, family, life, health….

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Agent of Change: Jamie Zimmerman, M.D.

You know when you meet someone with so much positive energy that you sometimes just don’t know what to make of them. In this rigid concrete jungle we live in, it’s a blessing to have people like Jamie Zimmerman walk into your life.

Mother nature killed her on October 12, 2015. She was hiking alone in Kauai where there was no lifeguard or danger signs to be found. Her bag dropped into the water and she reached down on a rocky stretch of land, being taken by a wave and swept off to sea. Just like that.. this 31 year old angel was taken away from us.

When I heard about her passing, My. World. Stood. Still. It’s really hard to get news like that on Facebook but without its simple global method of instant information being provided, we wouldn’t know half the things we do today. Upon hearing the news I immediately went into memorial planning mode. I mean I am at heart -- an event producer! In just a few hours we had a conference call with 10 people in the NY mindful community, taking deep breaths together and planning out the events for the week ahead. I had already spoken with the beloved meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Elena Brower and secured ABC Home for a venue. I just went into go go go mode for my friend to be honored and it was my utmost pleasure to do so. (Don’t worry, I melted after) I am still in awe how our community rallied together in this time so fast in so many beautiful ceremonies for our dear friend.

It really says something to me to be a native New Yorker and really have this sense of unspoken conscious family that we all simply 'get each other' via our various studies in yoga and/or meditation that we’ve followed.

Last year on Christmas Eve, I put a message on Facebook at about 5pm inviting anyone in my community to join in on a new Goldstein family tradition at Shun Lee. My son was only a few months old and I wanted him to have something to look forward to each year. By 6pm, Jamie, my mom, my son and I dove into the yummiest Chinese food a Jewish girl could ask for. It’s a meal I will never forget and was so looking forward to repeating it.

In March, I watched Jamie speak at the Omega Institute’s Mindfulness and Education Conference at Ethical Culture. She was so eloquent in expressing her story and her belief of how meditation saved her in so many aspects of her childhood.

Jamie was one of those people I looked forward to bumping into. I had last seen her on September 21st in Central Park at the International Day of Peace Forgive4Peace meditation that Deepak Chopra hosted with the Jerusalem Choir. Who knew that would be the last time I saw my friend. It makes you take everyday for granted and appreciate all the moments you have.

Besides a true light, let me give you some biographical information I found about Jamie Zimmerman, M.D. She was a physician, meditation teacher and author who lectured internationally on “meditation medicine” and living with passion and purpose. Her voice was featured on ABC.com, Yahoo News, MindBodyGreen, Yoga Journal, and The Huffington Post Live. A meditator since age 16, Jamie has had the privilege of studying with many of today’s leading instructors, teaches in Spanish and English, and offers free guided meditations at www.jamiezmd.com. Passionate about global health, Jamie lived and worked around the globe—from Belize, Haiti and the Thai/Burma border to Congolese refugee camps and the Amazon rainforest. She believed that healing—on the individual and global level—happens from the inside out. In this vein, she recently organized and hosted a “Unite for Peace” event with bestselling author Marianne Williamson in New York City. As a teenager, Jamie performed on such shows as 7th Heaven, Boston Public and The Practice. Jamie combined her backgrounds in television, meditation, and medicine as a health journalist and mindfulness maven at ABC National News in New York, where she taught many of her colleagues to meditate.

I mean really? At age 31? It is my truest belief that Jamie would have pushed the needle on a global level for people to get more in touch with their true passion and purpose in life via meditation and owning their life stories like Jamie did. She would have led the way. What an inspiration. Makes me want to do more.

I feel Jamie around me. I feel her in my morning meditation. I always will. Rest in peace my friend but don’t stop hovering over us. We need you!

To support Jamie’s family’s indiegogo campaign which will raise money for the Kauai Lifeguard Association to put up proper Danger signs in the area that Jamie was taken away from us. Please visit here.

In gratitude,

Rachel P. Goldstein Founder + CEO | Agent of Change

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Agent of Change: Gabby Bernstein

I get high off of seeing others succeed especially those who are close to my heart. I get that extra feeling of inner-joy when I see my friends have a simple idea and take it to the utmost fruition of their dreams.

I met Gabby in 2006, she was a publicist for a friend’s nightclub on the lower east side. What? This spiritual leader who has millions of followers was a publicist at a nightclub? Yes! I am one of the lucky ones who has witnessed Gabby’s transformation from lost in the world of NYC’s toxic nightlife to someone who went thru sober recovery and into the spiritual spotlight. She cleaned up her act, discovered her core desires and mastered studying A Course in Miracles and Kundalini yoga. She now walks her talk loud and clear, shining her spiritual light.

It is my honor to invite you to join Gabby’s Spirit Junkie Masterclass, which launches in a few weeks. To get you jazzed about it, please watch this video to see how her teachings will benefit YOUR life, put you in the right direction, clear your blocks to your confidence and provide direction you can act on right NOW. I know there are a few common issues that hold us back from truly stepping into our power, and Gabby tackles them in these free videos.

Are you questioning if your story is one to tell? IT IS! Are you looking for inspiration to become a true leader?

Click here and learn... • The 3 most important steps to owning your power as a leader • How to overcome doubt and uncertainty • The #1 way to feel connected to your purpose

For real, just watch this video and you'll immediately feel more confident!

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Agent of Change: Linda Orlick aka My Mom

My mother is an incredibly strong woman! She turns 70 years old this week and has led a phenomenal life filled with a big heart and a lot of love. In my recent role-change to a mother, I have learned to appreciate her on a different level and truly appreciate the sacrifices she made to raise me. Her loyalty and devotion to her family is something I look to replicate for my son. Her continuous strive to work, so she can live a comfortable life is something I already am repeating.  Her positive spin that she puts out to the world is something I continue to do. I am proud to say in so many ways I am so much like her.

My mother ran a successful luxury public relations business for over 30 years. She started the Women’s Jewelry Association of America. She volunteered for many years at Spirituality for Kids, teaching children how to make good decisions and God’s Love We Deliver, who improves the health and well-being of men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses by alleviating hunger and malnutrition.  When most people are slowing down at her ripe age, she recently became a real estate sales person joining the Nick Athanail team at the Corcoran Group .

My mother is always that family member who coordinates all of the distant cousins to get together for the holidays. She always cooks the family meals and invites limitless friends to the table who have no place to go. I know that’s the kind of mom I want to be.

Happy Birthday Mom! Thank you for all that you have done for me.

P.S. If you are looking for a new home in NYC, please email my mom TODAY! She has FOUR delicious grandchildren to spoil.

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Agent of Change: Celeste Onorati

There are some people you just meet in life who you vibe with instantaneously. Celeste is the magical brain and artist behind Jai Mala Rose beaded necklaces. Before I go further, if you know me at all, I LOVE the smell of roses and I have been seeing the hugging guru Amma for the last ten years at her annual visits to NYC.

I had been gifted a Jai Mala Rose bracelet for years not knowing it was made from Amma’s rose petals and then was gifted a mala necklace from a dear friend in common who wanted my then-pregnant baby to be protected by the magic of the rose beads. Finally at Amma 2014, I met Celeste, this gorgeous silver haired, genuine woman and felt an instant connection to her and her family. Her story is beautiful of how she collected the rose petals from Amma and makes the beads from rolling them, drying them and setting them on a strand. I feel so blessed to wear her jewelry proud. 

I am proud to have this gorgeous maternal figure and friend in my life. She has helped me thru life’s blessings and challenges utilizing her brilliant astrology knowledge and simple motherly instinct.. Celeste understands and soothes me. She’s the kind of person I want around me at all times.  

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Happy 5th Anniversary Agent of Change!

Five years ago, you were simply my dream!

You envisioned a world where you could make a difference. You wanted a new beat to strum to, a platform for impact, to become a catalyst for change on a global level.

You had multifaceted interests, ones that became the core of your being.

Deep ties to health and wellness. Purpose when working with children. A rediscovery of self through women’s initiatives. Activism for veterans. Advocacy for social, political, cultural justice.  

After SIXTY events produced, MILLIONS of dollars raised for charities around the world, DOZENS of strategic marketing campaigns launched, innumerable connections made, ups, downs, challenges, and milestones, you’ve come a long way.

We’ve all come a long way. Together!.

I am so proud of you, Agent of Change, and all of the people who have helped my dream come alive.

Only the future can reveal what’s next, but with it, I humbly bring my expertise, humility, generosity, and love. First up… Agent of Change branded events!

I would like to thank our every client from the past five years as well as the supporters, collaborators, and guides who have gotten us to this incredible milestone.

Non-Profit Organizations Fundraisers

Africa Yoga Project, Bent On Learning, Blue School, David Lynch Foundation, Define American, Equality Now, Films Without Borders, Garrison Institute, God’s Love We Deliver, The Headstrong Project, Hip Hop Theater Festival, JPHRO/Stiller Foundation, Lower Eastside Girls Club, One Day on Earth, Nomad: Two Worlds, Pencils of Promise, Ripa Ladrang Foundation, RUSH Philanthropic Arts Foundation, Shine on Sierra Leone, Spirituality for Kids, Team Rubicon, Tibet House US, Ubuntu Education Fund, Urban Zen Foundation, V-Day, Walkabout Foundation.  

Live Events

Big Love Weekend, Dot2Dot Summit, Emerging Women Live Conference, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Newark Peace Education Summit, Huffington Post Oasis, John’s Hopkins University’s Global Education + Technology Health Summit, London-New York Festival, lululemon athletica’s Gospel of Sweat, Marie Forleo’s Rich, Happy + Hot LIVE, One Billion Rising, Yoga Aid Challenge.

Launch Events, Strategic Marketing Campaigns and More

Individuals such as: Senator Cory Booker, Kris Carr, Rachel Grady, Heidi Ewing, Matthew Heineman, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Alejandro Junger, Dr. Raphael Kellman, Dr. Woody Merrell, Dr. Aviva Romm, Dr. Larry Rosen, Dr. Neha Sangwan, Todd Stone, Alisa Vitti, Marianne Williamson. 

Companies such as: wellb, Smartypants Vitamins, Acts of Happiness, Changeheros.com, Curewear, Continuum Center for Health and Healing and the Kellman Center for Integrative and Functional Medicine, OMG. I Can Meditate!..

And a big shout out to my team members, mentors, teachers and friends who have gotten me here…Eve Simonsen-Martinez, Maeve Roughton, Harper Spero, Danielle Posa, Esat Alijaj, Tanysha Marbury, Daniela Plattner, Sivan Bachar, Rebecca Calautti, Shana Dickstein, Justine Hoagland, Brenda Berliner, Greg Friedlander, Parag Jangbari, Laurie Jamaitus, Lori Benson, Miriam Kuroszczyk, Robert Braunfeld, Darren Lisiten, Heidi Krupp-Lisiten, Garald Farnham, Jack Katz, Stephan Weiss (RIP), Donna Karan, Russell Simmons, Rodney Yee, Colleen Saidman Yee, Sharon Gannon, Bob + Nena Thurman, Dechen Thurman, Eddie Stern, Elena Brower, Baron Baptiste, Paige Elenson, Seane Corn, Hala Khouri, Suzanne Sterling, Kerri Kelly, Jeff Krasno, Deepak Chopra, Kris Carr, Regena ‘Mama Gena’ Thomashauer, Marie Forleo, Danielle LaPorte, Gabby Bernstein, Marianne Williamson, Kate Northrup, Terri Cole, Rochelle Schieck, Elana Kilkenny, Dr. Deb Kern, Tiffany Persons, Tracey Toomey McQuade, Joyce Englander Levy, Leilani Bishop, Leilani Johnson, Frank Andolino, Linda Goldstein, Dr. Peter Reznik, Martin Cohen, Bob Hoffman (RIP), Teddy Vann (RIP), Marc Levin, Barbara Kopple, Michael Skolnik, Laura Dawn, Daron Murphy, Michelle Manning, Mike De La Rocha, Beverly Bond, Heather Rae, Ginny Suss, Tina Farris, Dream Hampton, Tarik Trotter, Ahmir ?uestlove Thompson, Martin Luther, Richard Nichols (RIP), Nicole Patrice DeMember, Anjali Kumar, Assemblyman Michael Blake, Yode Owens, Jamie Daves, James Benedict, Ashley Allen, Aric Webb, Ali Franco, Russell James, Jennifer McCrea, Laurie Meadoff, Sunny Bates, Joanne Heyman, Amanda Slavin, Gary Goldstein, Clay Hebert, Michael Fishman, Jim Kwik, Julia Cohen, Felice Capon, Lara Ross, Todd Ross, Tamar Kuznick, Ariel Palitz, Meredith Geller, Michelle Goldblum, Nitika Chopra, Jamie Graber, Amy Dewhurst, Stephanie Papa, Barry Cole, Stevie Cox, Wayne Price, Adam Bauer, Gaura Vani, Mariel Hemingway, Aboubakar Fofana, Marcella Echavarria, Celeste Oronati, Jason Patrick, Sulaika Zarrouk, Gabby Karan DeFelice, Priya Panjabi, Lisa Weiss, Mackenzie Keyes, Gillian Cilibrasi, Marni Lewis, Amir + Tas Dossal and Amma.

And, of course, to my precious family—

Elijah Goldstein, Linda Orlick, Jay Goldstein, Joya Powell Goldstein, Ari + Laura Goldstein, Sydney Goldstein, Devin Goldstein, Jake Goldstein, Paul + Rachel Kerzner, and my 96-year-old-grandmother-who-is-still-rocking-what-she-got, Claire Goldstein.

 Onward and upward we go…

Come from love, Rachel P. Goldstein Founder / CEO

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Agent of Change – Mama Gena

Agent of Change – Mama Gena

My existence as a woman has been redefined. Yes, REDEFINED—This past month, I completed Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts Mastery Program, where I have never felt so in touch with my true desires. All of the self-awareness I had before has been shaken, rattled and rolled. I now possess a greater understanding of the strength I have within and my purpose as a woman.

I went into Mastery thinking I was focusing on healing my heart from a past relationship, but like all serendipitous moments in life, I took away so much more. I am a better mom, daughter and sister.

Over four months, Mama Gena’s program took me and 300 other women on a spectacular journey of reframing what it actually means to be a woman in this patriarchal world and the crucial part we all play. We identified and unified our core principles. Together, we felt loved, honored, respected and empowered from the deepest point inside and most external point out. She eradicated the patterns inherent in being raised in a tough society and built us up to delicately yet purposely shine on our own. Mama Gena has successfully created a safe, sacred place where all thoughts, feelings and emotions are embraced, listened to and supported. We, as women, need that!

I’ve been through multiple life coaching courses, both individual and group settings, and I must say Mama Gena shed light in a way I had never experienced before—from the simplest to the most complicated aspects of life. Whether it was my daily movement routine designed to rid me of negative energy or learning how to master the way I guide through all relationships with men and loved ones. I have a new bonafide way of approaching with practices, rituals and beliefs.

One of the things I really respected about this course and why I share her wisdom with you all now is that Mama Gena kept the topics current and relatable. For example, she addressed the recent tragedy in Charleston and how that unfortunate soul just needed a proper female figure in his life to guide him to love instead of hate.

Every woman on planet needs to do this program. It is my dream to inspire hundreds women each year to engage in Mama Gena’s Mastery program. Her life-lessons are that powerful.

 I reaffirmed my desires.

 I reaffirmed my inner truth.

I reaffirmed my womanhood.

Sign up for next year’s Mastery Program now!

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Agent of Change: Colleen Saidman Yee

I’ve been waiting to write this blog for so many years: it is with great excitement that my teacher, my friend, the beautiful Colleen Saidman Yee has her first book coming out TODAY! Yoga For Life: A Journey into Inner Peace and Freedom is on sale NOW. I believe it was 2001 when I spent Christmas in Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos at my first of many Rodney Yee yoga retreats with some close friends. I had told Rodney that I was going to spend New Years Eve in the Hamptons and he told me on New Year’s Day morning to go to a yoga class at Yoga Shanti in Sag Harbor. And so I did. I wanted to start the New Year on the right foot. I got to this packed class and this tall blonde beauty taught me one of the most special yoga classes of my life. In my innocent manner, I went up to her after class and said “Hi… I’m Rachel and Rodney sent me to your class!” thinking she would be excited to hear that. She gave a little giggle and said, “Oh that’s nice!” yet with a inner smile on her face. Little did I know that time was the beginning of their deep love and to this day one of the strongest unions of two people I have ever known. When I was the Director of Program Development at the Urban Zen Foundation for four years, I spent time developing some legendary events with them in creating the Urban Zen Integrative Therapy program. When I left the organization, I accomplished the Yoga Shanti 300-hour Teacher Training where I got to spend one weekend for eight months with these incredible inspirations. I had always been in awe of Rodney’s masterful knowledgeable language and how he taught yoga was always like poetry to me. Adding Colleen’s detail, feminine heart, along with her rocking playlists, it really is a true blessing to have them as my teachers. I felt so good, so empowered inside; I really miss those days of being under their spell. Yoga For Life is a raw, true story of Colleen’s journey from a small town girl addicted to drugs growing up in Indiana to becoming a top fashion model, finding her true self in her yoga practice and thankfully sharing her wisdom with the world. I have always been a believer that true love will find its way. I hope one day to have the love that #ColRod have... Mazel tov on your book Col! I want to read it again and again and again. I love you deeply!!!

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Agent of Change: Lynne Goldberg

The people we meet affect us in powerful ways, and through the work we do at Agent of Change I am given opportunities to meet incredible and wonderful leaders who leave a lasting and positive impression on me and the world.

Lynne Goldberg is one of those people.

I am so fortunate to love our new client OMG. I Can Meditate!, but most of all its co-founder and the voice of its meditations, Lynne Goldberg, who has innocently crept into my bedroom every morning with a soft yet powerful voice urging me to be still for just 10 to 15 minutes every morning.

I must admit, getting back on track with meditation post-childbirth has been a challenge for me. I’ve been in this kind of limbo, wondering if I should go with my guru Amma’s mantra or go back to Transcendental Meditation. Throughout my pregnancy I solely focused on birth meditations, and so for nine months I broke away from both of these practices (rightfully so – the birth meditations were transformational for me during that time!) But now that I’ve got my bundle of joy I’m ready to refocus, and being able to test-drive the OMG. I Can Mediate! app came at the perfect time. I was able to ease back into my practice, with baby in tow, and find time for myself every morning.

This is so needed!

From the morning meditations to the weekly meditations to the one that puts me into a deep between feedings sleep, I am hooked on OMG. I Can Meditate! They even have meditations for kids (don’t you love the mindful culture we now live in?). Now that’s a whole new smile on my face knowing my son will have a practice. I aim to open this to him at age four. I can only imagine what I would be like today if meditation was made available to me at such a young age.

I encourage you to download OMG. I Can Meditate! today to experience what peace of mind feels like.

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Agent of Change: Christiane Northrup, M.D.

There are powerful women in the world and then there are the women who exude power to highest level because their wisdom of the female body.

I met this beautiful women’s health guru, Dr. Christiane Northrup, while producing the 2007 Urban Zen Well-Being Forum and I was simply in awe of her knowledge. I followed Dr. Northrup’s career year after year, soaking up her insight wherever I could. We finally connected in one of the most poignant ways possible – at a Colleen Saidman Yee yoga retreat in Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos alongside late 5 Rhythms creator Gabrielle Roth while we all learned about Divine Power of the feminine. It was incredible to say the least. I have been so lucky to have remained in touch with Dr. Northrup (and her incredible daughter Kate has been a dear friend to me, too!).

Dr. Northrup’s new book, Goddesses Never Age: Thriving with Each Passing Year, is on sale today! I for one want to learn everything possible to remain ageless.

Goddesses Never Age is about adopting a new, ageless attitude that will help you flourish physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. You’ll find out how to nourish your body and look fabulous year after year. You’ll learn to upgrade the relationships you have with others, your body, and the Earth. You’ll also find ideas that will challenge you to let go of the negative misconception about women’s health and aging—myths which many women have internalized and cause aging.

Here are a few tidbits that will get you as excited about Dr. Northrup’s wisdom as I was that first time we met:

Start acting now to get your mind straight about age

Stop limiting your beliefs on what aging is all about

Stop using your aches and pains as reasons to cease being productive in your life

And no matter what, learn a new pattern of thinking.

It is the first time at Agent of Change where the Agent of Change of the Month and our featured guest interview are the same. I bow to Christiane as she deserves it all.

Buy Goddesses Never Age today!!

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Agent of Change: Dr. Raphael Kellman

Some doctors just got it! Got it like I wish all doctors on the planet had it.

Dr. Raphael Kellman is a purebred when it comes to understanding and practicing integrative and functional medicine. He treats the whole body, not just the disease.

What I truly adore about him is that the way he so naturally and passionately speaks about medicine – it’s like listening to a symphony of music flow through my ears. I have been using alternative medicine practices since 1997 when I returned to the USA from a trip to India that left me in terrible pain for a year of my life. No western doctor could figure out was wrong with me but every time I moved the upper left side of my body I was in pure agony. One day I walked into my still-to-this-day-coveted acupuncturist’s office where she put three needles in and just like that the pain was gone! I learned then that I wanted a doctor who looked at everything that was going on with me in my life and in my body instead of offering me a pill to make the pain stop. Dr. Kellman is one of those doctors.

Dr. Kellman is the real deal. His heart is huge and his commitment to medicine is a dynamic one. At The Kellman Center, his practice located in the heart of Midtown east, he guides a team that does more than treat ailments, they heal people, including the growing number of those suffering from autism and thyroid issues. But it is his latest book, The Microbiome Diet, that really sets the bar on understanding the renewed potentials of healing, health, and medicine. Dr. Kellman believes if you heal the healthy bacteria living inside you and treat them with love, compassion, and the right food choices, your woes will disappear, or even better, be prevented.

He is our kind of doctor.

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Aging Is Optional - Christiane Northrup, MD

Years ago a photographer friend of mine was reading a book called Gray Dawn. And it scared him to death. It was all about the coming burden that having so many old people would have on civilized society. I wasn’t interested in reading the book then and I’m even less interested now. Why? Because between back then and now, I have actually grown younger. And the same can be true for anybody.

What do I mean by younger? I mean that though my chronologic age has increased, my biologic age has actually decreased. I’m stronger, leaner, and more confident than I ever was back in my twenties and thirties. And my eyeglass prescription is weaker than it was 10 years ago. I suspect that my eyesight will continue to improve. I also don’t state my age. I don’t want anyone’s preconceived notion about age to adversely affect my biology.

You see, each of us has the power to affect another—for better or for worse. The tribe I hang with doesn’t’ engage in ageist talk or activities. Nor do we have “organ recitals” in which we one-up each other on our latest blood test results, meds, and doctor’s visits. We don’t complain about how tired we are either. None of that. And that makes me a true agent of change. Why? Because most people have been taught since childhood that getting older means inevitable decline.

Recently, I saw a Facebook photo that showed a group of 5th graders demonstrate what they would look like in 50 years. Every child bent over and hobbled as though they had to use a cane. At the age of 10, they had already been programmed to expect decrepitude. And so, of course, have most others. Clearly you don’t have to look very far to see how effective the decrepitude cultural belief system really is.

But a growing body of research on healthy people, including those who are living until 100 or later, paints a very different picture. Dr. Mario Martinez , founder of the Institute of Biocognitive Science and author of The Mind Body Code (Sounds True , 2014) has studied hundreds of healthy centenarians on five continents. And he found that though their lifestyles differ, they all have a number of things in common, which Martinez refers to as Centenarian Consciousness. And that consciousness is a powerful belief system that transcends genetics and profoundly impacts biology. Note: most centenarians live far longer than their parents did.

Centenarian consciousness includes the following:

1. Being a rebel. They don’t go along with the herd and they tend to be the black sheep of their family.

2. Standing up for yourself and your life. For example, when asked if he could interview one of them on a Saturday morning, the reply was, “No I’m sorry. That won’t work. That’s when I have my tango lesson.” They don’t give up their own lives for the sake of others. In other words, they are not codependent nor are they martyrs.

3. Not being medicalized. Centenarians don’t go to doctors. Their doctors are usually dead.

4. They indulge in daily rituals of pleasure, which can include anything from enjoying a cigar to having a glass of whiskey. But they don’t overindulge in these substances.

5. They don’t like to be around “old people.” They hang with tribes that support health and wellbeing.

6. They are future oriented. For example, Martinez admired the garden of a man who was 102. He replied, “Wait ‘til you see it in three years.”

I do not have a personal goal of  living to 100. I simply want to live fully until my last breath. Something that my soul and I have already decided on, I’m sure. But here’s what I do know. I’d like to die in my sleep—preferably after making love. (That’s how lots of centenarians die, actually.) Medical intuitive Caroline Myss summed up the root cause of most illnesses when she wrote in The Anatomy of the Spirit “Our biographies become our biology.” So true.

No one makes it until the age of 50 without having experienced some fairly nasty run-ins with life. Each of which has the potential to leave a mark on your biology—and lives in our tissues and cells and fascia until we acknowledge and release it. We’ve all experienced the loss of our innocence. We’ve all been wounded by at least one of the three ways that our families and cultures try to keep us in line: betrayal, abandonment, and shame. (Dr. Martinez named these, and they are consistent wounds doled out by cultures throughout the world as a way to keep tribal members under control.) How we decide to name and deal with these wounds has everything to do with how well and healthfully we will live out our lives.

Here’s what I want everyone to know. We don’t develop the “diseases of aging,” such as cancer, heart disease, or arthritis, out of the blue simply because we’ve turned 50. We develop them because our souls are trying to get our attention so that we can upgrade our attitudes and behaviors. This takes courage. And patience. And also the willingness to risk being a beacon of change and hope and health. No matter what your chronologic age happens to be.

This information is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease. 
All material in this article is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program.

© Christiane Northrup, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Christiane Northrup, M.D., is an ob/gyn physician, the New York Times bestselling author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause, and a leading authority in the field of women’s health and wellness. After spending decades transforming women’s understanding of their sacred bodies and processes, Dr. Northrup now teaches women to embrace a new mindset and thrive at every stage of life in Goddesses Never Age: The Secret Prescription for Radiance, Vitality, and Well-being (February 2015, Hay House). She is also thrilled with her new company A-ma-ta, derived from “ageless” and “eternal,” and devoted to creating and distributing products to support ageless goddesses everywhere. Don’t miss Dr. Northrup’s cutting-edge information. Follow her at www.drnorthrup.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and her Internet radio show Flourish!

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Agent of Change - Mike de la Rocha

Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I think of all the true agents of change in my life.  This past month, the bar got set even higher.

With deep tears of awe in my eyes, I sat back and witnessed my friends change history this November, all led by a true social justice visionary for changing the culture of incarceration our country is engulfed in – Mike de la Rocha! From the moment that Michael Skolnik introduced me to Mike many moons ago, I knew I found a friend forever. I’m humbled to know him and watch him become the kind of leader this generation (and the world) needs. 

Mike spearheaded the brilliant Proposition 47 (aka Prop47 aka Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act) in the state of California that was passed this past Election Day, November 4, 2014.  This proposition will reclassify drug and theft crimes that involve less than $950 of substances or stolen goods from felonies to misdemeanors. This reform will improve public safety, reduce prison spending, and invest hundreds of millions in K-12 schools, victim services, and mental health and drug treatment. Simply put, it just makes so much sense.

To witness Mike was to witness a force: he drove this mission from door to door petitioning to connecting with Jay Z and having him announce the Prop47 issue on stage at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA just weeks before the election to having Rosario Dawson plug it throughout her social channels. It shows the power of a dream manifesting and coming true in its most impactful form.

Approximately 7,000 inmates have been released from prison so far under the new Prop47 guidelines. My dream is that every state listens to the practical wisdom of Mike De La Rocha so our children’s lives, educations, and communities can move forward in dynamic and positive ways.

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Mike is the founder of Revolve Impact, a social impact firm that puts arts + culture at the center of change, and advises federal, state and local elected officials on criminal justice issues. He was named one of the top 100 people to watch in 2014 by GOOD Magazine and received Hispanicize’s Positive Impact Award for Living Rooms Across America, an award- winning tour and series of curated events that utilizes music and storytelling as a vehicle to shift the public conversation around violence.