Lifedreams Unlimited - Home of Dream Yourself Awake and Conscious Women Conscious Lives by Darlene Montgomery

Contributing Authors

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Rhobbin Alexis has her own radio show, The Mystic with Rhobbin Alexis, which airs on Talk Radio 1340 KIST-AM in Santa Barbara, California. Call in for a free live on air reading any Saturday morning from 10am to noon pacific coast time at 805-879- 5478. Even if you can’t get the show in your area, you can get a free reading!

Rhobbin’s first book Raising Humanity, Birthing Our Global Family by Rhobbin Alexis and 22 storytellers is available through www.amazon.com and has a very compelling endorsement from Darlene on the back cover! Raising Humanity was created to raise consciousness through sharing soulful stories of people who remember that we are the future teachers of peace. She believes it is our ultimate responsibility to future generations. The very soul of humanity is at stake. Rhobbin can be reached at www.mysticradio.us or call her for a private reading at 310-273-8655 ext 3.

Sybil Barbour resides in Kitchener, Ontario with her husband and an aged cat. She is a retired registered nurse and midwife. She’s recently fulfilled a lifelong dream of traveling to Italy, Greece, Scotland, and New Zealand. You can contact her at sybilbarbour@sympatico.ca.

Nell Berry is a newly published author of Growing Up In Missouri and Other Short Stories, which may be purchased from www.publishamerica.com, Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. She is 74 years old and has four children, nine grandchildren, and two great granddaughters. Her husband of 55 years is a woodworker who can build just about anything out of wood. Nell’s activities include sewing, crocheting, cooking, and, of course, writing poems, song lyrics and short stories. She is a regular attendee at her church and loves to sing the gospel songs.

Cynthia Brian, New York Times best-selling co-author of Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul , author of Be the Star You Are!®, 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference, The Business of Show Business, and Miracle Moments®. is an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, personal growth consultant, host of radio and TV shows, syndicated columnist, and acting coach. Often referred to by the media as “the Renaissance woman with soul!" Cynthia is a world traveler who speaks French, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch. With nearly three decades of experience working in the entertainment field as an actor, producer, writer, coach, designer, and casting director, she has had the honor of performing with some of the biggest names in the industry. She is the Founder/CEO of the 501 (c)(3) charity, Be the Star You Are! That empowers families and youth at risk through literacy and positive media. Her motto is “To be a leader, you must be a reader!” Cynthia is dedicated to helping others achieve their dreams by implementing their unique gifts, and she has coached many aspiring thespians, writers, and professionals to fame and fortune.

For more information contact Cynthia Brian at
Starstyle® Productions, LLC
PO Box 422
Moraga, CA 94556
925-377-STAR (7827)
www.star-style.com, www.starstyleproductions.com, www.bethestaryouare.org

Julia Cameron is an active artist who teaches internationally. A poet, playwright, fiction writer, and essayist, she has extensive credits in film, television, and theater, and she is an award-winning journalist. She is author of the best-selling book on creative practice, The Artist's Way, and has taught and refined her methods for nearly two decades.

Georgina Cannon is a Board Certified Hypnotherapist, a Doctor of Metaphysical Counseling, NLP Master, Timeline practitioner, and Past Life Regression Therapist. In addition, she is an accredited instructor for the National Guild of Hypnotists, the Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association, and the International Board of Regression Therapies. She is recognized by many in the media as “The Source” for expert opinion in the field of hypnotherapy and issues around complementary wellness treatments, and she regularly meets with medical and wellness professionals to enhance their knowledge and awareness of hypnosis, past life journeys, and the dynamic healing potential of soul.

She is also on the Advisory Board of the National Guild of Hypnotists. She facilitates past life research and regression sessions, and specializes in enabling clients to achieve major life changes, healing personal and emotional issues. Dr. Cannon has been featured in many national print and broadcast news articles and television programs, including a three-part, one-hour series on CBC Television, broadcast in the fall of 2004. She is a regular guest on the Shirley MacLaine on-line radio show, where she offers advice on past life regression and related topics. Her book Return: Experience the Power of the Past, Past Life Regression and You takes the reader on a personal journey of exploration through past life research and regression. For more on Georgina Cannon, visit www.ont-hypnosis-centre.com or call 416-489-0333 (out of town calls: 1-866-497-7469).

Darlene Christianson currently lives north of Toronto with her wonderful husband Tom and son Brandon, whom she is extremely proud of. She is also inspired by the work ethics of her lovely daughter Farris-lee who is going into her second year of university. They are her pride and joy. She wears a "few hats" these days within her career. Darlene designs and sells homes for a Canadian manufacturer. She also co-hosts a local entertainment and lifestyle show called "Daytime" on Rogers Television as well as assisting her husband with his company Venture Bound Tours. She lives her life always looking for new adventures ahead of her. Her email is gbay@rogers.com, and her website is www.ventureboundtours.com

Suzanne K. Coy, of African and Indigenous descent, graduated from the National Theatre School and has taught Transformational Acting Workshops across North America. Suzanne, or Zan for short, is a multi-talented artist, poet, producer, and storyteller. Zan has numerous credits as an actor in film, television, and theatre. She has tailor-made various corporate workshops, including ‘Creating a Stress-Free Workplace.’ Her mission is to train people to be certified laughers who go on to laugh all the time for no reason. After 20 years she continues to lend her talents toward developing and facilitating children’s workshops that use creativity to teach life skills. Zan wrote, directed, and produced the successful one-woman show, ‘Avoid the Void,’ which played in Anaheim, California, and Edmonton, Alberta. As founder of Lovetown Productions, she has written and performed many comedic sketches, poems, and cultural stories for the various communities. She studied Consulting for Communities of Color in Oakland, California, and she is an associate member of the National Community Development Institute. She feels the role of the artist is to activate transformation in oneself and the community.

She is currently touring her new comedic one woman show as well as producing a multicultural television show that merges the genres of situation comedy, stand-up and sketch comedy. With writers Neil Ross and Sharon Temple, as well as Historic Site Coordinator Cara Reeves, she is presenting “The Peace Rights and Freedoms Game: A Canadian History for the Classroom.” This story chronicles events from the First Nations and the Children of Peace, whose ideas led to Responsible Government and to the Canadian Charter of Rights. This participatory experiential approach to the history of democracy in Canada uses theatre games, mask, dance, drum, stand-up comedy, and rap to engage students in the democratic process, prepare them to be critical voters, explore character and key values in the development of Canadian society, and apply these values to their own lives and modern situations. Suzanne can be reached at hu_more@yahoo.com.

Carolyn DeMarco is a physician and author. She was one of the first to advocate the proactive approach to health. Throughout her career, she has advocated on behalf of women’s rights to make informed choices about drugs and surgery. She was a pioneer in natural childbirth and a leading proponent of midwifery. She counsels women and men to use safe natural alternatives whenever possible. She has written two books, Take Charge of Your Body, Women's Health Advisor and Dr. DeMarco Answers Your Questions. She is currently working on a third book entitled Overcoming Life's Tsunamis.

Lori Davila is a nationally recognized career/life coach, recruiting expert, and author. She specializes in strategically shaping career changers’ unique competitive advantages and making connections that attract exciting job leads. For corporations, Lori directs large-scale hiring initiatives. She writes a career and networking column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and regularly contributes to The Wall Street Journal. Lori’s book, How to Choose the Right Person for the Right Job Every Time (McGraw-Hill), includes 401 behavior-based and other interview questions for both hiring managers and job seekers. Lori has appeared on numerous radio programs and in national publications.

Donna Eden is one of the world's most effective healers. Able from childhood to clairvoyantly see the body’s subtle energies, she not only works with those energies to further health, happiness, and vitality, she has made a career of teaching people who do not see subtle energies how to work with them— joyfully and effectively. She has treated over 10,000 individual clients and has taught hundreds of classes, speaking to packed houses throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South America. Donna consistently exhilarates and amazes her audiences. She offers exciting, empowering, invaluable classes that can be attended by laypeople as well as professionals. More and more of her work is becoming available in books and video training programs.

When Laila Ghattas isn’t gallivanting around the world facilitating life-altering retreats, she offers Truly Madly Deeply workshops in Toronto to individuals and corporations. Laila is an artist, Gestalt therapist, Reiki practitioner, sea kayaker and founder of Aziza Healing Adventures. She designs and leads workshops and retreats for women, men, couples, youths and mixed groups who seek true personal growth. Her passionate belief in the combined healing power of creativity, nature, psychotherapy and movement manifests in wellness programs that deliver creative self-discovery and gentle eco-journeys in Canada, USA, Mexico, Bali, Europe and the South Pacific.

Laila speaks and publishes on creativity, the power of language, self-acceptance and compassion, and the healing benefits of retreats. She has a private therapy practice in Toronto. Look for her book, Impeccable Leadership: Compassion at Work, a must-have handbook for progressive corporations. Contact Laila at laila@aziza.ca or visit her on line at www.aziza.ca

Karen Haffey is from and currently living in Toronto, Canada. She has also studied, worked and played in Montreal, Vancouver, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. She runs her own creative wellness company called kultivate, reaching out to individuals and groups to facilitate self-growth and community, and works with people in long-term care offering complementary therapies and creative programming.

Karen earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University, certification in Polarity Therapy and Cranial Sacral Therapy from the New Mexico Academy of Healing Arts, and has other training and experience with the private and nonprofit sectors and in the field of complementary healthcare. She is an avid and published writer and, in general, a seeker of ways to live from her creative soul! It is her intention to experience, inspire, and encourage creative healing that cultivates body, mind, and spirit. For more information, please visit www.kultivate.ca or contact Karen directly by e-mailing karen@kultivate.ca.

Ellie Braun-Haley lives in an old country home where she can walk the countryside and feel the nearness of God. She says, “There will be more stories because I believe the contacts will continue, even increase. The tie to my son remains, and I hold onto the words he gave me in a dream: ‘But, Mom, death is not forever.’ ” Her book, A Little Door, A Little Light, ISBN 1-894446-92-X, is available through Eagle Valley Research (evrcanada.com). Look on the Menu bar for Eagle Creek Publishers at the web address)

Susan Higgins grew up on the high plains of Wyoming, and life has taken her far from her Western roots. Marriage and raising a family took precedence over her girl-reporter
dreams, yet the love of the written word has never been far from her heart. These days Susan uses her life experiences and spiritual insights to write short stories, articles, and poems from her home in central Pennsylvania. When she isn't writing, Susan can be found running her own fudge and ice cream business in Lancaster's Historic Central Market. You can visit her website at www.PennsylvaniaFudgeCompany.com

Monique Howat is a youth motivator and the founder of Confident Girls and Guys. She presents self-esteem and character-building workshops at elementary and high schools in and around the Toronto area. Monique offers training on the principles of self-esteem, public speaking, coaching for parents or teens, leadership for women and consultation services for at-risk youth programming. You can visit her website at www.confidentgirlsguys.com

Maxine Hyndman is the author of the recently published book The Naked Millionaire. As a money and marketing coach, Maxine has helped hundreds of individuals make financial leaps in their lives by sharing her unique perspective on the relationship between ourselves and our money and the inevitable, dynamic connection between ‘whealth’ – a healthy relationship with money – and marketing that we eventually come to in our journey to abundance. As a money and marketing coach, she focuses specifically on how to allow whealth through the power of authentic self-promotion. Find out more about ‘whealth’ at the website: www.thenakedmillionaire.com.

Karen Jeffery spent a lifetime as an entrepreneur, establishing and managing many businesses on the US mainland, in Hawaii, and throughout the South Pacific islands. A passionate, experienced businesswoman, for 35 years she directed her various companies: dance studios, an arts company, a macadamia farm, a restaurant and catering business, an international brokerage, investment and management firms, and several non-profits and islander causes. Finally Karen took a one-year sabbatical. Three years later, she has rediscovered her life-long passion for writing and resurrected a body of work reaching back further than her professional career. Following her bliss, she now writes novels, short stories, and poems from her hilltop home in beautiful Maui. Visit her website at www.mauiwriter.com.

Susan Jeffers, Ph.D. Few people have helped change as many lives as much-loved author and leading self-help authority Susan Jeffers, Ph.D., who first captured the world’s heart nearly twenty years ago with her acclaimed book Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. Sales of Susan’s numerous best-selling works are in the millions, reaching more than 100 countries and translated into over 36 languages.

Susan is best known for her teachings on overcoming fear, healing relationships, and moving forward in life with confidence, joy and love. Susan’s eighteen titles to date also include Feel the Fear and Beyond, End the Struggle and Dance with Life, Embracing Uncertainty, The Little Book of Confidence, The Little Book of Peace of Mind, I Can Handle It! (a manual for young children), Life is Huge! and The Feel the Fear Guide to Lasting Love. Susan has also authored the Fear- Less series of affirmation books and audios.

In 2004, the Times of the U.K. named Susan “the Queen of Self-Help,” ranking her alongside such influential gurus as Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and Deepak Chopra. A year earlier, the popular spiritual consciousness magazine Kindred Spirit gave Susan the award for Best Personal Development Book of the year. As well as being a celebrated workshop leader and speaker, Susan has appeared on Oprah numerous times and many other national and international radio and television shows.

Susan’s popular website (www.susanjeffers.com) is widely visited for her daily affirmation, Feel the Fear stories, and her monthly article. She recently launched a new company, Jeffers Press, in order to publish her own books and those of other inspirational writers. Susan received her master’s degree and doctorate in psychology from Columbia University. She lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband, Mark Shelmerdine.

Sylvia Jong has been a student of Eckankar for the past 25 years. She flies for a major Canadian carrier and is a member of its emergency response team. A former hospice volunteer, she now devotes her free time to working with a special child who does not speak and has other complex challenges.

Sue Kenney Pilgrim Author. Speaker. Leader. Following a successful international career in the high tech industry, Sue was suddenly downsized, so she decided to go for a long hike on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela; a medieval pilgrimage route in Spain. She walked 780 kilometers, alone in the winter. When she returned home, she developed an artistic practice focused on inspirational speaking, writing, and delivering workshops based on a philosophy of principled leadership. Sue wrote, produced, and recorded a storytelling CD called Stone by Stone . Her first book, My Camino, has attracted international fame, and is well on its way to becoming a national best seller. By applying the discipline learned as a master’s world class rower, she endeavours to tell her stories through a variety of mediums which also includes publishing a monthly newsletter, documentary filmmaking, co-writing a screenplay based on her book, and storytelling. After spending over 20 years in corporate business, Sue now balances a creative artistic approach with the business of being an entrepreneur aligned with her life purpose to inspire others. Sue now lives at her lakeside home north of Toronto. Sue has been seen on Breakfast Television Toronto/Halifax, Good Morning Canada, Omni’s Fineprint, Rogers, CTV, CBC Radio and more. My Camino is available at bookstores. Sue’s website is www.suekenney.ca

Jo Leonard has presented talks and workshops for over 20 years throughout the United States and in Mexico, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and West Africa. Her first two novel-length works of fiction are currently making the rounds of publishers, as are numerous short stories. In addition to speaking and writing, she serves as the Vice President of a commercial printing company. Jo lives in Occoquan, Virginia, a historic village 15 miles south of Washington D.C., with much-loved husband Jerry and two Siamese cats. She may be contacted at jlionhart@aol.com

Césan d’Ornellas Levine is a visual artist. Her work ranges from expressive symbolism to purely abstract. The themes of her color- and texture-rich art orbit around symbols and iconography from diverse religious and mythological streams. The paintings are a search for a universal mystical truth—the common denominator of meaning shared by all. Césan’s work, both inner and outer, represents a deep commitment towards the spiritual.

Césan has home and studio in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada with her husband and two daughters. Her fine art work can be viewed at www.cesan.ca and she can be contacted at cesan@cesan.ca

Deborah Maltman is a Life-Centered Transformational Psychotherapist and Intuitive Catalyst for Healing currently residing in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Deborah is interested in traditional healing and energy healing. She is a student of A Course in Miracles, and her work is guided by her soul’s passions, which include offering her skills as a therapist and marketing fair-trade items from the Kalahari Bushmen of Africa. Deborah is an expert in working with autism. She has a nomadic spirit, believes in miracles, and teaches self-healing. Deborah can be reached by email at realizinghealth@hotmail.com or dmaltman@execulink.com

Jacquelyn Mantell has always maintained an avid interest in healing ever since being wrongly diagnosed as an epileptic when she was a teenager. She has traveled the world over with her doctor husband to attend medical seminars about holistic medicine and new methods of treatment. They work side by side in their medical clinic where Jacquelyn, among other duties, facilitates patient healing by doing holistic counseling with patients. This includes nutritional education along with emotional, mental and spiritual guidance. As co-hosts of a medical talk show, she and her husband have discussed all aspects of holistic healing. Jacquelyn loves to write and teach others about spiritual awareness and how to recognize God’s love in their daily lives. She has been a member of the Eckankar clergy for many years.

Teresa Miller was born and educated in Europe. She works in the fashion business and loves painting and walking. She is the mother of two children. Her life goal is to become a better person, learning how to love others at all times.

Karen Thomas Petherick discovered her passion for books in 1993. Little did she know that working in the printing industry, she was being groomed for her future career.
Many people don’t experience the opportunity of making a career out of their passion, but she has. A book designer with over 300 books carrying her name, she began her journey with the first book A Country Outhouse by John H. Passmore. Shortly afterward, her second project was to redesign Robin S. Sharma’s book MegaLiving. She worked again with Robin on A Monk Who Sold His Ferrari designing the interior layout and coordinating the printing of the book.

Karen works closely with her clients, guiding them through the publishing experience. From evaluation, editing, design, and co-ordination of printing and distribution, she achieves professional, high quality publications.

Over the years clients have included Darlene Montgomery, Dr. Georgina Cannon, Sue Kenney, Colleen Hoffman-Smith, Julie E. Czerneda, Robin S. Sharma, White Knight Publications, Chapters/Indigo and Fitzhenry & Whiteside. Books of inspiration, humor, poetry, history and self-help are just a few of the genres that she has worked on.
Karen lived and raised her three children in the greater Toronto area. In 2001 she moved to the country where she now owns a home on a quiet country acre lot. She is quite proud to be a part of the team of the successful Conscious Women series.

Judy Prang resides in Kingston, Ontario with her husband, Cal. She is a Senior Manager for a major financial institution and volunteers her time on the Board of Directors of The Elizabeth Fry Society of Kingston, an organization that supports women in conflict, or in danger of coming into conflict with the law. As she developed her communication, facilitation and motivational skills, Judy learned that storytelling is a holy way to celebrate our spiritual journeys. Mother of two grown daughters and grandmother of five, she is currently exploring ways to help others record their own family stories as well as working on her first book. Judy can be reached at judyprang@hotmail.com.

Jane Piper is founder and director of SAAV: Survivors & Artists for Abolishing Violence. She is also an actor, writer, political activist, events producer, and rape survivor. Jane grew up in London, Ontario, Canada, and did her BFA in Theatre at Concordia University in Montreal. She has now been living in California for more than 10 years.

Since her brutal attack in 2003, Jane has once again become active as a public speaker. She is now sharing her story, with the intention of spreading awareness on the issue of rape and the healing process that follows. Jane has had the opportunity to speak alongside some fantastic artists also focused on ending violence: Jane Fonda, Eve Ensler (creator of The Vagina Monologues and The Good Body), and actors Jennifer Garner and David Schwimmer. She is a contributing author in Raising Humanity: Birthing Our Global Family by Rhobbin Alexis, for which 10% of the book proceeds go to SAAV. Currently, Jane is living in Marina Del Rey and creating a one-woman show exploring the experience of her assault and how violence has affected her life and the world around her. If you would like to find out more about SAAV or make a contribution, please go to www.ContactSAAV.org or write to Jane at info@ContactSAAV.org.

Jane Durst-Pulkys is a nutritionist with degrees in both the clinical and holistic arenas. While managing a busy practice in Toronto, she has appeared on television broadcasts, facilitated workshops or talks around the world, and done nutritional counseling for a number of F500 companies. She can be contacted at jane@livebloodcell.ca

Carole Punt and her husband enjoy their home in Penticton, British Columbia in concert with, and under the auspices of, two cats. Mugs and Tigger reluctantly allow granddogs visiting rights. Two of her most recently published works are a story that appeared in Angel Cats: Divine Messengers of Comfort by Allen and Linda Anderson and a booklet, Electricity for Health in the 21st Century. She has enjoyed interviews on radio and television and acted in community theatre. As a member of the clergy, she gives talks and facilitates workshops. Right now, a hike along the lake beckons. carole@punt.ca

Betty Jane Rapin, nicknamed BJ, is a clergywoman who is currently the Eckankar Spiritual Services Director for the state of Pennsylvania. She is a writer whose works have been published in a book of poetry and in magazines, newspapers, and newsletters. Some of her stories can be found on websites at www.eckankarofpa.org. These stories are also being translated into Spanish.

Betty has appeared on television and radio shows where she was interviewed about a variety of spiritual subjects. Now retired, she continues to freelance her writing. She is presently working on her first book while teaching adult education at Penn Trafford High School. As well Betty is a public speaker and a lover of life. The motto that appears on her business card reads, “Love puts a smile in your heart, and on your face.”

Laura Reave, Ph. D. has been a writer, editor, and English professor for fifteen years. Her current research interest is spiritual leadership, and she had an article on this topic published in 2005 in the journal Leadership Quarterly. She has a particular interest in spiritual poetry. She is proud to have served as the editor for Conscious Women, Conscious Lives Two as well as Conscious Women, Conscious Careers. She can be reached at lreave@ody.ca.

Susan Regan, former nurse and subject of story by Sue Kenney, now Susan Schellenberg, went on to study art as a mature student while raising her five children. She began to participate in socially engaged art projects involving health issues in the early 1990's. In 1998, Susan's "Shedding Skins” dream art and text was installed as a permanent exhibit in the main lobby of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. Susan's March 2005, "Casting A Vessel" exhibit, ACA Gallery, Toronto, featured the most recent segment of the dream and inner journey she began to paint and record in 1982.

Janine Gwendoline Smith is a Renaissance artist whose love for life fuels her passionate creativity. Defying definition and category, Janine reaches out to share rare sensitivity and vision as Spirit moves her. She pursues excellence in her disciplines of singing, songwriting, painting, design, clay sculpture, poetry, acting and T'ai Chi. In 2002, Janine released her first solo CD, "Love Lives Inside," and has one BRAVO! Video from that CD to date. Janine's music is eclectic, international, and universal, with exquisite arrangements. Her vocal style has been compared to the likes of Sarah Brightman, Kate Bush, Ella Fitzgerald and Elaine Paige. When asked what kind of music she performs, Janine responds, "Beautiful Music." Janine also loves Jazz Standards and can torch a song with her fluidic range.

Janine has always had a great love for visual art and has expressed herself eclectically in this media all her life. At one of her exhibits, an art critic said, "So this is a group show, right?" Love of nature, exaltation of Woman, exploration of our place in the cosmos, attention to detail, delight in color, and strong Asian influence (from three decades of T'ai Chi practice) are all evident in her art. Janine's path is an infinite quest; her purpose is to unfold greater and greater expression of the Divine Potential within.

Dr. Sheryl Valentine is a chiropractor who has been practicing in Southern California since 1985. She has lectured on spiritual principles since 1993, and she has a new book based on her lectures due in Spring 2006, entitled, Oh My God, It's Me! For more about Sheryl visit: www.sherylvalentine.com.

Jackie Woods is the founder of the Adawehi Institute Healing School and Wellness Center in Columbus, N.C. She lives there in a community that holds the intent of empowering the heart for extraordinary living. She has authored several books and numerous CDs. These teachings, along with her internet classes, are now available from the jackiewoods.org web site.

back to top

back to Conscious Women-Conscious Careers