About
I was an overly self-conscious, very small but athletic kid growing up in Beverly Hills in a family connected to the entertainment world. Cinema, theatre, music, song, dance and performance swirled around and enlivened our household.
With part of my youth spent with my business entrepreneur and extra curricular psychology PHD step-father, an interest in active philosophy was also planted in me early on.
Feelings of isolation, separation, super sensitive self-consciousness stifled my self-expression and damaged my self-belief. Not knowing how to “feel” inside to heal the emotional pains I was sensing…preventing myself from fully experiencing and naturally ex-pressing my emotions and thoughts out of fear of what others would think and feel about me.
Themes I’ve worked through my entire life at various levels of discomfort.
Political Science degree UCLA. Next step is supposed to be law school…a conscious default choice, while my heart’s not in it. Not at all.
First Aha:
Formal higher education did not lead me to clarity
on who you want to be, what YOU want to do with your life. Sometimes you’ve got to have the courage to find your way otherwise, to live experiences…
22 years old: One-way ticket to Paris
Fly away to disrupt the patterns, change the ground I was rooted in, the society I was raised in, by landing in another. Leap into the unknown, knowing no one local. A whole new world of possibility opens up amidst sensing uncertainty, feeling lost, separate, disconnected, different…
Second Aha:
SENSUALITY IS EVERYWHERE
the smells and tastes, the chatty cafe life, the leisure time choices – and I love it. Learning to be more present and observant with my attention enhances my appreciation of my experiences, letting it all seep into my soul. My concentration abilities are improving.
STARTING OVER IN PARIS
I don’t know anyone. Hardly speak the language. I know little about the culture, social codes or values. Working a three month mail boy job. Starting over entirely, re-learning to truly observe.
Figuring out how to adapt and thrive where only .025% of Americans live. Avoiding the “comfortable” expatriate community and common language, seeking out and exploring challenging new experiences, people and places. Using real life as my learning ground.
Third Aha:
THE DESIRE AND NEED TO CONNECT IS EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES
It’s universal. I wanted to feel like I belonged, to interact meaningfully and pleasurably with others. While being me. It’s life’s secret sauce – real people relationships.
And I had an urgency to connect. To create a social network that would care about me. Include me. To count for one another. Mutually support one another in personal and professional stuff.
To find and cultivate real and supportive inclusive people and friendships. To appreciate, learn about, integrate and interact in my own way with the impressive local culture.
THE CHOICE TO STAY AND TO WANDER
The acceptance that law school was not my path.
The growing understanding that living with uncertainty and discovery safe enough to feel and explore , and opened up unforeseen opportunities for me. The recognition that being an outsider, being different, was full of advantages and possibilities if I saw it that way.
Starting to get fascinated by food and cooking, so creating and sharing love, beauty and excellence, the art and pleasure in hosting people. My relationship to food and the experience you can create around it will never be the same. Ever.
A period of teaching English in top global advertising agencies, mastering the French language and deep elaborate culture. Learning to appreciate and take full advantage of the infamous often enviable French art de vivre.
Fourth Aha:
OWNING OUR CHOICES IS OUR NUMBER ONE RESPONSIBILITY
Appreciating that we live a world where we have way more control over our choices than we admit or take ownership for.
THE 20YR CORPORATE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY PHASE, A THRILLING INTENSE WORLD-CLASS BLUR
Hollywood life without having to live in Hollywood. Pretty cool. Travel and business with 50 countries across Latin America, Europe Middle East & Africa, even India. From pressure cooker, gargantuan Disney. To a five person start-up marketing TV and film properties from Paris across Latin America.
To a decade at the world’s premium entertainment technology and cinema experience IMAX: “See more, hear more, feel more…” !
Real world learning of cultural, language, culinary, racial, religious differences, negotiating styles, while mostly focusing on what brings us together, to agree, to support one another beyond the call of duty, to thrive together in business, always find a way forward. And to enjoy the ride through the box office flops and blockbusters.
I’m in the top 1% of salaries while sensing something evolving within, something more personal, less vicarious, less status quo, more disruptive…
Fifth Aha:
RELATIONSHIPS ARE LIFE
As we learn how to really connect with others, we can create miracles together using more fluidly together our smarts, heart, trust and creative abilities. Mastering cultivating relationships makes life smoother and sweeter, and so our performance improves also.
WHO AM I, AGAIN? THE QUEST CONTINUES…
BY STARTING OVER AGAIN.
Introspection, beginners mind, and open heart, world-class relationship, leadership and growth events (Mastermind talks with Jayson Gaignard, The Titan Summit with Robin Sharma…), top training (CTI Co-Active Coaching, Behavioral Change, Leadership, Business Bootcamp with Shaa Wasmund…), certifications (Brendon Burchard’s 1st High Performance Academy Coaches group) and personal growth experiences (e.g. Juvan Langford’s The Elevation Effect)…
I choose the life long learner path in focusing on “mastering” me, my life and my relationships, while seeking the way to grow others on their paths. Always believing that we alone hold our personal power, and that it is real life itself that is our greatest teacher and guide to tap into this personal power source. So we must dare to explore it vastly and deeply, and not cut ourselves off from the inconvenience or uncomfortable part of feeling life.
I accept responsibility for facing my own life’s challenges involving changing my thinking and beliefs. Facing and growing my emotional challenges, insecurities, fears, and suppressed self-expression.
Spending lots of quality in person time with various people: mentors, peers, trainers while traveling to be amongst these new supportive friends and champions. Even experimenting in the start-up world gathering people around food in foreigner’s homes (Founder’s Institute). Consciously investing large resources, time and energy.
Sixth Aha:
IT’S ESSENTIAL TO OWN
THE LEADERSHIP OF
OUR CHOICES.
Especially when starting all over again.
We choose to be the actor not a spectator of our lives. We generate our own energy to launch or relaunch, start up or start over (again…) execute dream projects or integrate daily life strategies to feel alive. To start or stop.
THE CULMINATION:
Enough study and training in others methods. Start creating my own expe-rience to share with the world: SED.
A unique world-class delicious gathering where people are reminded who they really are. What they most want for and in their lives.
The creation of Sensorial Experience Day (SED), a uniquely curated event where for one day, we loosen up and take our foot off our brakes. We open up our senses: smell, taste, feel, hear, touch.
We awaken and open up our senses: smell, taste, feel, hear, touch. We really notice and appreciate what’s going on. We naturally open up our hearts. To share.
We are spectator and actor.
Disconnecting digitallyto connect humanly.
We create and choose.
We smile, laugh, tease and release.
We savor foods intently, attentively, and really listen to one another. We receive.
We experience the power of reconnection to the expression of our true natures. To our vibrant energizing alive cores. In a most deliciously surprising way imaginable…
WE FEEL THE UNKNOWN OUTSIDE OUR COMFORT ZONE. OUR WORLD CHANGES. NATURALLY.
Seventh Aha:
THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF SED EVENT ON PARTICIPANTS LIVES
From this open and receptive, rechargeable and energized state of flow, people feel everything is possible in their lives, because they choose to open to it, to experience it. Finally releasing and freeing themselves.
People say SED is a deliciously surprising frictionless life reset. A delicious pattern break, that stretches you.
An original full-body catalyzing activator moment to feeling alive and loving life, while naturally unveiling one’s life priorities amidst our busy information overloaded world of uncertainty, anxiety even addictions. You leave knowing in your heart what matters most to activate in your life. Where to focus your energy, time and resources.
Now it’s time to energetically activate this new normal into your daily life!
The Alivefulness™ MOVEMENT IS BORN
Alivefulness™ is next generation mindfulness. It’s the “how to” real-world application of SED, the vibrant and fluid integration of our empowered heart and courage to progress towards the life (a.k.a. outcomes) we most desire. And not damaging along the way what matters most to us.
For when we choose to allow ourselves to open up to our lesser known alive core, the fluid power of our emotional energy amplifies our human capacity to love the life we lead cause we are living in active Alivefulness™. And we continue to learn and grow.
Alivefulness™ is our most powerful connective natural state. I supremely support you to re-connect with and cultivate YOUR version of it.