ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN: Ambassador of New Education and Bridge to Asia Pacific Shares Her Humanitarian Mission of Abundance World-Wide

Especially For Women with Ann Barczay Sloan

Introducing: DC Cordova

CEO, Excellerated Business Schools^® / Money & You^® Program

“The Universe is abundant and there is only ONE PERSON
who can deny you ANYTHING! YOU!
Get this one and you’ll create freedom.”

Article Part One

Long-ago connections, new re-connections

DC Cordova ─ the brilliantly successful subject of this article ─ and I first met in Los Angeles in the early years of this century (that sounds so antique, doesn’t it?) We were both attending an IBI (now CEO Space) Forum, and DC was a good friend of a woman who’d been my business consultant for a while: the late Rachel Best. I stood more or less quietly on the sidelines as Rachel and DC chatted – simply content to hang out in DC’s charming yet powerful presence.

Since those faraway days, my life has gone through numerous twisted turns, several psycho-spiritual and geographical relocations – and now here we are: a new turn of the spiral! I have morphed into a Featured Columnist for an internationally known on-line business publication (wow, I’m so impressed with myself!) and I get to converse one on one with the incalculably more impressive, unutterably more internationally known educator, global entrepreneur, and dedicated humanitarian, DC Cordova!

Who is DC Cordova and what is she all about?

A powerful summary of her achievements can be seen at: http://www.dccordova.com . Here is an excerpt:

DC Cordova

CEO, Excellerated Business Schools^®/Money & You^® Program

DC Cordova is the CEO of Excellerated, the international organization that presents the famous Money & You^® Program and the first ever Business School for Social Entrepreneurs, the Excellerated Business School^® for Entrepreneurs. Since 1979, DC has led Excellerated to pioneer high-speed, experiential entrepreneurship educational programs that have transformed the lives of tens of thousands of participants – and through them, millions of people around the world.

To date, Excellerated is a global organization with more than 70,000 graduates from over 60 countries, with entrepreneurial programs mainly conducted in both English and Chinese languages in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Brunei. In Europe other Excellerated programs have been translated and presented in various languages, including Spanish, French and German. These programs’ markets will continue to expand globally.

I have chosen to skip the next lengthy paragraph, but let’s at least look at its first sentence:

Her graduates read like a “Who’s Who” list of wealth/business gurus, including her partnership of nine years with Robert Kiyosaki of the Rich Dad/Poor Dad Series…

If you’re curious about the numerous other celebrities, see Notable Grads on http://www.Excellerated.com .

For the sake of brevity, I am omitting a lengthy summary of DC’s writings and media appearances… But I can’t resist including an additional “short” list of DC’s achievements:

[DC] is a Founding member of the Transformational Leadership Council (TLC); a facilitator for the Pachamama Alliance Symposium; a Founding Faculty member for Humanity Unites Brilliance (HUB); and the Asia Pacific Business Developer for WOMBAT – a breakthrough Media for Transformation company; and Director of International Relations for the Women’s Information Network (The WINonLine.com)

She is a “Connector” because she has a special gift for bringing together projects and people from around the world. She is considered an Ambassador of New Education and a Mentor of Nurturing for her work with high-level entrepreneurs and persons of high influence.

Primary Web sites:

Money & You^®

http://www.moneyandyou.com/

http://www.moneyandyoublog.com/

Excellerated Business Schools®:

http://www.Excellerated.com

DC’s site:

http://www.dccordova.com

Click below to get special details on Money and You ─ DC Cordova has decided to share the first step of the program with you:

http://twitlik.com/absdcmy

And now, at long last – the interview!

Now that I have loaded you up with background information, let’s proceed to our interview. FYI, DC and I conducted and recorded it via phone ─ unlike my usual method of using an e-mail questionnaire.

This has resulted in an unexpected bonus. Unhampered by space limitations of my questionnaire, DC got deeply into her flow of conversation and shared much more information about her activities, past and present, than could fit into my usual article page count.

Unwilling to deprive my readers of any of DC’s rich material, I have decided to write this interview into two parts. Therefore the second half of this article about our super-achieving yet delightfully accessible subject will appear in TNNW in my January 2010 column.

Hi DC ─ I so appreciate your taking time to share yourself with me and our National Networker readers!

“You’re very welcome, Ann… It’s an honor for me to be able to empower women and networkers!”

First of all, how would you briefly describe what you do ─ your elevator speech, if you will?

“I do three things:

First: For the past 30 years I have been presenting entrepreneurial transformational programs. I have two main programs: Money & You^® (3 1/2days) and Excellerated Business School® for Entrepreneurs (8 days.) We teach Sales and Marketing, People and Organization, Money and Finances: all the things that an entrepreneur needs to know. Money & You^® is based on the principles of Buckminster Fuller and other masters. It’s taught through left/right brain teaching techniques. We have several other programs – Money & You^® is our signature program – it’s transformational entrepreneurial education.

Second, I am a bridge between the Asia-Pacific region and North America. After working in both regions for over 20 years, I am now considered an authority on the difference of the Chinese and North American cultures, as well as with the Islamic world.

Third (and my favorite) is my mission, which is to transform educational systems around the world to eradicate poverty and hunger.”

And how exactly do you accomplish all of this astonishing work?

I meet with business people, leaders – people of tremendous influence. My first was Fidel Castro in 1984, at the height of the Cold War. I had a transformational experience around him. I realized that if I were to work with leaders around the world, I could leverage my mission more easily. I was only 34 years old. It overwhelmed me tremendously…

When we don’t see ourselves in a place in the future as grand as we really are, it’s hard to see the opportunities in front of you. I was only 34 years old and I didn’t work with people of tremendous influence ‘till about six or seven years later, when I started working in Singapore and I first met Dr. Dato’ Jannie Tay. She began to introduce me to amazing leaders and persons of influence.

What exactly do you do when you meet with these top leaders?

“When I go to a new country I ask: ‘Who is the most influential entrepreneur in this country, in this city?’ When they tell me who it is, I arrange for an introduction through our powerful network of successful entrepreneurs, or I literally go knock on doors. Very few people turn me down because they always want to meet someone who has met Fidel Castro.

I have met with Heads of State, Prime Ministers, Ministers of Education. Over the years, I began to learn you need to meet with people of tremendous wealth because they influence the politicians world wide.”

That all sounds amazing! So this is the way you got started?

“Yes, that’s how I started my task as an ‘Ambassador of New Education’. This evolved from my doing transformational programs and being supported by our graduates to share with persons of influence. I represent the industry of transformational education: an industry of New Education.”

So then do you tell these leaders about your programs?

“I don’t talk about my programs much; I don’t share that ‘I do a program called Money & You® and Excellerated Business Schools®…’ Not at all! I talk about left and right brain teaching techniques; and how present-day education in most countries is hundreds of years old. We need to teach teachers how the brain takes in information using the kinesthetic, visual, and auditory modalities. We need to begin to teach teachers to use cooperative studying, where children with various levels of knowledge help teach each other. At present we are teaching separation and competition. The Bell curve is a very antiquated system.”

That’s so powerful and so true!

“The awareness that I bring to billionaires, ministers, and persons of high influence is that we have to come from a place of abundance. Most people live in a world of scarcity. We have to move them to sufficiency – and from sufficiency we move them to abundance. But that’s a process that most people have to go through.

Bill Gates has spent nearly 20 billions of dollars in attempting to correct the educational system in this country. He has failed in many ways ─ because no one has told him that a personal transformation needs to occur in order for the teachers, principals and educational leaders not to feel wrong about what they have been doing. They are products of their own system; we are all products of our own environment ─ unless we have learned from masters like Buckminster Fuller, Dr. Georgi Lozanov (Creator of Suggestopedia, the basis for Accelerated Learning) and others.

We then present new ideas, a new menu of new references for the leaders to delve into – and huge new doors, new portals are open for them… I am a walking portal, so to speak! We tell them: ‘Go learn about Left / Right Brain Education! Go learn how the brain works! Go and learn about subjects like eco-capitalism!‘”

Eco-capitalism ─ what a great term!

“Yes, I am an amazing library for them – and then when they say: ‘What do you personally do?’ I mention that we conduct business schools that churn out social entrepreneurs – and I have social proof that they will go out and create change in their own industries. They will become agents of change – and all I have to do is to put them through this experience – because education is a process of discovery. They discover for themselves where to best contribute to others.

They also find out that first you contribute, and then the money comes. This is true for people of little money, and for people who are millionaires who have found out that money is not it – that they can still be unhappy even with all the money they have ever wanted to accumulate. There are those who have inherited tremendous amounts or come into a family with tremendous money but they fight, everyone’s unhappy, no one trusts each other… and they find out sooner or later: ‘Oh my God, I am not happy!’ and that’s when the idea of making a contribution to society or leaving a legacy can be introduced to them…

So that’s what I do. I am a messenger of this beautiful technology created by masters.”

Super-powerful stuff, DC! So now I have to ask: What makes your company, your programs unique?

“We were pioneers of left/right brain teaching techniques; created the original transformational entrepreneurial program. My mentors literally created the industry and I inherited the work. We are the sixth oldest transformational company in the world, the first one in the arena of business. We have social proof: look at the caliber of graduates of our programs and what they have created… Go see our list of Notable Grads in our Web site: http://www.Excellerated.com !

Most of us came from Est, the original personal development program that made history in the 70s: Bobbie DePorter, Marshall Thurber, Robert Kiyosaki, Sondra Ray, and others. Many of the educators that use left/right brain teaching techniques are either graduates of our programs, or students of our graduates. Best selling authors like Robert Kiyosaki of Rich Dad/Poor Dad was my business partner for nine years. We published his first best selling book, If You Want to be Rich & Happy, Don’t Go to School? His best work is based on our teachings.”

Est – of course! I did the Est training back in the old days when Werner Erhard was still around.

“Yes, that’s great! And by the way, journalists who do research on the background of some of today’s top money gurus eventually discover that some started their education and profession with Money & You®. We are very proud of that.

All of this goes along with my mission – because I don’t want to leave this planet before this essential issue is handled.“

Now we’re getting to the heart of it, DC. What exactly is your mission, the aim of what you do?

“My Mission is to transform educational systems around the world to eradicate poverty and hunger.

My Purpose is to Uplift Humanity’s Consciousness through Business. I do this through our Excellerated Business programs.”

And your humanitarian / philanthropic activities?

“We contribute to many foundations that are created by our graduates of Money & You® and the Business School. We support over 1000 Chinese orphans from the earthquake in China and their new families. We have many other organizations that we support. So we not only do the transformational work, we also support Foundations that we believe in.

This is so great ─ thank you, DC! Now, as I know you have much more to share with us, I propose we publish Part 2 in next month’s issue of this Newsletter.

“Good idea… Thanks, Ann!”

[ ---------- Article to be continued! ---------- ]

Next month, in Part Two of this article, DC answers such questions as:

-- Which of your projects are you currently most excited and passionate about?

-- How far does your network extend?

-- What’s the achievement / accomplishment you’re most proud of at this time?

---------------------------------

Reminder: DC has decided to share the first step of the program with you!

Click below to get special details ─

http://twitlik.com/absdcmy

---------------------------------

Contact Information:

http://www.dccordova.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Key Words:

DC Cordova, Money & You, Excellerated, Transformation, Education, Left/Right Brain Education, World Leaders, Buckminster Fuller, Asia Pacific, China, Ann Barczay Sloan, The National Networker, TNNW

---------------------------------------

Ann Barczay Sloan, M.A.

Author & Editor / Creative Writing Coach

www.GeniusUnbound.com

www.linkedin.com/in/AnnBarczaySloan

Featured Columnist,

www.TheNationalNetworker.com

---------------------------------------

Author of the forthcoming book:

How to Use the Pieces of a Broken Heart:

Recipes for Rebirth

http://AnnBarczaySloan.blogspot.com

For more information, please visit Ann's TNNW Bio.

Published by THE NATIONAL NETWORKER Newsletter. All rights reserved. Subscribe Free For Your TNNW Newsletter and THE BLUE MONDAY REPORT! - Click HERE.
The National Networker Companies

Forward/Share This Article With Colleagues And Social Media:

ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN: Ambassador of New Education and Bridge to Asia Pacific Shares Her Humanitarian Mission of Abundance World-Wide

ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN: My Interview with a Luminary

Especially For Women with Ann Barczay Sloan

My Interview with a Luminary

Introducing:

Marilyn Mandala Schlitz, Ph.D.

President / CEO

of the

Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS)

www.noetic.org

Marilyn and I: Our first connection

Back in the bygone era of 1995 - 96, I was part of a group of IONS Community Group coordinators in Southern California invited to meet some of the top leaders especially in town from IONS Headquarters “up North”. It was a dry summery day in a lovely rustic spot (fondly named “Serengeti West”) out in the San Fernando Valley, and if memory serves me correctly, Marilyn Schlitz (already highly placed in the organization) was one of the leaders in attendance. At this date, no doubt she wouldn’t remember me.

Fast forward through a number of tumultuous years where my priorities took me I away from involvement with IONS... and yet now, Wow! Here I’ve arrived at this unexpected spot in time/space, where I’m fortunate enough to interview Marilyn and publish an article about her awe-inspiring accomplishments in (for her) a no doubt new publications niche.

Saved by Facebook!

In obtaining this interview, I had some unexpected assistance via social media: a setting in which I’m rather a novice. Here’s how this happened:

My usual method of asking someone to be my article subject is to send a standardized letter of invitation ─ and in my mind I had selected Marilyn Schlitz to be next. In fairness, I should mention here that Dr. Schlitz and I were already Friends on Facebook, connected via mutual friends involved with IONS groups.

But one fine day I woke up to find a major glitch had taken over my computer overnight: All (I do mean ALL) of my documents and all of my e-mail address book had vanished, totally disappeared. These were both later retrieved, by two different people on two separate days, but that’s another story; the main challenge here was I had no access to the invitation form letter I needed to send Marilyn ASAP! And of course, in approaching such an illustrious personage my invitation had to be “respectful”: perfect in every way!

What to do? Time was of the essence, so I wrapped some chutzpah around myself and sent off a Facebook message to Marilyn, telling her who I am and inviting her to be interviewed. Apparently, this less formal approach works just as well, because in a few days, she very graciously responded. And by that time, all my documents and e-mail addresses were in full operation again…

It must be Fate…

First off, I must admit I‘ve been in deep admiration of the Institute of Noetic Sciences ever since I became aware of it many years ago. Though by force of life circumstance I’d been mostly on the sidelines for years, my heart and several of my friendships remained connected with the ever-expanding work of this magnificent organization.

Curiously enough, now that I live on Bainbridge Island, Washington, there is an IONS Community Group very near me in which I participate with great pleasure. Just how near? Would you believe the meetings are held in the Community Room of the very apartment complex where I live! And they’ve been meeting in this very place a couple of years before I ever moved in… Coincidence, you say?

What exactly is IONS?

The following descriptions are posted on the awesome information-rich web site, www.noetic.org :

We are a nonprofit membership organization located in Northern California that conducts and sponsors leading-edge research into the potentials and powers of consciousness—including perceptions, beliefs, attention, intention, and intuition. The Institute explores phenomena that do not necessarily fit conventional scientific models, while maintaining a commitment to scientific rigor.

Background: The Institute is not a spiritual association, political-action group, or a single-cause institute. Rather, we honor open-minded approaches and multiple ways of knowing, bring discernment to our work, and support diversity of perspectives on social and scientific matters.

Through our publications, events, and educational media, we inform our members and the public about the findings of our frontier research on consciousness and its relationship to the physical world.

Our 200-acre Retreat Center hosts workshops, retreats, and educational activities. We support community-building through local community groups, online discussions, and other networking opportunities

What is “Noetic”?

As this term is so little known, so many ask for a definition. Here we go:

The word "noetic" comes from the ancient Greek nous, for which there is no exact equivalent in English. It refers to "inner knowing," a kind of intuitive consciousness—direct and immediate access to knowledge beyond what is available to our normal senses and the power of reason.

What are “Noetic Sciences”?

Noetic sciences are explorations into the nature and potentials of consciousness using multiple ways of knowing—including intuition, feeling, reason, and the senses. Noetic sciences explore the "inner cosmos" of the mind (consciousness, soul, spirit) and how it relates to the "outer cosmos" of the physical world.

… And what’s Edgar Mitchell got to do with it?

The founding of IONS, based on the life-altering experience of astronaut Edgar Mitchell, is an extraordinary story. It’s summarized on the noetic.org site as follows:

Traveling back to Earth, having just walked on the moon, Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell had an experience for which nothing in his life had prepared him. As he approached the planet we know as home, he was filled with an inner conviction as certain as any mathematical equation he'd ever solved. He knew that the beautiful blue world to which he was returning is part of a living system, harmonious and whole—and that we all participate, as he expressed it later, "in a universe of consciousness."

Trained as an engineer and scientist, Captain Mitchell was most comfortable in the world of rationality and physical precision. Yet the understanding that came to him as he journeyed back from space felt just as trustworthy—it represented another way of knowing.

This experience radically altered his worldview: Despite science's superb technological achievements, he realized that we had barely begun to probe the deepest mystery of the universe—the fact of consciousness itself. He became convinced that the uncharted territory of the human mind was the next frontier to explore, and that it contained possibilities we had hardly begun to imagine. Within two years of his expedition, Edgar Mitchell founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences in 1973.

Today, Dr Mitchell serves on the board of Directors of the institute. He continues to be active at institute events, including lectures and conferences.

Who is Marilyn Schlitz?

Marilyn’s bio is summarized on the IONS site as follows:

For three decades, scientist and anthropologist Marilyn Mandala Schlitz, Ph.D. has pioneered clinical and field-based research in the area of human transformation and healing. She is a thought leader on matters of individual and social change whose respected voice offers new insights into the most pressing challenges of our time. A researcher, speaker, change consultant, and writer, Marilyn's books include: Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life and Consciousness and Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind Body Medicine. She serves as the CEO and President of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, where she has worked for 15 years.

Honestly, there’s no way the above can even begin to begin to describe this all-around amazing woman. Go to the page http://www.shiftinaction.com/discover/luminaries/marilyn_schlitz and look at the list of her voluminous writings, teleseminars, web media projects and such, and you will glimpse just that: a glimpse of a part of a part of what she has created and continues to do.

Please note: Dr. Schlitz is headlined on this page as a Luminary: an impressive title indeed.

What is a Luminary?

Of course this word has to do with Light: (based on the Latin lumen.) Here‘s a more detailed definition from my rather old (1989) dictionary ─ but I figure definitions related to Light may not have changed so much:

Luminary (n.) 1. An object, as a celestial body, that gives light; 2. a source of spiritual or intellectual light; 3. a notable person.

There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Surely you agree the title of Luminary is a very apt one to describe Dr. Marilyn Mandala Schlitz!

Our Interview

Let’s move now to the actual interview I conducted with a very gracious Dr. Schlitz. I can not begin to imagine the extent of her obligations and activities, administrative as well as scientific / creative. Nonetheless, she has generously taken time to share herself with me and you, esteemed TNNW readers.

Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview, Marilyn! I‘d like to start by asking: How would you briefly describe what you do at IONS?

“We explore the ways in which consciousness matters for the future of our civilization, including our health and well-being--individually and as a global community.”

What makes your organization unique? Maybe I should say: What is the unique value of the service you provide in the world?

“The fact is, Institute of Noetic Sciences brings four decades of research on the nature of consciousness and inner experiences to our contemporary world. We find practical ways of translating the research findings through education, communications, and a global membership in order to serve individual and collective well being and transformation.”

This goes way beyond huge, Marilyn! I laugh in delight. So, my next question: What is your mission, the primary goal at IONS?

·”The Institute of Noetic Sciences is advancing the science of consciousness and human experience to serve individual and collective transformation.

I am committed to bridging consciousness, science and healing to promote health and well-being.”

Could you please describe how you got started in all this, and how you arrived where you are currently?

“It all began in 1973—reading Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions and Edgar Mitchell’s book, Psychic Exploration. This set me on an odyssey to explore and understand consciousness and its potentials to create a more just, compassionate, and sustainable world.”

Was there a time of breakthrough, a turning point when you chose to change your course in life? Any specific quantum leap(s)?

“Many! “

Which of your projects are you currently most excited, most passionate about?

“The big picture, of course: Building IONS. Also, developing ‘Seeding the Change: A Curriculum on Worldview Literacy’.’”

We are also creating a series of E-learning courses ─ the first set is on “After Life Cosmologies: Implications and Applications for Health and Healing Practitioners.”

That’s so exciting, Marilyn ─ amazing that education of this caliber, this dimension is actually being created now… And speaking of education: your large IONS conferences ─ packed with brilliant leading thinkers: more luminaries, really ─ are outstanding!

Now can you tell me ─ how much of your work is focused specifically toward women?

“Well, as an example we just completed a clinical trial on expectancy effects and distant healing with women who are undergoing reconstructive surgery—many breast cancer patients.”

What are some of the ways and places you promote your far-flung organization?

“We work on this on an ongoing basis. For example, we are now in midst of redesigning our marketing and membership model to become more unified. This includes a new website and a set of engagement programs that we are very excited about.”

How far does your network extend? In other words, what is the size of your list?

“It’s pretty vast, based on many years and many partnerships.”

Must be quite an amazing list!

“You know, some ways, IONS was a social networking organization before social networking. Right now I am working to strengthen the global network based on shared programs and the internet as a wrap to connect local groups.”

What have you found is the best thing about building a network: Positive experiences? Benefits, expected and unexpected?

“In essence: Great people working toward common goal with collective intention.”

What challenges (if any) have you found in your networking experiences?

“To sum it all up: The more people, the more personalities, the more complexity. Complexity can be catalytic. It can also become a frustrating exercise in will and ill directed power relations and needs.”

Bottom line – What do you feel is really working well for you at the Institute?

“Here are some of the great things we have going for us:

· Vision,

· Staff,

· Change model based in four decades of systematic explorations of consciousness transformation, health and healing, and extended human capacities,

· Dynamic research and educational programs that can be grown,

· 200-acre property and retreat center to serve the transformational community,

· Communications capacities and reputation; and an

· Archive of the field of consciousness, science, spirituality, health and healing.”

Besides networking, how else are you promoting your organization? What do you view as the primary vehicle and what makes it more important than the other(s)?

“So many ways! Partnerships, publications, media relations with both mainstream and alternative press, professional presentations, beautiful 200-acre retreat center in northern California, our membership and community groups. We’re hoping to do a world tour in the next two years.”

I must say IONS publications are outstanding in every way – as I’ve been around them for years, I feel they are a feast for the eyes as well as mind and heart ─ and spirit too!

Now here’s a big question: What’s the achievement, the accomplishment you’re most proud of at this time?

“To sum it up: Holding the complexities of a 40 year old not-for-profit at a time of great social and economic challenge with a sense of joy, hope, playfulness, optimism, clarity, and collaboration.”

Marilyn, at this moment I am more in awe than ever of what you as well as your predecessors at IONS are accomplishing…

Any other point you’d like to emphasize at this time?

“Feels to me like a moment when female leadership is emerging and will shape business/society more and more in the future. It is very exciting to be part of that and to reach out to other women leaders who are dealing with many of the same issues and challenges. I am looking forward to more collaborations that build synergy, creativity, social relevance, and sound business practices.”

In conclusion, anything you’d like to add ─ some words of encouragement, inspiration for our readers??

“In our book (Schlitz, VIeten, and Amorok, 2007), Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life, we found that the greatest catalyst for positive personal transformations is pain and discomfort. While not always, it is often the portal into a new way of living and being. This is important to remember as each of us deals with the many stresses of our times. Even the most challenging moments hold the potential for deep healing.”

With your permission, Marilyn, I’d like to close with these quotes from your 2008 Year-end Message:

For decades, researchers at IONS have shown that the barriers to deep, evolutionary change are often self-imposed. Too often we live in fear and with limited imagination. Through "inattentional blindness," we overlook opportunities to make positive, life-enhancing transformations, even in moments of deep challenges….

… At the heart of a global shift is the evolution of consciousness. For more than 35 years, IONS has been a respected leader in advancing our understanding of the powers and potentials of consciousness. We have discovered over and over again that our personal transformation and collective evolution are intertwined.

As I take on the new role of President and CEO for the Institute of Noetic Sciences, I am both humbled and invigorated by the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I am convinced, as never before, that our work is essential to achieving a fundamental course correction.

Beautiful, elevating, inspiring ─ Thank you so much for sharing your personal and collective vision and soul-commitment with us!

“…And thank you too, Ann, for bringing this new paradigm shift into yet another milieu of our everyday world! “

-------------------------------

Contact Information:

Marilyn may be reached at:

Schlitz@noetic.org

707-775-3500

Ann Barczay Sloan, M.A.

Author & Editor / Creative Writing Coach

www.GeniusUnbound.com

www.linkedin.com/in/AnnBarczaySloan

Featured Columnist,

www.TheNationalNetworker.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author of the forthcoming book:

How to Use the Pieces of a Broken Heart:

Recipes for Rebirth

http://AnnBarczaySloan.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For more information, please visit Ann's TNNW Bio.

------
Published by THE NATIONAL NETWORKER Newsletter. All rights reserved. Subscribe Free - Click HERE.
The National Networker Companies

Forward/Share This Article With Colleagues And Social Media:

ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN: My Interview with a Luminary

ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN: Moving Mini-Movies: Making a Major Difference the Viral Way

Especially for Women with Ann Barczay Sloan

Moving Mini-Movies:

Making a Major Difference the Viral Way

Introducing

Mary Robinson Reynolds

Master Minding Maven ®

Founder of

MakeADifference.com and MasterMinding101.com

by

Ann Barczay Sloan

Featured Columnist, The National Networker

www.TheNationalNetworker.com

"When two or more people come together in the spirit of harmony ...

it's like putting LIGHTNING in a Bottle!"

I admit lately I'm tempted to congratulate myself: Seems I have a genuine skill for discovering interesting women to interview for this column ─ not merely "interesting", but downright admirable and inspiring! This month's subject: educator / innovator / entrepreneur, Mary Robinson Reynolds, is an excellent exemplar of what I mean. Come meet her!

How Mary and I first connected

Actually, I've been on Mary's list for a couple of years. Not sure how I got on it ─ it was probably through viewing one of the flash mini-movies she often sends out with her inspirational Newsletter (more on the movies later.)

Given my usual (not-so-admirable) habit of skimming what I read, I knew at quick glance at her frequent Newsletters that Mary has fresh, intelligent, heart-centered material to share. Yes, I see she's obviously an interesting woman with high visibility in certain circles ─ it would be great to get an interview! But when I more carefully perused her web sites I became more fully aware of the breadth of material, as well as depth of pure caring for people, available here within Mary's aptly named Heart Productions and Publishing company. So ─ I'm honored she accepted my invitation!

Who is Mary Robinson Reynolds and what is she all about?

Watch some of Mary's popular flash movies, and you'll have a clear idea of what she and her life's

work are all about. These movies are her current major art form and the acknowledged source of her ever-growing success: they are passed along virally and have had literally millions of hits world-wide. Recently these have spawned new offspring: an ever-growing number of flash Moviecards: brief messages with their own charming envelope and stamp. For your viewing pleasure, here are the direct links:

Flash Movies: http://www.MakeADifference.com/Movies

Moviecards http://www.MakeADifference.com/Moviecards

Take a look, for example, at "You are the Light." movie -- http://www.lightmovie.com/ as well as "The Teddy Stallard Story": http://www.makeadifferencemovie.com/ ─ a sweet and touching story for educators: actually for everyone who has a heart. But there is way more than movies here: for example, books and other educational materials (for individuals, schools, and corporations): works that point back to earlier, solid phases of Mary's career.

In essence Mary and her husband / business partner Craig are focused on two interlinking programs: "Making a Difference" and "MasterMinding®". All products are in service of inspiring and empowering children, adults, businesses, families – pretty much the full spectrum of humankind.

A look at Mary's web sites:

(A) Making a Difference

Both of the following URLs lead to the same site, which focuses on Mary's Making a Difference-related products and projects.

http://www.heartproductionsandpublishing.com/

http://www.makeadifference.com/

There is much available here: Fundraising information, Children's products, an Affiliate program, and of course Movies and Moviecards. Let's not forget the links to Mary's Speaking and Coaching services info, and the Success Store. Here you also find a redirect link to the MasterMinding program, which we'll describe later.

On the "Meet Mary" page, we see her bio in her own words. Here's an excerpt:

My name is Mary Robinson Reynolds, and for more than three decades I have been focused solely on the energy transformation of people's minds and hearts. I've helped major corporations, organizations and people from all walks of life reshape their vision of what's possible.

Having personally transformed some really intense life opportunities of my own, I have a heart-connecting message about how to find the "possible" in impossible by intentionally utilizing one's inherent powers - mental, physical and spiritual - joined with others in the spirit of harmony.

I hold a M.S. in Educational Psychology, Counseling & Development, I consider myself a TurnAround Specialist and MasterMinding Maven®, and I am the author of six books: Make A Difference ...with the Power of Compassion, Make A Difference ...with the Power of Connection, Attitude Alignment, No Labels No Limits, MasterMinding for a Rich Life, You Are A Success, MasterMinding 101® online course, and Stay Married online course.

My entrepreneurial trek, which has included work with adults and children in educational, corporate and personal settings, began nearly twenty years ago when I started to realize I knew something about at-risk youth that a large percentage of the educators I worked with had not yet discovered.

My special gift was that I knew, intuitively, how to heal behaviorally challenging children. My ability to create for them a sense of community and "belonging" helped them achieve measurably high levels of success, no matter how overcrowded my classrooms were.,,,

Three more tabs on this site deserve mention:

BUSINESS ─ Here you can order a Corporate "Make A Difference" Team Synergy Package

EDUCATION ─ Focus is on "Healing Today's Child… and Ourselves"

Available here: a Curriculum and an "Educator Package" ─ plus the famous Blue Ribbons that proclaim: "Who I Am Makes A Difference!"

MIND BODY SPIRIT ─ Long list of movies to view on line and purchase on DVD

A look at Mary's web sites (continued):

(B) MasterMinding

Link: http://www.masterminding101.com/

Full name of course:

Master Minding 101 Online Course: 12 Sessions to a Rich Life

What is MasterMinding?

According to Napoleon Hill, author of Think & Grow Rich, "No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind."

The MasterMind Principle is in play when two or more people coordinate in a spirit of harmony and work toward a definite objective or purpose, they place themselves in position, through the alliance, to absorb power directly from the great storehouse of Infinite Intelligence.

Mary is enormously proud of this carefully designed program and of the successes participants have achieved. She credits her own MasterMinding work with a friend years ago with bringing her out of major challenges and into her own ever-expanding success.

Well, now we've examined her products and services ─ time to get into our interview with Mary. My first question is:

How would you briefly summarize what you do?

"I am an Author who emphasizes that we are here to make a difference and who illustrates exactly how anyone can make a difference in 30 Seconds or less".

That certainly gets my attention! I laugh. Are you are referring to the internationally known "Who I Am Makes a Difference" Blue Ribbons originated by Helice Bridges?

Yes, that's right. Though very simple, this bestowing a ribbon process ─ call it a ceremony! ─ is very powerful. On occasion it has been life-saving.

What makes you, your company unique? In other words, what is the so-called Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of your product or service?

"That I'm not unique!

I am an ordinary woman – a small town farm girl from rural Nebraska – accomplishing extraordinary results through the power of MasterMinding and slowing everything down so I can 'connect' compassionately with the world around me to make a lasting difference with whoever comes into my care. I see myself as a regular person who makes mistakes just like everybody else, and when I do, I seek to understand my part in the equation and begin again for a better result."

What is your mission, the primary goal of what you do?

"When I asked myself what was at the heart of what I wanted to accomplish as an author of books, movies and moviecards that I create, the answer came instantly: I want to Make A Difference. I want to let as many people as possible know that they make a difference every day … and the question must always be, What kind of difference AM I making?

I give away any and all of my online books and movies to those who write saying that they cannot afford them. I give money as I feel inspired to do so. We give 50% of all of our Blue Ribbon Sales to Difference Makers International. Rather than belong to organizations we rather donate 50% net profits from our products to those non-profits who wish to use our movies as fundraisers via the Internet. It is my intention to do even more to help - as I am guided.

It is my strong belief that you must teach people how to fish; but your must first feed, house and care for them so they can learn!"

Please describe briefly how you got started in all this, and how you arrived where you are currently.

"It all began for me in high school when I realized that children were irresistibly drawn to me everywhere I went. I decided that I must have a special magic where all children were concerned. In ten short years as a teacher and counselor, every child's life I touched was dramatically improved for the better deliberately using my so called magic! Amazing measurable results happened that even surprised me. This was the impetus for me to begin developing programs and writing books about what I was specifically "thinking" that impacted children so profoundly. To support myself financially, I began MasterMinding on a weekly basis because "of myself" I could not do it. The dream pulling at me was bigger than I could do alone.

Just as I had a proven my Breaking the Cycles of Failure training program for teachers who were struggling with youth at-risk, the doors of education were closed to support my mission, due to state funding. Through MasterMinding, I found myself redirected to the Corporate Arena where I spent the next decade making my magic with adults as my livelihood while raising our children and working from home!

My husband drove long-haul trucks in support of my work when my corporate training contracts came to an abrupt end in 2000 with the downward shift in the economy. I saw it as an opportunity to get my books written during this downswing and for the next four years I wrote one book after the other until I had purged myself of everything I'd been speaking about throughout the U.S.

MasterMinding also put me into an (unexpected) spiritual arena and so everything I write about today incorporates a mind, body, spirit connection for Educators, Business and Spiritual audiences."

So amazing, how the Universe sometimes works things out!

"Yes, absolutely! And here's a side note for you: After our last child graduated for H.S., I learned how to drive the 18-wheeler with my husband at my side. I needed a break from trying to figure out how to get my work out to a larger paying audience.

Getting behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler is absolutely amazing and life-altering! It was just the mental, spiritual and physical break I needed to restore my spirit and renew my inner drive to receive the supernatural assistance I needed to take my message out to a larger audience.

Several months into long-haul truck driving, the "rich idea" I had been asking for came. We were able to develop rather quickly, the creation of flash online movies and our business took off. My husband and I both came off the road and we've working side by side on our movies since 2004."

Again, amazing! Now I've gotta ask: Still driving that truck these days?

"No, I only did it for three months - 20,000 miles - while we were in transition from moving from the West Coast to the East Coast after our last child graduated from high school. My husband, Craig, had been driving during the years I was writing my books and getting our last child through high school, 2000 - 2004. Then, that break away from my computer and trying to build my business, rejuvenated me and new ideas came in, i.e., the flash movie idea.

I came off the road after the cross country move and started generating new rich ideas. Craig bought a book and learned how to create flash movies. Our first movie generated the first real interest in my work that I'd ever received - world wide - and he then joined me in the business and we've been working together since."

Your husband sounds like quite an amazing guy!

"My husband ─ the long-haul truck driver?" Mary laughs. "Actually, he has a MBA from the Wharton Business School. He was a controller for a major steel company, but through a series of life awakenings left the corporate arena to pursue his heart's desires through our business venture together. When the time came for me to write non-stop, he opted to drive for us."

That's really inspiring!

"I really want to bring out his story here... I think it would be encouraging to a lot of people to realize that following a dream can take you to a lot of interesting places. Craig loved the open road. We both do and will most likely be out in a big honkin' RV one day, going wherever we are led.

Which of your projects are you currently most excited / passionate about?

"All of them. I am never bored and I am never done! I have enough creative ideas to last me another fifty years.

Our newest addition is our Make A Difference (greeting) MovieCards and I'm very excited about how I am using another area of my creative mind to develop them as a means for people to reach out and connect what's on their hearts and minds.

I actually see them as a phenomenal 'heart opening' way for networkers to stay connected to their prospects, clients and customers. My son is using them in his financial planning business to reach out and stay connected with his clients and prospects. Go to:

www.MakeADifference.com/Moviecards "

How much of your work is focused specifically toward women? Please explain.

"I love that my work attracts so many women in so many different walks of life and I love it equally when men are in my audience. The men that show up for my courses are genuinely interested in ─ and are 'relieved' by ─ what I have to offer. It is not my intention to be focused solely on women and yet, a very large percentage of my audience, at this juncture, is. I'm not about hyping yourself up to try to force yourself succeed. I've learned over the years that rollercoaster rides don't achieve any other than a high level of anxiety and doing things the hard way. I have found that by simply picturing a thing first and then simply matching your actions to the desired end result, that the energy and ideas will flow through you. This is the inner Power vs. Force way to go about living and enjoying life now."

What are some of the ways / places you promote your enterprise?

"Currently we are 100% Internet promoters through our 'word-of-mouse' free flash online movies."

Word of mouse? Love it!

"I love doing media – TV, Radio, Print – and did a 10-city all-media tour with my first book many years ago. However, my success really took off with the Internet. I'm always ready and excited about other forms of promotion as they present themselves and will happily do media again as it comes in for me."

Whom or what does your network currently include? OR: What is the size of your list , your outreach?)

"My subscriber and contact list is over 140,000 strong and grows each time we come out with a new movie. I also write to individual leaders of major organizations, schools and companies directly to offer my movies and services in ways that will be of greatest service to them."

What has been the best about building a network: Positive experiences? Benefits, expected and unexpected?

"It's all been amazing and wonderful. The feedback we receive from around the world is heart opening. My intention is always to make available what I have to offer to attract all those people who need, want and are ready for exactly what I have to offer. I give 100% of my attention to that audience and do not concern myself with individuals who my work is not a fit for."

What challenges (if any) have you found in your networking experiences? Unexpected events? Any benefits emerging from challenges in the long run?

"Unexpected? That when we had a huge growth surge this past year, we had to reorganize our infrastructure to be able to accommodate the growth. It was arduous and time consuming and I had to really work with my creative self to manage my frustration and desire to go forward in to larger audiences until we were ready. This experience was much more daunting than we expected. We had problems with high-quality printers – again setting our criteria at a higher level remedied that. What we learned through trial and error with three fulfillment houses – and our accounting infrastructure – was that we had not actually not set 'our criteria' high enough to handle rapid, exponential growth. When we finally upped our criteria, everything fell into place!"

That's great! So ─ bottom line – what do you feel is really working well for you, your

company?

"Breaking the rules!" Mary laughs. "Zagging while everybody else is Zigging! Everything that I am guided to do. Internet marketing do-s and don'ts ─ we are told not to do this and not to do that on the Internet, and yet my inner guidance is very specific with me about things to put out there and try with positive expectation / energy. In addition to writing to my subscribers, I reach out and directly contact people with the power to make a difference, every day – offering them what I have to offer with the hope that it will make a difference in someone's life today!"

Besides networking, how else are you promoting your company? What do you view as the primary vehicle and what makes it more important than the other(s)?

"Other than the 'word-of-mouse' online movie views – currently over 10 million and still growing – I would say it's my weekly connection with my audience. My number one desire is to give people hope and to show them easier ways to think about things."

What's the achievement, the accomplishment you're most proud of at this time?

"My family is my number one priority to me. Together we have achieved a healthy, loving, tremendously enjoyable family. Our children excelled in school and are enjoying all that life has to offer. The story continues and when I'm not accomplishing as much as I would like to as fast I would like to in my business, I take a deep breath and remember what's really important in all of this ─ and it's my husband and our children, and our children's children. Making the world a better place is all about them in my heart."

What are your plans and goals for the future ─ organizational / personal ─ especially regarding networking activities?

"My vision for the ultimate of networking activities is that our inspirational flash online movies and moviecards generating tens of millions of views from people throughout the world who need, want and are ready for the upliftment and inspiration that my God-given message has to offer. I see my Make A Difference Gift Books and DVD of my movies in the hands of every person who has a pull in them to make things better at home, at work and within the community and the world.

I also have a screen writer currently creating a movie about my life's work in education and how I specifically used my attitudinal energy to re-label children so that ALL children in my care experienced their best selves and high levels of academic success. This is very exciting! I always wanted to be in the movies since I was a little girl!"

Wow, that is super-exciting! Now ─ any other point you'd like to emphasize at this time?

"I have a vision: when I see people on TV or in the news in great despair about their current situation, I SEE them taking hold of their personal connection with that which breathes them and through MasterMinding, taking control of their beliefs and therefore their lives. I SEE them getting to experience life much more joyously and assuredly!

When it comes to children, my wish is that the adults raising them and working with them would come to know that healing today's children is actually about healing ourselves. That the children with behavioral outcries are not the enemy – they are simply holding up a mirror to us and teaching us exactly what we need to know about ourselves and how we are attitudinally treating them."

In conclusion, anything else you'd like to add for our readers? Some words of encouragement, inspiration?

I would like to say that the only thing getting in the way of anything that we deeply desire lies in what we've learned to believe in and expect at this point. Our expectations are habitual in nature and we must simply break in at the level of thought to get different results. We don't have to force things, we merely need to slow down and visualize the solutions we seek and ask to unfold for us in an easy, relaxed manner!

That with each level of new success you feel pulled toward, you must be willing to hold a vision of it and you must be willing to improve yourself by expanding your knowledge base and your mind about what can be possible. It's repetitive and it's a daily, gentle practice. Faith and believing are the way we flex our spiritual muscle which allows in the supernatural assistance we need to experience the miraculous. MasterMinding on a weekly basis allows for this practice to get to the 'heart' of what we really want … and what our soul's growth is demanding from us to do while we are here.

We'd best wrap this up now, Mary, though I could spend hours with you listening in admiration. I cannot thank you enough for your generosity of mind and heart. You and your family – and the millions you touch ─ are truly blessed!

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Mary's Contact Information:

Phone: 603-382-8848

Mary@MakeADifference.com

www.MakeADifference.com/Movies

www.MakeADifference.com/Moviecards

www.MasterMinding101.com

Ann Barczay Sloan, M.A.

Author & Editor / Creative Writing Coach

www.GeniusUnbound.com

www.linkedin.com/in/AnnBarczaySloan

Featured Columnist,

www.TheNationalNetworker.com

For more information, please see Ann's TNNW Bio.

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Author of the forthcoming book:

How to Use the Pieces of a Broken Heart:

Recipes for Rebirth

http://AnnBarczaySloan.blogspot.com

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