ICSP2026 Speakers

The list of speakers is updated periodically as participation is confirmed and session details are finalized. Below is the current list of confirmed speakers for ICSP2026; additional speakers and topics will be added on a rolling basis as we continue finalizing the program.

Spirituality and Meaning in an Age of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD): A Dilemma for Health Care Professionals?

The availability of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada and seven other countries has reshaped how individuals, families, and clinicians understand suffering, meaning during end-of-life care. For many, decisions about MAiD are not only medical or psychological, but deeply spiritual—raising questions of purpose, connection, transcendence, and the sacredness of living and dying. This presentation explores how spirituality and meaning-making unfold in the context of MAiD, and how health care professionals can respond with compassion, ethical clarity, and relational sensitivity. Drawing on clinical narratives and contemporary research, this presentation examines how fears, hopes, and existential concerns surface for patients and families when MAiD becomes a possibility. It also considers the inner landscapes of clinicians who may experience moral, emotional, or spiritual distress. Suffering is inherently relational, and thus the alleviation of suffering must also be relational. This framework invites clinicians to move beyond neutrality toward presence, curiosity, and non-judgmental therapeutic conversations that support individuals and families in finding meaning consistent with their beliefs and values. Ultimately, the presentation argues that spiritually attuned care offers not persuasion, but compassion—honouring dignity at the thresholds of life and death.
Dr. Wright is an international speaker, author/blogger, and consultant in family therapy and family nursing. She is also Professor Emeritus of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. In presentations, she offers her 45 years of clinical practice experience and her practice based research of how best to assist families to soften their suffering when experiencing serious illness or end-of-life and how to promote family healing.
Dr. Wright is the author of 12 books and numerous chapters and articles. Her most recent book is: Suffering and Spirituality: The Path to Illness Healing.
Dr. Wright has received several honours and awards for her distinguished contributions and leadership in family therapy and family nursing. Most recently, she was honored as a recipient of the prestigious Order of Canada, July, 2022 and Investiture, October, 2024.
Dr Wright has presented in over 30 countries. She resides in Calgary, Canada when not travelling.

​Embracing Mindfulness: A Pathway to Overcoming Life's Unsatisfactoriness 

This session explores mindfulness as a practical approach to meeting life’s inevitable stress, uncertainty, and dissatisfaction with greater clarity and steadiness. The session introduces how mindful awareness can transform the way individuals relate to difficult thoughts and emotions—reducing reactivity, strengthening inner balance, and supporting wiser responses to everyday challenges. Drawing on contemplative principles and applied guidance, the presentation offers a grounded pathway for cultivating resilience, compassion, and a deeper sense of wellbeing.
Prof. Dr. Ven. Walmoruwe Piyaratana is a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and academic at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (MCU), Thailand, where he serves as Chair/Director of the B.A. English Program in Buddhist Studies within the Faculty of Buddhism. His academic background includes advanced study in classical Buddhist languages, including Pali and Sanskrit, and his work focuses on Buddhist studies and related teaching in international contexts.
He is also a senior lecturer in Buddhist Studies and is active in teaching and scholarship in Buddhist studies and international Buddhist education, with an extensive publication record (reported as 55+ works).

Soul Resonance and Educational Alignment Recalibrating Identity and Purpose Through the LifePrintOS Neuro-Cognitive Framework

Around the world, we see two parallel crises emerging: rising burnout in performance-driven systems and a growing sense of spiritual displacement, especially among those who now identify as “spiritual but not religious.” Traditional models of identity based on roles, behaviours, and cognitive traits struggle to address this deeper vacuum of presence and meaning.
This presentation introduces the LifePrintOS Neuro-Cognitive Framework and Soul Wave Technology as a centered, yet scientifically conversant approach to identity and purpose.
Rather than asking “Which role do we need you to play?”, LifePrintOS begins from a different premise: each person carries a unique Soul-Seed resonance; an inner signal that can be sensed, mapped, and supported.
Drawing on quantum-biological and fractal neuroscience concepts, as well as case vignettes from executive, therapeutic, and educational contexts, Justin Furness outlines a three-layer model of identity (Soul-Seed Memory-Core, Higher-Self Field, and Physical Consciousness). He then shows how misalignment across these layers is experienced as burnout, dissonance, or chronic inner fragmentation and how recalibration toward soul-sovereignty, soul-autonomy, and soul-efficacy can restore coherence, orientation, and lived purpose.
Justin Furness is a trans-disciplinary systems architect and theorist working at the intersection of soul-spiritual experiences, applied behavioural science, game theory, unified fields and complex systems.

He is the founder of LifePrintOS and Soul Wave Technology, a set of resonance-based assessment and diagnostic developmental tools designed to investigate how deep identity orientation influences perception, wellbeing and role functioning. His work integrates concepts from quantum biology, fractal neuroscience, archetypal psychology, ai-tech and adult development theory into an applied framework for leadership coaching, therapeutic support and educational design.

Practically, Justin collaborates with executives, clinicians and educators on questions of burnout, misalignment and purpose, focusing on how identity coherence can be strengthened without imposing a specific religious or ideological lens. He is particularly interested in how non-local or field-based aspects of selfhood can be explored responsibly within contemporary practice, and how soul-spiritual informed models of identity can complement evidence based approaches in both clinical and organisational contexts.

Integrating Psychology and Spiritual Inquiry: A Phenomenological Exploration of Consciousness and Afterlife through Non-Ordinary States

This presentation summarizes over three decades of psychological inquiry into the experiential nature of consciousness, focusing on non-ordinary states of awareness observed, documented, and analyzed through the presenter’s work as a psychic channel. It introduces a narrative-based Unified Field Theory (UFT) featuring a Map of Human Consciousness and the proposition of Compassion as a “fifth fundamental force,” described as a creative intelligence shaping reality in partnership with human consciousness.
The model integrates three human dimensions—emotion, intuition, and intellect—as a matrix of intention, positioning intuition as a core psychological dimension within transpersonal psychology. The session also presents Conflict REVOLUTION®, a self-directed method for resolving inner conflict, and invites participants to consider the framework’s implications for consciousness, healing, and broader social change.
Barbara With is an international peace activist, award-winning author, composer and performer, workshop facilitator who has authored six nonfiction books on metaphysics about her research as a psychic channel who works with a group called the “Party,” headed up by Albert Einstein. She is also the co-founder of Conflict REVOLUTION™, a revolutionary way to resolve conflicts of the psyche as a pathway to global peace, based on this work channeling Einstein. She is currently on a World Peace Tour, seeking the participation of the “willing” to take part in a Worldwide Nonviolent Action to End the Age of War, using Conflict REVOLUTION® to make peace within as a pathway to global peace.

From Victimization to Empowerment: Choosing Yourself as a Pathway to Freedom

This presentation explores the journey from victimization to empowerment through a lived-experience framework called Choosing Yourself. Developed through over nine years of facilitating empowerment programs for women in prison in the United States, this work integrates qualitative research, reflective practice, and real-world application. Rather than relying solely on clinical models, the presentation highlights how identity transformation, agency, and self-choice emerge when individuals reclaim authorship of their own lives. Attendees will be introduced to participant outcomes, key themes, and practical tools that bridge psychology and spirituality in accessible, human-centered ways.

This session is intended for practitioners, educators, and facilitators interested in grounded approaches to empowerment that honor lived experience, cultural context, and inner authority.
Laura Pavlou is an independent practitioner and program developer whose work bridges psychology, spirituality, and lived experience. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness & Integrated Social Health (WWISH) and the creator of the Choosing Yourself framework, developed through more than nine years of facilitating empowerment programs with women in prison in the United States.
Laura’s work is research-informed and grounded in direct practice rather than clinical licensure. Her approach emphasizes identity transformation, agency, and self-choice as pathways to healing after trauma and systemic marginalization.
This presentation marks her return to professional speaking and her first international conference appearance, sharing insights shaped by long-term community-based work and personal lived experience.

When Psychology Meets Spirit: A Holistic Approach to Navigating Spiritual Awakening Distress

In recent years, increasing numbers of people have reported intense “spiritual awakening” experiences—periods of profound inner transformation often accompanied by emotional turbulence, existential questioning, and physical or psychological symptoms. Many individuals, however, find themselves misunderstood or even pathologized within traditional mental health systems.
Drawing on an academic background in psychology, a specialization in positive psychology, and certification as a Spiritual Life Coach, the presenter aims to bridge the gap between science and spirituality. Over the past five years, she has supported clients through one-to-one sessions and developed an online community of more than 12,000 people exploring spiritual awakening and transformation.
​In this talk, she examines the growing phenomenon of spiritual awakening and the rising need for integrated support. Using case studies and client insights, she illustrates how combining psychological principles with spiritual tools can reduce distress, support meaning-making, and facilitate healing during the awakening process.
Gabie Rudyte is a Psychology graduate (B.Sc. with Honours, University of Essex, UK) with a specialization in Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and certification as a Spiritual Life Coach. She combines over a decade of experience in psychology, personal development and holistic wellbeing with a grounded approach to spirituality.
Through her work as the founder of Inner Researcher, Gabie helps individuals navigate the psychological and emotional challenges that often accompany spiritual awakening. Over the past five years, she has supported hundreds of clients and built an engaged global community of more than 12,000 people.
Her work bridges the gap between psychology and spirituality, offering integrative tools for transformation and healing. Gabie is passionate about normalizing spiritual awakening experiences and supporting individuals throughout this profound transformation.

​The Power of Emptiness

This session explores śūnyatā, or emptiness, not as a bleak idea but as a doorway into connection and freedom. I want to invite participants to look at emptiness as the insight that nothing exists in isolation—not our emotions, our relationships, or even our sense of self. Everything we experience is shaped by countless conditions. Through a short guided reflection, we’ll look closely at a recent personal or emotional experience and trace how it arose: the people, environments, histories, and even moods that helped it come into being. When we see in this way, the boundaries between “self” and “other” start to soften a little, and that can open a sense of compassion and wonder. We’ll spend some time sitting with what that feels like—what happens when we stop clinging so tightly to being a fixed someone and allow ourselves to feel part of something wider, more fluid, and alive. My hope is that people leave the session with a small taste of that spaciousness, and maybe a gentler way of being with themselves and others.
Sam Museus is Professor of Ethnic Studies at UC San Diego and Founding Director of the National Institute for Transformation and Equity (NITE). His previous work critically analyzed inequitable structures and advanced knowledge about how to effectively foster healthier and more equitable environments where diverse communities can thrive. He has produced hundreds of publications and public presentations, and he consults with colleges and universities across the nation to help them cultivate more culturally engaging campus environments, improve pedagogical practices, and address campus climate issues. His current work examines how spirituality can strengthen collective capacity to address systemic problems such as environmental destruction, military violence, social injustice, and animal exploitation.

​Yogic Consciousness and the Subtle Body: A Transpersonal Inquiry into Yoga, Panchakarma, and Tantric Energy States

This presentation reframes healing as an expansion of the body’s capacity for coherence, vitality, and “light,” drawing on Indian and Himalayan traditions such as Yoga, Ayurveda, and Panchakarma that view the body as a luminous system capable of transformation. It connects these perspectives to ideas such as Sri Aurobindo’s “engoldenment of matter” and Tibetan accounts of the rainbow body, exploring how such concepts may relate to contemporary research on coherence, nervous system regulation, and subtle energy.
Integrating lived experience, contemplative practice, and emerging biometric technologies, the session invites participants to consider ancient practices not merely as wellness methods but as “technologies of consciousness,” and asks what human development might look like if it is understood as becoming more biologically, energetically, and consciously luminous.
Nikki Collins is a PhD candidate in Integral Transpersonal Psychology at Ubiquity University, California. Based in India, Nikki has undertaken extensive training in Yoga, Ayurveda, Tantra, Kriya Yoga, and Vedic astrology, alongside qualifications in Compassion Focused Therapy, Mindfulness and MBSR facilitation, NLP, EFT, and Ayurvedic medicine. She is a qualified breathwork facilitator and yoga teacher, with specialisations spanning restorative, tantric, Himalayan, mantra, and advanced pranayama practices.
Alongside her academic and contemplative work, Nikki is the founder of Conscious Yoga Collective, an artisan fashion brand empowering communities across India. She previously designed a mindfulness inspired educational toy used as a therapeutic intervention in hospitals and schools.
Her research explores healing as a process of coherence, embodiment, and nervous system transformation, focusing on how ancient practices can measurably reshape consciousness and lived experience, and the meeting point between ancient wisdom traditions and future models of human potential.

Source Intelligence in the Era of Artificial Intelligence: Remembering Who We Are in Times of Change

This presentation addresses how, amid accelerating information, expectations, and technology, many individuals experience not only stress but a deeper sense of fragmentation—functioning outwardly while feeling inwardly depleted and struggling to integrate moments of meaning. It frames a central concern as maintaining contact with an authentic inner core while navigating modern life.
Drawing on depth psychology, Psychosynthesis (in dialogue with Roberto Assagioli’s work), and contemplative traditions, the presenter introduces Source Intelligence as a framework for returning to an inner centre of presence, love, and meaning and acting from that centre without losing oneself. The approach is structured around three capacities: grounding in the “Loving Observer,” symbolic work with inner figures and subpersonalities, and creative synthesis of inner polarities, offering a clear conceptual map and a brief experiential illustration applicable across clinical, research, organisational, and personal contexts.
Valentina Fratu is an in-depth psychologist and psychosynthesis practitioner, founder of Evolove Lab—a platform exploring expanded states of consciousness through dialogue with experts across psychology, spirituality, and science. Grounded in Roberto Assagioli’s Psychosynthesis, she focuses on how inner complexity can be held, understood, and integrated without bypass, so inner shifts in awareness and meaning-making become embodied, relational, and ethically grounded action.

She is currently developing Source Intelligence (SI), a trainable capacity to maintain contact with an inner center of awareness and ethical choice while engaging inner multiplicity and external complexity—supporting coherent, values-aligned action under pressure. Valentina holds an MA in Sociology (Lomonosov Moscow State University) and postgraduate training in Psychological Consultancy (Eastern European Institute of Psychoanalysis). She teaches Path of Love & Wholeness and speaks and writes on integration in the age of AI

Music and Spiritual Experience

This presentation explores how music can evoke experiences often described as spiritual—ranging from flow states and awe to mystical or faith-based encounters—yet remain difficult to discuss in secular contexts where “religion” and “spirituality” can feel polarizing. Despite the widespread prevalence of numinous or transcendent experiences, many people minimize or conceal this dimension of human life.
Drawing on the work of William James, Carl Jung, and Ken Wilber, as well as research on awe and contemporary studies of transcendent experience, the presenter frames spirituality as a developmental process. The session proposes an inclusive, integrative approach grounded in psychological and phenomenological perspectives while remaining open to religious experience and concepts of the divine.
Vanessa Cornett is a Professor of Music and the John Ireland Distinguished Teacher/Scholar at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis–St. Paul. A recent Fulbright U.S. Scholar, she is author of the book The Mindful Musician: Mental Skills for Peak Performance (Oxford University Press). Her other publications include papers in the International Journal of Music Education, Journal of Contemplative Inquiry, Journal of Transformative Education, Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, Music and Politics, College Music Symposium, American Music Teacher, Canadian Music Teacher, and chapters in the textbook Creative Piano Teaching. An international clinician and educator, she has presented workshops and masterclasses in 27 of the United States and in 23 countries across six continents. She has published widely on topics related to performance anxiety management, contemplative practices, sport psychology, peak performance, and the mental health and well-being of musicians. She is a member of the Steinway Teacher Hall of Fame

Illness, Meaning, and Inner Purification in Imam Sajjad’s Supplication: A Spiritual–Psychological Study

This paper examines the spiritual–psychological dimensions of Imam Sajjad’s supplication recited during illness, as preserved in Al-Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah. Through qualitative thematic analysis, the study explores how the prayer constructs illness not merely as physical suffering, but as an inner experience shaped by meaning, humility, purification, and hope. Five interrelated themes emerge: dual gratitude for health and illness, epistemic humility and acceptance of unknowing, meaning-making through illness, inner purification without condemnation, and recognition of pain accompanied by movement toward hope. Together, these themes form a coherent inner narrative that preserves human dignity in vulnerability and reframes sickness as a relational and transformative experience. The findings highlight how devotional spirituality can support meaning-making, emotional grounding, and resilience among individuals living with chronic illness
Dr. Haniyeh Zeraatkar holds a Ph.D. in Health Psychology from the University of Tehran. She is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, and she also works as a university lecturer.

Embodied Mindfulness: Integrating Martial Arts for Resilience, Focus, and Well-Being

This oral session introduces an embodied approach to mindfulness informed by principles of traditional martial arts training. Rather than viewing mindfulness as a purely mental or meditative practice, the session emphasizes awareness that emerges through posture, movement, breath, and intentional action. Drawing on martial arts pedagogy, the talk explores how resilience, focus, and emotional regulation are developed through structured engagement with physical and psychological challenge. Martial arts practice offers a framework in which calm is not achieved by avoiding intensity, but by learning to meet it with clarity, timing, and self-regulation.

The session will outline key concepts of embodied mindfulness and illustrate how simple, non-combative movement practices can support attentional stability, stress regulation, and adaptive responses to everyday demands. The presentation aims to provide participants with a practical understanding of how embodied awareness can contribute to psychological balance and sustainable well-being, and how mindfulness can be cultivated through action, not only stillness.
Veronika Partiková, PhD is an independent scholar, martial arts practitioner, and coach living and training in Thailand. She earned her PhD in Sports Psychology at Hong Kong Baptist University and her research focuses on psychological collectivism, mental toughness, identity, pedagogy, and embodied learning within traditional martial arts. Her academic work combines qualitative methods, including interpretative phenomenological analysis, with quantitative ones, such as SEM.

Alongside her academic background, she is a professional MMA fighter and kung fu coach and has spent more than twenty years training across traditional and modern combat systems. Her current work explores how martial arts function as pedagogical systems for cultivating resilience, and emotional regulation. Her coaching, academic work, projects and podcast can be found at www.kungfuacademic.com

Mindfulness in the Age of Interruption: Technology as Terrain, Temptation, and Teacher

As digital technology increasingly shapes attention, relationships, and self-regulation, mindfulness practitioners and clinicians face a contemporary paradox: we seek presence using tools designed for stimulation and fragmentation. This presentation explores how mindfulness can be practiced with technology rather than against it, without losing depth or ethical grounding. Drawing on three decades of lived experience in San Francisco—at the intersection of technological innovation and the Western mindfulness movement—the talk reflects on how technology reshapes contemplative practice, therapeutic work, and collective attention.
Josie Valderrama, PsyD, is a Filipino-American licensed psychologist in private practice since 2015. She is trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral approach, and has published the ACT Journal (Callisto, 2022). Her doctoral dissertation explored technology addiction, and she has maintained a Vipassana meditation practice for over 25 years.

Gender Fluidity and the Divine Feminine in Buddhist Narratives

This presentation explores the expression of gender fluidity and the Divine Feminine in Buddhist narratives, highlighting how Buddhist philosophy moves beyond conventional gender binaries to illuminate the interdependence of all forms of existence. It analyzes symbolic and doctrinal interpretations of femininity as an expression of ultimate reality (śūnyatā) through key Mahayana sources, including the Vimalakīrti Sūtra, the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, and narratives of female divinities and bodhisattvas such as Guanyin, Tārā, and Prajñāpāramitā.
The presentation argues that, in Buddhist thought, gender is not an ontological condition but a contingent manifestation of interdependent polarity. Within this framework, the Divine Feminine emerges as an inclusive archetype embodying non-duality, compassion, and transformative insight, offering a lens through which Buddhist perspectives can be linked to broader holistic cosmologies and contemplative principles associated with awakening.
Ms. Haiyue Zeng Sangha is an artist and peace studies researcher whose work explores the intersections of culture, conflict transformation, and social healing. Through creative practice and academic inquiry, she focuses on how art can support dialogue, empathy, and peacebuilding across diverse communities.

Beyond Surviving Into Thriving: The Trauma Portal to Purpose

Do we really need to suffer in order to find our purpose? This talk opens a fresh conversation about healing, meaning, and growth—one that challenges the assumption that pain is the price of depth. While adversity can shape us, it does not have to define us or become the engine of our future. Drawing on grounded spiritual insight, trauma-informed perspectives, and lived experience, the session explores how purpose can emerge through clarity, connection, and inner alignment rather than ongoing struggle. Trauma is acknowledged and honored—not glorified—and healing is reframed as a return to what is already intact and essential.
​Participants will leave with a renewed sense of possibility and a practical understanding that thriving is not something earned through suffering, but something cultivated through presence, choice, and conscious engagement with life.
Shannon Leischner is an international speaker, trauma-informed hypnotherapist, and spiritual guide whose work bridges deep healing with practical transformation. Her path was shaped by a profound spiritual catalyst that redirected her life toward helping others move beyond survival into embodied purpose. Drawing from years of experience in hypnotherapy, energy-based healing, and integrative spiritual practice, Shannon creates spaces where clarity, nervous system regulation, and meaning naturally emerge.
Known for her grounded presence and ability to translate complex inner experiences into accessible insight, she speaks to audiences around the world on healing, resilience, and conscious growth without glorifying suffering. Her work invites individuals and communities to reconnect with inner wisdom, reclaim choice, and remember that thriving is not earned through pain, but accessed through alignment.

Experience It All! Love It All! : the Only Plan for the Soul

The soul does not grow by avoiding pain or clinging only to joy—it grows by meeting life exactly as it is. This talk is an invitation to open fully to every experience, to welcome both the beauty and the challenge, and to respond with love rather than resistance.
By exploring the idea that every moment carries meaning, the session encourages participants to trust life’s unfolding and to see each experience as part of a deeper inner intelligence. When we allow ourselves to experience it all and love it all, the soul finds its own natural rhythm.
A quiet space for reflection, acceptance, and soulful understanding.
Worakamol Meepiarn (Ying) describes herself as a lifelong work in progress, shaped by a wide range of adventures and challenges that have strengthened her resilience and character. With an eclectic educational background spanning English, dramatic arts, and international political economy, she has pursued diverse professional roles, including lecturer, dean, director, translator, researcher, masseuse, coach, waitress, chef, flight attendant, and cleaner.
An entrepreneur since the age of 16, she now leads a Bangkok-based communication agency, Neighbour Media, guided by the mission to “Tell Good Things to Make this World a Better Place” and a broader purpose of “Better Our Universe and the Universe around Us.” She is also engaged in an ongoing spiritual journey, approaching personal growth as a continuing path of exploration and development.

The Role of Spirituality in Adaptation and Health Outcomes among Oncology Patients: A Scoping Review (2019–2025)

This presentation shares findings from a 2019–2025 scoping review on spirituality among working-age cancer patients during and after treatment—an area that’s received far less attention than palliative care. Overall, higher spirituality is consistently linked to better physical, emotional, and functional well-being, while spiritual struggle and unmet needs correlate with greater psychological vulnerability. The review also highlights key research gaps, especially around spirituality-related risk factors, mental health impacts, and inconsistent definitions and measurement tools. It concludes by calling for clearer conceptual frameworks and more systematic integration of spiritual care into psychosocial oncology across treatment phases.
Daiga Katrīna Bitēna is a practicing clinical and health psychologist and a PhD student at Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU). She is currently developing her doctoral dissertation on the role of the spirituality dimension in the lives of oncology patients.

Her research interests focus on spirituality as a dimension of human life, including its resources as well as its associations with psychopathology. Her previous work has been oriented toward the study of altered states of consciousness and their relationship with spirituality.

The Presence Paradigm: Integrating Psychology, Spirituality, and Human Development

This presentation introduces The Presence Paradigm, a holistic framework that places present-moment awareness at the center of psychological growth and emotional well-being. It argues that while modern mental health practice often prioritizes techniques, protocols, and symptom management, conscious presence is still underexamined—despite being foundational to lasting personal and relational transformation.
Grounded in qualitative practitioner insights and integrative therapy, the Presence-First Integrative Developmental Model (PF-IDM) combines cognitive-behavioral methods with mindfulness, somatic awareness, shadow work, and contemplative traditions. Using practical examples and reflective case vignettes, it shows how adult emotional patterns, unconscious conditioning, and generational influences shape child and adolescent development, while offering participants tools to build self-awareness, emotional regulation, and reflective capacity in professional and personal life—especially for clinicians, educators, and parents seeking a culturally responsive, preventive, non-pathologizing approach to resilience and conscious leadership.
Dr. Sunayana Shukla is a psychotherapist and mindfulness-based integrative mental health practitioner with extensive experience in psychology, conscious parenting, and holistic well-being. She specializes in working with children, adolescents, parents, and educators to promote emotional resilience, self-awareness, and healthy relational patterns. Her work integrates cognitive-behavioral approaches, mindfulness practices, somatic awareness, and contemplative traditions to support sustainable psychological growth.

With a strong commitment to bridging science and spirituality, Dr. Shukla focuses on cultivating present-moment awareness as a foundation for personal and developmental transformation. She is actively involved in research, training, and counseling initiatives that emphasize preventive mental health, emotional regulation, and conscious leadership. Through her practice and presentations, she continues to advocate for culturally responsive, compassionate, and developmentally grounded mental health care.

From the Center Out: Energetic Leadership for Well-Being & Change

From the Center Out: Energetic Leadership for Well-Being & Change is a program designed to support you in recognizing the source from which your leadership, decisions, and well-being naturally emerge. Too often, we are taught to lead from the outside in—by responding to pressure, expectations, and constant demands. Over time, this can create strain, fatigue, and a sense of disconnection from ourselves and from the work we care about most.
This program offers a different orientation.
Together, we will explore what it means to lead from the center first—the place within you where clarity, steadiness, and presence already exist. You’ll learn how your nervous system shapes your perception, your communication, and your capacity for change, and how returning to center supports sustainable effectiveness without burnout.
This is not about becoming someone new. It is about recognizing how to return to yourself—consistently and practically—so your actions reflect alignment rather than effort alone.
As you move through this experience, you may notice greater clarity, more ease in decision-making, and a deeper sense of well-being—not because the external world has changed, but because the place you lead from has.
Robert Leigh Pruitt, II is a spiritual life coach, metaphysical leadership scholar, and creator of the Center-Out Leadership™ framework, exploring the relationship between nervous system regulation, energetic coherence, and sustainable leadership. He serves as Director of the Spiritual Life Coaching Program at the InnerVisions Institute for Spiritual Development and brings his coaching expertise to national audiences through his work on *Iyanla: The Inside Fix*.
With more than 30 years in leadership development, Robert has supported individuals and organizations including the Bank of India, Lockheed Martin, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, FBI Academy Associates, National Honor Society, and Operation Smile, Inc., as well as universities such as Drexel, American University, and Howard University. He holds a master’s degree in metaphysical sciences and is the author of the leadership trilogy *Leading from the Center*, *Wholeness Works*, and *From the Center Out*.
His work bridges spiritual wisdom, neuroscience, and leadership practice, supporting individuals and institutions in cultivating well-being, clarity, and meaningful change from the center outward.