Welcome to this special episode, A Virginia Satir-Inspired Meditation for Finding Peace and Connection. This meditation was created for a live gathering of the Satir Global community, crafted specifically to offer a sense of calm and grounding during the heightened anxiety of the united states election season. But whether or not you're facing a moment like that, this meditation is here for you whenever you’re feeling disconnected, anxious, or otherwise dis-regulated.

Inspired by the teachings of Virginia Satir, this meditation invites you to reconnect with a place of inner peace, strengthen your sense of self, and find renewed connection with those around you. It’s a time to breathe, let go, and tune into the resources you already have within you.

Before we begin, please make sure you’re in a safe, comfortable environment—this meditation is meant to be experienced when you’re able to fully relax, so we ask that you not listen to it while driving or performing any task that requires your attention.

May this meditation be a blessing to you, and may it bring peace and resilience to your relationships and to your life. Thank you for joining us today.

Today’s guest is Mary Leslie, the co-author and editor of a new book, “Virginia Satir’s Evolving Legacy; Transformative Therapy with a Bodymind Connection.” She received her MSW from the University of British Columbia School of Social Work in 1969, served as a sessional faculty member 2008-2013, volunteered in South Africa with camps for vulnerable and orphaned children, has over 30 years’ experience in health care, and has been in private practice since 2001.

Trained by Virginia Satir, Mary Leslie has a passion for working with people from all cultures who are on their unique journey towards transformation. Some of Mary’s early social work experiences were ground-breaking and inspirational. She was part of the team that set up a downtown Vancouver community health clinic and she worked with the Children’s Foundation. Later at St Paul’s, Lion’s Gate Hospitals, and the Northshore Health Unit she participated in setting up the “Closer To Home” palliative care program. She worked extensively in BC for causes related to social justice, peace, and the environment. She is a strong and persistent spokesperson, whose clarity, fairness, gentle manner, and compassion model the values of her conviction to act for a safe and just world.

Joanne Perold is the director and founder of Faethm, a South African based executive coaching company. She established Faethm to help businesses grow and leaders achieve their full potential. Joanne is a globally acclaimed Agile Coach, Certified Scrum Trainer, keynote speaker and facilitator. She’s held senior leadership roles for many years and uses those experiences in her work as an executive coach. She leverages her deep understanding of complex systems to bring holistic perspectives to her partnering organizations.

Joanne has been consulting in and training agile methods for over a decade and combines her experiences as an internal coach and facilitator with her experiences as a consultant.

She loves to learn and keeps learning; recently, she has deepened her coaching skills by being trained in the Satir coaching and mentoring program. She brings the human aspects of Virginia Satir’s work to many of the elements of her coaching, training and her work with leadership. She believes what she has learned through the Satir Model has been life changing personally and has been an incredible benefit to leaders and their organizations.

https://www.faethm.co.za/about-us

Diana Hall went to UC Berkeley and graduated with a B.A. in psychology. Her early career was as a special education teacher. During her many years serving children who were on the spectrum she earned five different credentials in her field and experienced much success engaging her students with experiential interventions.

When she met Virginia Satir, she was inspired to go to grad school and later earned a master's degree in counseling.

Diana became a licensed marriage and family therapist applying the Satir Model to help high conflict couples and their children. She became well-known and was invited to present at conferences in relation to her work with domestic violence and couple therapy.

While Diana’s relationship to Virginia Satir began as a student, apprentice, and employee of Virginia Satir, Diana Hall reports that it was a great blessing in her life to have become a close friend, confidant, and a dear companion.

Diana Hall was named the Satir Global Network Living Treasure in 2016.

It is with great joy I welcome Diana Hall as our guest for today’s episode

We have a special treat today as we are honoring the work and life of Dr. Janet Christie-Seely. She is an important figure in the Virginia Satir world, passing away in 2022 after a battle with Alzheimer’s and complications from Covid. I will be talking to her surviving husband, Tom Wright and his and Janet’s friends, Dr. John Banmen and Dr. Richard Kennedy.

Dr. Janet Christie-Seely was a vibrant mother, grandmother, family physician, family therapist, author, artist, lecturer, professor, and trainer of the Satir Model. Janet is remembered for being an avid learner, creative, intelligent, a beautiful spirit, and a non- judgmental human. She pioneered a family systems approach to family medicine, bridging family therapy and medicine, and founded the Ottawa Satir Learning Centre. Janet taught locally and internationally. Janet always saw the best in people and lived life to its absolute fullest with enthusiasm and passion. She leaves a legacy of her paintings, her teachings, her care for a community of patients, and her family, all infused with her revolutionary spirit of meaningful interaction, pioneering innovation, and desire to help people.

https://satirglobal.org/tributes/

https://satirglobal.org/product/temperature-reading-poster-pdf/

Beth Nemesh, PhD, MT-BC, LMFT, holds a PhD in Expressive Arts Therapies from Lesley University. She is a Licensed Marital Family Therapist, a Board-Certified Music Therapist, a Certified Satir Transformational Systemic Therapist (STST), and Certified Body-Mind Psychotherapist. Beth has been working with children, adolescents, couples and families since 1999. She has researched the niche field of family music therapy from both music therapy and family therapy perspectives. She has published articles and presented the topics of family-based music therapy, and musical interventions with families at national and international conferences. She has been conducting workshops and training for family therapists and music therapists in Israel, US and Canada. Beth advocates for the integration of creative arts in family therapy training, and the integration of a family system's perspective in music therapy education. Her unique expertise emphasizes the innovative use of musical interventions in family therapy.

Loveness Makonese is an academic, humanitarian and development practitioner with more than 15 years’ experience. Her work has specialized in Gender, Emergency health, Resilience building, social protection, inclusion and participation, nutrition, HIV and AIDS. She has special expertise in programme design, implementation, evaluation, knowledge management and Joint UN resource mobilization and partnership management. She is currently Deputy Representative for UN Women Zimbabwe. Throughout her career Loveness has worked for United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Zimbabwe Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health, CARE International, Institute of Land, Poverty and Agrarian Studies, Goal International, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN(FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (Smallholder Irrigation) Zimbabwe. Loveness has also provided consulting services for Rebel Advisory Group Better Schools project in Zimbabwe, International Organization for Migration, Zimbabwe Women Resource Network Centre, and research on Gender, Cultural and Social Dynamics of Corruption for Transparency International Zimbabwe. She is a published researcher and author. She has a PhD in Sociology from Rhodes University in South Africa (2013), MPhil in Land and Agrarian Studies from the University of Western Cape in South Africa (2007) and a BSc Degree in Sociology from University of Zimbabwe. She is also a qualified and certified trauma and family counsellor from Connect Zimbabwe.

Today, I have the honor of talking with Dr. Mary Jo Bulbrook. Dr. Bulbrook is a renowned leader in the field of holistic nursing and energy healing, with a wealth of experience in integrating traditional and alternative approaches to healthcare. She has a distinguished 50 + year career as a university professor and clinical specialist in psychiatric mental health nursing.

Dr. Bulbrook assisted in the development of world-renowned family therapist Virginia Satir's teaching organization, Avanta Network, now called the Virginia Satir Global Network. Drawing on their twelve years together, elements from Virginia's teachings and philosophy were integrated with Dr. Bulbrook's holistic nursing theory "Healing From Within and Without".

Her expansive background of energy therapies was not only taught throughout USA and Canada but also taken to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Peru where she worked with traditional healers while education professors, nurses, and other health care and lay people. Her journey served to capture the worldwide perspective on education, health and healing to address local, national and international ways to improve the human condition where she gained first hand perspectives on worldwide needs, values and challenges.

https://akamaiuniversity.education/

https://www.akamai.university/events-on-line.html