Sudeep Balain ended up learning the lessons he needed to learn about love through divorce.  As counterintuitive as it sounds, we often learn our most profound lessons through our failures, even extreme failures and disappointments.  At some point each one of us will come to a crossroads in our lives. It’s rare that a single one of us is immune from disappointment, tragedy, failure or even perceived failure. However, we are all given a choice...do we retreat in fear and despair, or slowly start to rebuild and move forward? Sudeep Balain had it all: the secure job, great house in Marin County, CA, and a growing family. But, it all came crumbling down when his wife of sixteen years wanted a divorce. Although life as Sudeep knew it was falling apart he decided on a journey that he ultimately realized he sorely needed.  If you wonder about the title or worry that this is some California fruit, nuts and flakes kind of interview you will miss something important.  In his book, You Are Love, Sudeep recounts his travels around the world and his process of beginning to know himself, and how he discovered that at the core of who he is...is simply love. Sudeep reminds us that we can only come face to face with our internal motivations and fears when we take time to pause and recharge away from the noise. And while some might consider self-care or self-discovery a selfish act, it’s actually the most loving thing we can do--because we can only extend generosity and love to others when have taken the time to really know and accept ourselves first.

Kata Hay understands that if at first we don’t succeed it’s worth trying again.  It takes a good kind of inner strength and determination to pick yourself three, four, and even five times. This is where belief comes in...do you believe in what you’re doing?  Kata Hay caught the attention of three of the four judges on NBC’s 10th Season of The Voice, after giving an unforgettable performance.  And, this was Kata’s fifth attempt at auditioning for the show, and this time she managed to prove that she had become a force to be reckoned with. Kata has been singing for most of her life, and now at twenty-nine, let’s just say that Kata won’t be backing down from her fear anytime soon. She is here to  remind us that it’s often the hardest and the darkest right before the dawn of our dreams. And often, what we fear the most is exactly the direction we should be moving towards.  I’m confident you will soon understand why Christina Aguillara, Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams and millions more fell in love with her endearing personality and remarkable ability to not back down or change herself for anyone.

Dr. Andrew Newberg is a prominent neuroscientist, author and researcher who has studied what our brains do with our beliefs, enlightenment and even with God.  He will show us that the first step towards true understanding is being willing to acknowledge our biases and predisposed ways of thinking.  In other words, there is always another side to hear but we often fail to truly listen because we are afraid that the opposing side might threaten our own viewpoint.  Dr. Newberg knows what it looks like to hold ones convictions because he does so with a sense of openness and compassionate curiosity.  He is a pioneer who has taken on neuroscience and theology--two fields that at first glance, seem more opposed than interconnected-- and helps us to make sense of exactly what our brains experience in the process.