Oren Madison, a child psychologist working in Chicago, IL, is becoming more accustomed to working with adults, but only after realizing that be helping kids, he’s helping their parents too. Currently working at a Chicago area children’s hospital, Oren hopes someday to work in a school setting, where he can establish himself, and hopefully develop a program that will extend beyond the reach of one man. He was inspired to this vocation after extended internships in local high schools, in Denver, during his matriculation as an undergrad there.

Oren realized, at an early the age, the power of therapy, when his own parents got divorced. After seeing first hand the power of empathy in the therapist’s office, Oren’s future began trending the way of helping children confront their social and emotional issues.

“Everyone,” Oren says, “has something going on. Empathy is simply listening [to what’s going on] without judgment.” Oren says that “trust is the key to everything,” and that without trust, there is no meaningful progress to be made. Adults, Oren says, often cannot listen in the non-judgmental way that children need to
really trust someone. Oren’s advice to all who care is to “Study harder. Pay attention to what you’re learning and really learn it. Don’t fit right in the middle academically, but rather, stand out.”

When asked what she would tell herself at 22, Wanda Marie says, “be free.”

The advice from the woman who acted as life coach and business partner to the late Yolanda King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., lingers in magical simplicity. Speaking with Wanda in the Leimert Park home formerly owned by Dr. King’s daughter, one immediately feels the presence of a woman sage beyond her years. Admittedly hopeful to someday “heal the planet,” Wanda dreams big but acts locally and effectively, with programs such as the Inner Peace Conference, a telephone support service that advises anyone who calls on a wide array of issues.

Growing up in the slums of South Central Los Angeles, Wanda found her spirituality while coping with an alcoholic mother and sexually abusive step-father. None could blame her if this had ruined her life.

Far from ruin her life, her childhood experiences taught her that her soul could be at peace even among the turmoil of her everyday life. Today, she inspires her clients to set strategic goals, ones that push a person just outside of their comfort zone, and therefore yield more valuable reward. She teaches to never disregard the ills of society, but rather to find peace within, hoping one day to heal without.

Check out Wanda’s new book being released as we speak, “Living Inner Peace: A Personal Guide to Greater Happiness” and if you’d like to contact Wanda, please visit www.WandaMarie.com.

When Jim was in the third grade, he wrote an essay about how he wanted to be a professional baseball player when he grew up. Throughout elementary, middle, and high school this dream never faded. That is, until he broke his wrist one year in high school and was unable to play. That year he ended up playing tennis, which moved him away from baseball and geared him more towards an academic career.

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