Richard Smith is a true agent of change and the type of people we desperately need during these hypersensitive times. Richard has over ten years of experience developing and implementing community-based programs for underprivileged communities. He’s worked with at-risk youth as a case manager and program director in Boston’s Capital District and helmed the development of re-entry programs at the Center for Law and Justice and Treatment ALternative for Safer Communities. Richard has also taught Criminal Justice and lectured on issues like mass incarceration, education in low-income communities, and racism.
Lauren Mundell is on the verge of discovering a new niche within the cannabis industry. After a lengthy career in the PR world, Lauren discovered her love for the amazing flower and soon found that expression on the topic was still quite limited. This led to the creation of Hi-Curious, an app where cannabis connoisseurs and enthusiasts can not only talk about their love for the plant and how it helps them in their daily lives, but also to get first-hand knowledge and learn things they may not have known before from peers and experts alike.
It seems as though music was inescapable for Artifex: Born to a Cuban father and Finnish mother, their interest in cultures from around the world exposed Artifex to a wide variety of music at an early age. Artifex’s father was a dancer who loved to throw parties complete with Cuban food and live music played through the night. This led to dancing, with Artifex joining the crowd feverishly.
Ethan Gold is a multi-talented music maestro in a class all his own. The singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist thinks music found him just as much as he found it. Son of renowned novelist Herbert Gold, Ethan thinks his father’s success lowered resistance from his family as far as his creative endeavors went due to it not being a foreign idea. Growing up, Gold was drawn to the sonic exploration of artists like Brian Eno and loves the intimacy of artists such as Elliott Smith, Nick Drake, and other musicians who mix meaningful songwriting with musical integrity and creative arrangements. While being a fan of such prolific singer-songwriters, Ethan struggled when it came to lyrics. “It took me years to get comfortable with lyrics. I was always more comfortable in the musical realm and the lyrics were an afterthought that I didn’t really enjoy, but in the last few years, I find I write a lot quicker. A song is usually done in an hour or two,” he explains.
Singer-songwriter Tara Beier is a name that will soon be synonymous with invoking feelings of positivity and inspiration through her music. Her folk/blues/psychedelic rock sound is a mashup of some of her musical influences growing up such as Fleetwood Mac and Joni Mitchell with a twist all her own. Beier is also an accomplished actress and filmmaker. Tara helped create a documentary entitled I Met a Man from Burma, which helped release a refugee into Canada for citizenship and also played singer-songwriter, Buffy Sainte-Marie in Covered, which rekindled a passion for music that was within her from a young age.
Spiritual guru Cristina Dam is truly at the forefront when it comes to holistic medicine and techniques. The expert healer, motivator, and licensed hypnotherapist is also the owner of Liberate Hollywood and Liberate Emporium, the two largest holistic centers in Los Angeles. Liberate offers every spiritual treatment you can think of from breath-work to Reiki and card reading to bring mind and body into spiritual alignment. Liberate are also holding remote reading sessions and live stream meditations stating energy can be accessed from anywhere in the world, regardless of his or her environment. “Other than the person’s perspective. It’s really no different,” Cristina states.
