A Candid Conversation About Self Defense With Chris Roberts CEO, SAFE International

When I was younger I was interested in studying a martial art. I decided to try Tai-Chi.  Unfortunately the lessons were cut short when the instructor injured himself, taking himself out of the game so to speak for an extended period of time.

I have to admit I am still interested in taking a martial art partly for exercise and partly for self defense.  SAFE International is an organization dedicated to helping people who want to take a self defense course. The organization works with men, women, youth and in the workplace and also offers personal instruction. Recently SAFE announced that it would be providing services for people wanting private instruction in the Montreal area.

That got my attention so I contacted the CEO of SAFE Christopher Roberts to find out more about the home and other instruction they provide.  Christopher, thanks for being a part of Candid Conversations.

Cliff T.: Chris, can you define what self protection means, is it different from Karate or other martial arts?

Christopher Roberts: I define self protection/self defense as being able to handle violence from not only a physical standpoint, but also from an awareness and avoidance position, as well as from a verbal diffusion position.  Most self defense companies focus on the physical skills, but if we are truly interested in avoiding violence, one must cover all segments of violence prevention and handle them in a realistic, practical, and effective manner.

Cliff T.: I see from your website that you have been doing this for quite some time, since 1994.  What prompted you to start SAFE?

Christopher Roberts: My reason to start is not like most in the self defense industry who grew up with a close tie to the martial arts. My reason was basically to have my own business and to have a business that could make a difference in people's lives.  I had worked in the fast food industry for many years before this, and I could not see myself spending the next 40 years of my life feeding tasty, but unhealthy food to the public. With what I do now, I hear weekly how SAFE International is helping others.

Cliff T.: Besides teaching self defense are there any other things you teach?

Christopher Roberts: No, this is all I know how to do.  Lol! Now, within the topic of self defense I teach different things as I mentioned previously.

Cliff T.: Also on your site you mention teaching for persons 12 to 82. Is teaching self defense different for a young person vs an older person?  Do you also train women differently from men?  And, what if a person has a disability, how do you handle training for them? 

Christopher Roberts: Yes, while the top priority for all groups is the awareness/avoidance phase, it is particularly important for seniors since they have some limitations physically.  That being said, if one is a life or death scenario, there are still some basic concepts a senior can use with success such as eye strikes which don't require a great deal of strength.  While women and men have some very similar self defense concepts to cover, the methodology I use is quite different due to ego, comfort level, physicality level, etc.  I have also taught those with disabilities and to be quite honest I have probably had my most fun teaching them due to how honest they are with their thoughts and with the lack of ego which is so commonly seen when teaching most self defense. 

Cliff T.: What is the goal of the training, what exactly do you want your clients to get from the course? 

Christopher Roberts: If I was to put it quite simply, I want my clients to leave feeling safer than when they began training and to have a level of Peace of Mind and confidence that they can handle confrontation from all angles such as awareness/avoidance, verbally, and physically. 

Cliff T.: Is there a process that you go through before you begin to train someone and if so what would that process be? 

Christopher Roberts: The only process is to ask what they hope to gain.  If they want to learn how to fight, rather than how to get out of or avoid a fight, then my material is not for them.  This is something I recall Richard Dimitri once telling me about someone who left one of his seminars.

Cliff T.: Chris I understand that you are going to offer training courses to people in Montreal and that the training will be in a private setting.  Is there a particular reason that you are offering personal training vs public training?  And does SAFE currently do public training sessions in Montreal? 

Christopher Roberts: Since SAFE is a mobile company, we are always available in Montreal as we are throughout North America.  I find that people are much more comfortable training with a group of friends, co-workers, family, or privately, than they are with a public group of people with whom they have no familiarity.  Self defense is very personal for most people, so having the right environment is very important in order to make them feel comfortable to train, ask questions, and share their fears, concerns, and stories. 

Cliff T.: I bet that you come across some real interesting myths about self defense training. What are the most common and what can happen if these myths are held on to? 

Christopher Roberts: One of the biggest myths is that you need to train for years to be able to defend yourself. In fact, with a few hours of quality instruction you can learn the basics which are enough for most people. Now, the more you can train the better obviously, but this is a myth the martial arts community puts out there in order to increase their profits.  Another myth is that martial arts/karate is practical in real life self defense scenarios.  While I love the marital arts since I trained it for years, it is important to remember it is very different than reality based training which brings in the real emotion, psychology, and physical concepts which just aren't present in the martial arts.  One more myth is that you have to be big and strong to be effective in defending yourself.  I will take an inexperienced person with a never say die mentality over a 10th degree black belt who doesn't have the right mindset to protect oneself or one's family. 

Cliff T.: There are lots of people and companies offering self defense courses, Chris what sets your company and course apart from the others out there? 

Christopher Roberts: The biggest single thing I think that sets us apart is our teaching method which involves the use of humour.  So many have told me there is no room for humour with such a serious topic.  I say Bullshi....!  When people are comfortable with the instructor and trust them, they open themselves to an optimal training experience.  Think of seminars you have done over the years and I will bet the ones you remembered most and got the most value from involved humour. 

Cliff T.: Do you still do any teaching? 

Christopher Roberts: Yes, while administratively things are crazy with scheduling, training, etc, my real passion is teaching and I will always have time to do that.  Our Women's Self Defense Parties have become very popular and I love teaching them.  Also, our corporate courses, and courses for seniors are growing as well, so I have been doing much of that teaching. I will always do some teaching, but my goal is to keep surrounding myself with those who can teach better than myself.

Cliff T.: Have you heard back from clients, and if so what is the general feedback you are getting? 

Christopher Roberts: The feedback we get is very humbling and inspiring.  We have had people share with us how information we shared prevented them from being attacked.  We always hear how much fun our courses are and how that was an unexpected benefit of our program.  We consistently hear that the info we teach has been the easiest to remember due to us teaching concepts rather than techniques like most teach. 

Cliff T.: Is there any story you have heard that makes you go yeah now I know what we are doing is working, making a difference to people? 

Christopher Roberts: Yes, two young women we had taught 4 years previous were at a mall in Ottawa when they were approached by a man who held a knife to the throat of the one woman while the other woman was on the other side of the van.  She began yelling which caused the attacker to run away.  About an hour later he tried to abduct a woman and her child, but he was caught.  People got involved and caught the man. After he was arrested and attacker went back to jail.  Long story short, the young women had indicated they remembered what to do due to the humour they experienced with our course 4 year before. 

Cliff T.: Well as much as it would be nice to not have to deal with the question of self defense, it's good to know that there are people like yourself out there making a difference and helping people stay safe.  Thank you for taking time out to explain what you do. All the best in your endeavors. 

Christopher Roberts is the CEO of SAFE International, a company based in the Ottawa area that helps Canadians and Americans by providing self defense courses. To find out more about what Christopher and his team do you can contact SAFE by phone at 1-800-465-5972 or via the web at the there site www.safeinternational.biz. Christopher Roberts emailed us from his office in Ottawa.

Robert Ferringo Sports Betting Handicapper With Docs Sports In A Candid Conversation

I am not a betting man especially when it comes to sports. In fact I have no clue about sports in any way shape or form. So I have to wonder and I did wonder enough to ask myself how would I go about betting on a sport. There are lots of systems out there and for those who, like me, know nothing but, want to try betting on sports that is daunting.

I contacted Robert Ferringo of Docs Sports to ask him about betting for the the non sports type and I am happy to say my bet that I would get a response paid off because he has joined me for a Candid Conversation. Robert Ferringo, thanks for taking the time to be on Candid Conversations.

Robert Ferringo: No problem. Thank you for the opportunity to communicate with you and your readers.

Cliff T.: Like I said I do not know a thing about sports and sports stats let alone betting but, at Docs Sports you guys do because you have been doing it for 40 years. What is the first step for a geek like me who wants to try my hand at sports betting?

Robert Ferringo: Well, the first thing that you would need to do is find an outlet for your sports wagers. The best way to do that is to find out what your local sports gambling laws are and what they entail. I am not entirely familiar with Canada’s laws or approach to sports betting at casinos or online – again it’s important for everyone to consult their local and federal laws – but for the sake of this interview I’m going to assume that everything is legal and that it’s copacetic for players to bet on sports in your country.

That being the case, the first thing you need to do is find a Sportsbook. And, ideally, you want to find several Sportsbooks (3-5) to place your money in. The reason that you want several books to play at is the same concept why you would collect more than one bid on a job if you were, say, finishing the basement of your house. You want to get as many different people around so that you can shop for the best price. And in terms of Sportsbooks, different books have different spreads and odds for different games. So by having 3-5 books that you use you will be able to shop around for the best odds on your plays. It may seem like a small thing or a luxury. But over the long haul it can have a significant impact on your rate of return.

In terms of finding a book, the best way to do it is to go online, take some time, and research the different options available. You would want to read reviews by both sides (people who love and/or loathe a certain book) and then make a decision based mainly on the trustworthiness and reliability of that book.

Cliff T.: Robert, what should people avoid doing when it comes to sports betting, or to put it another way what are the key do and do not do tips you would advise people abide by?

Robert Ferringo: As far as what you should do and don’t do to be successful I could list you 1,000 things! But to keep it basic, here are the keys:

DON’T:

First and foremost I would say is never bet more than you can afford. When done properly, sports betting is a form of investment. And you never want to put down more money than you can afford. You have to be prepared to lose whatever money you are starting with so if you can’t afford it then don’t do it!

The second most important thing that you don’t want to do is that you don’t want to go into any betting situation thinking that it is a “get rich quick” scheme. One of the most critical aspects of sports betting is money management. So one of the worst things that you could ever do is bet more than your bankroll allows on any given game. As a rule, each individual bet you make should be around 3-4 percent of your bankroll. If you have $1,000 that you’re playing with and you go in and drop $500 down on your first bet you are just begging for trouble.

A third thing not to do is to try not to get emotional and don’t chase losses by trying to “double down” or things like that. This one is easier said than done. People get emotional about sports. And, they get emotional about money.

DO’S:

Practice solid money management. Again, this is critical. Don’t overextend yourself on any one situation, no matter how much it seems like “a lock”.

Keep a long-term strategy in mind. There will be big wins and bad losses. But if you keep your focus on the long-term success of your bankroll you can make a lot of money and have a lot of fun doing it.

Bet against the public. This is a slightly complicated issue. But the general idea is that when everyone expects one thing you want to bet the other way. In essence, you want to bet with the Sportsbooks. Because, really they are going to shade any odds away from the teams and situations that they know the general public wants to bet on. But if you can position yourself on the opposite side of the general betting public you will find that you win more than you lose.

A couple great examples can be found in the last few Super Bowls. This is the most wagered on single game in the world. And in the last five years the underdog or, in the case of the 2011 Packers, the team that received the significantly smaller number of bets on them, covered the spread. The Super Bowl underdog has won three of the last five games outright and over the last 11 years the underdog is 8-3 against the spread in the biggest game on the planet.

Cliff T.: Are there a lot of sports betting systems out there and which would say are the best ones to use especially for a person who is just diving in?

Robert Ferringo: The sports betting “systems” really vary by sport. And there are thousands. So I really couldn’t point to one specifically. But, again, the two most important things that I can impress upon your readers is A) be strict and disciplined with your money management and B) always be looking for situations to bet counter to the general betting public. When everyone is positive that a certain team is going to win – and the best way to gauge something like that is by listening to the hype from the ESPN and sports media bobble-heads – you want to have your money going the other way.

Cliff T.: Sports betting as an investment, really. Can one actually earn a living by betting on sports?

Robert Ferringo: You can absolutely earn a living solely by sports betting. I know that because myself and a lot of other people do it! It’s not easy. People may think that they could do it because they know a lot about sports. But it’s not about knowing a lot about sports – it’s about knowing and understanding a lot about sports betting.

As I mentioned, sports betting, at its core, is not much different from playing the stock market. Except in my opinion it’s a lot more fun, the payouts are a lot more immediate (you know within a couple hours if one of your investments won or lost as opposed to having to wait weeks or months or years for a stock to go up or down), and you can see fantastic rate of returns.

But, again, the keys are being really good at what you do, being very patient, being very disciplined, keeping that long-term perspective, and being ready to work 365 days a year!

Cliff T.: Ok Robert where does Docs Sports fit into a lifestyle and for that matter how do you and Docs Sports help people get the best bang for the betting dollars they put out?

Robert Ferringo: We provide picks on a daily basis in a wide range of sports to people that want to bet on sports and want to make money. We have clients from all walks of life and they come to us for a variety of reasons, and sports betting probably plays a different role in each of their lives. However, they all come to us for the same reasons: because they know that we are better at this than they are and that they can play longer, make more money, and have more fun by following our plays than if they were to try to survive in the gambling world on their own.

As far as the “bang for their buck”, different handicappers favor different sports and situations. Personally, I have always felt that college basketball is the best and most profitable sport that anyone can endeavor. I think that football is the most difficult to turn a long-term profit in. But other niche sports like hockey, baseball, the NBA and even sports like the WNBA and Arena Football, can be big time moneymakers.

But for me, the first two months of college basketball (November and December) are the best time of the year to turn a profit. And over the last six years someone betting my plays during that time would have experienced over a 500 percent return – and that is with a flat Unit size, meaning that you aren’t adjusting the bet size that one percent of your bankroll represents. So, basically, if you had started in 2006 with $10,000 and bet about $200 per game you would now have well over $60,000 in the bank. And that is just betting for two months a year. If you were to adjust your bet size every $10,000 in profit (so when you got to $20,000 you would bet $400 per game, at $30,000 bet $600 per game) you would have well over $100,000. 

Cliff T.: I am assuming that there are no guarantees when it comes to betting on sports, stuff happens. So with that in mind how can a player and or a beginner make a safe bet so as to not lose the shirt of they're back?

Robert Ferringo: Yeah, even the best gamblers in the world still lose 4 of every 10 bets that they make. So the most important thing is to keep that sound money management in mind. The idea of “going big” or “doubling up” is for tourists, amateurs and action junkies, not people that are really trying to make a living or a long-term profit by betting on sports.

There are no “safe” bets. But if you’ve done your homework, if you have found some strong angles to play (be it situational, statistical, motivational, etc.), and if you have found the best value in your bet based on the spreads and odds then you have made a “smart” bet. And if you do that consistently then in the long term the odds will work out in your favor.

Cliff T.: Sports handicapping and Docs Sports interesting combo. Would you say that the site is a clearing house for sports betters or is it more a mentoring site for the betting person?

Robert Ferringo: As I said before, we provide advice for people who bet on sports. We don’t take bets, we don’t place bets, and we don’t do anything but offer our professional, educated opinions on plays. In essence, we are akin to stock market advisers for our clients.

Cliff T.: Sports handicapping and Docs Sports interesting combo. Would you say that the site is a clearing house for sports betters or is it more a mentoring site for the betting person?

Robert Ferringo: As I said before, we provide advice for people who bet on sports. We don’t take bets, we don’t place bets, and we don’t do anything but offer our professional, educated opinions on plays. In essence, we are akin to stock market advisers for our clients.

Cliff T.: Robert, I bet you get asked this a lot, was sports betting a hobby before the career or is it a hobby and career at the same time?

Robert Ferringo: Oh, it’s definitely not a hobby now! Sports and betting are all business to me now. I try not to take it too seriously – I mean, it’s not life and death we’re dealing with here – but I am an ultra-competitive person and I absolutely hate to lose. So I don’t mess around when it comes to my work.

Prior to my time at Doc’s I was a very amateur bettor, a huge sports fan, and had been a sports reporter at my hometown paper in Watertown, New York.

Cliff T.: Do you still get surprised by an outcome, or to put it another way have you suggested a pick and have been totally surprised by it not turning out the way you anticipated it would?

Robert Ferringo: I am surprised on a daily basis. Anything can – and does – happen in sports. That’s part of the beauty of it and a big part of the reason why people love it. It is unscripted drama played out in these really random situations. I wouldn’t say that I’ve seen it all at this point, but pretty close. I’ve lost games in ways that you simply wouldn’t believe if I told you. But I’ve also pulled out some victories that were just comical in their good fortune. Things usually even out when it comes to “luck”. But when it really comes down to it it’s all about the math and the numbers. And I don’t make a lot of money for my clients or myself because I’m “lucky”.

I always like to say: gambling isn’t magic, it’s mathematics.

Cliff T.: What is the typical day for you? Or to put it another way is there a lot of work that goes into putting together picks and how does that get done?

Robert Ferringo: No real day is “typical” I can say. But a generic day includes waking up, spending time with my beautiful daughter, and then getting down to business. In the morning I check the scores from last night (even though I was following the games) and tally up my wins and losses. I update the site, check through e-mails, and get all the logistics out of the way. Then I look at what the overnight lines have done and start to sketch out my plays for the day. I do a few hours of research, watch what the lines do and how they are influenced by the betting on that given day, then I type up and release my picks to my clients between noon and 1 p.m. EST every day (depending on the sport).

The afternoons are usually spent writing and researching, as well as coordinating the other handicappers. I get a little more family time in the early evening, and then I settle in for the games that night. From about 7 p.m. to about 1 p.m. I’m watching games, jotting down my own projected spreads for the next day, and trying to stay up to date on injuries, news and things like that. Sleep a few hours, wake up, and repeat.

And yeah, there is a ridiculous amount of research and work that goes into every pick that I release. From scouting to running math models to researching things like injuries, weather, etc., it’s definitely trying to hit a moving target.

Cliff T.: Robert, I noticed that on Doc Sports there is a section where visitors can get a chance to try they're hand at betting. You have an offer valued at $60.00? What exactly do visitors get for that in this free offer?

Robert Ferringo: On our site what we will do is offer new clients $60.00 to use toward the purchase of any handicapper’s selections on our site. For instance, a daily package for my NBA picks is $29. We are basically giving someone two free days of service just for signing up with us. Or, a weekly package of my MLB selections (seven days’ worth from the date you sign up) costs $89. Well, we’re giving you $60 when you sign up. So for $29 – which is less than the $30 for a daily package – someone can get a full week of service that is backed up by Doc’s guarantee (your handicapper will show you a profit or we will extend your service until they do). In that MLB example it is basically buy one day and get six free.

Cliff T.: Is this the only special you have or does Doc Sports have regular offers like this one?

Robert Ferringo: We are always doing things like that in order to give people an opportunity to experience our service. For instance, right now we’re also offering a 3-for-1 deal for our handicappers. So if you were to sign up for a week’s worth of my picks you could also pick two other handicappers and get their picks for free. Every handicapper has their own different style and system (I like to say that we’re like samurai, each fighting with a different weapon, or like super heroes, each with a different superpower). So we like to offer specials like this so people can come in, get familiar with our system, find a handicapper whose style they feel best fits their own betting goals and needs, and then go from there.

Cliff T.: Robert, thanks for letting us know more about Doc Sports and betting on sports in general. I hope you and Doc Sports is around for another 40 years.

Robert Ferringo: Thank you again. And good luck to you and all of your readers!

Robert Ferringo of Doc Sports is a professional handicapper with Doc Sports he wrote wrote to us from his office in Sauk City WI. To learn more about sports betting and handicapping visit docsports.com and don't forget about the 60 dollar offer to try your hand at picking a winner. Of course you should remember that betting responsibly is the key to being a successful player. For more info visit www.docsports.com

1 Million Pixels = 1 Million Dollars. A Candid Conversation With Chris Pavlich

Imagine that you want to get something or go somewhere. For me the get something would be a new radio for the ham shack, for the go somewhere, Japan. I always wanted to do that.

One enterprising guy, Chris Pavlich took an idea and has built a site where users can buy pixels. The goal originally to raise funds for studies in Prague. But, the business is taking off and Chris is probably looking at doing some other things.

Cliff T.: Chris welcome to Candid Conversations, what is the name of the site and what exactly are you doing with it?

Chris Pavlich: Hi, Cliff. Thanks for having me. My website is called the Million Dollar Project. The idea is simple: Make $1 million by selling 1 million pixels for $1 each. The main reason for doing this is to gather enough capital to create my own non-profit organization (“The Charity Network” © 2012). However, I am also trying to graduate debt-free and pay for studying abroad in Prague this summer. I don't like the idea of graduating with a huge student debt any more than any other student, but I’ve decided to do something about it now instead of waiting to pay off loans for half of my life! In the process of furthering my education, I will learn invaluable ways to run a successful non-profit. 

Cliff T.: Interesting that you would sell pixels, why did you choose to do this?

Chris Pavlich: I woke up one day and found an order pending for over $40,000! Of course, the advertiser forgot to shrink the image to an appropriate size and abandoned the purchase out of shock at the amount. The biggest problem with the site is that the image has to be manually shrunk by the advertiser beforehand to meet the number of pixels they want to purchase. A lot of people either ignore or forget this and then are surprised to find the estimated cost when they upload an image that is 200X200 pixels (i.e. $40,000). So, to get straight to the point, I am still waiting for my big break.

Cliff T.: 1 million dollars that is a lot of money, now I am assuming that you’re really looking to fund the study trip first. But, the site is probably going to grow, are you planning to make selling pixels a full time business venture?

Chris Pavlich: If I could make a living off of selling pixels, I would do it in a heartbeat. However, there is still a lot to explore out in the world and I really want to hold some full-time positions in consulting or banking. So, even if I was extremely successful with the pixel advertising, I am still going to work in the business world and make my mark there. Hopefully, my non-profit will eventually become my full-time occupation. Of course, the more money I make with this initial venture, the more options I will have available.

Cliff T.: As you mention this is a not for profit venture. What would you like to see happen after Prague?

Chris Pavlich: After Prague, I would like to finish paying off my student debt. I am fully financing my college education because my parents cannot afford to help. Yet, I have managed to keep my debt to a minimum with savings and internship salaries. After that, I am going to conquer one of my life goals: Start a non-profit. My non-profit will be called "The Charity Network" (© 2012). As you may have guessed, it is called “The Charity Network” because it does have something to do with "The Social Network." I hope to create an integration with the Facebook platform that would make it simple for all users on Facebook to donate to charities of their choice, see how and where their money is being used in the world, and link up with friends in global initiatives. It will harness the power of social networking to change the world in a big way with small contributions from everyone. Imagine the possibilities if all 850+ million users donated a single dollar! Poverty and starvation could be wiped out overnight! It is time for the world to stop being apathetic and begin to act in meaningful ways. If citizens of third world countries can stop worrying about the food and water they eat and drink every day, they can move on to build a thriving economy. Thus, any money put into eliminating poverty will be paid back many-fold by bringing new countries into the global economy. It goes without saying that I am very passionate about this cause. If the Facebook integration does not work out, a separate website or an app are backups.

Cliff T.: From what I see you still have lots of room on the site, is getting new clients a challenge?

Chris Pavlich: Well, the site has only been live for about three months now. I have yet to take it to the social media worlds of Twitter and Facebook, but I plan to do so in mid-March. Getting new clients is a challenge because, compared to Facebook ads and Google AdWords, I am a microscopic competitor. Most of the ads on the site right now are from family and friends. However, this site could become an overnight sensation, as The Million Dollar Homepage did seven years ago, if the news media even gave me five seconds of their time. The social media world is a powerhouse, so I will see just how much buzz I can create.

Cliff T.: How are the pixels sold?

Chris Pavlich: Each pixel is sold for a $1. Everyone is welcome to buy my pixels, which are available in 100-pixel blocks (10x10 pixels). There are 10,000 blocks and, thus, 1,000,000 pixels in total. You can buy as many pixels as you like until the entire page is sold out. When you buy some pixels, you upload an image (company logo, symbol, etc.) equal in size to the amount of money you want to spend (e.g. $600 ad = 30 pixels x 20 pixels image). You then pick where on the grid you want your image. Afterwords, you provide your site URL so that when someone clicks the ad it pushes them through to your website. Finally, you will write some ad text and upload a larger image, both of which will appear if someone hovers over your ad with his or her mouse. All purchases are completed securely through PayPal.

Cliff T.: So from what you are saying the client gets 100 pixels or more if they want and that is for 1 flat fee or do they pay for the space each month?

Chris Pavlich: It is one flat, simple fee. The buyer makes a purchase based on the size of the image they upload (e.g. 20x30 pixel image = $600) and that ad will stay up until at least 1/1/2017 guaranteed. If the project is at least 10% successful, the site will exist in perpetuity. So, this one-time advertising cost is minimal when allocated over the long-term.

Cliff T.: This sounds really interesting, maybe I should advertise, Chris thanks for sharing the story with us.

Chris Pavlich: It’s been my pleasure. I would love to have your advertisement on the site. Please, keep in touch.

Chris Pavlich is the brains behind the Million Dollar Project a site where people can buy pixels for one dollar. The site can be found at http://www.million-dollar-project.com/ and Chris also has a blog http://pragueorbust.wordpress.com/ check and the Million Dollar Project out, I think you will find it interesting. Chris wrote to us from Austin TX. 

Boogie Bowl & Raise Some Dough For Equality School. A Candid Conversation With Caitlin Franco

Shake shake shake, shake shake, shake your bowling ball! It's for charity you know. Let me explain. I came across a press release for a fundraiser being put on by Equality Charter School.  Having been a bowler when I was a teen I thought this was pretty cool.  That led me to contact Caitlin Franco to find out more about the school and the fundraiser.  Caitlin welcome to Candid Conversations.

Caitlin Franco:  It’s my pleasure, thank you for having me.

Cliff T.:  First what is a charter school and how is it different from a so called regular school?

Caitlin  Franco: In brief, charter schools are public schools that are held strictly accountable for academic achievement results in exchange for autonomy from many of the rules and regulations of the traditional school system.  The Equality Charter School was authorized by the Chancellor of the New York City Public Schools and approved by the State Education Department Board of Regents.

Cliff T.:  I see that you have a unique way of admitting students, by lottery, that must create some interesting results?  For example what happens if a student comes into your school with special needs or who has a trouble past, how does that get handled?

Caitlin Franco:  We accept all children, regardless of previous academic achievement, behavioral concerns, or special education status.  Every child who comes to Equality has a fresh start and we make sure that they have the tools required to be successful in the future.  Because there is no screening in our lottery process, our student population is truly representative of the community.  Because of this, we have a special education population of approximately 21%, one of the highest of any charter school in New York City.  We teach students with disabilities in an inclusive environment, meaning that they are educated in the same classrooms as general education students.  The majority of our classrooms are co-taught with a general education teacher and a special education teacher.

Cliff T.:  I know this is a tough question to ask but, do kids drop out of your school?

Caitlin Franco:  No.  At this time, we have not had any dropouts.  Overall, we have a very low turnover rate for students. Students who leave are primarily because they are moving away. We have a very high parent satisfaction rate which is what contributes to our success.

Cliff T.: What is the school day like for the students and what do they get taught?

Caitlin Franco:  Scholars arrive to school at 8:30am if they would like a free breakfast. Classes start at 9:00am. Our scholars attend four 90-minute standards-based classes throughout the day. All scholars receive ELA (English Language Arts) and math instruction for one period each day. They receive social studies or science every other day.  And then they receive either Home and Careers, Art, or Physical Education/Health each day.  We believe in an engaging and academically rigorous environment – which is very difficult to achieve with scholars who range across all achievement levels.  Our teachers work very hard to accomplish this. In addition, we offer academic supports and extracurricular activities during lunch and after school, including book club, mathletes, debate team, small group instruction, eight sports teams, HW (homework) help, and more.

Cliff T.: Do you cover all the grades or a specific grade range?

Caitlin Franco:  At this time, we are grades 6-8.  We will be expanding in the 2014-2015 school year to the 9th grade, and then we will expand one grade level each year afterwards until we are a full 6th-12th grade school.

Cliff T.:  Just looking at and reading your website I see a strong positive attitude and a desire to really help your students.  Miss Franco besides the academics is there also an emphasis on community and team building as well as individual growth?

Caitlin Franco:  Yes, we emphasize community and team building on a regular basis.  We have worked hard to create a culture that welcomes scholars, parents, community members and staff.  We want our scholars to feel a part of something special.  We accomplish this through many different outlets.  We built a stronger relationship between our scholars, families, and local community when we had our annual food drive where our scholars and families donated enough food to feed 75 local families during the holiday season.  In addition, to build the relationships between staff and scholars we had a staff-scholar football game and a pep rally which were both exciting events that brought our school community together.  We also work hard to build community within our school between scholars through many means, such as a Student Council where scholars get a say in the school environment.  There are more than the three examples I just gave, but that should give you a clear idea of some of the ways that we build community and a feeling of teamwork throughout our entire school community.

Cliff T.:  How do you measure success and has any of your former students come back to the school to show current students what they have achieved by being a part of Equality Charter School?

Caitlin Franco:  Every scholar who enters Equality is measured differently in terms of success.  Yes, standardized tests are a part of the equation, but where a student has come from and the gains that they have made from beginning to end, the more experience they have had, the more well-rounded they are as young adults is just as important to us as are their academics.

In addition, we measure success by assessing if we have fulfilled every aspect of our vision.  Progress is something we should acknowledge, but true success is when your ultimate goals are met.  Our vision for this year is: Equality will have a firm commitment to supporting and consistently recognizing high academic achievement and social development.  At Equality, there will be a respectful, engaging, and academically rigorous environment where all staff and scholars believe that all scholars can achieve. Equality’s educational impacts will extend through service and connections to the Bronx community at large.

We have had several former scholars come back to visit, and at this time 5 of them volunteer on a weekly basis.  To me, this is an additional indicator of success.  Scholars have moved on to other schools, but they feel welcome in our environment and they look to us as a source of stability and support.

Cliff T.:  I noticed that you accept donations, do you get any government funding or is everything paid for by donation?

Caitlin Franco:  Our school is primarily funded by government money.  We get the same amount of money as public schools, yet we have to do more, such as fund our entire back office.  We have not relied on donations for our daily operations. 

Cliff T.:  Miss Franco, what or should I ask why this kind of school?   What was the draw for you to get involved with a charter school?   How long have you been at Equality?

Caitlin Franco:  I have been at Equality since the beginning.  We started to write the charter in 2007, and the school opened in 2009.  For me, it has been a labor of love.  It is a lot of work, but I have learned more in the past 2 ½ years from our scholars, families, and staff than I think I would have learned doing anything else. In addition, this school is a true opportunity for us to change the lives of students, who would not want to be involved in that?

Cliff T.:  This must be such a different feel from a public school.  Not only do you have to keep staff and students motivated you have to also keep the lights on.  How do you find the time to balance school life with school finances?

Caitlin Franco:  I am not the person who balances school life with school finances. I have to give credit to our amazing staff.  There is no way that this school would be where it is today without all of the amazing individuals that make our organization.  I especially have to give credit to Favrol Philemy, our Associate Principal, and Gabriel Park, our Director of Finance and Operations.

Cliff T.:  Speaking of funding, Miss Franco, lets talk about your fundraiser.  I love the concept, having been a bowler when I was teen.  How did you come up with a charity bowl?

Caitlin Franco:  We have never had a fundraiser before.  When we discussed our options, what was most important to us was that it would be a community building event.  Bowling seemed the perfect way to accomplish that! Our fundraiser is more about bringing everybody together than to raise money.  Our hope is that this will become an annual event that our school community looks forward to each year to enjoy each other and celebrate all of our accomplishments.

Cliff T.:  How does one go about getting tickets for the event and can a team of bowlers participate in the event?

Caitlin Franco:  Please visit www.bowlforequality.org for more information on the event.  Through this link, you can sign up to attend the event or to donate money if you cannot attend.  Even a donation of $5 helps us!  Your donations help to fund our scholars to bowl for free and participate in this wonderful community event.

Cliff T.:  Besides the disco bowling are there going to be any special things that people can look forward to I.e. trophies and other door prizes?

Caitlin Franco:  There will be a raffle. We are in the process of obtaining raffle prizes, so they will have to stay a secret for now!

Cliff T.:  And, when and where are you holding the event and what will the proceeds do for Equality?

Caitlin Franco:  The event will be held at Bowlmor in Union Square in New York City on March 4th from 10am-4pm. The proceeds will first and foremost help to fund our scholars attend the event free of charge. The remaining proceeds go to Equality Charter School and its scholars.

Cliff T.:  Well Miss Franco you sure do have a challenge ahead, I hope you have a great time and thanks for speaking with me and my readers.

Caitlin Franco: Thank you again for your interest in Equality.  It has been a pleasure.

Caitlin Franco is the principal at Equality Charter School. For more information about the school and to donate you can go to their website at http://www.equalitycharterschool.org/ Miss Franco wrote to us from the school located in the Bronx NY.

Football (Soccer) & Vampires? Find Out More In This Candid Conversation With Martin Tracey Author Of Beneath The Floodlights

What do football players or as we say here in North America soccer players and vampires have in common. Well each has a goal in mind. Football players like to score points and vampires like to score blood. Outside of that I can't see what else they have in common but, author Martin Tracey does. He his book Beneath the Floodlights. The book tells the tale of a team that is in bad shape and in need of divine intervention so to speak. The intervention does come in the form of a new manager and a crew of players who seem to possess incredible skills. Little do most folks know including some of the teams players that the manager and his crew are vampires and the Manager is on a quest to clone the first vampire. But, there are some slight problems that the manager encounters. I got in touch with Martin Tracey to discuss the book.

Cliff T.: Mr Tracey, or Martin welcome to Candid Conversations.

Martin Tracey: Hi Cliff, Martin is fine. Thanks for the opportunity to discuss Beneath the Floodlights.

Cliff T.: Pardon the pun but, I would like to sink my teeth into this right off the bat, so to speak. Vampires and football an interesting combo. Tell me how did you come up with the plot?

Martin Tracey: I have always been fascinated with the supernatural and horror since a small child be it ghosts, werewolves or vampires. I remember in particular around the age of 9 or 10 watching Salem’s Lot starring David Soul and it just fueled my already existing active imagination. Also like most Englanders I have always been hooked on football. In England football is a massive cultural entity which significantly dominates a variety of social circles and is very much a way of life for many individuals in this country. The team I follow is Wolverhampton Wanderers and their nickname is Wolves so I initially had the idea to have werewolves taking over a football team, but the more I thought about the plot I felt that vampires had more scope to develop the story. To many the idea of the worlds of football and vampires colliding may seem a very unique storyline, but to me it made sense to marry the two worlds together because I am writing about two subjects that really inspire me. I decided to make Cezar a Professor in Football to allow the scope for him to run a School of Football Excellence and be a credible expert in the sport and I thought if he was also a Professor in Genetics I could develop the plot of him extracting DNA to make a clone. If Cezar purchased a large enough residence he could set up both his school and laboratories at the same location. Birmingham is a major city in England yet it is surrounded by ample countryside so I decided to have the residence set up in rural Staffordshire, close to the Shropshire borders which is rural enough to possess a private dwelling yet is close enough to Birmingham for Cezar and his vampire footballers to travel to the football ground.

Cliff T.: In the book it looks like there are 4 characters that are central to the plot Johnny, the professor a girl and another vampire. How do they interact with each other?

Martin Tracey: Johnny Knox is a local boy done good. He epitomizes every school boy’s dream in that he is playing for the team he supported as a child, in this case the fictitious Birmingham team of Kingsbarr United. He is club captain and would give blood for the good of his team (you will have to read the book to see if he literally has to!) He is also a strong family man and he would die for his family without a moment’s hesitation. Johnny is haunted by the disappearance of his son some years earlier but has a daughter and also finds himself adopting a Romanian child during the course of the book. When Professor Cezar Prodanescu, the master vampire from Transylvania manages the team, he recognizes Johnny’s loyalty to the club and also his ability as a player and captain. It is never on Cezar’s agenda to compromise Johnny’s position on the team hence one of the reasons he wishes to keep his vampirism secret. Cezar is the head of a raging vampire nest which doubles as a School of Football Excellence and the most promising prospect from this school is Andrei who is a fantastic footballer and is as prolific at scoring goals as he is drinking the blood of humans. It is Andrei who helps Cezar unearth the grave of the world’s first vampire which is secretly in Sutton Park (Birmingham’s equivalent of Central Park where King Henry VIII once hunted deer) so that Cezar can attempt to extract the DNA from the ancient bones in a bid to make a clone. Whilst in Birmingham Andrei unsuspectingly falls in love with a human girl called Lily and much of the book features on his struggle to protect her from the vampire world which torments him as it is against his very being: as a master vampire he is programmed to lead the way in drinking human blood to augment his vampire race. The old saying of “opposites attract” couldn’t be more appropriate as the sweet, young innocent Lily is totally at odds to all that Cezar stands for. Andrei doesn’t share his master’s desire to protect the humans that have complemented their lives and this clash between master and servant leads to dramatic consequences. There are other strong characters in the book, for instance some of the other human footballers: Jody who loves all things 1980s, winger Charlie Cheng - a Chinese Kung Fu expert and Italian playboy Giuseppe. The products of the School of Football Excellence/Vampire nest who spectacularly merge into the team are all latter-teenage orphans mainly from the countries of Romania and Brazil. Another strong character that features is Kingsbarr fan Gene who also happens to be a seasoned vampire slayer. 

Cliff T.: Is there a bit of you injected into the book?

Martin Tracey: Sub-consciously perhaps but not intentionally. There are traits of me in Johnny I guess, my family are my main priority in life and I like to think I have strong values around loyalty but I could never play football as well as him. In fact most of the time I was a goalkeeper when I played! Many of the locations I’ve used around Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield are inspired by the love I have of my home city so when I reflect on the drinking bars of Broad Street for example some of my life experiences possibly seep through.

Cliff T.: Martin, it's mentioned that you aim to be realistic while still writing in such a way that the reader will feel the horror as well, how difficult was that for this book? And, what did you do to ensure some reality was sprinkled into the fiction?

Martin Tracey: Very good question. If certain characters are portrayed as being traditionally cynical but then become exposed to a supernatural situation that they are forced to accept I think this gives an element of realism to the story. I try to get the reader to identify with the character and consider “well if that could happen to Johnny then could it happen to me?” I get the characters to question the situation they are exposed to until they themselves come to the conclusion that they must have experienced something they could not believe possible but there indeed can be no other logical explanation other than they have experienced a supernatural occurrence. Also by placing the characters in more familiar situations and by balancing fact with fiction, this is more likely to draw the reader in when the more horrific situations occur. Many of us have fears lurking in our subconscious anyway: for example how many of us have got into a car alone late and night and found ourselves checking the back seat of the car expecting a presence to be there? Many of us have involuntary fears that can be brought to the surface if manipulated well enough.

Cliff T.: Besides this book I see that you working on two others Mind Guerrilla and Divine Inspiration, what can readers look for in these two books?

Martin Tracey: Mind Guerrilla tells the story of a tough and uncompromising Birmingham cop named Judd and his superior and friend William. They are presented with the need to catch a very unorthodox serial killer and this leads Judd uncomfortably back to a previous time in his life when he was a football hooligan. Unfortunately football hooliganism was a very big problem in Britain in the 70s and 80s but in the book its ugly mark on football has developed to a more sophisticated level. William is suffering from a debilitating illness which affects his physical being but he has always possessed a gift of telekinesis and as his illness deteriorates his telekinetic powers actually increase and this helps him assist Judd in readdressing a travesty in justice whilst at the same time seeking to avenge his sister’s misfortune at the hands of a religious cult.

An abridged version of Divine Inspiration was once published as a short story in Words magazine but I am developing it into a novel. It tells the story of a failing Rock Star who is helped from beyond the grave to try and resurrect his career. It is a proper haunted house story where Jack, the Rock Star, returns to his native Peak District in Derbyshire and purchases a creepy old mansion with a piano that seems to play on its own accord.

Cliff T.: When did you get interested in horror and why did you choose vampires for this book?

Martin Tracey: As I mentioned earlier, since I was a child horror is something that has just always fascinated me, I remember watching the old Hammer Horror films and just fell in love with them. A particular favorite is The Curse of the Werewolf starring my favorite actor of all time Oliver Reed. At a very young age my mates and I would discuss the films and invent stories about seeing ghosts – eventually convincing ourselves that the stories were real. We even kept a log book with drawings and particulars about the respective ghosts! I have never experienced anything supernatural to my knowledge but when you have an active imagination the entity of the unknown is very appealing and I keep an open mind about these things. I chose vampires because I liked the idea of their powers increasing under the darkness of the English winter sky i.e. Beneath the Floodlights. In my book vampires have evolved to stand sunlight but like other nocturnal creatures they perform best in darkness.

Cliff T.: I am assuming that the books are geared to sport and music and horror lovers, or do you have a wider audience in mind?

Martin Tracey: The book is first and foremost geared to an audience who is comfortable with mature themes. The book is about modern day footballers so swearing is par for the course. I have always been intrigued how the bite of a vampire is quite sensual in many vampire tales that I have seen and read, with the victim succumbing to the bliss that they encounter, so I have exploited this theory in the book. There are some musical references in the book mainly due to Jody’s love of 80s music and the team blast out CDs in the dressing room as a method of pre-game preparation. If the reader likes sport, music or horror then they won’t be disappointed but I believe the portrayal of the struggle Cezar has with his emotions around Lily and the human footballers allows the more sensitive and romantic reader to enjoy the book as well. There are also sprinklings of history in the book including that of British monarchs.

Cliff T.: Martin I noted that besides writing books you also do some acting and writing. Are these full time jobs for you or do you have a day job as well?

Martin Tracey: By day I work as a Performance and Analysis Manager and by night (and at weekends) I juggle my other interests whilst foremost being a husband and dad. These days the acting is very limited but I did land a part in a zombie film, called ZombieHood, which is set in Nottingham and I believe is due for release sometime this year. Both my youngest daughter and I play zombies (she needed the grotesque make up more than I) but my eldest daughter has a speaking part as the news reader who reports on the mayhem that the Zombies are causing across Nottingham. Before writing novels I concentrated on writing songs and played in a few bands around Birmingham. I had some success in the music business supporting the Fine Young Cannibals at one very special gig and I have a song called “Raging Bull” on the CD “Old Gold Anthems – the songs of Wolverhampton Wanderers”.

Cliff T.: I see that people can get the book from Amazon, can they buy the book via you're website and get copies in stores?

Martin Tracey: There is a link on my website to contact me directly to buy a signed copy; obviously UK readers can post me a cheque in sterling. I would not wish to alienate my overseas readers so if they contact me through my site in the first instance I could easily arrange to email them a PayPal invoice so they too can purchase a signed copy. I believe that they do not even need to have a PayPal account themselves to do this. In the UK the book is available in Waterstone’s store. The book is also available at Barnes and Noble, the AuthorHouse online bookstore and several other outlets.

Cliff T.: Martin it's been great to chat with you here on Candid Conversations. All the best with the books and other things you are up to.

Martin Tracey: Many thanks Cliff; I’d be happy to chat again sometime perhaps when I release other publications. All the best for now or as we say in Birmingham “Tara for a bit!”

Martin Tracey, author of the book Beneath the Floodlights, a tale of vampires and football. The book can be purchased from Amazon.co.uk/com in print and electronic version for the Kindle. Mr. Tracey also has a website www.martintracey.co.uk. Martin Tracey wrote to us from Birmingham U.K.

The First Candid Conversation Of 2012, With Renowned Hypnotist Debbie Papadakis

Hypnosis is a fascinating subject to dive into. Recently I came across a press release for an event that is going to take place in January. World Hypnosis Day is on January 4th and there is an open house and workshop taking place in Toronto featuring Debbie Papadakis the founder and head of Hypno Healing Institute where the open house and workshop will be held. Debbie Papadakis has become somewhat of a celebrity having been featured in the National Post, Toronto Star and Oprah's O Magazine, Elle Canada, Zoomer & O’s Big Book of Happiness.

Cliff T.:  Debbie nice to have you here on the Candid Conversations blog.

Debbie Papadakis:  Thank you Cliff, it is a pleasure to be here.

Cliff T.:  Reading the press release I noted that part of the event is meant to give the public a chance to speak to you regarding the benefits of hypnosis as well as dispelling myths about hypnosis. I know for myself the most I have seen is the odd TV show where a Hypnotist gets people to act like animals or do other silly things. The notion that this is a circus stunt must be a real challenge to deal with.

Debbie Papadakis:  Yes, my purpose in hosting an Open House Gala & Workshop on World Hypnotism Day, January 4, 2012 is to facilitate a dialogue with the public and media highlighting the true power and effectiveness of hypnosis and dispelling the misconceptions surrounding it. It allows me to address the notion or myth that hypnosis is a circus stunt. The most important thing is having an open mind. Like most things in life, our belief in what we do has a huge impact on the results. The challenge lies in raising widespread awareness and reaching those people that are afraid to even come see a hypnotist as a possible solution to their problems, especially when conventional methods have failed. When in a hypnotic state a person doesn’t lose their power to the hypnotist. Hypnosis is a collaborative process between a trained and experienced hypnotist and the client in that the hypnotist acts as a facilitator or guide to assist the client to go past their conscious mind into the subconscious and uncover the root cause of their problem. E.g. Fear, anxiety, beliefs etc. So a person will not behave out of character when hypnotized because they still have the ability to choose whether or not the ‘suggestion’ by the hypnotist is in keeping with their true self.

Cliff T.:  What are the most common myths that you face daily when it comes to hypnosis?

Debbie Papadakis:  Some people fear losing control, power, not coming out of hypnosis, divulging secrets, and behaving silly. Others believe they will not remember anything because they would have been asleep through the process. In fact ‘hypnosis’ is a heightened state of awareness which means we are highly alert and remember whatever we allow ourselves to remember.

Cliff T.:  Another problem of course are those out there that think they can self-hypnotize themselves or others, what are your thoughts on this issue?

Debbie Papadakis:  At Hypno Healing Institute we do teach our clients & students self-hypnosis techniques to empower them to help themselves. This allows them to get into a relaxed state at their own will. However when dealing with complex issues with oneself or others it is recommended to work with a trained and experienced hypnotist.

Cliff T.:  So in short no one should try hypnosis unless they are properly trained.

Debbie Papadakis:  Once you learn self-hypnosis you can hypnotize yourself to give yourself positive suggestions to enhance your day to day life. What most people don’t know is that we are already hypnotized for three quarters of a day everyday of our lives! For example when watching TV if someone calls your name and you don’t register it and continue to be focused on your show, it is because you are in a hypnotic state, which is basically a heightened state of concentration and focused attention. When working with others we recommend that you take the Professional Hypnosis Certification Training with a reputable association and school such as NGH or IMDHA.

Cliff T.:  Now that we have that clear, besides smoking and other bad habits, what else can a hypnotist help a person deal with?

Debbie Papadakis:  A hypnotist can help with:

• Sleep issues
• Overcoming fears, shyness, 
• Eliminating addictions 
• Releasing anger 
• Improving relationships 
• Weight management 
• Performance Enhancement – Children & Adults 
• Improve learning, adopt healthy habits, overcome obstacles (exam anxiety), maximize career potential, enhance sports performance, improve memory and concentration. 
• Creating abundance in all areas of life 
• Raising self-esteem/confidence 
• Clearing negative emotions and limiting beliefs that hold you back 
• Reducing stress and anxiety 
• Learning to relax 
• Connecting with and exploring your spiritual self 
• Discovering your life purpose 
• Freeing the blockages that keep you from reaping life’s awards 
• …and more!

Cliff T.:  From what I read on your web page Debbie, your specialty is to help heal the body through the release of painful feelings and emotions. By releasing feelings and emotions what effect does that have on the body?

Debbie Papadakis:  Through Hypnosis we can tap into our hidden/latent power, dispel fears, negative emotions and limiting beliefs, thereby healing our mind & body. This allows us to make positive, lasting changes in our lives in order to reach our full potential. We all know that stress can have detrimental effects on our mental and physical health. Releasing negative feelings and emotions allows the body to relax by releasing toxins (detox), shedding the excess emotional weight that bogs us down, reducing stress, re-aligning the body into a balanced state, promoting restful sleep, improving digestion and boosting the immune system overall. 

Cliff T.:  Could someone who has a medical condition benefit from hypnosis?

Debbie Papadakis:  Yes. However when we work with someone who has a medical condition, we always request a doctor’s referral and work in conjunction with the doctor. For example Hypnosis can help manage chronic pain and is also used in surgical procedures in lieu of anesthesia.

Hypnosis is a very reliable and relevant treatment option and has proved successful in treating many mental and physical ailments, when the person is open and receptive to the suggestions. In order to understand how hypnosis works we must first understand how the mind works.

The Conscious Mind holds all the analytical & rational information with short-term (temporary) memory and is responsible for thinking and the questioning. This is the chatter that occupies a person’s mind and leads to conflict and distress. The Subconscious Mind stores all of the emotions, beliefs, feelings, habits and worries. It works like an organic computer. This part of the mind knows and retains everything that happens 24 hours a day and impacts our thoughts, behavior, habits etc. The Unconscious Mind is the domain of our automatic functioning affected by both the conscious and the subconscious. 

Once we understand how the mind works we can see the correlation between our conscious and subconscious mind, emotions and how that affects our health.

Cliff T.:  Debbie besides healing in the body and the mind are there other things that hypnosis help people do, like finding hidden talents and skills?

Debbie Papadakis:  Yes, Hypnosis targets and accesses the subconscious mind and reveals the root cause of a person’s problem. By releasing blockages, negative emotions & limiting beliefs that hold us back from moving forward we uncover qualities, talents, skills etc. that were hidden underneath our “issues”. For example I had a client who was working on a novel, and was feeling stuck. She had many limiting beliefs that were working against her. After a few sessions, and releasing these beliefs & blockages not only was she able to complete the novel, but also found a major publisher who published her book.

Cliff T.:  I have done a few speaking engagements and one of the things I often feel is stage fright, the idea that I might bomb during a presentation gives me a bit of the hebe geebies, so to speak. Can hypnosis help people like actors, runners or politicians get in their groove so to speak?

Debbie Papadakis:  Yes. Yes. Yes! Fear of Public speaking is a very common and universal issue that can be easily resolved with hypnosis. This is because this ‘fear’ like the rest of the emotions resides in the subconscious. Hypnosis allows us to access the subconscious very quickly and deal with the fear directly as opposed to dealing with it logically at the conscious level.  

Cliff T.:  I am assuming that you would walk a person through a situation while under hypnosis so they could run through what it might be like in front of a live audience.

Debbie Papadakis:  Yes I role play with the client and through questioning find out what emotions they are experiencing while imagining a particular situation, for example public speaking. I trace the emotion by regressing the person to find the root cause of that specific emotion e.g. fear and resolve it at its point of origin. You have to understand that the subconscious does not differentiate between reality and imagination. In this case even though the person will imagine they are speaking in front of people their emotions are real. Once the original trauma is dealt with it has a domino effect, in that the subconscious automatically traces and transforms all subsequent situations to a positive or neutral state

Cliff T.:  Besides helping people walk through a situation a lot of focus is now being placed on prevention of illness and increasing wellness in people. Can and does hypnosis offer a way to prevent illness or reduce it? I guess what I am asking Debbie is it possible to train the mind to keep the body healthy through hypnosis?

Debbie Papadakis:  Yes it certainly is possible to train the mind to keep the body healthy. Hypnosis can help in this process by reprogramming or transforming the negative thoughts, beliefs, feelings, emotions that translate from the mind to the body. If the mind sends positive and healthy signals to the body, the body responds similarly. The same is true of the opposite scenario. How hypnosis helps is by re-recording our old negative tapes i.e. transforming negative messages to positive messages which act like filters for all new information.

Cliff T.:  During my introduction I noted that you are going to be hosting an open house and workshop at the Hypno Healing Institute. The workshop entitled Unleash Your Power Through Hypnosis sounds very interesting. Debbie can you give a bit of insight on what you'll be teaching in the workshop?

Debbie Papadakis:  The workshop ‘Unleash Your Power though Hypnosis’ - It is our birthright to live freely and experience love, peace and happiness, is designed in three parts: 

Part 1: A 40 minute presentation on hypnosis to facilitate an understanding of how limitations affect our life, understanding our unconscious behaviors and how we can use the hidden & incredible power of our mind to manifest the life we desire. 

Part 2: Volunteer Demonstration. We will ask one of the group members to volunteer for a demonstration (usually we have many pe4ople interested in this process) whereby the group will see how the process works and the volunteer will be hypnotized and an issue of their chose will be cleared. 

Part 3: Group Hypnosis. We will hypnotize the entire (willing) audience and have them go through some exercises to clear emotional obstacles in order for them to realize their full potential

Cliff T.:  And, where can people get more info about the open house, workshop and Hypno Healing Institute's programs and services?

Debbie Papadakis: Our office is located at 355 Keele St, Toronto, Ontario M6P-2K6, Visit our website at www.hypno-healing.com, call our office at 416.760.8996 / toll-free 1.888.758.3223 or email us: info@hypno-healing.com

Cliff T.:  I touched briefly on the need to be trained to properly do hypnosis. What does it take to become a hypnotist?

Debbie Papadakis:  In order to become a hypnotist you require proper training from a qualified school and trainer, a desire and willingness to help people, dedication to the profession, personal ethics and code of conduct.

Cliff T.:  What drew to this kind of work?

Debbie Papadakis:  I’ve always known I wanted to help people somehow. I’ve also been very interested in human personalities and philosophy and read the works of Plato, Aristotle and Kazantzakis early in life. The human mind has always been of interest to me and I pursued a degree in Spiritual Psychotherapy followed by various other training courses from different institutions around the world. My contribution to a recently published book ‘Adventures in Manifesting’ talks about how I’ve aligned with my life’s purpose.

Cliff T.:  I know that you have probably helped hundreds of people in your career but, I have to ask is there one incident that sticks out in your mind as being the most interesting or satisfying.

Debbie Papadakis:  One of the most memorable and personally gratifying incidents involved a student of mine who was disabled, unable to walk without assistance for ten years. During the class I was demonstrating how to take a person to higher levels of consciousness and through this process this student regained his ability to walk by himself. He now travels world-wide teaching and healing others.  

Cliff T.:  Debbie I must say I could go on and on but, time and space well they are kind of short. It's been interesting to speak with you. All the best for 2012 and of course on January 4th during the open house and workshop at the Hypno Healing Institute.

Debbie Papadakis: Thank you Cliff. It was a pleasure being interviewed by you. I wish you, your family and your readers a happy, healthy & prosperous 2012. 

Debbie Papadakis, BCH, CI, is a Master Hypnotist, sought-after Sleep Deprivation Specialist, Spiritual Psychotherapist, Reiki Master and Author. She is an National Guild of Hypnotists & International Medical & Dental Hypnotherapy Association Certified Instructor, president of the NGH Ontario Hypnosis Chapter featured in Oprah’s ‘O’ Magazine, O’s Big Book of Happiness, OWN Oprah’s Network, ELLE Canada Magazine, Zoomer Magazine, WTN Women’s Network’s Remedy Me!, Slice TV’s Newlywed Nearly Dead, CTV’s Positive Living, Oprah.com, CNN.com/living, Omni Television (Edo Kai Tora), ACE Fitness Magazine, Money Sense Magazine, Canadian Business Online Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, National Post and more.

She has been honored with the NGH 2005 Hypnotism Achievement Award, and was selected as an Award Winning Hypnotist to present her “Put Insomnia To Sleep” workshop at the 2005 NGH Solid Gold conference in Las Vegas, also included in the October 2006 “Most Powerful Women in Hypnosis” panel (IMDHA/IACT).

She continues to train professionals about sleep improvement with her “Unlock the Door to Sleep Improvement” seminar & improving relationships with “The Relationship Code” workshop. Debbie is the founder of the Decording™ technique which is assisting people to heal all of their relationships. Her ability to communicate with the unconscious mind works in synergy towards the release of painful feelings and emotions that are stored in the body. Debbie’s techniques allow the body to regain its health. Her goal is to awaken the fearless self in each of us. Debbie is the Director of the Hypno Healing Institute in Toronto, CA. She brings a wealth of knowledge to her clients & students with courses in the field of Hypnosis, NLP, Time Line Therapy™ and Reiki at all levels.

 Contact Info:
 Debbie Papadakis, BCH, CI
 Hypno Healing Institute Inc.
355 Keele Street, Toronto,
 ON M6P 2K6
 Phone: 416 760 8996 / Toll Free: 1.888.758.3223
 Email: debbie@hypno-healing.com
 Website: www.hypno-healing.com

I reached her via email at the Hypno Healing Institute.  Where on January 4th she will host an open house from 1 to 3 PM and then a workshop later that evening from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM entitled Unleash Your Power Through Hypnosis.  

Au Savon de Marseille les Grands Ballets Canadiens & The Nutcracker Market. What Do They Have In Common? Ahh Read Below To Find Out

It's November and we all know what that means, next month Christmas. Already in the works are a variety of partys and events to celebrate the season. One event that is coming up in the Montreal area is the Nutcracker Market. The event is held each year near the end of November and goes into the first week of December. It is run by les Grands Ballets Canadiens. The event raises funds for the troop's youth program.

One of the companies that will be participating in the event is Au Savon de Marseille. The company sells soaps from the Marseille region of France here in Quebec. I contacted Stephane Thibaud to find out more about the company and what drew him to the Nutcracker Market. Stephane thanks for being a part of Candid Conversations.

Stephane Thibaud: Thank you Cliff for highlighting our participation in the Nutcracker Market. It is the second edition and this Christmas market really deserves to be known by the public. As you mentioned, it is also a philanthropic event. 

Cliff T.: I have to admit I have not heard of Au Savon de Marseille. From what I can see your an online retailer. How long have you been selling soap for?

Stephane Thibaud: You can wish us happy birthday. We have been selling soaps for exactly two years this month. In fact our website was launched as a fast and a low cost way to test the potential of this great soap in Canada. Now we are ready to move on. Opening a street store is one of our options but, we also want to develop and improve our wholesale capacity. Already Le Marché Vert in Saint-Sauveur and La Maison Oléa in Bromont are offering our Marseille soaps. 

Cliff T.: Now from what I read on your site Marseille soaps have been around for a long time, since the 16th century, what makes this soap unique? 

Stephane Thibaud: The first soap was made in Marseille in 1360 but, in the 16th century is the very beginning of the industrial era of the Marseille soap. The success of this soap can be summed up in four simple facts: efficient while being safe, versatile, and long-lasting. Efficient and safe because it does what it is supposed to do: cleaning up without pretending to get your skin younger or things like that. It is a well known soap among people who have skin irritation or people who have to clean up their hands often. Considered as a hypoallergenic soap, mothers use it to wash their baby clothes. Versatile: we can use the very same Marseille soap for our personal hygiene and use it as a household cleanser, laundry soap and even as a natural insecticide (it kills aphids). Its properties are very well known in Europe but I must admit this is something not so easy to explain here in North America. We have been told for decades to buy one product for the kitchen, one to clean up our clothes, a different soap for our toes and and another one for our hands. But, Marseille soaps do all those tasks, even better and safer than industrial detergents or cosmetics! I could talk for ever about this soap but the last important things I want to bring up to your reader is its quality and the way it is made. A genuine Marseille soap must contain at least 72% of vegetable fat oil and be made according to the old “Marseille process”. It is this manufacturing process and the percentages of oil that make this soap such a high quality and long lasting product. One of my friends told me I was crazy to start a business that sells long lasting products. I said I must be crazy but as a consumer, I am also fed up with this modern marketing concept which is to make a product obsolete after a very short time or so. Anyway, as part of our effort to explain what a Marseille soap is, our website displays videos that were taken right into the soap factories. They are all in french but, at least everyone can get a very good idea on how this soap is made, a process that takes more than 20 days. www.savon-de-marseille.ca/videos.html is where one can see the videos. 

Cliff T.: This is your second year at the Nutcracker Market. How did you get involved with les Grands Ballets Canadiens? 

Stephane Thibaud: We were contacted last year by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and they asked us if we would like to participate in the first edition. They were searching for merchants who are offering products of great quality and hard to find here in Quebec.

Cliff T.: As noted in the introduction the event helps raise funds for the troop. What exactly does the money get used for?

Stephane Thibaud: 10% of the merchant’s sales and all other revenues go to the Nutcracker Fund for Children. This fund is aimed at helping disadvantaged children who want to take part in educational workshops and also attend a ballet. This will also help with production of the Nutcracker ballet which is mostly attended by children.

Cliff T.: Stephane, was this one of those events you heard about and said I have to do this? What was the motivation to become part of the Nutcracker Market? 

Stephane Thibaud: 2010 was the first year of the Nutcraker Market so of course, we could not have heard about it. When the team of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens called us in September that year and asked if we would participate…well…to be honest, we did hesitate and took a few weeks to think about it. First, my business was not even one year old and we were absolutely not prepared to do such an event. You must know that I am running this by myself with the help of my conjoint. We have unfortunately no employees to help us and not a bit of an expertise on how to manage such events. Beside, we did not know what to expect since this Christmas market has never taken place before! 

Then we remembered that starting a business is about taking some risks. We also put in the balance the fact that this could be our opportunity to learn how to prepare for an event like that. It is also important for an online based business to get in touch with its customers outside the net, in a more physical way, especially when you sell soap.

The other motivations came from the fact that this is not only a market but also a philanthropic activity. We really like this concept which is in perfect accordance with our philosophy, not only as a business but as persons. Last but not least, I must confess: the invitation to participate in this new project was really flattering. You know, merchants were selected and invited according to the concept which is to offer hard to find good quality products. Nine months after starting a business, we were feeling rewarded already! 

Cliff T.: Au Savon Marseille at a charity market must make for some interesting conversations, what has been the reaction to your entry last year and your entry this year in the Nutcraker Market?

Stephane Thibaud: reactions were all positive. Les Grands Ballets Canadiens were really happy to see us last year and we must have been of a good help in their cause since they invited us again. This year we did not think twice before accepting the invitation. The experience is great for the Nutcracker Market visitors too, we get to meet customers face to face and explain to them what a Marseille soap is, its history, its uses. People see that we do not hide behind our website and even that we are not a big corporate entity, we can do something via our business to help others in the community. 

Cliff T.: And, are you going to be taking orders or selling the soaps you feature on your site during the event?

Stephane Thibaud: Of course. Having an online business is like having a store you can never close. Fortunately and just as last year, I have my retired parents coming right from France to help us.

Cliff T.: Sounds like you will be having some fun and helping a worthy cause thanks for sharing the story with us here on Candid Conversations.

Stephane Thibaud: It is my pleasure. I do invite your readers to come visit The Nutcraker Market at le Palais des Congrès de Montréal, November 24 – December 4, 2011. There will be about 69 other passionate merchants who will be there to offer wonderful gift ideas and contribute to the Nutcracker Fund for Children. 

Stephane Thibaud from Au Savon de Marseille a company that sells the world famous Marseilles soaps online is participating this year, for the second time, in the Nutcracker Market. The event raises money for les Grands Ballets Canadiens. You can find out more about the company and the event by going to the website, Stephane wrote from his offices from the Montreal area. 

The web address is http://www.savon-de-marseille.ca