Renound Landscape Photographer, Author, Lecturer, and Instructor

Alain Briot is a nature photographer, philosopher, music producer, teacher and writer. Originally from France, Alain first visited the Western United States in 1983 before coming back as a student in 1986. Alain received his Bachelor and Masters degrees from Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff and worked on his PhD at Michigan Technological University (MTU) in Houghton Michigan until the cold and the mosquitoes forced him to return to Arizona.

Upon his return to Arizona Alain and his wife Natalie lived on the Navajo Reservation, in Chinle, for 7 years. They moved to Peoria in 2002 and have retained very close ties with the Dine, the Navajo People. They visit the many friends they have in Navajoland regularly and continue to photograph the landscapes of Navajoland.

Alain's studies focused on photography, journalism, writing, philosophy and rhetoric. Alain was trained as a teacher, and taught chemical and digital photography, as well as technical and creative writing at the university level for 5 years.

Author of Mastering Landscape Photography, Alain creates Fine Art Landscape photographs, teaches photography workshops and seminars, writes essays on photography and publishes tutorials on composition, printing and marketing photography. Alain and his wife, Natalie, have made a living from the sale of Alain's fine art photographs since 1997.

Because of his own experience, Alain is very interested in what leads us to succeed, be it in photography, in marketing or in any other endeavor. By helping photographers create sophisticated images or market their work professionally, Alain has seen many examples of success that have enabled him to define what leads someone to success or, inversely, what causes someone to fail. Alain believes that success is tied to doing what we love rather than attempting to excel at something we do not enjoy.

Alain's vision of success follows Aristotle's who said that success is finding happiness. Alain is very interested in what motivates us to seek success, as well as what each of us considers to be success and how we find what makes us happy.

It is this research on success, based in part on his personal experience, in part from interaction with other artists, and in part on his extensive readings and research, that Alain wishes to present to you on Token Rock. To this end Alain has written a series of essays on the subject of success, focusing on art or simply writing about what Alain considers to be the universal rules of success.

If you are interested in studying photography, Alain's website offers a wealth of resources that includes numerous free essays, a large selection of Alain's fine art photographs, and CD and DVD tutorials Beautiful-landscape.com also lists.

Alain welcomes your comments and questions. You can email him directly and visit his website by clicking on the links below his photo.

Leading Expert of OBE & Astral Projection, Author...

William Buhlman is one of America's leading experts on out-of-body experiences and astral projection. The author's thirty five years of extensive personal out-of-body explorations give him a unique and thought provoking insight into this subject. His first book, Adventures Beyond the Body chronicles his personal journey of self-discovery through out-of-body travel, and provides the reader with the preparation and techniques that can be used for their own adventure.

During the last ten years he has conducted an international out-of-body experience survey that includes over 16,000 participants from 32 countries. The provocative results of this survey are presented in his book, The Secret of the Soul. This cutting edge book explores the unique opportunities for personal growth and profound spiritual awakenings that are experienced during out-of-body travel.

Over the past two decades William has developed a proven, effective system to experience safe, self initiated out-of-body adventures. He conducts an in-depth three-day workshop titled, Out-of-Body Exploration: Stepping beyond Time and Space. As a certified hypnotherapist, William incorporates various methods, including hypnosis, visualization and meditation techniques in his workshops to explore the profound nature of out-of-body experiences and the benefits of accelerated personal development. Through lectures, workshops and his books the author teaches the preparation and techniques of authentic spiritual exploration.

The author brings a refreshing look to how we can use astral travel and out-of-body experiences to explore our spiritual identity and enhance our intellectual and physical lives. William is best known for his ability to teach people how to have profound spiritual adventures through the use of out-of-body experiences. In addition, he has developed an extensive series of audio programs that are designed to expand awareness and assist in the exploration of consciousness. William has appeared on numerous television and radio shows nationwide.

William's books are currently available in eight languages. The author lives in Maryland with his wife Susan.

Numerologist, Author, Lecturer and Sculptor

Born on May 15, 1949 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Hans Decoz has been a student of numerology since 1969, when he discovered an old and rather worn out book on the ancient spiritual science in a secondhand book shop in Amsterdam. For many years, he experimented with the tools of numerology, reading and studying everything he could find on the subject. Hans traveled throughout Europe and Asia in search of more understanding and knowledge of the different forms and techniques used in numerology.

He used it to better understand his friends or acquaintances, or to interpret various events on the universal as well as the personal plane. Only after he had overcome his intense skepticism was he able to see the practice as yet another example of the ultimate unity, integrity, and wholeness of the universe.

In 1982, Hans began practicing numerology professionally in Houston, Texas. By then, he had a deep understanding - both of the science, as well as what it suggested about life itself. Soon he had a burgeoning practice, rich with the many strata of Houston's population - from the hardworking housewife and laborer to the wealthiest of Houston's business elite.

Ever since he was a child, Hans demonstrated advanced abilities in mathematics and art. He loved to figure out complex mathematical problems and, once completed, put aside such work for hours at his easel where he produced drawings and paintings. These abilities eventually led to fascination with computers, for which he also had a special talent. Now he wanted to combine these native abilities with his understanding of numerology. He also wanted to make that understanding more widely available. In 1985, inspiration struck and Hans developed the renowned computer numerology software program known as the DecozChart.

That program proved to be revolutionary. It was the first (and to this day it is the only) numerology chart-maker program capable of producing a complete numerology chart that included fifty years of forecasting cycles. The chart itself - a beautifully designed layout - was placed on a single page, visually capturing the many cycles and changes each person goes through in any 50-year period.

Following the chart-maker software program, Hans started working on a computer program that would produce a complete numerology report for individuals. After two years of writing, Hans called on his friend Tom Monte to help edit the data base of text files; together they devoted four years to the creation of a numerology program that provided people with complete personality profiles and future forecasts. Until then, no one had created a program capable of calculating a person's complete numerology chart, and then producing a unique report that described the meaning of each of the person's most important numbers. It is true that some small, rudimentary programs existed, but this was the first program that could produce an in-depth, personal reading that consisted of 25 pages or more. As everyone knows who has received their own personal reading, those numerology reports are written with incredible insight, compassion, and understanding of life.

Hans Decoz currently resides in Bisbee, Arizona. He lectures and offers courses and personal consultations. Hans is currently working on his second book. His first book: Numerology; Key To Your Inner Self with Tom Monte, was published in 1994 by Avery Publishing Group, NY. The book has since been translated in several languages, including Russian, German, Turkish, and Dutch.

Inspirational Speaker, Triathlete

I am a forty one-year-old attorney with 3 kids and a loving wife. I am obsessed with the sport of triathlon - specifically qualifying for Kona and the Ironman World Championship. To that end, I have to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles. To qualify, depending on the Ironman qualifier, I have to finish in the top seven to ten in my age group. To be sure, I have to complete 140.6 miles in just under 10-hours.

On March 7, 2009, I completed Ironman New Zealand in 9:55. In so doing, I qualified for the Ironman World Championships. This is my story.

At 41, I am having more fun in athletics than I've ever had. Having lost more than 150 pounds (take a look at the picture at the bottom of this page), I am on the fringes of being an elite triathlete. I now weigh 168 pounds and have just 6 percent body fat. I was named an All-American for my performance during 2007. I try to make healthy decisions now about what I do and what I eat.

You are probably asking how is that relevant to me or why do I care about your obsessions? One reason is that so many people told me that my goals were unrealistic and not possible. Are others limiting your visions? Your goals? I bet if you think about it you will find that they are. That makes how I destroyed my limitations relevant. My website is all about making healthy lifestyle changes by making good choices while setting and achieving our goals.

First, it is important to note that I was not always heavy. I earned eight varsity letters in high school and played football and baseball in college. Following college, my weight began to creep up - maybe ten pounds a year. However, following law school and while studying for the Arizona Bar Exam, I gained another sixty pounds.

On New Year's Day 2003, I sat by the trail that snakes its way up what was then known as Squaw Peak feeling like I was about to die. Weighing 325 pounds at the time, I also felt frustrated that I could not complete the hike with my wife, Suzanne, and our two sons, Nathan, then 4, and Joel. My family descended and went home.

I saw the disappointment in Nathan's eyes, I recalled. I sat at home devastated. I felt sorry for myself for a couple of days. It was like how in the hell did you get yourself in this mess? You've really done it now.

It is easy to see now how I got in that mess. My diet was replete with everything that is wrong with the American Diet. I was addicted to sugar and processed foods. I was drinking up to ten carbonated Coke products a day. I drank so many in fact that I actually became allergic to the caffeine.

Anyway, the hiking incident jogged my memory of my childhood. Growing up with a father who constantly faced health problems, rarely was I active with him. My father suffered from a debilitating hip injury, heart disease, and fought a prolonged battle with cancer.

I could now clearly see the generational pattern I was replicating. In the past I had lost weight, then promptly gained it back and more. I felt pathetic and lost.

Not long after this humiliating Squaw Peak retreat, a friend called to invite me to lunch.

I said great, I like to eat so I'll go to lunch.

The lunch turned out to be a major turning point in my life. I was stunned to see that this friend has lost nearly 70 pounds since the last time I had seen him. My friend had been under the care of Sofie Fontis, a weight loss doctor at Scottsdale-based Chiro-Med.

I told him that I would love to see her. Then he said, fine, because I've paid for you to see her. She taught me how to eat right, and the weight started coming off. Like ice melting, the pounds began to slowly disappear.

As they did, I began to feel reinforced by hearing positive comments on how I looked. The good feelings I felt began to snowball, motivating me to stay on my weight loss regime. I was hell-bent to stay on course. In six months I lost 40 pounds.

These forty pounds were the hardest pounds to lose because people actually tried to sabotage my efforts with comments like you look fine or reward yourself, etc.

Once I got down to 275, I became more active in the gym. Before then I was just walking every day. Once in the gym I got a trainer, she helped me regain my fitness and taught me about stretching.

In October 2003, a bit trimmer, I entered the sprint event at the SOMA triathlon. Amazingly, I crossed the finish line and I was hooked.

But then the nagging injuries began; old baseball and football injuries began acting up. A third-degree shoulder separation had ended my baseball career at Wake Forest, while a nagging torn knee tendon plagued me as a linebacker at SMU in the late 1980s. Also, bad form and an overly aggressive event schedule had me taking one step forward and two steps back for he next nine months.

Relief came at Endurance Rehab, a Scottsdale physical therapy company.

I work with Nate Koch, he's a big part of my story, he put me back together. I had tons of unresolved injuries from college. We worked on running mechanics; I had never been a runner. Now I was running 50 miles a week. I was going to get hurt. He made me more structurally sound.

I went from not being able to walk around the block to competing and completing Ironman Arizona in 2005.

It was stupidity! I went 14:37 my first year to 11:36 in 2006.

Following that adventure, I began to work with three time Ironman Champion Melissa Spooner. Melissa taught me how to eat and the principles that she taught me are the backbone of my diet today. In addition to diet, Melissa has helped me evolve as an endurance athlete.

In September 2008, I made a major change and switched coaches. I am now working with Hillary Biscay (www.HillaryBiscay.com). Hillary is another Ironman Champion (Wisconsin '08) and a true warrior. I love Hillary's approach to the sport and the fact that she loves the SMASHFEST. There is no one that I would rather work with than Hillary. She is accessible and I think she truly understands what I need as an athlete.

I train with an exceptional group of people. They are great athletes but better people. I would not trade my group at Tri-Scottsdale which operates out of Gainey Village Health Club and Spa for any other group anywhere. They have become my family.

Speaking of family, I owe so much to Lewis Elliot (www.LewisElliot.com). Lewis like Melissa and Hillary is also a professional triathlete and he has taught me the nuts and bolts about racing and pushing your body to the next level. I was not lucky enough to have a brother but if I did I would want him to be just like Lewis.

After going 10:10:59 at Ironman AZ 2007 I am working toward a 10-hour tri and the elusive Kona spot. In June 2007, I competed in IM Couer d' Alene. My training regimen for Coeur d'Alene- and the June 3 Escape From Alcatraz-consisted of riding 350 miles a week on the bike, 60 to 70 miles running and more than 13 miles in the water. Unfortunately, I came up just short finishing in 10:27. Ironman Florida 2007 was supposed to be my next shot. Unfortunately, I broke my collarbone racing in Dallas so I did not get that opportunity. Similarly, I was hit by a car training for Ironman Arizona and separated my shoulder.

Foolishly, despite the fact that I was not ready, I took another shot at Ironman Couer d' Alene in June 2008 . The rust showed and stomach problems led to my first DNF. I trained the rest of the summer to go under 9:40 at Ironman Arizona. Unfortunately, I did not have the day that I needed and finished in 10:30.

My training with Hillary continues and we both believe that I can go sub 9:45 in 2009. In 2009, I am competing in four Ironman races *New Zealand, Germany, Hawaii, and Arizona.

Now, my diet is based on the concepts I learned from Melissa and the principles in The Cure for Heart Disease by Dr. Dwight Lundell. This book demonstrates the benefits of a high protein low fat low carbohydrate diet. (If you have an interest in the book, please email me at Marc@triscottsdale.org).

Look, CHANGE IS HARD. In fact, I tried and failed several other times to lose weight. Everyday millions of people decide to make a lifestyle change. And everyday, just like me, millions of people fail to achieve their goal. It is popularly believed that in 1953 researchers polled the graduating class of Yale University and found that 3% of the graduates practiced goal setting and had a set of clearly defined written goals.

In 1973 researchers went back and visited the class of '53 and found that the 3% of the graduates who had the clear and written goals had amassed a fortune worth more than the other 97% combined. This is powerful evidence that goal setting is a proven process in creating and defining success.

If you really want change to happen then you need to write it down. However, in addition to writing it down, I believe it is paramount that any goal that you set is a SMART goal.

SMART goals have four defining characteristics. They are:
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Timely

Specific

Goals must reflect what YOU want to happen. Notice the emphasis on YOU. Change for anyone other than yourself has a limited chance of success. Thus, if your spouse wants you to stop smoking but you have not bought in to that then the chance for success is limited. The goal should be to the point. Do not beat around the bush. If weight loss is the goal then rather than saying I want to look better say I want to lose 35 pounds. By emphasizing what you want to happen you will focus and define what it is you are going to do.

Specific is the nuts and bolts of what you are going to do. It answers the What, Why, and How questions.

WHAT are you going to do? Use action words such as lose, stop, start, etc. WHY is the reason that you want to change a behavior. It asks why is this change important to do at this time? What do you want to ultimately accomplish? HOW are you going to do it?

Ensure the goals you set is very specific, clear and easy. Instead of setting a goal go to the gym or be healthier, set a specific goal to walk 2.5 miles at a challenging pace.

Measurable

If it can't be measured then how will you know if you have achieved it? The goal you set becomes your metric by which you will measure your success. In essence, the goal statement is a measure for your success; if the goal is accomplished, there is a success.

Attainable

Goals that are extremely ambitious or difficult you probably won't commit to doing. Although you may start out with a rush of energy and determination your subconscious will keep reminding you of this fact and will try to derail your effort. A goal can be a step in the direction of change. For instance, if you aim to lose 100 lbs that may be more than your subconscious can handle. But, by setting a goal to loose 2 pounds a week you can keep your subconscious interested. And when you've achieved that, aiming to lose further pounds will be a possibility

Realistic

Do not confuse Realistic with a piece of cake. Realistic, in this case, means within your abilities. It further implies that the skills needed to make a change are available. If they are not available it does not mean the goal is doomed. Rather, it means an intermediary step of attaining those necessary skills is required.

If the skill are not available then devise a plan to get the skills necessary to achieve your goal . In my case, when I decided I wanted to lose weight and become a triathlete I had to take a hard look at my skill sets. I had flat feet, and every time I started to train I got hurt. Thus, I could not become an Ironman until my muscles and joints, etc. were ready. Therefore, I had to take an intermediary step and develop those skills before I could set a goal of becoming an Ironman.

Your goals should be such that they can be attained with some effort! If they are too difficult then you set the stage for failure. If they are too easy you send a message that you are not capable to your subconscious.

Timely

Remember your goal is your measure of success. Thus, always set a timeframe for achieving your goal. For example, I will lose 20 pounds by the end of January 2008. An ending point gives you a timeline to work within.

Setbacks can occur if you do not set a timeframe. If you don't set a time, the commitment is too vague. Without an endpoint, there's no urgency to start taking action now.

Writing down my goals and making these goals SMART has enabled me to make life saving changes to my behavior. As a direct result of doing this I have lost over 150 pounds and I am now within ten minutes of my goal to qualify for the Ironman World Championship. I use this skill in all aspects of my personal and professional life. Try this on a simple goal and see if it works for you.

Adventure Coach, Lecturer, Stunt Man

Kenyon Salo absolutely embodies the true meaning behind…'Follow Your Passion.' Two years back he decided to leave a fast track corporate job in order to follow his dreams, bliss and passion. He recently cleansed his plate, by selling his businesses of 11 years and focusing only on items that were 100% in alignment with who he is.

After a series of self directed, thought provoking months…Kenyon wrote down his A for Astronaut to Z for Zoologist List. A list to determine who he was and who was he is supposed to become. His journey was to write all the adventures that he loved to experience and strengths that made him who he really desired to be. This required thinking about the journey from childhood to current events.

Kenyon realized it was very clear that Kenyon would be two things…A Life Change Agent and a Trainer, but one that would include adventure, fear based activities and looking deep into the minds of his clients. This introspection into fear and adventure would then assist, in discovering, what each individual, group and/or company feared most and thus what was holding them back from their greatest life and success.

His 2000+ skydives, 250+ BASE Jumps and his ultimate thirst for adventure, has led him to the position of, Chief Adventure Officer for the IAT Training Concepts Group. Through this training group he has been helping 1000s of people find their true inner dreams by confronting their fears and tearing them down. He holds a belief that if he will confront the worst possible scenario then anything is possible. His deepest desire is to share these proven concepts with others.

In 2002 a very dangerous BASE jumping incident enabled a world of adventure metaphors to develop. His 'Adventure Metaphors', as a training tool, have proven successful in many different training mediums and desired outcomes. Also BASE incident showed him that death is possible but, 'without the realization that death is possible…then he knew there was no real life to live'.

He believes that, 'Life is an adventure…do not die without one!' This double meaning phrase runs deep within his soul and drives him to embrace each and every day that is presented.

With almost two decades of his own self development training he has learned to master his mental states when faced with fears on all levels. His journey has included facing fears from death, participating in extreme sports, fears of family dynamics, his own self/personal destruction, drowning in overwhelming debt, the fear of success, uncertainty and many others.
He knows that once these fears were mastered, it was then possible to harness those fears for power and energy to accomplish anything. He knows now that the trick is to harness that fear as energy instead of letting it paralyze and debilitate him from his ultimate success story and true life adventure….serving others.

Rogue Egyptologist, Author, Lecturer, & Guide...

JOHN ANTHONY WEST, rogue Egyptologist and mystic-in-skeptic's clothing has been studying and writing about ancient Egypt for four decades. He is the foremost exponent of the 'Symbolist' school of Egyptology--which sees (and demonstrates) an ancient sacred science where modern academics see mainly superstition. West's work redating the Great Sphinx of Giza via geology, (proving that it must be at least 10,000 years old or older) was the subject of a 1993 NBC Special, The Mystery of the Sphinx, hosted by Charlton Heston. Viewed by 30,000,000 people, this was one of the most successful documentaries ever shown, and it has escalated into a heated international scholarly controversy. West won an Emmy in 1993 for Best Research for his work on the video and the show itself was one of four nominated for Best Documentary Program. The BBC subsequently produced its own version of the show for its prestigious and popular science series, Timewatch. Retitled Age of the Sphinx, the show recorded the second highest ratings of any Timewatch episode and generated still further controversy in the English press.

West's non-fiction books include Serpent in the Sky: The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt (a detailed examination of the symbolist interpretation of Egypt), The Traveler's Key to Ancient Egypt, and The Case for Astrology. He has also written a book of short stories, a novel, plays, and film scripts. His essays and criticism have appeared in The New York Times, Conde Nast's Traveler, and many other general interest and specialized publications in America and abroad.

He hopes to be traveling to Egypt in the summer of 2008 with a panel of independent geologists --some supporting, some opposed to his water-weathering hypothesis-- to try to resolve this important and controversial question once and for all.

His work is also featured in the new 8 Episode DVD Series: MAGICAL EGYPT - A Symbolist Tour http://www.magicalegypt.com

Spiritual Advisor, Intuitive Healing Facilitator

Donna is a kind, compassionate, and giving person who began her journey to the truth at a very young age finding that her gift and passion was more in the area of healing through intuitive messages and various healing techniques. She has studied various healing modalities such as:

· Reiki
· EFT - (Emotional Freedom Technique)
· EMF Balancing (Electromagnetic Field Balancing)
· Intuitive Powers - Quantum Pathic Center
· Kinesiology

Donna combines these modalities along with her intuitive abilities to help you successfully bring balance and truth to the mind, body and spirit helping you return to your natural state of being.

Donna has now dedicated her life to helping others with her gift. She gives accurate and honest answers to your questions based on information she receives. She is insightful and compassionate. Donna's voice is soothing to hear which brings a peaceful, relaxed atmosphere to your session. She is able to give readings online, over the telephone or in person. Donna also conducts meditations and again, with her soothing voice, helps participants relax and increase the visualization experience.