Kate Pennington - Beyond a Joke

After a twenty-year diverse, engaging, career in the field of Telecommunications the time had come for change. This exciting and challenging career provided financial security as the ability to employ a unique genre of creative writing. As fulfilling and stimulating utilizing these tools, my dream of writing novels was not realized. Four years ago a long-time friend suggested I return to writing novels. I had not written a novel in many years (that body of work, waits in my desk drawer for renewed attention). The following day I was in front of my computer. The first novel in the series took flight. The innate passion of my life was reborn. It was my plan to write one thought-provoking novel until the same friend suggested a second novel. Now there are five in this series. The sixth and final of the series is in its first draft form. I have four lovely dogs that sleep or play in my office as I work. Two of these little beasts are Yorkshire Terriers, Sammy and Chloe the other two, miniature dachshunds, Barney III (long story) and Cecil. There are two beautiful young men who rush into my office from time to time, my sons. The additional passions of my life is working out each morning, meditating each afternoon and the gift of laughter. All of which are necessary when I sit in front of the computer and create “Political Thrillers”. I neglected to mention my manic consumption of six to eight bottles of spring water daily. Thank you for exploring “The Lighthouse Keeper Series”. It is true, “Nothing in this world ever happens by mistake”, and when it happens it is always for our benefit. http://www.teriraes.com/

Hannah is an advocate of everyday justice. She has spent many years working within the non-profit world and dealing with issues like poverty and human trafficking. Hannah currently writes a blog called "Life Style Justice", which focuses on gentle, sustainable, joyful activism in the everyday.  Hannah lives in Minnesota with her husband. She works as a non-profit consultant, while also serving on the Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force and working on various grassroots projects to fight modern-day slavery. http://www.lifestylejustice.com/

Douglas E. Noll, J.D., M.A. is an award-winning author, teacher, peacemaker, and mediator, specializing in difficult, complex, and intractable conflicts. He has been honored as Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in America and California Attorney of the Year by California Lawyer Magazine. For the past 4 years, Doug has been working pro bono in maximum security prisons, teaching murderers to be peacemakers. With his colleague, Laurel Kaufer, he has trained more than 200 men and women inmates to be peacemakers and mediators within their prison communities. The results have been astounding. Violence has been reduced, lives have been transformed, and inmates have regained their humanity. So many inmates have told Doug “If I had just learned these skills and this knowledge 20 years ago, I would not be in prison today,” that Doug decided to reach out to the free world. He has written a simple e-Book, called “How to Live a Centered Life,” and has created Negotiate a Centered Life, an on-line life skills and re-lationship course. In addition, he reaches out to middle schools and high schools to teach young people the essential life skills that will guarantee centered lives and strong relationships. As Doug says, “If I can teach murderers to be peacemakers, imagine what I can do for everyone else.” Doug hosts his own radio show and has appeared as a guest on hundreds of local and national radio and television shows. http://negotiateacenteredlife.com/

Whitney Freya is an up and coming presence in the arena of spiritual teachers and the self-help movement. She is devoted to help people to use art making as a spiritual practice and expressive living. She uses art as an energy work medium of the imagination and as a way to connect to the subconscious and Source energy, allowing for new healing insights and personal growth. She is considered a muse for guidance in ways to tap into creativity as a pure language of our souls. Whitney is also a mother of three, an author, motivational speaker, and creative entrepreneur. www.WhitneyFreya.com

Kirsty is an adventurer, healer and teacher who combines her passion for ecstatic dance, self-healing and natural living to help people live intuitively, in harmony with their true nature, create what their hearts most desire and honour their soul’s calling. Ever since she was a child, dance has been Kirsty’s sanctuary. Her medicine. A place she feels free and connected to source. Born to dance and to invite others to share their dance, she is renowned for holding a safe, sacred space that encourages people to let go deeply within, connect with their body’s wisdom, transcend limitations and express themselves fully, liberating their creative potential and aliveness in the moment and in their every day lives. Separateness dissolves and oneness arises. Her interest in self-healing and living in tune with our true nature arose from her own miraculous healing. Following 10 years competing internationally as a member of the Great Britain Synchronised Swimming Team and being in peak condition she suffered from years of debilitating chronic fatigue and then cancer. Embarking on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment she made a full recovery. Yet the real magic in her life happened when she re-connected with her heart and its deepest desires and learnt to listen to her intuition. Committing to fulfil her heart’s desires, she followed her intuition on an adventure through North and Central America sharing ecstatic dances along the way. Landing in Costa Rica she fell in love and created a lifestyle that nurtures her whole being. And the journey continues... Kirsty employs everything she’s learned on her own journey with her clients to help them live fully, vitally and on purpose. http://www.kirstymacandrew.com/

Lorraine Flaherty is a Transformational therapist, author, lecturer and pioneer of Inner Freedom Therapy, which has been designed to help people reach their full potential. She sees herself as a spiritual detective looking for the root causes of people’s problems and guiding them into the subconscious part of their mind so that they can find the answers they need. Her work is a kind of Feng Shui for the soul; a clutter clearing that frees people from unnecessary and unhelpful beliefs, behaviours and limiting ideas. She helps people to explore their current life memories and deal with any traumas or limiting beliefs that have been present since childhood or carried down through the ancestral line. She also helps them to explore their past lives to deal with unfinished business and unresolved karma and tap into their potential future lives to see what direction they need to be moving in. They get to access the space between lives to learn more about who they really are, why they are here and how they can heal. She has a busy private practice in Covent Garden, Central London and teaches Accelerated Learning and Clinical Hypnosis to midwives and student doctors in UK Universities, which include Oxford, Cambridge and UCL. She runs a variety of workshops and retreats, alone and in collaboration with some of the best in the mind body and spirit field: Finding Inner Freedom, Get Over It and Four Roads to Inner Freedom. She is a director of the Past and Future Life Society and is very passionate about helping people to change their lives for the better. Her first book Healing with Past Life Therapy: Transformational Journeys through Time and Space is out now with Findhorn Press and has two CDs which support the book called Inner Freedom 1 and Inner Freedom 2 http://www.innerjourneys.co.uk/

Gage Tarrant is the founder of Mind NRG Co-Creative Sanctuary and The Institute of Stress Sciences. Mind NRG Co-Creative Sanctuary is dedicated to psycho-spiritual growth, education and sponsoring programs that improve people's lives by creating opportunities to use their minds in creative, productive ways.  http://www.mindnrg.org/

Discover the Divine image that is the light in the center of your being. Set out on the inner journey. The inner journey has great rewards-but the wild storms, dark nights, and stretches of barren desert can't be avoided. That's why this book was written. It offers an oasis where you can be refreshed along the journey-and a candle or two to carry with you when the nights are dark. Here you will find opportunities to be better equipped for your journey, an instruction manual for wayfarers. David is the founder of 'Waymark Ministries' whose mission is to create opportunities for people to engage in the message of the Christian faith outside of mainstream church; he is a Spiritual director/teacher and Retreat Leader; 'Explorer Guide' for The Community of Aidan and Hilda (www.aidanandhilda.org) a dispersed Celtic Christian Community; the author of books on Christian Meditation, including the award winning 'The Mystic Path of Meditation'; and has been a Church Minister. He is qualified in 'Spiritual Care' (holistic care and pastoral counselling) and is currently studying a Masters' degree in 'Christian Spirituality'. David lives in the Beautiful New Forest on the south coast of England with his wife and two young children. https://www.facebook.com/groups/244869532207040/

Manny Hagman is a Loveworker/Musician and Writer from Austin, Texas. In April 2013, Manny experienced a breakdown/break through from years drug abusive, workaholism, and ungrounded, self inflicted spiritual abuse. After attending a transformative weekend through the New Warrior Training with the Mankind Project, Manny finally became aware of the power and Truth of his being. With inspiration from everyday life, he began openly sharing his experiences, pain, fears, and triumphs with the world through his Facebook page Manny Diaz - Awakening One Step at a Time. Manny takes a grounded approach to spirituality, choosing to look at the physical world as the source for healing. Manny hopes to inspire others through his writing and authentic living. Manny is on a mission to model authentic living to those who might be scared or confused on how to do so. Manny believes that vulnerability and transparency are keys to help others heal and return mankind to Unity consciousness and awareness. He believes that spiritual healers have the greatest impact when they reveal their human side to others and let them the world know it’s ok to be who we are, as we are, where we are. https://www.facebook.com/MannyDiazAwakening

Kate has worked many years in long day care centres, pre-schools, kindergartens and managed Before and After school Centres as well as a Nanny agency. Furthering her skills, Kate studied adolescents with behavioural problems becoming a foster mother opening her home as emergency accommodation for adolescents who could no longer live at home. Kate created and built Beyond A Joke in her brother Bruce’s memory and to assist with teenagers facing bullying today within the community, online and so forth. Kate’s aim is to empower teenagers and build them up to be strong, compassionate and caring human beings. Beyond A Joke is creating a domino effect of kindness throughout communities to outweigh the negative effects of aggression and bullying. http://www.beyondajoke.com.au/