Welcome Empathy Tour! Whose Stuff Is This?, and author Yvonne Perry

Today I am participating in a blog tour for a new book titled Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You written by Yvonne Perry. The book has more than two dozen proven and effective ways to clear and protect your energy field. This guide offers empowering, proactive techniques to help empathic people manage energy overload. See http://whosestuffisthis.com/ for details.

Yesterday, Yvonne visited the Heart and Home Radio Show. Today, she is my guest blogger. I hope you enjoy the article she wrote about how to develop your intuition.

Being Non-Resistant Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry

By Yvonne Perry

I remember the line from Erich Segal's Love Story: "Love means never having to say you’re sorry."
That’s true because love never perceives itself as being wronged. If you never perceive attack, you will have no need to forgive, defend, retaliate, or feel sorry for yourself. What a freeing way to live! This is the embodiment of the often misunderstood feat of “turning the other cheek.” We’ve often thought that phrase meant that it is honorable to let people walk all over us. Turning the other cheek actually means standing in your place of power and letting things flow through you without even moving the needle on your “who gives a crap?” meter. You simply avoid giving away your power to anything negative. How? By paying attention to what you are experiencing at any given moment and not pushing against it. This state of allowing permits you to acknowledge your emotions—whether pleasant or not—and look for the gift or lesson each situation offers.

We resist because we are fearful or in denial. Perhaps we are afraid to feel, or worry that our emotions will take over. Quite the opposite is true. Our emotions, when stuffed, are silently taking over our health. Being resistant blinds us to possibilities and solutions and causes us to shut down. Our body may feel tight, tense, or lethargic; our emotions may feel heavy, sad, or angry. This causes us to attract more negativity and pretty soon we are stuck.

So, the next time you are about to get mad, judge, or resist, stop and accept yourself, the other person, and situation as it is. It doesn’t mean you condone it. It means you are accepting its reality instead of denying or fighting it.

If something is upsetting you, deal with it quickly. Acknowledge and release your feelings before they drag you down. That way, you can be present in every moment as you bring your attention and awareness to each thought, feeling, and activity as it is occurring. If you notice you are in a state of resistance, go to Chapter 9 of my book, Whose Stuff Is This? and do some of the exercises that bring peace of mind, balance, and well-being.

Whose Stuff Is This? Cover Art

When something upsetting is occurring for you, there are three choices you can make:

1) Resist, deny, avoid, or ignore it (not recommended!)
2) Communicate, ask for what you need, and be willing to alter what you can about the situation. If another person involved will not cooperate with your peace-making efforts, cut ties with the offender or remove yourself from the unhealthy environment. Let go of the need to change people. The only person you can change is yourself. Find a different job, move out, or do whatever you need to bring about a better living/working condition and peace of mind. You do not have to complain, suffer, or play the role of a victim. Instead, look for new opportunities and relationships with uplifting and positive people that will support and nurture you on your spiritual path.
3) Accept the situation once you have done all you can to remedy it. This does not mean you are giving up or surrendering to something you abhor. It means you have released all the negative charge surrounding the situation and come to a place of peace that will allow you to remain where you are without suffering, stuffing, or seething. This option is best employed when you are dealing with an uncontrollable situation such as the death of a loved one or the termination of a close relationship.
When you focus on cultivating and integrating a peaceful mindset into your life, the universe will guide you to the resources that support your goal of entering into the flow of who you really are. Undoubtedly, your intuition led you to this blog today. You know how to access your internal guidance!

When you are non-resistant, you feel lighter and it’s easier to be joyful and allow what you really want to flow into your life. My wish is that you will recognize your own power and live at a blissful level of unconditional, non-resistant happiness.

_____

Learn more about developing your intuition and progressing spiritually in Yvonne Perry’s new book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You. Learn more at http://whosestuffisthis.com/
Come along on the tour with us. Tomorrow’s blog stop will be at the Raising Intuitive Children blog. See the tour schedule at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathTour.

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Dancing With The Pen - guest blogger Dallas Woodburn

Ink Slinger's Whimsey welcomes guest blogger Dallas Woodburn as she celebrates the release of . . . 

Dancing With The Pen: a collection of today’s best youth writing

“The best children’s book writers are not people who have kids, but people who write from the child within themselves.”
— Andrea Brown

In 2010, I founded the youth publishing company Write On! Books with the belief that young people need and deserve a vehicle to share their unique voices with each other, and with society as a whole. Our debut anthology, Dancing With The Pen, features stories, poems, and essays by more than sixty young writers in middle school and high school from across the United States and even abroad: Singapore, Canada, and New Zealand.

Write On! Books has a twofold goal: give young writers an outlet for expression, while also publishing exciting, creative work that gets kids excited about reading. Dancing with the Pen is a book for young writers, young readers, and the young at heart. I like to tell young people, “Even if you are not normally a big reader, this book is still for you. Maybe you'll recognize yourself in these pages.” I hope people who read this book are inspired to pick up a pen, step out on the dance floor, and go for a whirl themselves.

The idea to start Write On! Books was sparked within me more than a decade ago, when I released my first book, There’s a Huge Pimple On My Nose: a collection of stories and poems. I was in fifth grade, and the book – and my writing dreams – snowballed in magical ways I had not thought possible. Pimple was reviewed in national media outlets including CosmoGIRL!, Girls’ Life, and The Los Angeles Times. I was interviewed by newspapers and radio shows. I spoke at various writers conferences and book fairs, and the Santa Barbara Book Festival had a “Dallas Woodburn Day.” Perhaps most important of all was the thrill of seeing my own words in print. I felt proud and energized – the excitement of Christmas morning paled in comparison. My self-confidence blossomed. My love of writing intensified. I wanted to be a writer. I saw myself as a writer!

In the thirteen years since Pimple debuted, I have published a second collection of stories; contributed pieces to dozens of magazines, newspapers, websites, and Chicken Soup for the Soul books; written plays that were produced in Ventura and Los Angeles, California; and am currently pursuing my Master’s degree in fiction writing at Purdue University.

When I visit schools to speak about my own personal writing journey, I always ask the students if any of them are interested in writing. Usually a few tentative hands raise. In contrast, at the end of my talks when I ask the same question, nearly all the students excitedly thrust up their hands as if trying to touch the ceiling. Many young people tell me they didn’t know kids could be writers. Not only can kids be writers, they can be brilliant writers! They can write imaginative, touching, thought-provoking pieces, as Dancing With The Pen attests. And writing, especially for young people, can create many amazing opportunities.

The mission of Write On! For Literacy, which I founded in 2001, is to encourage kids to discover joy, confidence, a means of self-expression and connection to others through writing and reading. Activities and projects include writing contests, fun creative writing workshops, and an annual Holiday Book Drive that has collected and distributed nearly 12,000 new books to disadvantaged kids. For every copy purchased of Dancing With The Pen, a new book will be donated to Write On’s Holiday Book Drive to benefit disadvantaged youth.

Copies of Dancing With The Pen are available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Pen-collection-todays-writing/dp/1450254594/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1299355509&sr=8-2

Discounted bulk orders are also available through our website: http://www.writeonbooks.org/writeonbooks.aspx

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dancingwiththepen

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/writeonbooks

Bio: Dallas Woodburn is the author of two award-winning collections of short stories and editor of Dancing With The Pen: a collection of today’s best youth writing. She has written more than 80 articles and essays for national publications including Family Circle, Writer’s Digest, The Los Angeles Times, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Creative Writing and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Fiction Writing at Purdue University, where she also teaches undergraduate writing courses.

Website: http://www.writeonbooks.org
Blog: http://dallaswoodburn.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/writerdallas
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dallaswoodburn

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A Review of the Youth Mystery, Sudden Moves

Kelli Sue Landon

Today, I would like to share my review of the youth mystery, Sudden Moves, by author Kelli Sue Landon. This is Kelli's first novel.

Synopsis:
When Katie Brashers announces to her friends that she's headed to Orlando, Florida, for spring break, no one thinks twice. But when school resumes and Katie is nowhere to be found, her sixteen-year-old classmate and friend, Michelle Martin, grows suspicious. The school staff claims that the family moved to Florida, but Michelle doesn't buy it. First, Katie never said goodbye to her devoted boyfriend, Brad; and second, Katie still has a treasured family book Michelle gave her to read-a book Katie promised to return. Something doesn't make sense. Michelle and her best friend, Tami, team up with Brad to investigate the family's disappearance, but it's not easy. Not only do they have to dodge Michelle's demanding, nosey mother, but they also have to sneak around the neighborhood while avoiding arrest for trespassing. After talking to neighbors and looking inside the house, they still have nothing but circumstantial evidence. Michelle is about ready to give up-until she takes her dog for their daily walk and uncovers a concrete clue. The clue leads her closer to the truth, but also thrusts her into dangerous circumstances beyond her control. If she isn't careful, Michelle could end up like Katie-gone without a trace.

Review:
 
Book Title: Sudden Moves
Author: Kelli Sue Landon
ISBN: 978-1426945847
Publisher: Outskirts Press

Reviewer: Vonnie Faroqui


Michelle Martin is worried. Her friend Katie went to Florida for spring break and never came back. It isn’t just that Katie left without saying good bye. That was bad enough, but Katie never returned the book she borrowed and Michelle is going to be in serious trouble if her mom finds out she loaned it to Katie. Author Kelli Sue Landon takes this simple turn of events in a teen’s life and weaves a mystery that is sure to please her young adult audience.

The dramas surrounding friendships, infatuations, academics, family difficulties, and the teen culture depicted in Sudden Moves are all believable and set the stage well for the mystery that Landon unfolds.

There are a few plot twists and surprises in store for the reader that I don’t want to give away. I can share that Landon reintroduces us to kids we remember from high school, only Landon’s teens are living and dealing with all the pitfalls, social environment and pressures of modern day America.

Landon successfully writes the teen mentality, capturing all of the frustrations and inexperience which lead her young characters further and further into danger and along the road toward adulthood.
She places obstacles in their paths that many young adults face and yet she does so without depicting all the adult characters as either foolish, self centered or villainous. The adults in Sudden Moves have as many problems and quirks as the teens, but the author doesn’t treat them as cheap comic relief or with disdain, as is often done for television.

The book has a good pace, with plenty of rising action carrying the plot forward. There is a criminal element to the story, with some implied and mild violence that advances the plot. Teens fourteen and above will appreciate this book and relate well with its characters. There is a good amount of interaction between the main character, Michelle, and her parents –with several realistic and trust building scenes. Law enforcement figures are treated respectfully by the author.

Sudden Moves is above all else a mystery and Landon works hard to give her audience everything they need to make sense of and unravel the truth, right along with Michelle, about what happened to Katie.

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Contest for Book Cover

I would like to welcome guest blogger Carolyn Howard-Johnson, instructor for the renowned UCLA Extension Writers' Program, to Ink Slinger's Whimsey.  Carolyn will be sharing information about an exciting contest she is organizing to find the cover of her new book.

Award-Winning Poets Seek Artwork for New Chapbook 

World Wide Web-- Poetry Partners Seek Artwork for Fifth Chapbook

It's been said (quite a few times!) that a picture is worth a thousand words. Even though Magdalena Ball and I are poets, we think the original author may have underestimated, and we'd like you--if you're a painter or a photographer--to prove us wrong.

We are the coauthors of the Celebration Series of chapbooks of poetry.
They include Cherished Pulse (for anyone you love) , She Wore Emerald Then (for mothers on your gift list) , Imagining the Future (for Fathers), and Blooming Red, a Christmas chapbook. Chapbooks have been a tradition in the poetry world since Elizabethan times. The Celebration Series goes beyond the cliched sentiments in most greeting cards - and does it for about the same price.

All four of our chapbooks are illustrated by artists making each a triple effort.
Cherished Pulse and Blooming Red feature artwork from California artist Vicki Thomas. She Wore Emerald Then features photographs by May Lattanzio and Imagining the Future a photo by celebrated composer Ricky Ian Gordon.

We are planning a fifth chapbook lauding women's issues and feminist themes. We are looking for submissions to be used on its cover. Yes, it's a contest. The winner's work will be featured on Deeper Into the Pond: A Celebration of Femininity to be published later in 2011. There is no pay but since Ball runs respected review Web site The Compulsive Reader (www.thecompulsivereader.com), and Howard-Johnson is the author of a multi award-winning series of books for writers including The Frugal Book Promoter, they can promise a wide distribution of the cover image, credit and a biography of the cover artist in the book, and tons of marketing exposure.

See the other chapbooks' covers at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/poetry_books.htm.

Here is a poem from that chapbook:

Ariel

Memory's two voices,
the you-girl
suffering the moment
and the you-now
who interprets.
You promise yourself
you won't fear the secrets,
won't tell what happened
without the feelings.
You deny yourself that
and you become Ursula
stealing your own song,
leaving yourself gurgling
under the sea. You need
the music to tell your story,
to find it, to understand it
to know the truth,
to reach above the
ocean's surface
where
others
live.

If you have something you'd like us to see, please e-mail your creative work to Ball with SUBMISSION: DEEPER INTO THE POND in the subject line.

We hope to have a decision by June 1, 2011 and we reserve the right to select no winner. If a winner is selected, we may also choose runners-up so those acknowledgments may be used by the winners for purposes of marketing. There is no fee for entering, and only the honor and publications for being selected. Oh, yes. And two copies of the finished chapbook. We hope to hear from you.

____________

To learn more about Carolyn's work visit . . .

Web site: http://www.HowToDoItFrugally.com

Blogs for Writers: http://www.SharingWithWriters.blogspot.com
http://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com 
http://www.TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com  
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynhowardjohnson
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carolynhowardjohnson

CONTACT:  Carolyn Howard-Johnson
CONTACT: Magdalena Ball 

 

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Bay Island - A zombie apocalypse that will pull terror from the depths of your primal, racing heart

Book Title: Bay Island
Author: Matthew Kray
ISBN:  978-1432758509
Publisher:    Outskirts Press
Reviewer: Vonnie Faroqui


Bay Island, with its coastal fishing village and resort, rests quietly in remote isolation, peaceful and serene; its inhabitants ill prepared for the zombie apocalypse that author Matthew Kray is about to unleash.  Get ready zombie fans, Bay Island is not just a zombie showcase of gore—although if you are looking for splatter you’ll get that too. Kray has a well written, character driven plot that will please horror fans with some truly gruesome imagery and suspense. Kray’s Bay Island will pull terror from the depths of your primal, racing heart.

The inhabitants are aware that there is a virus on the mainland causing the dead to rise and feast on the living. They know that their only hope of survival is to remain isolated from the contagion. What they don’t know is that beneath the waves, in the currents and on the tide walks an army of corpses. 

Through skillfully manipulating words Kray builds a sense of anticipation and a feeling of silence around the island. He sets the scene with care and deliberation so that the natural silence of Bay Island’s lapping water is eerily broken by the slurping sound of macabre chewing and the sodden shuffling of corpse feet. 

Not only does Kray maintain and build suspense throughout the book, he masterfully creates visual imagery through the written word that will make your skin crawl and insides turn.  Once he breaks the rising tension, he really scorches the pages with truly exciting zombie combat.

To the horror critics that have lost hope for the genre, I want to acknowledge here that Kray uses his zombie apocalypse to explore the human spirit, and the driving motivations behind loyalty, greed, bravery, faith, self sacrifice, and a host of other insights.  These characters are believable and motivated to survive.  He places the inhabitants of Bay Island through the fire of tribulation and burns away the social masks to reveal their true faces.

What would you do if you were responsible for keeping people safe? Whose arms do you cling to in your final hours?  Where does hope come from?  What or who do you love most? What will you die to protect? What will you cling to that makes life worth fighting for? These themes are all touched by the drama that unfolds in this horror piece. Not that Bay Island is moralistic or preachy; it isn’t by any stretch of the imagination. Bay Island is primarily a zombie thrill ride, but it has a human, beating heart.

Kray effectively uses suspense to capture the reader’s interest and –once the first zombie touches shore, he thrusts reader and characters alike into high velocity action that turns Bay Island’s zombie invasion into a resurrection of your most chilling, forgotten, walking dead nightmare.

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Q&A Continued, With Author and Business Leader Karlin Sloan

Ink Slinger's Whimsey is Proud to Welcome the UNFEAR Tour for Author Karlin Sloan. 

Yesterday, March 7, 2011, Part One of this question and answer interview with Karlin Sloan was featured by host Yvonne Perry at her Writers In The Sky blog.
 
It is my pleasure to offer you the second half of that interview and to invite you to continue following the tour by visiting tomorrow's host, The New Book Review, for a review of UNFEAR Facing Change In and Era of Uncertainty. A full tour schedule can be found at http://bit.ly/unfearvirtualtour.

______________________

 

Karlin Sloan

Ink Slinger's Whimsey is presenting Part Two of this written interview with executive coaching guru, author Karlin Sloan.

Karlin Sloan is the founder and CEO of Karlin Sloan & Company, Ms. Sloan provides organization development consulting, training and executive coaching to clients the U.S., Europe, South America and Asia.  She is the author of Smarter, Faster, Better; Strategies for Effective, Enduring, and Fulfilled Leadership (Jossey-Bass, 2006) and Unfear (January 2011).

As a consultant and executive coach, Sloan speaks with powerful corporate leaders every day and, over the years, has seen that many of the people she works with are living with stress and ambiguity.  Managing from a fear-based state affects an individual personally, which can lead to consequences that impede a work team and, in turn, the larger organization. The book inspires readers to make decisions out of hope and purpose, rather than out of fear.


Vonnie:  Karlin, you and your company are considered to be at the forefront of the executive coaching industry. You are an entrepreneur, an innovator, and visionary with a message of change. What are the greatest influences that have shaped your development as a leader?

Karlin: What a great question. My clients have had an enormous impact on my development as a leader. I’ve met some very talented, gifted people who have been examples of what is possible in galvanizing a team or a whole organization. I’ve been greatly influenced by pioneers in positive psychology who have opted not to study dysfunction and pathology, but have focused on what makes us happy, productive, engaged and optimistic.  I’ve endeavored to put what I’ve learned into practice in my own organization, and I think we’ve got a wonderfully collaborative and positive community as a result.

Vonnie:  How did you come to the concept of UNFEAR and how were the four practices developed?

Karlin:  I had an epiphany one day when I was doing research on leadership and resilience, specifically studying the leadership case study of Earnest Shackleton, the Antarctic explorer who was foiled in his efforts to cross the continent on dogsled in 1914.  I was trying to capture in writing the practices that enabled him to lead his team through a truly harrowing journey of shipwreck and survival, and I wrote out an early version of the four practices of UNFEAR. I tried them out with clients and found they really fit anyone leading in uncertain times.

Vonnie:  What kind of fruit have you seen as a result of executives practicing the four practices of UNFEAR?  What does a company look like when its leaders work together following the four practices?


Karlin:  The energy in those organizations is infectious. People are engaged, excited about their contribution to something larger than themselves. You can feel it, and you hear it immediately when you walk in the door because people are talking about the business from a positive perspective.  We spend so much of our lives at work – and we have a choice to build organizations that add to our lives and the lives of our customers and our communities.

Vonnie:  As a consultant your clients are executive leaders, upper management seeking leadership development programs and executive coaching.  What does your book offer the employee? How can the four practices of UNFEAR be used by employees seeking more out of their professional life? How might someone that is not currently in a position of leadership use your book and the four practices of UNFEAR to elevate themselves within a company?

Karlin: UNFEAR is really for everyone. What I believe is that leadership is at every level of an organization. That mantle no longer belongs only to those at the top. No one person holds all the cards in our complex, interdependent organizations, and we all need to take charge of ourselves and the world that we influence. UNFEAR is something that helps everyone around us. I’ve had people tell me what an impact it’s made on their family to use the four practices – and I find that so gratifying!

Vonnie:  How have you used the four practices of UNFEAR in your own business, as CEO of Karlin Sloan & Company?

Karlin:  We just completed our strategic planning retreat to prepare for 2011, and we were able to use the four practices to evaluate how we’ve done in the past year and to define what we want to do differently in the next year. I think they are a reminder for us to stick to our values and to keep ourselves healthy as an organization, and also as individuals.

Vonnie:  If there is one message, out of the many in your book, that you hope the reading audience will absorb, what would it be?

Karlin: That wonderful things are possible when we set our minds in the right direction! We all have the capacity to shift ourselves out of unproductive, fearful states into fulfilling, empowered states from which we can lead ourselves and others. The world needs us to be at our best in order to meet the challenges we face, and the first step is to shift into UNFEAR.

____________________

Thank you for joining our tour and visiting this site. 

Tomorrow's host, The New Book Review, offers a review of UNFEAR Facing Change In and Era of Uncertainty. A full tour schedule can be found at http://bit.ly/unfearvirtualtour.

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UNFEAR Tour Launches into the Blog-o-sphere!

Business Leader Releases 

UNFEAR –Facing Change in an Era of Uncertainty
Leadership Development Expert Karlin Sloan Celebrates Book with Virtual Tour

Chicago, IL March, 2011, — UNFEAR - Facing Change in an Era of Uncertainty (ISBN: 9781452885858,) had its official book launch on January 20, 2011. The book’s release is being followed by a virtual book tour on the Internet,  launched on March 1, 2011, from Karlin Sloan's Success TV blog with a discussion provoking article about future shock and facing change in an era of uncertainty. March 2, 2011, the UNFEAR Tour moves on its way to the Internet site of ASuccessfulWoman.com with an article about "Three Steps to Being Complaint Free"

This book and the UNFEAR virtual tour come at a time when people across the U.S. live in fear of unemployment, the unpredictable economy and the threat of terrorism and political unrest in the middle east that has a global scale impact.  Author, CEO, and leadership development expert Karlin Sloan addresses how to combat these worries in UNFEAR: Facing Change in an Era of Uncertainty.
As a consultant and executive coach, Sloan speaks with powerful corporate leaders every day and, over the years, has seen that many of the people she works with are living with stress and ambiguity.  Managing from a fear-based state affects an individual personally, which can lead to consequences that impede a work team and, in turn, the larger organization. The book inspires readers to make decisions out of hope and purpose, rather than out of fear.

"Many of the assertive, intelligent people I come into contact with are letting fear cripple their decision-making skills," says Sloan. "I wanted to write a book that provides them with useful tools to reduce fear-based behaviors, to inspire performance, and to align their team or greater organization around a larger purpose." 

Using examples from business leaders, including P&G, Walmart, Yahoo!, and LG Electronics, Sloan offers clear, effective, and practical strategies that enhance teamwork and leadership effectiveness regardless of economic uncertainty.

 I just finished my first reading of UNFEAR and I'm deeply moved.  Karlin has done an amazing job of weaving and synthesizing important ideas and concepts in ways that support looking at ourselves, our organizations and our world in fresh, creative ways. UNFEAR is an inspiring and practical guide to facing our fears and taking on creating a world that we want to live in. - Marc Lesser, author of LESS: Accomplishing More by Doing Less

Karlin Sloan’s UNFEAR virtual tour will travel the Internet offering question-and-answer written and radio interviews with the author, blog articles, reviews, book excerpts, and more.  Each tour stop will explore the concept of UNFEAR, and the four practices taught by Karlin Sloan & Company to executive leaders around the world.  The Karlin Sloan virtual tour for UNFEAR is being produced by Ink Slinger's Whimsey and Writers in the Sky. Visit http://bit.ly/unfearvirtualtour  for further information and a tour schedule.

Karlin Sloan is the founder and CEO of Karlin Sloan & Company, a leadership development firm providing development consultation for national and multinational organizations seeking to advance through enhanced training and executive coaching.  Karlin holds a BA from Mills College, an MA in clinical psychology from the Professional School of Psychology in San Francisco, and executive coach certification through the William James Institute Center for Executive Coaching.




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