Liliane Desjardins
Liliane Desjardins was born in Zagreb, Croatia and educated in Paris, France. Her background is liturgical arts and one of her outstanding works are theStained Glass Windows at the Catholic Chapel at Kennedy Airport in New York.
Upon entering recovery from addictions Liliane’s focus shifted from aesthetic beauty to reshaping and re-creating her life and the lives of others.
Liliane is a certified clinical addiction specialist. She is renowned for her highly successful and innovative work and the Desjardins Unified Model of Treatment of Addictions. She is the co-founder of Pavillon Gilles Desjardins in Val David, Quebec, Canada and Pavillon International, a center for treatment of addictions in North Carolina.
Liliane has a profound and passionate dedication to her work that was rooted in her own personal struggles. Her story of trial and triumph, success and addiction, life and death has brought hope and transformation to thousands.
Liliane has been involved in her own recovery process for 34 years. She is an international speaker, workshop leader and has appeared on numerous educational TV programs.She is a proven leader in the healing of emotions and deep seated self defeating belief systems. She knows how to spark the desire and strength needed to change and lead a more effecitve life.
In 2003 Liliane and her husband Gilles retired from the Pavillon andstarted a new company, Higher Power Productions, specializing in workshops, retreats and brief interventions. In 2007 they moved to Austin, TX andare continuing their life changing work.
With humor, warmth and expertise Liliane creates the necessary magic fortransformation and she brings a new dimension to how one feels aboutoneself and the world.
Nancy Oelklaus
Nancy Oelklaus began her career as a high school English teacher in Marshall, Texas. She earned the B.A. in Communications from Oklahoma Baptist University, the M.A. in English from the University of North Texas and the doctorate in educational administration from Texas A&M University, Commerce.
For nine years she served as assistant superintendent for instructional services in Marshall, TX, followed by nine years as executive director for the Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Throughout her career, Nancy has been a speaker and workshop leader throughout the U.S. She has also conducted workshops in Jakarta, Indonesia, Singapore, and The Netherlands.
Since 2000 she has worked as an executive coach in Austin, coaching leaders in education, social services, financial services, real estate, public relations, and city administration. She also coaches individuals who simply want to live happier, more productive lives.
Nancy has designed and facilitated processes for developing school boards and nonprofit boards; she has also designed and led a women’s retreat for the Higher Power Foundation, Inc., which she serves as a member of the board of directors.
Her articles have appeared in The American School Board Journal, The Austin Business Journal, The Systems Thinker, and Austin Woman Magazine. She is the author of Journey from Head to Heart: Living and Working Authentically, and, Alphabet Meditations for Teachers (Ann Arbor, Michigan: Loving Healing Press, 2008/9). Three coaching CD’s by Nancy are available through Amazon.
Nancy has received numerous awards, including the Vision to Action Award from the Vision of a Better World Foundation, Boston.
Irene Watson
Irene Watson, author of award winning The Sitting Swing: Finding Wisdom to Know the Difference (Ann Arbor, Michigan: Loving Healing Press, 2009,) was born and raised in a tiny hamlet of Reno in the northern area of the province of Alberta in Canada. It was a farming community, mostly settled by immigrants from Russia, Ukraine and Poland during the early 1900s. She received her Master's Degree in Psychology, with honors, from Regis University, Denver. Irene and her husband, Robert, live in Austin, Texas.
She is also author/editor of The Story That Must be Told: True Tales of Transformation, and, Authors Access: 30 Success Secrets for Authors and Publishers and is in the process of co-authoring another book, Rewriting Life Scripts: Transformational Recovery for Families as well as having a chapter in an upcoming book Mastering the Art of Grandparenting.
Irene is the president of Higher Power Foundation, Inc. and facilitator of transformative women’s retreats and workshops. Irene's background includes entrepreneurship as well as counselor with an Employee Assistance Program and a Psychosynthsis Therapist. She brings 40 years of life changing experiences, facilitation and study into her hands-on programs. Irene is also the Managing Editor of Reader Views, a book review and author publicity service.