This was be an interactive and immersive session focused on spiritual and emotional aspects of mortality, led by GPC members Mayra Hernández González and Dr. Jeannie Blaustein, and Jeannie’s Reimagine End of Life co-founder, Brad Wolfe.

For more information, contact experiences@synergos.org.

Speakers

Dr. Jeannie Blaustein, PhD, D. Ministry has spent her professional career supporting people in the work of having difficult conversations about love, loss, and conflict. A graduate of Brown University, she is a licensed clinical psychologist, and a pastoral counselor, with additional training and experience in hospital chaplaincy. She is the founding board chair of Reimagine End of Life (2017), a national non-profit designed to help us transform our experiences of mortality, loss and adversity so that we may all live fully until the end.

A strong believer in the power of the arts to open hearts and minds, Jeannie is an executive producer of four films: The Last Ecstatic Days (2022, Adithi Sethi), Caregiver: A Love Story (2020, Jessica Zitter), Defining Hope (2017, Caroline Jones), and Wrestling Jerusalem (2016, Aaron Davidman).

Jeannie has worked as an Adjunct Faculty Member at Pace University teaching The Psychology of Death and Dying, as an Advanced Care Planning facilitator in both public and private settings, and as a hospital chaplaincy intern on Mt. Sinai’s palliative care unit. She is honored to serve on the following boards: Reimagine End of Life, The Lilian & Benjamin Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute at Mt. Sinai Hospital, Auburn Seminary, Plaza Jewish Community Chapel, Jonas Nursing & Veterans Health, and the Morton K. and Jane Blaustein Foundation.

She is married to Peter Bokor, Ph.D., a writer and environmental activist, and has two adult daughters, Sophie and Livia.

Leon Ford, a Regimagine board member and native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Born in 1993,  Leon has accomplished so much in such a short period of time. The well-known author, international speaker, and 2019 City Council candidate for Pittsburgh, PA District 9. he has devoted his life to the betterment of his community. Leon Ford is a well-respected activist, mental health ambassador, and social advocate of change through his leadership. Ford’s influence in his community has divulged a heroic display of strength, wisdom, faith, and fortitude.

His knowledge of social disparities and injustice comes from personal experience. When Leon was 19 years old, his life drastically changed. November 11, 2012, he was unjustly shot five times by the Pittsburgh Police during a traffic stop. This horrific case of mistaken identity has left him physically paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Still, Ford hasn’t allowed his circumstances to deter him from positively impacting his community.

Through mentorship, he has sparked a movement cultivating leaders, organizers, and social entrepreneurs by empowering them to use their voices, platforms, and resources to evoke change and reshape their communities for generations to come.

While Ford is passionate about educating the community, he has also devoted time to work with police officers to help provide clarity on cultural competency, training, and building healthy relationships. Ford displays authentic leadership through his work while also being a source of healing, hope, and inspiration.

Leon Ford's work has not gone unnoticed in the community. He has received several awards, including but not limited to; President Obama’s Volunteer Service Award “2017, The Root 100 “2018” Pittsburgh’s 40 Under 40 “2019.”

Mayra Hernández González is a global citizen who perceives the world through her heart. Driven by a desire to accelerate conscious living, Mayra’s foundations and companies work to inspire individuals and institutions to better care for themselves, others, and the planet.

Mayra served for almost a decade as the head of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at Banorte. Under her leadership, it was the first Mexican bank to join the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Mayra was also instrumental in creating Mujer Banorte, which opened financial services and new opportunities for 340,000 Mexican women. Prior to this, Mayra led her own strategic consulting and graphic design firm, working with clients such as Mission Foods and Gruma Corporation.

In the early 2000s, Mayra felt a new calling - to merge spirituality with practicality in the global workplace and in daily life. In 2015, she founded Instituto Xilonen (IX), a social enterprise based in New York. IX matches high-frequency Crystals with individuals and institutions who seek to amplify their ability to live and influence the world from a place of higher consciousness. Mayra also develops experiential opportunities for individuals seeking spiritual discovery, exploration, and growth.

As an investor, Mayra has continued her involvement in the sustainable solutions industry. She serves as a board member of Synergos, among other philanthropic commitments. Since 2012, Mayra has been a member of the Aspen Institute’s First Movers Fellowship Program, whose mission is to build the courage and conviction of business leaders to think long-term and act in the best interests of society.

Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, Mayra holds a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from Universidad Iberoamericana and a Certificate in Administrative Science from Harvard University. Mayra is an avid traveler, but what she values most is spending time with family, loved ones, and her dear Yorkie, Getty.

Corey L. Kennard is Pastor of Amplify Christian Church and also serves as an activist in the field of healthcare. His holistic approach (body, mind, and spirit) serves as the foundation for his desire to see all human beings treated with dignity, honor, and respect in all facets of life. He began his active work in ministry as well as the business sector over 25 years ago. Corey earned a Master’s Degree from Ashland Theological Seminary and carries out his passion for people as a daring and devoted agent of change. In addition to serving as a Pastor and healthcare activist, Pastor Corey is a Spiritual Life Coach, Motivational Speaker, and Partner/Board Member for several community organizations that seek to uplift the poor and vulnerable in society. As a credit to his work, he has received the Michigan Chronicle’s Men Of Excellence Award as being one of the Top 50 Most Influential African-American Men in the Metropolitan Detroit Region.

Corey has been involved in the field of healthcare for over 20 years with over 15 years of experience in the areas of Palliative Care and Hospice. He is a Certified Patient Experience Professional (CPXP) and currently serves as the Director of Patient Experience at one of Detroit’s largest hospitals. His work in healthcare has also included leading a spiritual care team, and serving as a Faculty Lead for Duke University’s Institute on Care at the End Of Life (ICEOL) national training program called “APPEAL.” In this role, he was instrumental in co-creating a national teaching module for understanding spirituality at the end of life for African-Americans.

He has provided intensive, hands-on consultation, as-well-as informative and motivational conference presentations to Healthcare Professionals and Faith Community Leaders on the importance and impact of a person’s spirituality while facing illness. As it relates to healthcare, he has also served as a National Advisory Board Member for The Hospice Foundation of America, and as a Co-Director of a Community Faith “Advance Care Planning” Project for the University of Virginia. He currently serves on the Board of several Healthcare related organizations which includes Reimagine: End of Life, the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA), and the Cambia Health Foundation’s National Advisory Board for the Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program (SSLP).

His thought provoking and energizing speaking style has made him a choice of organizations and educational institutions seeking conference speakers, workshop presenters, or inspiring lecturers. Such organizations include the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), the University of Washington’s Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence, Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY), the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC), and the End Well conference of California.

Corey is one of the most sought after and preferred national speakers on the subject of faith and its impact on both Medical and End of Life Care.

As a writer, Corey has been a New York Times contributing columnist, he has been published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine, written motivational columns for the Detroit News, and authored two books – Goliath Must Fall and his latest release, Hamburgers & A Holy Man, which is currently available on Amazon.com and Kindle. He is also a featured author in the recently released book Shattered: Trauma and Grief, published by Hospice Foundation of America.

Ben Wasserman is a very funny boy based in NYC. He regularly performs his chaotic blend of comedy, characters, and crowd participation all over NYC and the East Coast. Ben has appeared in the Brooklyn Comedy Festival, Laughing Devil Festival, NY/Philly/Burlington Fringe Festivals, and runs the Time Out NY Critic’s Pick weekly comedy showcase Good Night at Friends and Lovers in Crown Heights. His work has been featured by VICE, Paste Magazine, and Vulture. He’s currently running his newest solo show, Live after Death in Brooklyn and on tour. Importantly, Ben also painted with his butt on MTV.

Anita Winsor is a 4th generation Trustee with the William H Donner Foundation and the Donner Canadian Foundation.

She recently served as Senior Advisor in the Latin American and Caribbean Bureau of USAID. She also was Deputy Director of the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), a non-governmental organization affiliated with the Organization of American States and a Professional Staff Member on the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Ms. Winsor served as Trade Representative for the United States- Mexico Chamber of Commerce during the implementation of NAFTA and authored “The Complete Guide to Doing Business in Mexico” a best-selling book published by the American Management Association.

Ms. Winsor founded of Starpath Dolls, an award-winning toy company where she manufactured, marketed and sold a line of dolls and personalized books online.

She has a Master’s degree in Latin American Studies from Cambridge University and a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Smith College. She is on the Board of Directors for Arena Stage, Final Exit Network, and Wild Earth Allies. She is also a volunteer for Meals on Wheels and Homeward Trails Animal Rescue. She is a native Washingtonian who currently resides in Alexandria, VA.

Brad Wolfe is Reimagine’s founder and executive director. Before becoming a nonprofit, Reimagine was initially inspired by OpenIDEO’s End of Life Challenge, and was led by Brad as part of an OpenIDEO project exploring art and end of life. Brad also founded the Sunbeam Foundation for pediatric cancer research in memory of friend Sara L. He has an MA in Sociology from Stanford and an MBA from UC Berkeley, where he has served as a lecturer on the topics of innovation and design.

Prior to his work with IDEO/Reimagine, Brad served as content and strategy lead for Zappos' CEO Tony Hsieh and his "workplace culture” consulting firm, Delivering Happiness. Brad has also worked on the Clorox Innovation Team and for Monitor Consulting. He is a contributing writer on positive organizational psychology for the Greater Good Science Center and is the author of the young adult award-winner, Breakfast on Mars (Macmillan, 2014). His musical project, Brad Wolfe & the Moon, has garnered airtime on MTV.