MEET THE WORKSHOP FACILITATORS

For 13 years Nonie was part of a religious order, the Society of Jesus. As a member of the Jesuit religious order, he was trained and groomed to handle educational institutions aside from his training as a priest. Today, as an independent Trainer, he runs training programs, facilitates retreats for corporate groups, schools, government agencies, students, teachers and master trainers. His focus is on character and values formation, personality development, spiritual health and education. He also provides non-denominational spiritual direction and psycho-spiritual counseling to groups, couples and individuals.
 

Past clients and organizations include include Shell Philippines, Victoria Court Group of Properties (including Best Western Hotel La Corona, Manila and Hotel La Coronade Lipa, Sohotel Malate), St. Patrick School QC, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Education, TESDA, and Gawad Kalinga.

PAST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES:

• CAREER ACADEMY ASIA (CAA), Headmaster

The school is part of PHINMA Education that offers interest driven and industry-based learning that leads to an international degree. As Headmaster, my task was to conceptualize, operationalize, and then oversee the execution of a comprehensive and cohesive program that effectively translated the school’s vision into reality. 

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• PHILIPPINE CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP (PCE-GONEGOSYO), Consultant/Director for the “Negosyo Mo, Bukas Ko” Program

The program helped to empower out of school youths by preparing and then helping deploy them for initial suitable employment.

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• ENTREPRENEURS SCHOOL OF ASIA (ESA), Director for Student Formation and Values Development

The mission of the school (formerly, the Thames International Business School) is to produce Novus Ordus – a new breed of business professionals. Managed the formation program of the school as well as design, implement, and conduct new ones that support and promote the school’s mission, thereby contributing to the viability of the school, and its profitability, as well. 

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• INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION (I4SEE), Acting Director

Oversaw the integrated community development programs in the advocacy of the Institute to use business as a tool for development, mounted its annual flagship programs, the Teenpreneur Challenge and the Social Entrepreneurship Experience for International AISEC Volunteers. Conceptualize, design and implement two new micro-enterprise projects: Dory and Bio-Diesel projects, which have served to benefit members of the current communities of the organization.

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• GMA KAPUSO FOUNDATION, INC., Executive Director

The Foundation serves as the corporate social responsibility arm and NGO of the media conglomerate, GMA Network, Inc.  Managed operations of the foundation that has an average yearly budget of US$1 Million and has served millions of Filipinos through various projects in health, education, housing, and community development. 

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• THAMES INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL Director, Student Formation Program

Designed, implemented and supervised the activities and experiences that made-up the formation program of the school. Two highly innovative experiences I created, conducted, and manage for the school were the Basic Values Orientation and Conscientization (BVOAC) Weekend Experience and the Days with the Lord Spiritual Retreat.

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ENTREPRENEURIAL EXPERIENCE:

• LEARNING BY EXPERIENCE TRAINING RESOURCES, INC. PHILIPPINES (LExTR)President/Chief Trainor/Founder

A training and formation agency that provides highly specialized and customized training programs and modules that address the need of groups, organizations, and companies to go beyond and do out-of-the box human development trainings and work improvement modules that result to even more balanced, motivated, and effective individuals or a work force moving towards achieving a common goal. 

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• CLARION SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL Co-Founde

An innovative Christian school committed to providing excellent primary education in order to promote social transformation and leadership.

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RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND
For thirteen (13) years (from 1988 to 2001), Nonie was part of a religious order, the Society of Jesus, a major ministry of which was running some of the oldest and most accomplished educational institutions in the Philippines. As a member of the Jesuit order, he was trained and groomed to fully participate in the running of its schools, besides his training for the priesthood. As a Religious Scholastic of the Society of Jesus, I did work in the schools that the Jesuits ran in the Philippines (i.e. Ateneo de Manila, Xavier School, Ateneo de Naga, Ateneo de Davao, Xavier University, Ateneo de Iloilo - Santa Maria Catholic, and Ateneo de Zamboanga), serving in various capacities ranging from assisting my more senior Jesuit brethren then in the managing thereof to teaching English, Literature, Christian Life Education, Philosophy, and Theology to giving numerous retreats, leadership workshops, and personal development and character building seminars and programs to even coaching the varsity tennis teams.

Jeannie’s workshops integrate practical spirituality tools. She has moved through various physical-meditative disciplines such as Sheng Zhen chi-gong, under Chinese Master Li Jun Feng and free movement meditation under the style of Indonesian teacher Prapto. She started Shivananda Yoga in 1998 under Bela Lipat and has since 2002, chosen Yoga. She is a certified yoga teacher from Centered Yoga Institute in Thailand in Ashtanga VInyasa and Pranayama and has studied under many teachers such as Paul Dallaghan, O.P Tiwari, John Scott and Richard Freeman to name a few. From 2008-2014, she ran ECHOyoga Shala in Makati City. Jeannie has been a regular meditator, as well as a life counselor since the 1990s. She continues to counsel people through Soul Destiny Readings using the astrological birth chart. She uses current cycles and chart analysis to help clarify conflicts, traumas, addictive behavior, and negative pre-natal patterns. Her sessions develop clarity and awareness of one’s unique life patterns and purpose for conscious soul evolvement. Jeannie is a self-taught psychic sensitive astrologer-reader with an international clientele. 

Since 2001, Jeannie has also given talks and facilitated corporate workshops on Wellness, Yoga, Mindfulness Meditation, Astrology of Personality and the Enneagram with groups such as SGS Philippines, EON Group, Wells Fargo, PJS Law RCBC Bank (privates); at the Chakra Center and ECHOyoga Shala; and in workshops in Singapore and Shanghai. Since Covid, Jeannie has moved her astrology classes and webinars online. The Banahaw Astrology Circle is her new format of teaching astrology in a storytelling style. She continues to do one-on-one soul destiny readings.

Jeannie is an advocate for holistic wellness, the green sustainable lifestyle, culture and women issues. She has integrated her life work under the guiding phrase of  “Inner Change, Outer Impact”. Aside from being an awarded artist with 20 one-woman shows to her name, an author and writer with books and publications, she is also an awarded social entrepreneur in the country –2012 as Finalist for Asia-Pacific to the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards, the 2018 Go Negosyo Outstanding Women Entrepreneur Award, and the 2018 Outstanding ASEAN Women Entrepreneur Award from Bangkok; For GREAT Women, she won the 2020 UN WEPs Philippine Champion Awards for two categories and 2nd Runner-up in the Asia Pacific Regional Awards. 

She co-founded inclusive award-winning social businesses ECHOstore Sustainable Lifestyle and GREAT Women, and has recently opened Banahaw Circle Nature Retreat, a sustainable bed & breakfast destination place in Mount Banahaw, Dolores, Quezon. She is a Director for the Yuchengco Museum, and sits in the board of The EON Group, a multi-awarded communications agency. 

Vicky Ortega is the sought-after strategic consultant to the CEOs of leading enterprises in real estate, media, education, and non-government organizations. As CEO of BrandLab, she co-developed a proprietary workshop with an Applied Anthropologist that helped unearth meaningful insights about the behavior of people and their applications to brand and corporate solutions.

In her strategic workshops, she leverages the collective power of stories. They lay the foundation of the organization’s or brand’s narrative, uncover insights on the target audiences, and establishes the goals and objectives.

As Vice-President and Director for Brand Planning at Lowe Manila, Vicky Ortega pioneered the UK-style strategic brand planning in the Philippines. Most of her marketing and advertising career was dedicated to helping build the business of Unilever brands. Six of the planners under her wings eventually became the Planning Directors of the leading advertising agencies of the Philippines.

Vicky has embarked on new adventures the past few years. She is a Consultant of the Probe Media Foundation and contributes to the media messaging workshops of the government departments and non-government organizations. She is a Co-founder of the Puppy Playcare Center and is on a journey to earn her certification as a professional dog trainer. And she is now an artist. Her pen and ink art pieces were the accompanying visuals in two published books of Rev. Fr. Carmelo Diola. And recently, her fine art macro photography called “Tiny Worlds” are featured in the exclusive Artists of Advertising online art gallery.

Her life story can be summarized as follows: Before, she did what she had to do and now she is doing what she wants to do.

Ivy Samson is a human resource professional with solid experience in the facets of human resource management. Different corporate assignments allowed her to gain exposures in business management, sales, marketing, customer service, operations management and administration. These work exposures led her to take up further studies at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business where she earned a degree in Master in Business Administration, recognized by the Regis University, Denver Colorado, USA. Armed with the business mindset, Ivy led and managed two related businesses in line with academic learning and continuing education for professionals. These concurrent work assignments led her to take further studies at De La Salle University where she is now a candidate of Doctor in Philosophy in Educational Leadership and Management.

Currently, Ivy serves as a professor at the Graduate School of Lyceum of the Philippines University, Manila, and is also a learning and management consultant, facilitator, and resource speaker to companies, business organizations and other learning publics. (List of Corporate Clientele available upon request)

Todd is a licensed professional Counselor from the United States.  He has over eight years experience as a civilian therapist for the US military overseas. He has consulted with businesses as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider and Critical Incident Specialist. 

Todd mentored under the Jungian authors Robert Johnson (He, We, Balancing Heaven and Earth), indigenous clinical psychologist Dr. Eduardo Duran (Cultural Imperialism, Buddha in Redface), and Catholic priest, Zurich trained Jungian analyst, Father Gregory Santos.

Todd transitioned to Thailand in 2009 to study comparative religion, and periodically ordained over a period of seven years as a Buddhist monk at Kyiatisaung monastery in Thaton, Myanmar.  He is currently in a training program to teach Pranayama breathwork and Kundalini yoga. 

Francesca is a Wellness Practitioner, Consultant and Yoga Teacher with 25 Years of experience and has been teaching yoga as an integrative path to wellness through breath, movement, yoga philosophy, and meditation for the past 18 years. 

As the Co-Founder of both Roots of Wisdom and Yoga Sadhana Journeys, she teaches classes, workshops, teacher trainings, and leads wellness retreats in sacred and exotic sites and eco-travel yoga adventures in the Philippines and  the Asian region. It is her hope that these experiences provide the platforms for deeper learning and the opportunity for students to embrace the fullness of their life's journey- journeys into the inner realms of the Self that help support each seeker to connect with the inherent intuition and wisdom they hold within. 

Francesca graduated from Boston University with a degree in International Relations and Development focusing on Asia and Latin America. She offers over 20 years of experience in the areas of project and event management, public relations and marketing, administrative and operational management, client relations, and as a community liaison. She has traversed the corporate, government, and non-profit realms and has been exposed to the fields of financial services, hospitality and tourism, government service, non-profit organizations, and the field of health and wellness. 

Francesca completed her yoga teacher training at Yoga Kula in Berkeley, California and began teaching Anusara-Inspired yoga in the San Francisco Bay Area 18 years ago. Through the years she has been fortunate enough to study with a breadth of amazing teachers in the San Francisco Bay area and beyond such as Jim and Ruthie Bernaert, John Friend, Desiree Rumbaugh, Sianna Sherman, Noah Maze, Carlos Pomeda, Sally Kempton, Jayne Hillman, Ishwari Gonnot, Anodea Judith, Bo Srey, Ellen Saltonstall, and Katchie Ananda. She is deeply grateful for the teachings of the Siddha Yoga lineage and the spiritual wisdom of Gurumayi Chidvilasananda.

Her influences and teachings draw upon many traditions ranging from Tantric, Buddhist, Taoist, Native American, and other holistic modalities that celebrate the path of yoga as a complete system of health and wellness that heals, transforms, awakens, empowers and is inspired to share its alchemy and its magic with others. 

Francesca has taught at The Farm in San Benito, the Philippines’ top medical and wellness resort for 4 years, and was a Visiting Practitioner for the Aman Group where she has taught at Amansara in Cambodia, Amanpulo in the Philippines, and Amanoi in Vietnam. 

Francesca was the Co-Founder of Templa Wellness, a company that offered a wealth of services that ranged from consultancy and counseling services, alternative and holistic healing modalities, as well as wellness retreats and eco travel adventures. 

Francesca shares her love for yoga in the hopes that we all awaken to our own divine nature and that we each live our lives fully and gracefully, aligning with our heart's purpose and connecting with our own Divine nature as we walk consciously on this Earth. Having moved back to the Philippines in 2009 after living in the United States, Francesca continues to focus her life’s work on promoting sustainable development, ecotourism, health and wellness, holistic living, education, and community development. 

Nico Reyes is an intuitive coach that integrates philosophies, disciplines, and insights to create unique and transformative conversations on enhancing life path journeys. His practice and approach are grounded and further enriched by his 20-year professional experience as a communications consultant to professional managers and technocrats, as a team leader, a training facilitator, and as an organizational operations enabler. To this day, Nico remains active in providing business, marketing, public relations, communications, and strategy consultancy for top local brands, multinational companies in the Philippines, advocacy groups, and public sector organizations. He is one of the founders of Rebel Marketing and currently the overall head of its operations and a member of its pool of senior advisers. Nico has also been providing readings using tarot card and astrology for more than 12 years. This practice allows him to help individuals develop self-awareness, shape their life and career path, and gain abilities to better navigate life’s complexities. His intuition as a reader continues to be honed by guesting as a tarot card reader for DZMM’s radio show listeners, ABS-CBN Caravan event participants, and followers of ABS-CBN’s FYE Channel in Kumu.