Integritus Prime

My latest book, Beyond Blood, is about those relationships that deepen our lives. Often, these connections are soulful; they can happen with blood relatives or with friends.

As I compiled the poems in this collection, I thought about each and every person I met that is reflected in these verses. Some I met as a child, others through work or dancing or on social media. Some are my family members.

As an entrepreneur and facilitator who works on behavioral change, and as a human being, connecting with people matters most to me. This collection is about family members and friends who support and affirm my unique path in life; kindred spirits I have met through work who inspire me and give me faith in a better world; and friends who can no longer support me, because my path triggers them. This realization too, is a stage of growth and becoming who we truly are. One of my previous books, Earth Champions, explores the tensions of pursuing the true self and how that may strain or even end friendships as one develops and stands in one’s own authenticity, shedding unhealthy patterns that friends have become accustomed to.

Beyond Blood is dedicated to my big sister, friend, and confidant. She is a formidable leader,  highly competent professional, doting mother, and vivacious woman. Her strength and caring nature, as well as her resilient sense of humor have seen me through some tough times. Shel, as you turn 40, I launch this book as a tribute to your presence in my life. May you continue to thrive and excel with joy and fun in every day. This one’s for you, sis!

My previous poetry collections delve into various aspects of the science-based Alchemus Prime Diamond Model, which comprises behavior change, design thinking, biomimicry, and meditation, with the mission of harmonizing business and nature. Visionaries is about my two brilliant mentors and their guidance in my life, which has been instrumental in my career and personal development. Earth Champions, as I mentioned, follows a leader’s journey to discovering and honing her true self. One Friend channels the perspectives of animals affected by climate change and factory farms. My first book, Food of Love, encompasses my fun adventures with plant-based foods for optimal wellness. Our books present instantiations of the broad vision we embody and offer to our clients and partners: authentic leadership for planetary and personal wellness. 

Mom reads Beyond Blood, Alchemus Prime’s fifth book. She is on the cover holding Anaya, Shel’s daughter by blood, and her granddaughter beyond blood.