This presentation/conversation centers on my experiences growing up in Iowa and my exploration and experiences living in the Muslim world. I started by moving to Pakistan on the boarder of Afghanistan for several months, then was presented with the opportunity to attend an international university in Islamabad. Next, I was off to Amman Jordan in a multi-generational Palestinian family home, and so many new ways of living and relating. I also heard so many stories of how Palestinians have experienced the establishment of Israel. After a few other adventures in Athens Greece and back to the US for a few years, I had the opportunity to experience life in Saudi Arabia; which was one of my biggest learning experiences.

One of the first things people will notice about me is that I am accompanied by a Seeing Eye Dog; leading to the question – When did you lose your sight? Well, that is the wrong question. I was born totally blind and got some vision back when I was four years old. This talk focuses on my experiences living in a world that was not built for me, and life events that most people have never experienced, but will likely relate to their own unique path. I will start with the memory of regaining sight that I had never known I was lacking. I will describe life as a five-year-old girl at a residential institutional school for the blind and how I got from there to a PhD in Environmental Chemistry.

In this gathering I will share my experiences growing up in a Catholic family attending Catholic schools, my conversion to Islam. And life as a practicing Muslim for nearly 30 years. We will dispel some myths, and connect some dots. This will not be Islam101, but a peak behind the curtain and through the vail.

In this talk I will bring into focus my education and career experience. I hold a BS and MS in Biochemistry and a PhD in Environmental Soil Chemistry. I am a Professor and Department Chair of Environmental Science at the largest conferrer of environmental science degrees in the USA. My experiences in all the places I have lived have shown me how overconsumption and disregard for sustainability and environmental health can lead to disturbing outcomes. These experiences have also given me glimpses into how poverty and necessity can lead to creative solutions. I will also introduce my latest passion project relating to soil, environmental health and end-of-life choices.

I have lived a life full of uncommon experiences that has at some points caused me to loose my authenticity. I have dedicated the last couple years to intentionally exploring authenticity, and how to embrace it in my life. I have some stories to share with you, and look forward to hearing some of yours as well.

This presentation asks the audience to reflect on limits in their lives. Limits put on us by society, and even more so the limits we place on ourselves. I will draw on my life experiences of a blind woman. What did the world tell me a blind person could or could not do? How did I dare to dream outside those limitations? What did I gain, and what did I pay for those dreams? What is dreaming with intention, and how can dreaming with intention open us up for authenticity and satisfaction?

This talk will focus on how we can find our “Superpowers” hiding among the things we may call ordinary or mundane. We will see how our everyday life has been training us in ways that go beyond our education and work experience. Using my lived experiences, we will see how what we may label as a challenge, disability or weakness, may be a superpower in disguise. You are encouraged to come with your most challenging questions, so you can leave with maximum learning. Explore how introspection can lead to career success by maximizing skills you didn’t learn through formal education or training. Identify when you might be able to do more, and when you might be doing too much to maximize success and minimize burnout.

In this talk we will explore pathways to success for all using my lived experiences. I began my education at a residential institutional school for the blind. Now I hold a PhD in Environmental Soil Chemistry and am the Department Chair in Environmental Science for the largest conferrer of BS and MS degrees in Environmental Science in the USA. I also manage a team of over 75 faculty, so I understand the challenges and rewards of supporting success for all. We will explore a development approach that is supervisee focused, and how supervisors can synergize their knowledge and experience with the lived experiences of their team to find pathways to success for team members – leading to success for the team and beyond. Recognize how diverse teams bring strength to the team and the organization. Identify how inherit bias could be unintentionally limiting the success of team members.