Dr. Melissa Bird

Dr. Melissa Bird

Dr. Melissa Bird is a descendant of the Shivwits Band of Paiutes. She is an internationally recognized lay preacher, author, healer, and podcaster. Dr. Bird has spent nearly 3 decades teaching workshops on spiritual and social justice and revolution. Her combination of education, real life experience and practical advice makes her a powerful force of change in the lives of the people she connects with. Past audience members have described her speaking as “fierce,” “revelatory,” “life-changing,” “enthusiastic,” and “inspirational.”

Dr. Bird creates the genesis for a new brand of leadership and graceful revolution. She inspires personal understanding through contemplation, helps people use their intuition to change their lives and communities, and encourages the healing of grief and loss through spiritual connection. Her words awaken revolutionaries, trailblazers, and powerful innovators who are seeking deeper connection and expansive growth. She is the host of The Thinnest Veil podcast and the author of SAGE Guide to Social Work Careers: Your Journey to Advocacy, and the co-author of the best-selling book Women Connected in Wisdom: Stories and Resources Rooted in the 8 Dimensions of Wellness. You can purchase her eBook “Love Notes and Prayers: Guidance for the Soul” anywhere eBooks are sold.

When she’s not working, Melissa can be found reading while drinking Earl Grey tea with heavy cream or making needle-felted dolls, because who doesn’t need to stab things over and over these days? She lives in Corvallis, Oregon, with her husband, three children, two dogs, and one three-legged cat.

More information: www.drmelissabird.com
https://www.themermaidsgardenoregon.com/

Speaker: Take Heart Now Stories

LauraSa Pele Lafoia Ava

LauraSa Pele Lafoia Ava

LauraSa Pele Lafoia Ava is an indigenous Pacific Islander of Samoan and Hawaiian heritage and a dedicated steward of Mother Earth and interfaith peace activist. As the Founder and President of AVA One Global Family and Alliances, a volunteer-run nonprofit established shortly after 9/11, she has built strategic partnerships with local and global organizations to support marginalized communities.

Her efforts are guided by the principle of Love All Unconditionally, Respect All, Serve All, focusing on human rights, women’s empowerment, nutrition and education for children, and family strengthening to create compassionate and equitable communities.

With over 30 years in mortgage banking and as a business consultant, she actively serves on several boards and leads humanitarian and interfaith initiatives aligned with networks like the Parliament of the World’s Religions and the United Religions Initiative.

Click here to learn more about LauraSa

Speaker: Take Heart Now Stories

Annual Dinner 2025: We Are the Light

Annual Dinner 2025: We Are the Light

On Thursday, July 17, 150 friends and colleagues of The Guibord Center community gathered for an extraordinary evening at our Annual Celebration Dinner, united by this year’s inspiring theme: “We Are the Light.”

Throughout the program, this theme shone through—reminding us that each of us has the power to bring much needed light into the world, even in the darkest times.

 

The evening honored Bishop John Taylor, whose unwavering commitment to interfaith understanding and courageous leadership embodies the essence of this year’s theme.

In a special tribute, The Guibord Center also announced the creation of The Bishop John Harvey Taylor Award for the Outstanding Articulation of Spiritual Values through Media by Interfaith Youth, ensuring that his legacy of guiding and empowering the next generation will continue to grow.

Many of our guests enjoyed a private tour of St. Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral prior to the the Dinner Program.

See more photos from the evening here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCntD9 

Read Dr. Lo Sprague’s reflections 

Karen MacQueen: Take Heart Now

Karen MacQueen: Take Heart Now

Karen is a priest and a nayaswami. She is also an intersex person. In this video, she shares her personal struggles in this often-misunderstood identity and how she focuses on her spirituality to remain centered and grounded while living and dealing with ignorance and constant fear.

Rabbi Neil Comess Daniels: Take Heart Now

Rabbi Neil Comess Daniels: Take Heart Now

In this inspiring installment of Take Heart Now, Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels offers a heartfelt blend of music, wisdom, and spiritual reflection. Opening with “The Dance,” a song he co-wrote that speaks to the sacred rhythm of life and human connection, Rabbi Neil sets a tone of hope and healing. He then draws from the book Everything is God, weaving powerful quotes into his message about presence, compassion, and the divine that lives within each moment.

With his signature warmth and insight, Rabbi Neil invites us to lean into the sacred and remember that even in difficulty, we are never alone.