Raising consciousness for a new world
Founders and Advisory Board Members
Our founders and advisory board members all share in the desire and passion to help humanity in the quest for improved well-being and a more just, compassionate, equitable and sustainable future of all inhabitants of planet earth.
Each has many years of education, practice and experience in a variety of disciplines including personal growth, physical and mental health, spirituality, raising consciousness, environmentalism and in sustainability. They have been active in investigating, supporting and promoting new and emerging paradims in all of these disciplines
"Co-creating a world that works for all."
Douglas Bonar is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and the Owner/Clinical Director of A Center for Wellness located in Pinellas County (St Petersburg / Clearwater /Largo ), Florida. Though he retired from direct client contact in 2024, the practice remains active. Douglas has been in the mental health profession for 45 years and is intensely interested in personal and planetary transformation. He retired specifically to pursue the work of collective transformation recognizing that health is more than physical and mental. It is also relational, ecological and spiritual.
Douglas is the creator of the Roots and Wings: Way of Wholeness curriculum
addressing development of the “True Self,” from an integral worldview perspective, from which we can effectively co-create a community and world that works for all. He recognizes that we are on an evolutionary path to wholeness.
Douglas is involved with transformational agencies and institutions such as The
Connection Partners, the Institute of Noetic Sciences, The Pachamama Alliance, The Scientific and Medical Institute, the Deeptime Network, and the Association for Global New Thought. His passions are contemplative practice, reading the words of “the Masters,” sharing the Masters’ wisdom, and promoting the wisdom/compassion of all. His greatest joy is being the father of two wonderful adult sons and the grandfather of a remarkable grandchild.
"Nothing is truly learned until it is lived."
--Upanishads
Eli Kolp, M.D. a psychiatrist, has been a long-time psychedelic psychotherapy advocate. Dr Kolp is a contributor to The Ketamine Papers, and chapters in the Textbook of Psychedelic Medicine. Dr. Kolp has over 50 years of experience, specializing in ketamine-assisted psychedelic psychotherapy, a field in which he is recognized as a pioneer in. He was born and educated in the former Soviet Union, completed medical school in Moscow in 1973, and immigrated to the United States in 1981. He completed a (second) psychiatry residency at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston (1987) and a fellowship in Geriatric Psychiatry at the University of South Florida (1989).
Dr Kolp began researching ketamine psychedelic psychotherapy in 1994 while working at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa and has since returned to private practice focused exclusively on this therapeutic approach. Dr. Kolp has published multiple peer-reviewed articles on the clinical applications of ketamine-assited psychotherapy for treating conditions such as death anxiety, various addictions, and chronic mood disorders. He is board-certified in Psychiatry and Neurology.
Carol L. Roberts, M.D. has practiced functional/integrative/holistic medicine for 25 years. She provides patients with testing to uncover the underlying causes of chronic illness, guidance in resolving health issues in the safest and most lasting ways and education in how the patient can best assist in her own healing. Additionally, she is the author of “Good Medicine: A Return to Common Sense,” a doctor-proven guide to attaining a healthier you, naturally. Dr. Roberts is a nationally recognized speaker, held dual appointments at the College of Public Health and the College of Medicine at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. She is proud to be a mentor, educator, and role model to her patients.
Carol is a dedicated, holistic health doctor on a mission to empower individuals in achieving maximum longevity, health and vitality. She promotes ands uses a comprehensive approach that combines traditional and alternative medicine. She focuses on proactive strategies to promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
"Strengthen the body, open the mind and lift the spirit."
"Seek the truth. Speak the truth and lead others to the truth themselves."
Linda Sechrist is the Natural Awakenings Senior Staff Writer, Director of Community Outreach, and New Franchise Managing Editor as well as a member of the healthy lifestyle magazine’s national editorial team. Linda’s writing career has provided her with the rare opportunity to align her purpose with her passion to educate 3 million readers on Consciousness, the environment, and wellness. Graced with an avocation where her natural gifts and talents are used for the good of all, she has organized and hosted Rethinking Health Matters, an online radio show, as well as the first online Metabolic Revolution Syndrome Summit. Linda is involved with The Connection Partners which is an organization that aims to raise consciousness throughout the state of Florida and beyond.
A trained facilitator for Integrated Amrit Yoga Nidra, she is also a bestselling author published in All You Need Is Love, an e-book author published in the Inspired Living books, Wisdom of MidLife Women2 and Unleash Your Inner Magnificence. She also joined author Laurie McCammon and other women in co-authoring the Enough! How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word Guidebook.
Linda has been telling meaningful stories of change agents for 25 years. “From vast research and thousands of interviews, there are 4 things I know for certain—change is the only currency, there is no one answer to any problem, no one knows everything, and Consciousness is nudging each of us to awaken and begin coming together in community now.”
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are drempt of in your philosophy." - Shakespeare
Bob Staretz is a former member of The Institute of Noetic Sciences, Executive Director of Eternea and Director at Quantrek Inc, and is currently a member of The Connection Partners. All these organizations are dedicated to the scientific study of various aspects of consciousness, sustainability and the implications for humanity.
Bob has a business and technological background in industry. He holds BS and MS degrees in electrical engineering. During his professional career he has held various technical and management positions including VP Product Development, Director of Research & Development, and Principle Investigator at some of the nation’s most prestigious high tech research facilities including Bell Laboratories, GTE Laboratories, Racal Datacom, and GTE Data Services.
He has collaborated with, coauthored, and published several papers with Dr. Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14 astronaut) founder of the Institute for Noetic Sciences in various topics on sustainability, consciousness and the nature of reality. He is an avid environmentalist and has also written papers, taught and lectured on the nature of consciousness, environmental issues and sustainability.
“Out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” - Rumi
Diane Wright has practiced dentistry for over 40 years in her private practice, SmileWright Dentistry, retiring at age 68 after serving thousands of patients. What began as a clinical profession became a profound path of healing and conscious connection. She discovered that the dental chair—often a place of vulnerability and fear—could instead become a sacred space. By approaching each patient with the understanding that every encounter is holy, informed by the teachings of David Hawkins, Rumi, and many others, she created an environment of trust and comfort that supported not only physical healing but emotional and energetic well-being for both her patients and herself.
Her work extended far beyond teeth and gums. Recognizing that everything is energy and frequency, Diane studied hypnotherapy and integrated those insights into her practice, facilitating deeper relaxation and healing. She is also a dedicated herbalist who communicates with plants, trees, and nature elementals, understanding that the natural world is a living partner in our evolution. Through decades of study with visionary teachers including Greg Braden, Miguel Ruiz, Edgar Cayce, Neville Goddard, and Abraham, she has cultivated a holistic view that unites body, mind, and spirit.
Now 73 and retired, Diane serves on the advisory board of Groking Wholeness because her life’s work has always been about integration and harmony—within the individual, between people, and with the larger ecosystem. She continues to elevate her own consciousness daily, cherishing every sacred encounter with humans, plants, animals, and the living Earth. Her journey exemplifies how personal transformation in one’s daily work can ripple outward, contributing to the collective shift toward greater wholeness.
Video Messages from Our Founders
"Why we created this website"
Linda
Bob
From Bob Staretz
From Carol Roberts
Carol
Douglas