Our Authors

Dan Patrick is a Hall-of-Fame sports broadcaster and host of The Dan Patrick Show (1M+ listeners, 371 affiliates), a veteran of ESPN, NBC Sports, and the three-time host of the Olympics.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s compassionate living philosophy is propelling plant-based eating into the mainstream and forever changing how we regard animals. A recognized expert and thought leader on the culinary, social, ethical, and practical aspects of living compassionately and healthfully, Colleen is a speaker, cultural commentator, podcaster, and award-winning author of seven books. She shares her message of compassion and wellness on national and regional broadcast programs and as a monthly contributor to National Public Radio. She lives in Oakland, CA with her husband David and two cats Charlie and Michiko.

Alex Pattakos, described as a “Modern-Day Greek Philosopher,” is the cofounder of The OPA! Way®, a new, Meaning-focused paradigm and lifestyle inspired by Greek philosophy and culture. Dr. Pattakos is the author of Prisoners of Our Thoughts, an international best-selling book (available in 22 languages) based on the wisdom of his mentor, the world-renowned psychiatrist Viktor Frankl. Also nicknamed “Dr. Meaning,” Alex is dedicated to bringing meaning to work, the workplace, and into everyday life. With expertise in political science and psychology, he has worked closely with all levels of government, including the White House under three presidents, and has served as an adviser to the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A U.S. Army veteran, he is also a former therapist and mental health administrator, political campaign organizer, and full-time university professor of public and business administration. Dr. Pattakos as a member of the International Academic Board of The International Center for Leading Studies, based in Athens, Greece.

A recognized visionary and lauded business accelerator, Michelle Patterson is a written contributor and guest on media outlets including The Huffington Post, CNBC, Fox Business News, and Bloomberg. Most recently, Patterson successfully oversaw the 2012 California Women’s Conference, continuing the tradition of this historical event that has featured thought leaders and A-list celebrities such as Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, and Jane Fonda. Under Patterson’s leadership, this year’s conference received critical acclaim and was covered by the largest media outlets in the world.

Patterson’s business acumen and impressive rolodex has led to her being labeled by the media as an “acceleration executive” that focuses on helping individuals, corporations, and small businesses ignite growth. Patterson began her entrepreneurial journey after serving as a Regional Vice President and National Sales Trainer for the world’s largest specialized recruiting firm, Robert Half, where she oversaw nine divisions and was recognized for helping generate record revenue growth. When she launched TouchPointe, LLC in July 2006, she continued her track record of impressive revenue growth—leading the company to achieve seven-figure revenue within just six months of launch. TouchPointe was tapped by internet giants Groupon and Living Social early on in their business cycle to help them increase their market share. Today, TouchPointe helps corporations engage women professionals from both a recruitment angle to attract the right talent, as well as customer acquisition angle to increase their market share with identified sub-segments of the highly complex and sought after demographic.

Beyond her notable business success, Patterson is most passionate about her family. She lives in Ladera Ranch, California with her husband, Eric, and their two beautiful children, Jaclyn and Chase.

Matej Pavšič is a physicist interested in foundations of theoretical physics. During his more than forty years of research at the Jozef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia, he often investigated the subjects that were not currently of wide interest, but later became hot topics. For example, in the 70s he studied higher dimensional, Kaluza-Klein, theories when they were not very popular, and in the 80s he proposed an early version of the braneworld scenario that was published, among others, in Classical and Quantum Gravity. Altogether, Pavšič published more than one hundred scientific papers and the book The Landscape of Theoretical Physics: A Global View. He is among the pioneering authors in topics such as mirror particles, braneworld, and Clifford space, and has recently published important works explaining why negative energies in higher derivative theories are not problematic, which is crucial for quantum gravity. Pavšič studied physics at the University of Ljubljana. After obtaining his master’s degree in 1975, he spent a year at the Institute of Theoretical Physics in Catania, Italy, where he collaborated with Erasmo Recami and Piero Caldirola. Under their supervision he completed his PhD thesis which he later defended at the University of Ljubljana. Pavšič has participated at many conferences as an invited speaker and regularly visited the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste.