The Larsen Group

Jamie Williams is a highly sought after lifestyle, commercial and western photographer who has been in business for herself for over 20 years.  A native Texan now based out of Tucson, she has photographed scenery and cultures around the world, traveling to all continents except Antarctica, and 49 of 50 states. Alaska awaits!  Jamie’s passion for her art is clearly reflected in the inspirational images she produces.  American Cowgirl is her first major film documentary, honoring the spirit of women and horses.

www.thatgirlproductions.com         March 31, 2012                  20 minutes

Tom Ingerick and his wife, Louise, recently circled back to Tucson to relocate The Bridge Gallery, a contemporary Southwestern art business they originally established in Nashville during the country western music boom of the 1980’s.  Moving to Aspen and then Scottsdale, the Ingerick’s have always moved their art as the art movement moved.  A graduate of U of A in education and a folk guitar musician, Tom is dedicated to staying true to authentic, collectible gallery art and sees Tucson as a true land of opportunity.

www.bridgegallery.net                      March 31, 2012                  20 minutes

Dr. Ritch Eich is an expert and life student of the field of leadership.  Currently a business school adjunct professor, columnist and blogger, Ritch served in the US Navy and Reserves before working directly for university medical centers, hospitals, and a healthcare provider.  Eich Associated now provides top leaders insights on branding, marketing and leadership principles.  Ritch’s new book is Real Leaders Don’t Boss, 100% of the proceeds benefiting veterans injured in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

www.eichassociated.com            March 24, 2012                  20 minutes

Kim Bowen is the founder of Yogaphoriom.  She is a stress specialist for executive and entrepreneurial women and one of a few registered Restoraflow yoga instructors in the world. Married and a mother of three young children, Kim changed her own outlook on life and body image through the practice of yoga to heal her bulimia. Today she is on a mission to change the world one woman at a time, passionate to bring a similar joy to women who aren’t making enough time for themselves.

Tannya Gaxiola is president and CEO of QuikHelp, a provider of low-cost, accessible legal services to the Tucson community.  Following experiences in investment banking, telecommunications and management consulting back East, Tannya returned to native Tucson to develop the concept she and her lawyer father had discussed for years.  QuikHelp offers a trustworthy alternative to higher priced attorneys, with services spanning simple contracts and language translation, to more complicated divorce and immigration matters.

www.quikhelp.com                  March 24, 2012                 20 minutes

Teresa Liverzani-Baker and Kathy Kang (Executive Director and board member, respectively) are from Youth On Their Own, a local Tucson agency dedicated to support the high school graduation and continued success of homeless and abandoned youth.  YOTO provides life skills and academic guidance, in addition to financial assistance for basic human needs for students ages 13-21, unaccompanied through no fault of their own. Established in 1986, volunteers and benefactors have supported 11,000 teens from 120 schools in Pima County, resulting in a 92% high school graduation rate.

Cliff Michaels is an energetic, young, street-smart professional dedicated to education, specifically personal growth and entrepreneurial training.  Cliff has personally navigated the California real estate boom/bust cycles and the frenzy of an internet startup, and traveled overseas to decompress and recover afterwards.  His new book, The Four Essentials of Entrepreneurial Thinking: What Successful People Didn’t Learn in School, is a blend of his life experiences with wisdom gleaned from examples set by successful business and non-profit leaders, public servants, comedians and even cartoon characters.

Ted Larsen is a 25-year veteran of the automotive industry, a design, manufacturing, and service technology engineering expert with roots deep in the skills trades.  Moving to Arizona in 2004 amidst redirecting his career later in life towards architecture, Ted has launched two entrepreneurial businesses – custom Damascus steel collectible knives under the Hat Creek T brand, and Nighthorses Publishing and Fine Art.   While Ted has five unique books on the drawing board, he believes not knowing exactly what is next allows innovation and spontaneity to show up.  Eight Valleys: A Linked Landscape is the third book he has published, debuting at the 2012 Tucson Festival of Books.

Bob Sharp is a former third-generation rancher, photographer, and current large landscape analyst and designer. His new book, Eight Valleys: A Linked Landscape, discusses the distinct, picturesque valley systems lying within the Gila watershed of southern Arizona. The spirit of people and place is captured amidst Bob’s breathtaking photographs, and the history embellished by short essays written by other “Valley Voices.” Bob challenges readers to help shape the future of these landscapes through effective settlement design, improving the co-existence and co-enhancement between humans and nature.   

Dr. Tom Sheridan is a research anthropologist and professor at the University of Arizona, and written or co-edited twelve books and monographs including Arizona: A History. In addition to teaching courses in evolutionary and ecological anthropology, Southwest land, culture and society, and conservation and community, Tom serves on the board of the non-profit Altar Valley Conservation Alliance, an organization of ranchers dedicated to the conservation of open space, biodiversity, and working ranches. They are on a grass roots mission to stitch the west back together through working landscapes and collaborative conservation.

Kim Edwards is an associate professor at the University of Kentucky and her debut novel is The Memory Keeper’s Daughter.  Originally released in 2003, word-of-mouth popularity led to it becoming a #1 New York Times best seller and being translated into 38 languages, propelling Kim into the international literary spotlight. The complex story spans 25 years of a family’s coping with a secret known only to the protagonist and the reader. Kim’s new second novel, The Lake of Dreams, is just as enthralling, with the characters (and readers) learning several secrets over a three week journey when the main character returns home – literally and figuratively – to the New York finger lakes region.

www.kimedwardsbooks.com                March 10, 2012             20 minutes

Laura Vanderkam is a talented young, prolific freelance journalist and published author who has been on “Circles of Change” twice before.  Her third book released March 1^st is All the Money in the World: What the Happiest People Know about Getting and Spending Money.  Laura debunks the traditional approach to budgeting and shares tips and tricks to get beyond a focus on financial solvency without sacrificing joy of life and connection with others – focus on the ART of living.

www.lauravanderkam.com           March 3, 2012               20 minutes

Andrea Mardon is a Toronto native and studied apparel design before moving to California to work as a costume designer. Now a resident of Oxford,England, she teaches acting and drama to students ranging from ages 5 to 25.  Combining her passion for theatre with extensive experience in study abroad programs, Andrea created The Berridge Conservatory in 2007, a summer acting program bringing students from all over the world with professional actors, directors, dancers, writers, filmmakers and producers.  They live and study together at the Chateau le Mont Epinguet in Normandy,France.

www.berridgeconservatory.com       February 25, 2012         20 minutes

Hannah Hollins is in her third year at the University of Arizona, double majoring in Creative Non-fiction Writing and Russian Studies.  Also fluent in French, Hannah spent the summer of 2011 in St. Petersburg and Moscow,Russia.  Her sites are set on graduate school to become a professor in Slavic languages and literature some day.  Self-funding her degree by working as a writing tutor, manuscript editor, and U of A Bookstore employee, Hannah is active leading a student-run film series, involved in the Russian Club, and volunteers for several child literacy programs.  “Just think AND!”

hhollins_AT_email.arizona.edu       February 25, 2012          20 minutes

Tom Chapin’s singer-songwriter-guitarist career spans five decades, 22 albums, three Grammy awards, acting on Broadway, and extensive work on films, radio and television.  For five years he hosted the Emmy- and Peabody-award winning ABC children’s series Make a Wish, and in the mix expanded recordings into family and children’s albums.  His contemporary folk lyrics resonate regardless of age or time.  Tom is also a philanthropic leader, being on the board of Why Hunger, an organization founded by his older brother and celebrated fellow singer-songwriter, the late Harry Chapin. 

www.tomchapin.com                       February 25, 2012          20 minutes

Dr. Gary Small is director of the UCLA Longevity Center and professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute of Neuroscience & Human Behavior Institute. Gary’s latest book, co-authored with Gigi Vorgan, is The Alzheimer’s Prevention Program: Keep Your Brain Healthy for the Rest of Your Life. They describe in layman’s terms some of the latest research on Alzheimer’s and outline a lifestyle program – with a 7-Day Jumpstart focused on physical activity, mental exercise and stress-management, nutrition, and social interaction – that can delay the onset of symptoms, possibly for several years. 

www.drgarysmall.com                February 18, 2012             20 minutes

Christy Giroux and Katie Powell are the dynamic mother-daughter team leading Compound Profit of Arizona, a practice dedicated to Arizona economic development through helping small businesses identify and obtain alternative financing to improve cash flow, reduce operating costs, and increase profits.  Based on in-depth business analyses, Christy and Katie offer a portfolio of financing solutions based on the client’s credit history and risk tolerance, with fees assumed by the qualified lenders. 

www.cprofitaz.com                    February 18, 2012              20 minutes