Facilitator Bios
Michael Schiesser
Michael’s facilitation career spans 32 years in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. He is a spiritual teacher and co-founder of the Inner Journey Institute and of Healing Divorce LLC. Michael has created and facilitated a vast number of workshop intensives and seminars for individuals and for organizational leaders.
Michael studied under many renowned spiritual teachers of our time, such as Osho and Sri H.L. Poonja, the last living disciple of the Indian saint, Sri Ramana Maharshi. Michael went on to explore and train in therapeutic modalities of the Human Potential Movement, Transpersonal Psychology, aspects of Gestalt therapy, bioenergetics, rebirthing, and the healing arts. He also trained as an acupuncturist under Professor J.R. Worsley, who introduced Chinese Five Elements acupuncture to England and the United States.
Carolyn Stantech
Carolyn Stanek Lucy is a seasoned nonprofit professional with over 30 years of experience in environmental advocacy, international youth work, education equity, and end-of-life care. She has led major initiatives including the creation of Chicago’s first year-round youth hostel, a national campaign to increase college access, and community-based support programs for families navigating the dying process. A certified End-of-Life Doula since 2018, she is a vocal advocate for the death positivity movement and the healing power of open, compassionate conversations about mortality.
Carolyn has been an active member of the Inner Journey community since 2004, completing formal facilitator training in 2013 and leading expressive arts and mindfulness-based workshops since 2018. Her work centers on personal transformation, grounded in the belief that individuals have an innate capacity for healing and growth.
She received her undergraduate degree in French and completed master’s-level coursework in international development. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and is on track to become a licensed therapist in 2026.
Howard Ross
Howard J. Ross is one of the nation’s leading diversity consultants and a nationally recognized expert on diversity, leadership, and organizational change. He is the author of Everyday Bias: Identifying and Navigating Unconscious Judgments in Our Daily Lives (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014) and ReInventing Diversity: Transforming Organizational Community to Strengthen People, Purpose, and Performance (Rowman & Littlefield, 2011).
Howard received his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland and pursued postgraduate studies in administration, management, and organizational development at Wheelock College in Boston. He can be heard on NPR on the first Monday of every month at noon, as a regular guest on the Kojo Nnamdi Show.
Leslie Traub
With more than 25 years of experience leading gender programs, diversity, inclusion, cultural competence and change management initiatives, Leslie Traub creates sustainable systems of change that yield greater performance, profit, and possibility. Leslie is especially interested in building gender equity in global corporations through full engagement of women, men and organizational structures and systems.
Leslie is a Fellow in Change Management from Johns Hopkins University, and holds a Masters in Biostatistics and Epidemiology from Tulane University, a B.A. in economics and history from Wheaton College in Massachusetts, and a Certificate in Training and Development from the University of Maryland.
