Celebrate Happiness Roadshow with Sandra M

In the latest episode of The Celebrate Happiness Roadshow podcast, we are speaking with author, vocalist, saxophonist, speaker, and intentional leadership strategist
Shani Mikaela. Shani's work explores the relationship between self-knowledge, creativity, purpose, and the lives we choose to build. She is the self-published author of The Road to True Love: A Self-Love Toolbox, an International Impact Book Award–winning book that blends personal reflection, practical guidance, and poetic insight to help readers strengthen their relationship with themselves.
Recognized as an Albuquerque Business First 40 Under 40 honoree, Shani brings together writing, music, leadership, and community-building to create experiences that bridge strategy and humanity. Whether performing with her band, facilitating meaningful conversations, or developing ideas around intentional living, she is building a body of work that helps people understand how they naturally operate, align their choices with who they are, and create lives and relationships in which they can genuinely thrive.
Join us for this inspirational and thoughtful discussion of self-love and the vital role it plays in happiness, along with finding gratitude in the everyday and the importance of creativity.

In the latest episode of The Celebrate Happiness Roadshow podcast, we are speaking with Pooja Bansal. Pooja is the Executive Vice President and Global Head of Human Resources at Jade Global, a global IT consulting and services company headquartered in Silicon Valley. With nearly 22 years of experience across diverse industries and geographies, she has built a reputation for leading large-scale transformation, shaping high-performing cultures, and aligning people strategy with business growth.
An alumna of The Wharton School and Harvard Business School, and a Mumbai University rank holder, Pooja brings a unique blend of business acumen, organizational psychology, and global leadership to her work. Having worked extensively with multicultural teams and traveled/lived across countries, including Italy, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, and a few others, she is passionate about building inclusive workplaces while navigating diverse leadership styles and cultures.
Beyond her professional role, Pooja is deeply curious by nature and considers herself a lifelong learner. She enjoys intellectually stimulating conversations, reading, exploring new ideas, and understanding human behavior. She loves traveling, experiencing different cultures, and learning from people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. A former theatre enthusiast, she believes that leadership is as much about authenticity and communication as it is about strategy and execution. She is particularly passionate about organization diagnostics, culture transformation, employee engagement, leadership development, and creating high-performance organizations where people and business outcomes grow together.
Join us for this powerful and uplifting conversation as Pooja names the trap so many of us fall into: a culture that equates busyness with success, rather than having the time to truly enjoy and appreciate life. She shares how she finds happiness in the small moments, the grounding power of open spaces in nature, the power of live theater to connect people in the present moment, building a meaningful life, and so much more.

In the latest episode of The Celebrate Happiness Roadshow podcast, we are speaking with Santa Fean William "Bill" Glaser. Bill was born and raised in a small town in West Virginia on the Ohio River. He is from a large and still very close family, He has seven siblings. He graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University in Philosophy  in 1972 and after that he headed west. He was going to be a carpenter and he ended up in Santa Fe joining a small group of followers of a mystical philosopher G.I. Gurdjieff. Soon after arriving in Santa Fe, Bill met Adele, his future wife. Together they studied Gurdjieff's teachings for over ten years. Bill did become a carpenter and he had a small construction business for over thirty years in Santa Fe and he married Adele in 1978.
They had two children, Emily and Ross. Their daughter, Emily while still in college began traveling the world; Europe, Africa, China, Nepal, India Viet Nam, to name a few places,
She was so adventurous. Ross left home after high school and moved to Portland, Oregon. In 2006 Bill closed his construction business and, having gotten a teachers license at Santa Fe community College, took a job teaching mathematics at Santa Fe High where he stayed for six years. Emily currently lives in Santa Fe and she is an Ayurvedic practitioner. Their son Ross, in 2013, drowned in the ocean while he was spending time in Hawaii. Bill and Adele have always held spirituality at the center of their life together. They have been members of Unity Santa Fe for twenty-four years and have studied A Course in Miracles and have regularly participated in Dances of Universal Peace for many many years.
Join us for this positively uplifting conversation in which Bill discusses living a life of meaning, joy, and connection, the ripple effect of kindness, the importance of talking to strangers, and so much more.

In the latest episode of The Celebrate Happiness Roadshow podcast, we are talking with  founder of the La Mariposa Montessori School in Santa Fe, NM, Katrina Holder. Katrina was originally inspired to pursue her degree in education by the children from Montessori schools whom she taught in the 80's at the Santa Fe Ski Basin.  She observed that these children possessed a sophisticated sense of independence, self-direction and responsibility that stood out amongst all other children.  This initial introduction to Montessori children led her through an in-depth study of schools throughout the country where she was continually impressed and inspired by Dr. Montessori's unique child centered form of education.
Katrina created La Mariposa Montessori school with the vision of providing children with an outstanding education in a beautiful and well-prepared environment which includes a unique animal husbandry program.  Her vision has always included a landscaped campus to be incorporated into our botany study along with a photovoltaic system to study energy and generate over 100% of La Mariposa Montessori's electricity.  Now that these mile markers were achieved, she is looking forward to a celebratory 31st anniversary year!
In her spare time, Katrina continues to enjoy the mountains, hiking, skiing and riding horses. She is also a playful and energetic dancer who regularly enjoys tearing up the dance floor.  
Join us for this insightful episode in which Katrina shares her insights and personal experience on the Montessori philosophy of stewardship, teaching children to have kindness and respect for all living beings, the importance of curiosity and lifelong learning, and how happiness for her is a state of being.

In the latest episode of The Celebrate Happiness Roadshow podcast, we are talking with  Rich Malloy who is a drummer working across multiple styles and whose career has been built through consistently working in clubs, listening rooms, studios, and festivals.
Rich has performed jazz, country, and songwriter music across New York, New Jersey, Dallas, Nashville, Fort Worth; including performances with Carmen Bradford of the Count Basie Orchestra, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Brenda Lee, Country Music Hall of Fame member Lorrie Morgan, and Freedy Johnston, named Rolling Stone Songwriter of the Year.
Rich has appeared at the New Mexico Jazz Festival in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and has toured internationally throughout Ireland, Great Britain, and Italy. His performances range from small listening rooms such as the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville and The Listening Room in New York City to national stages including the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, and Late Show with David Letterman. Malloy also performs in Counterparts, a improvisedduo with pianist, John Funkhouser. In addition, he builds practical music tools including "Form & Time", a metronome designed to keep tempo, time signature, and musical form aligned.
Join us for this insightful episode in which Rich shares how music became an outlet, a companion, and a place of safety for him at a young age, as well as his insights into the brevity of life and making the most of it, and how the deepest happiness comes from feeling comfortable in your own skin.

In the latest episode of The Celebrate Happiness Roadshow podcast, we are talking with Madi Sato, singer and mentor of Japanese Ainu and Irish roots. From a young age, she was immersed in indigenous ceremony and began creating songs in communication with nature.
Madi has been a performing artist for three decades and recorded the albums: Soul in Love, Madi Sato, and Return to the River. She is also a lifelong actress and dancer.
Madi guides women to awaken and empower their voices through her Song Carrier programs. In addition to the cultural songs she learns and shares, Madi's original chants are carried by women worldwide.
Madi and her husband, Timothy McLaughlin, poet & storyteller, founded Praising Earth, located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Praising Earth works to enliven humanity's relationship with nature through the creative arts and land stewardship. In this age of ecological and societal turmoil along with physical and emotional affliction, a deliberate turn toward the integrity of nature and power of the creative arts can facilitate healing and guide the way forward. To learn more visit www.praisingearth.org.
Listen now to this inspirational and moving episode in which Madi discusses her lifelong connection to nature, particularly how the natural world held her and her family through immense grief, as well as powerful stories from her music career and process of reconnecting to her Japanese roots, along with her current work with Praising Earth. Overall, Madi highlights the importance of in-person community and connecting with our bodies, the earth, and each other.

In the latest episode of The Celebrate Happiness Roadshow podcast, we are talking with Debra Denker, Santa Fe-based writer, photographer, and filmmaker who has been creating media about international environmental, social justice, and peace issues since the late 70s.
Starting in 1986, Debra worked and taught in the healing arts, including energy healing, spiritual counseling, and animal communication with companion animals and wild-living ones. She is an ordained graduate of the Healing Light Center Church, where she studied with Rev. Rosalyn Bruyere and served on the faculty for five years.
As a certified Healing Touch Practitioner in 2002 and as an instructor in 2006, Debra currently sees clients in private practice in both Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Alaska. Debra has also taught Healing Touch courses in Tibet and South Africa, and is planning to establish a healing center in Vancouver, British Columbia, called Rasa Catalyst Healing
In addition, Debra is the author of the cli-fi time travel novel Weather Menders and a novel set in Afghanistan during the 1980 war, Love and War in the Land of Cain, which won first place in the 2022 National Federation of Press Women contest. She has written for diverse publications, including National Geographic, the Los Angeles Times, and the Guardian. She is a longtime member and current board member of the Society of Women Geographers.
Debra is also the founder and director of the Global Diversity Film Project (GDFP), an initiative of Perception International, which makes films in association with her production company, Catalyst Artistic Productions. Her films on Afghanistan and Tibet have been exhibited in many film festivals, and her short films are accessible on YouTube and Vimeo, including Community Garden: New Mexico/South Africa, which screened at the New Mexico Filmmakers Showcase, and a trailer for a film on ancient Hawaiian spirituality, One Breath: One Life.
Join us for this moving episode in which Debra shares her insights into our deep interconnectedness with all beings, the power of energy work, finding fulfillment through acts of service, and more.

In the latest episode of The Celebrate Happiness Roadshow podcast, we are talking with Sara Diaz, a seasoned vocalist, producer, and creative professional. Trained in voice and performance from an early age, she grew up immersed in Broadway, Big Band, and jazz traditions. Though music was her earliest path, her career took her into fashion and television production, where she produced projects for international organizations, major brands, and cultural institutions.
After many years focused on media production and family life, Sara returned to performing, rediscovering the stage through the vibrant music community of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Today, she performs regularly in cabaret and jazz settings, collaborating with David Geist and appearing with ensembles including the Santa Fe Great Big Jazz Band and DuoDiaz. Her performances draw from the Great American Songbook, Broadway classics, and jazz standards, delivered with a soulful, blues-tinged interpretation shaped by a lifetime of storytelling and creative expression.
Tune in for this powerful discussion about practicing gratitude, collaboration over competition, being "in the flow," and the light that illuminates the dark.

In the latest episode of The Celebrate Happiness Roadshow podcast, we are talking with Bobbi Heller, who was born and raised in Sydney, Australia, and came to the US to study at the California Institute of the Arts, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in music. She next worked in the entertainment industry and she founded her own film distribution company.
Bobbi and her husband moved to Santa Fe New Mexico in 2000. With her love for cats, she founded Felines & Friends New Mexico in 2002, and is the Executive Director.
Bobbi also co-hosts the weekly radio show and podcast Pet Chat with Murad & Bobbi, which will reach its 200th episode milestone in spring 2026. Throughout the show, Bobbi, along with Murad Kirdar, Director of Community Engagement at Española Humane, provide ongoing information on all things pet-related to the broader community and beyond.
 
Check out this uplifting episode in which Bobbi discusses her love of music and animals, cats' particular relationship with sound and vibration, the concept of "working to live" rather than "living to work", and the importance of community in one's life.

In the latest episode of The Celebrate Happiness Roadshow podcast, we are talking with the Director of Community Engagement at Española Humane, Murad Kirdar. After a 20-year career in media and marketing within the television industry, primarily with NBCUniversal, Murad Kirdar relocated to Santa Fe to pursue a long-held passion for animal welfare. This transition marked the beginning of his second career as an animal welfare advocate, during which he has held leadership roles at Northern New Mexico's two largest animal shelters, including Public and Business Relations Officer and, currently, Director of Community Engagement at Española Humane.
 
In his role as Director of Community Engagement, Murad plays a key role in strengthening Española Humane's visibility, reputation, and community impact. He also co-hosts and produces the weekly radio show and podcast Pet Chat with Murad & Bobbi, which will reach its 200th episode milestone in spring 2026. Through the show, Murad, along with Bobbi Heller, executive director of Felines & Friends, helps provide ongoing information on all things pet-related with the broader community and beyond. Murad is also "dog-dad" for his three rescue pups, who he proudly refers to as the Golden Girls.
Join us for this heartwarming episode, in which Murad discusses how profoundly animal companionship impacts our lives and the lessons our animals teach us about being present, forgiveness, and love.