Whole Man Expo celebrates men striving for life balance

WHOLE MAN EXPO

The wholeness that occurs from each man being a leader connecting to something beyond himself creates…sustaining success in all aspects of life. – Excerpt from the Men Corps credo (mencorps.org).

The second annual Whole Man Expo, presented by Energy for Life, will be held Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012, 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m., at The Cable Center, 2000 Buchtel Blvd. in Denver (on the Denver University campus). The main purposes of Whole Man Expo are:

  • To honor and celebrate men who are actively striving for life balance—those seeking to be well-integrated people
  • To increase public awareness of the challenges that contemporary men often confront.

Whole Man Expo was founded in 2011 by licensed psychologist and certified life coach Jim Sharon, Ed.D., who also serves as its main coordinator. Sharon established the event as an outgrowth of the men’s anthology that he compiled and edited: Ordinary Men, Extraordinary Lives: Defining Moments. The anthology, published in September 2011 and launched at the inaugural September 2011 Expo, features 40 diverse, transparent stories of major challenges that transformed the lives of the contributing authors.

Like last year, Whole Man Expo will be a primarily upbeat event, replete with interactive learning, physical activities, networking and socializing. However, some difficult issues and concerns that men face will also be directly addressed, in a non-threatening manner. Essentially, Whole Man Expo is devoted to supporting men in their quest toward enlightened masculinity, such as by developing greater self-awareness and dignity, enhancing communication skills, and collaborating more effectively with one another and with women in service to our communities.

This year’s keynote speaker is Randy Ferguson, M.A., founder of the Love, Courage and Achievement (LCA) Project in Denver.  For 30 years, Ferguson has been facilitating programs designed to support individuals and organizations in claiming their highest potential. He has worked with thousands of people toward attaining that objective. Ferguson’s presentation is entitled Higher Courage: Manifesting Your Greatest Potential.

The 2012 Expo presenters and panelists will discuss a wide-range of topics and many experiential or “hands-on” activities will be included. Some of the diverse subject matter involves relationship enhancement; the power of self-love; building triple bottom-line companies; and a man’s views about feminism. Four-member panels will courageously address addiction difficulties that they face and challenges they confront as minority men.  A third panel, comprised of couples who have been married for at least 40 years, will share their prime “secrets” regarding their marital longevity. The physical activities center around universal dance and singing/chanting; hatha yoga; and the Japanese martial art of Aikido.

Representative of the diversity of presenters are: physician Rob Ivker, M.D.; licensed psychologists Dwight Duncan, Psy.D. Howie Lambert, Ph.D. and Jim Sharon, Ed.D.; CEOs Chris Ebersberg and Richard Eidlin; business coach George Ira Carroll; consultant Doug Gertner, Ph.D.; native American counselor Peter Brokenleg; musicians Scott and Shanti Medina, Kabir, and Sandra Saiontz; and Aikido master Edgar Johansson.

A closing ceremony will feature Himalayan sounding bowls; presentation of the Whole Man of the Year Award to five finalists and one grand winner; and several door-prize drawings.

About 35 exhibitors will be displaying their products and services throughout the Expo.

Men, women and teens are invited to attend this event. For further information and to register, visit mensanthology.com/whole-man-expo/. A sizable discount is available for groups of 10 or more registering together.