Lynne Margulies, artist and filmmaker, was Andy Kaufman’s partner, caretaker, and the love of his life until his death from lung cancer in 1984. Courtney Love portrayed Margulies in the Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon starring Jim Carrey. During the film’s production, Margulies worked closely with Carrey, giving him rare insight into the human side of Andy Kaufman. Margulies teaches fine art at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She is the codirector of the documentary film I’m From Hollywood, which chronicles Kaufman’s foray into the world of professional wrestling. Her latest art project is The Book of Steve, a four-foot by three-foot book which tells the story of her brother’s descent into mental illness. Margulies, her musician husband, and their eight cats live on the Oregon coast.
Carlos E. Marin is a highly regarded Executive Leadership Coach. He specializes in helping executive leaders achieve and verify positive changes in their leadership behavior. His work has benefited executives in a wide range of industries including Aerospace, Banking and Financial Services, Biotechnology, Communications, Consumer Products, Hospitality and Entertainment, Manufacturing, Management Consulting, Pharmaceutical, Technology and Utilities. Carlos has a BS in Psychology from Olivet College and Master’s degrees in Educational Psychology and Counseling from Michigan State University. Carlos and his wife Martha live in San Diego, California.
Cheech Marin has a diverse background as an actor, director, author, dedicated art collector, and home cook. As one-half of the renowned comedy duo Cheech and Chong, he contributed to seminal works such as Up in Smoke and Nice Dreams, which have significantly influenced contemporary cannabis culture. These works have established the duo as foundational figures within the industry.
In addition to his partnership endeavors, Cheech achieved individual success as an actor and director, notably with his film Born in East L.A., which depicts the experiences of a Los Angeles native deported to Mexico and his journey to return home. Drawing on his personal background and cultural heritage, Cheech has helped to challenge stereotypes and redefine Chicano identity.
In 2022, he played a role in founding America’s first Chicano art museum in Riverside, California, inspired by his extensive collection of Chicano artwork. Moreover, Cheech’s ongoing involvement in the cannabis industry marks a significant milestone, reflecting his longstanding advocacy and commitment to promoting understanding and appreciation of cannabis.
Beyond his professional pursuits, Cheech dedicates time to personal projects, including culinary endeavors with his daughter Jasmine. Together, they enjoy cooking as a shared activity, fostering creativity and bonding through their culinary explorations.
Tucked away on the remote beaches of northern Malibu, Jasmine Marin developed her passion for cooking through her access to the Food Network on her kitchen television. After mastering lavender shortbread cookies with almonds at age eight, she was eager to explore new culinary creations, such as mac and cheese with Pixie Stix. Since her early years as a young chef, Jasmine has refined her culinary approach and learned to balance flavors from her beloved babysitter, Carolina, who shared her knowledge of authentic regional Mexican cuisine. These lessons laid the foundation for collaborative cooking experiences with her father, Cheech, fostering a special bond that transcended traditional father-daughter dynamics and evolved into a close friendship.
Now, with formal training and a strong sense of discipline, Jasmine is driven by an unwavering curiosity about the culinary world. She continues to explore, experiment, and share her love of cooking with others. Jasmine aspires to one day settle in a welcoming home near the vibrant shores of FlavorTown.
In addition to her culinary pursuits, Jasmine has a background in fine art and design and helped cofound a cannabis business with her father and brother, and now leads the brand’s design team.
Todd Marinovich was a football media sensation for the last quarter of the twentieth century. In high school, he was the top player in the nation. He was also the star quarterback at the University of Southern California, leading the Trojans to a Rose Bowl victory his freshman year. Selected in the first round of the NFL draft as the first college sophomore in history to declare, he joined the Los Angeles Raiders, playing from 1991 to 1993. Leaving football due to drug addiction, he returned to the sport in 1999, earning Arena Football League All-Rookie team honors in 2000. A man who brings lightness and humor to even the most difficult trials in life, Todd openly shares his story to inspire others. He encourages audiences to embrace their truth, live out loud unapologetically, and pick themselves back up after inevitable falls. A father, coach, and spiritual survivor, Todd resides in California with his son.
Joel Marion is a six-time bestselling author, host of the top-ranked inspirational podcast Born to Impact, and the cofounder of BioTrust Nutrition (the largest eCommerce supplement company in the United States). Additionally, his work has been featured in the pages of more than 20 popular national newsstand magazines including Men’s Fitness, Woman’s Day, Men’s Health, Oxygen, Men’s Journal, and Clean Eating. He resides with his wife, Lisa, and two daughters in Clearwater Beach, Florida.
Steve Mariotti is the founder and former president of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), and an advocate for entrepreneurs worldwide. His previous books include the Young Entrepreneur’s Guide to Starting and Running a Business and An Entrepreneur’s Manifesto, which makes a convincing case for the power of entrepreneurship education to combat poverty, terrorism and totalitarianism. Mariotti is also the author of award-winning junior, high-school and college textbooks on entrepreneurship and small business management. He is a popular Huffington Post blogger.
In 1982, Mariotti left a successful business career to become a public high-school teacher in tough New York City neighborhoods like East New York, Bed-Study, and Fort Apache in the South Bronx. Frustrated at first by his rowdy classrooms, Mariotti discovered he could motivate even his most challenging students by teaching them how to run a small business. This experience inspired him to create NFTE in 1987 to bring entrepreneurship education to low-income youth, and empower them to create pathways out of poverty. Today, NFTE is widely considered the leading provider of entrepreneurship education to low-income youth worldwide.
Dr. Susan Markel is a board-certified pediatrician who has a private consultative practice specializing in attachment parenting and child health. A graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Dr. Markel has been a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics since 1981. She is a medical associate at Attachment Parenting International and became certified as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 1997. She divides her time between homes in Connecticut and Aix en Provence, France.
Books by Dr. Susan Markel
Adam Markel is the CEO of New Peaks (Formerly Peak Potentials) and the author of the forthcoming book Pivot. Formerly, Adam was the senior trainer with Peak Potentials which has delivered training to more than 1 million people in over 104 countries. Adam personally trained more than 100,000 people around the world. Adam has been interviewed by Fox News, The New York Post, and The Wall Street Journal. He holds a law degree from Saint John’s University and an undergraduate degree in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he graduated magna cum laude. Adam founded a multimillion-dollar law firm specializing in finance, commercial and employment litigation. Over the course of his 17-year practice, Adam represented over 1,000 matters with hundreds of clients including Citibank, Wachovia, and HSBC.
Dr. Patrick Markey is a Professor of Psychology, the Director of the Interpersonal Research Laboratory at Villanova University, and a former President of the Society for Interpersonal Theory and Research. Dr. Markey received his doctorate from the University of California (Riverside) in social and personality psychology, with a focus on behavioral statistics. Since receiving his degree he has published over sixty book chapters and journal articles in peer-reviewed journals, and has made hundreds of presentations at universities and at national and international scientific conferences.
Among his peers he is widely recognized as an expert on how violent video games affect our behavior, and he is regarded for being able to present complex statistical and behavioral data to a general audience in a way that is both informative and entertaining. For years Dr. Markey has been involved in educating the general public and politicians about various psychological issues related to digital media. By giving talks at universities and elementary schools he has been able to help parents, teachers, and school administrators better understand the complex research examining violent video games. Moving beyond the classroom, Dr. Markey has been invited to testify before numerous governmental committees, and he has served on various governmental task forces examining the effects of violent video games.
[Author photo © 2016 Villanova University; used with permission.]
