“At 46 years old, a heart-attack was my 'wake-up call.' This heart-attack led me to the University of Santa Monica's Master's Program in Spiritual Psychology.”(
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“Through learning the practical tools and skills taught in the Graduate Program, I began co-creating a life that was in greater alignment with my own values and heartfelt dreams. I left my 20-year job at a multi-national corporation and became a partner and co-owner in a small company of five people. Today we have 27 employees and have created a work environment of honesty, caring, and enthusiasm among everyone. We booked $40 million this year -- a nice 500% growth over the last three years. My relationships are infinitely more fulfilling. Not long ago, my wife and I were having significant challenges, and today, we are best friends and lovers. I also know my sons again -- we hug and express love for each other as a family. I applied to the University to mend a broken heart. It is now healed at every level, and I feel deep gratitude in accepting the gift I gave my Self of experiencing this extraordinary, transformative curriculum.” (
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Jeff Andrews
“Through my USM education, I rediscovered my love for working in Africa and was inspired to fulfill my dream of co-creating a business that brings together women and teaches them how to provide in sustainable ways for themselves and their children.”(
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“As a result of my USM education, I left a job that was no longer fulfilling and launched a new career. My business is called Baba Blankets Collective. It is designed to provide creative development opportunities for the local women as well as provide sustainable income. We also work with a program called SISTA (Stay In School Tuition Assistance) to help girls in Ghana remain in school. USM supported me in getting laser clear about what my heartfelt dreams were -- what success and joy would look and feel like for me. The Collective has tripled in size in only one year! The skills I learned at USM have changed my life. I now see how the small steps add up. I have set up a new life which is so fulfilling and gives back to me in more ways than one.” (
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Aminata Brown
“USM has been a life-changing experience for me that has literally shifted how I show up in the world. My life feels much more authentic and aligned with Spirit now. But even in my wildest dreams, I never imagined that an education in Spiritual Psychology could have such an enormous effect on my business.”(
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“When the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center happened, the entire hospitality industry just totally tanked. I tried everything, but the results were pretty dismal. I was experiencing a lot of fear about how to survive. In the Graduate Program, we learn how to cultivate a relationship with what USM calls your Inner Counselor through the skill of Self-Counseling. At first, I was skeptical. When I went inside and asked for guidance about my business, the answer I received was just to 'be present and love your customers more than your competitors do.' I can laugh about it now, but at the time, this was hardly the answer I was looking for! I was feeling more than a little desperate, so I decided to follow my Inner Counselor's advice. I practiced being truly present and focused on service, on listening clearly and consciously, and on seeing my clients as Divine Beings on their own spiritual path. When I shifted my attention to being of genuine service, projects started heading my way. My Ideal Scene was cultivating $100,000 worth of contracts each month. When this was easily achieved, I took a risk and increased the amount on my Ideal Scene to $250,000 a month and reached that pretty quickly as well. There's a lovely quote by Rumi that captures the essence of what USM means to me: 'Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.' For me, this is exactly what USM offers, and the gratitude I will always hold for this gift is truly overflowing.” (
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John Burke
“Professionally, I could not be serving women in the way I am without my USM education.”(
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“Before I attended USM, I was the Vice President of Marketing at AT&T Broadband. I was with the company for 12 years. I had always been a high achiever and was a very good 'doer' in my life. Then I had a very challenging experience of infertility. This experience was so life-altering that I decided I wanted to work with women who had the same challenges. I found a very well-known infertility program at Harvard, but I needed a Master's Degree to attend. After researching several graduate schools, I applied to USM and was accepted into the Program. For much of the First Year during class processes, I didn't share about me -- just about how much I was going to serve these women. Then it dawned on me, USM's Graduate Program was really about discovering who I am! I had the awareness that I can only serve and bring people along as far as I have come myself -- and if I didn't know who I truly was, I couldn't support anyone else effectively. Everything changed in that moment. After I graduated from USM, I received the Harvard credentials and opened my own Mind/Body practice working with women challenged by infertility. There are five people in Los Angeles who have the Harvard credential, and I have a better pregnancy rate among my clients than anyone . . . and from my point of view, that's due to my USM education. What I teach in my sessions is very much in the mental and emotional realms, but where I reside while I'm teaching is in my heart. A doctor that I work very closely with often says to me, 'I don't know what you're doing in that room, but keep doing it!' As I walk through my life everyday, I attribute who I am now to USM's Graduate Program. I live my life with an open heart, and it's an amazing experience.” (
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Paula Dowd
“We acquired a very special desert inn, the Borrego Valley Inn, a little more than three years ago. The hospitality industry is a GREAT place to practice our USM skills!”(
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“My husband and I had been in a consulting business together for more than 17 years. We turned our lives upside down and moved from our lively Santa Monica neighborhood to tiny Borrego Springs in San Diego County's Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, a remote town with not one stoplight nor a Starbucks. We acquired a very special desert inn, the Borrego Valley Inn. We were successful in turning around the Inn, which had been in a downhill spiral. There's one thing we are certain of -- without the work we did in the Master's Program in Spiritual Psychology, both as individuals and as a couple, we could not be handling all the challenges that come with managing a business. Being in a marriage and in demanding work together is like having a 24/7 opportunity for us to use the USM tools and skills! We are often told, 'There is something different about you two!' We speak often of how grateful we are for the remarkable educational experience we received at USM.” (
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Gwenn Marie
“I am grateful that I gave myself the gift of a USM education. I cannot imagine another educational environment that could provide me with such a powerful set of tools and skills for taking on the adventure of life!”(
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“I completed the two-year M.A. in Spiritual Psychology Program and received so much from participating. I decided to apply for a third year offered by the University called the Consciousness, Health, and Healing Program. During this year, I created a thriving garden as part of my coursework, and I discovered a powerful attunement to nature and an aptitude for using plants for healing. I then began Sacred Suds, a special line of bath and body products. I left my corporate work and launched a complete artisan food business. After just two years, my Blossom Vinegars are highly sought after and business is booming! Because of the education I received at USM, I now see the good in myself and others, and I have a steadfast commitment to living a meaningful life based on my own heartfelt dreams.” (
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Connie Rawlings-Dritsas
“Through my USM education my relationships are completely transformed and my mission to bring more peace to the planet has expanded internationally.”(
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“When I first applied to the University, I was very successful in the nonprofit industry, serving on various Boards and Executive Committees. Yet I felt lost, unsatisfied, and impatient with myself, those around me, and life. I experienced incredible transformation as a result of the University's Master's Program. Soon after graduating, I created a line of inspirational affirmation cards and incense that I now distribute throughout the world. I recently traveled to Calcutta and realized just how far reaching the benefits of my work have become. As a result of my company's orders, the ashram that produces our incense is able to feed, cloth, and educate 40 young orphans in their community. The University of Santa Monica's graduate curriculum gave me the gift of a lifetime.” (
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Sohini Sinha
“USM's Graduate Program supported me in deepening my spiritual foundation. I don't know if this would have ever happened if I wasn't at USM.”(
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“In the beginning of Second Year of the Master's Program, each student is given the opportunity to design, implement, and complete a project that is heartfelt and meaningful. I decided to start a 90-day treatment facility called Transitions House in Culver City. This sober house is for those who have just come out of rehab. We teach them life skills to assist them in getting back on their feet. USM gave me a supportive environment and a clear structure that moved me forward in completing everything in a step-by-step process. For me, the Master's Program paralleled the recovery process, and I've been able to take a lot of positive practical and transformational tools and skills that I've learned and anchor them into daily life. The Program is very well balanced and assisted me in not only learning life skills but also a deeper level of acceptance. I now supervise 20 people, and I find the
Soul-Centered Basic Communication Skills I learned at USM are invaluable.” (
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Art Stern
You can download a compilation of the sharings above by clicking on the link below, narrated by Leigh Taylor-Young. This MP3 file also includes additional information about USM's Graduate Programs in Spiritual Psychology.
To continue learning more about USM, click here.
To share your wins as a USM Graduate, click here.
