Where to begin with this fellow? Rob McCallum is a confidant, coach, riding partner, mirror, and long standing best friend.  I could easily fill this entire article with positive adjectives and still not adequately describe what a powerful human being this is. I came across Rob when he called on Epica many years ago, looking for a nice Italian leather journal to write in. He came by on his bike in person and there stood before me someone who I instantly was curious about and resonated with.  It only took a few more visits before we solidified a friendship and the rest was history. Since then, we’ve cultivated one of the more powerful relationships I have ever had with a true friend.  Furthermore, he’s my number one riding partner when we’re on the Ducs.

In his own words:

“I am a Life Coach. I am a bit like a candle in a dark room, exploring peoples’ lives to discover dreams and resources that have been hidden. What we find in the room has always been there, my job is to help reveal it and facilitate a healthy and productive response to what we find. In simple, I help people discover what they are capable of and then walk with them through theprocess of achieving that.”

Rob has profound wisdom, the likes of which is ordinarily not found in people our age and that is because Rob is extraordinary. Whether he is on a mission to take assault rifles and AK-47′s out of the hands of small children in third world countries, on a solitary meditative retreat in the woods for a month, giving a sermon at his church, inspiring gangs to nurture their children and create a better community, or evaluating how he can be the best man he can with the woman he is involved with, Rob is constantly aligning himself with his vision, his values and his purpose.  He knows his true North and he knows his direction and takes action on it by the day, hour and minute. 

I would personally trust Rob’s coaching and wisdom in almost any situation whether it’s your darkest hour or are working through your most powerful and inspired moment.

We have been there for each other in more ways than I can count in laughter and tears.  This man is a lifelong friend.  Rob McCallum is someone I trust.

Contact Rob:

- When life is throwing you curve balls and you need a coach
- When you need to share something with someone and don’t know who to ask or turn to
- When you are ready to grow
- When you have a project that requires great vision
- When you need to ride your Ducati properly through the canyons

Rob can be reached at: (805) 405-5533 or by email 

Allow me to introduce you to two of LA’s best kept secrets: Sarah and Sarah.  By themselves they comprise much of LA’s AcroYoga teacher community and together they fuse their other talents of Thai Massage and Chinese Medicine together to form Sarahpeutics.  This duo of powerful women are largely responsible for a good portion of the knowledge I personally possess on the two subjects and I have been training with them for three years.  In January 2013, I completed their advanced Thai Massage and and 5 Element Chinese Medicine Training. It was a seven day course that sought to fuse the lineage of two powerful healing practices.  They did this rather effortlessly.  When I think of studying Chinese Medicine- I imagine years and years of training and studying to become proficient. Books, history, anatomy and massive amounts of memorization and intuitive work.  And while I wouldn’t pretend that a 7 day course could miraculously turn us into masters on the subject, the material was presented in such a way that was highly accessible and digestible and retainable. It laid a solid foundation and groundwork for our practice in a way I hadn’t experienced before.  Naturally the partner work, therapeutic acrobatics and Thai Massage were all very hands on, but to my surprise, the Chinese Medicine was as well.  Rather than study a book chock full of charts and graphs, we traced the meridians on our own bodies and use sticky dots to give us a visual representation of them.

Each day we focused on one of the Elements: Wood, Fire, Metal, Water, Earth, and performed corresponding Thai massage techniques on or along the actual meridians. This was very powerful, this fusion of these two systems. I couldn’t believe how well it was presented and how it kept my attention day after day.

My history with The Sarahs is lengthy. I have learned from them, studied with them, trained with them, co-taught with them, taken privates with them and so forth.  Every single encounter is not without massive growth and wisdom.  If you are looking to deepen your practice of self love, nourishment, healing, connected touch, bodywork, Chinese Medicine, Thai Massage, then these are your ladies.

There’s a day and night difference between going down to your local Thai massage parlor and getting some work done versus the way our community does it here in LA and it’s a palpable feeling of love. These women love what they do and are enthusiastic about sharing their gifts.  I would strongly recommend seeeking them out for any type of training that is calling out to you.  Whether it’s a workshop, a retreat, a full on training or just a class, there is powerful healing value here for you.

The Sarahs are people I trust.

The Sarahs can be reached online on their joint website: www.sarahpeutics.org

or by calling Sarah Yovovich (Brunette) at: (773) 817-0518  and Sarah Vosen (Blonde) at (310) 883-8196

I remember being greeted by a very attractive, woman with an incredible sense of style.  Turns out she’s the owner. Friends, you heard right, this young attractive woman and her team (notably Katy) have created a little haven in the Valley to feed your mind, body and soul.  They have at least 100 hand crafted drinks, all using organic produce and high end supplements! The things they accomplish behind that tiny bar is mind bending.  I’ve been giving a great deal of thought of how to describe this place because despite it’s size there is just so much you can do here.  For me and my grounp of friends Mare’kas is a dream come true. I have:

- taken a sick girlfriend there to get better and have Katy custom blend her a ‘kick in the face’ wellness shot

- taken my best friends there for a light organic lunch made with love

- gone in alone several times just to savor the smoothie and elixir menu and try out what’s good

- gone in before dance class for an energy boosting smoothie

- gone to see a comedy show

- gone to listen to great live music

- gone to have my cards read just for fun

- gone in to make new friends and left with several

- brought friends in for a late night of sipping spicy hot chocolates and handmade gelato

- gone in and used free wifi to get work done

- brought alcohol drinking friends in for their unique selection of spirits and elixirs

- brought coffee drinking friends in for a reishi mushroom espresso when they needed to clear their mind.

Where else can you go to have HEALTHY, ORGANIC drinks custom tailored just for you depending on your mood or how you’re feeling? Where else can you go for a smoked salmon bagel one day, a vegetarian curry spinach salad the next and a chocolate orange drinking chocolate the next?  They will even custom tailor 1-7 day juice fasts just for you and what you need in the moment.

Mare’kas is not a restaurant, or a bar or a lounge it’s anything you want it to be. It’s a health conscious persons dream. It’s a place to stop after or before yoga or a dance class,  It’s a place to bring both local and out of town friends to for drinks that are actually GOOD for your body.  It’s a place to catch a live performance or listen to drum and bass.  It’s  place to socialize and try new and exotic flavors that you didn’t know existed.

A couple things you should know – Mare’ka is small with BIG energy. It’s cozy and quaint- so when it gets busy they have a small area to work from.  Believe me they are doing their best, given the intimacy of the space.  The fact that you can have a delicious natural meat pizza or vegetarian gourmet salad come out of that tiny little bar is astounding.   As much as I talk up the food you should know it’s not a full dinner or lunch menu with 200 items but there are several great meals that cover a wide palate of flavors. I consider the fact that Mare’kas actually serves food at all, much less fresh and organic food, the icing on the cake with all the elixirs, drinks and smoothies you can order.  It’s also a little bit hidden but just look for the big purple sign near the corner of Coldwater and Ventura across from StarBucks… a place you’ll never want to go back to after being here.

Mare’kas is a rare gem in this world.  I wouldn’t hesitate to make a special request if they’re not busy, or chat up the girls to educate yourself on what effect different fruits, veggies and herbs have on the body. Thank you Mare’ka for an absolutely magical experience every single time.

Mare’ka is located at

12747 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604
Neighborhood: Studio City

Their website is marekalive.com and their phone number is (818) 509-1664

I wanted to do a healing session at the AcroYoga Festival called Divine Play  in San Francisco. I had never met Anjuli before and had expressed that I had high hopes for the many modalities of bodywork I had experienced, but that I seldom walked away really ‘feeling’ changed or empowered or different or even healed.  She said this session would be good for me.  She then proceeded to use countless tools to give me a session I will never forget.

She drew on me with a firm piece of Shea butter that easily melted onto my skin as sunlight poured onto me in the treatment room.  She used singing bowls on either side of my ears and rang them perfectly for sound therapy. She used long, languid, fluid  massage strokes to relax and deeply soothe me in all the right intuitively discovered places. She spoke in the most relaxing, calm voice, encouraging me to unwind with “yes’s” and “mmm hmmms” each time my body relaxed or unlocked another layer.  She treated my entire body and didn’t miss one part. She took into account all of my requests and paid special attention to areas where I wanted special attention.  She guided me through this process with short poignant instruction in an affirming loving voice.  Her intention was loving and I felt her p r e s e n c e through every moment of the treatment. She used massage techniques, Thai massage techniques and her own blend of magic. She cleansed me with sage and cleared me with holy wood.  She took time before and after to really understand what was going on with me. It’s hard to fully put into words but I walked in feeling good- and I walked out filled with love, filled with the kind of vibration or attitude that wanted to give back to the world and filled with deep appreciation for myself, others and for Anjuli.

Post treatment I paced about in a blissful trancelike state at the festival for at least two hours basking in an afterglow as hundreds of yogis catapulted themselves into different tricks. I was so peaceful and happy and high.  I gave two mini treatments myself to two friends who were in pain and paid it forward easily.

I would strongly recommend experiencing and going all out with Anjuli.  This is money well spent and will serve you so much more to exchange it for a few sessions rather than holding on to it!  Sometimes the value of something, like touch is so great that giving money isn’t enough.  I thanked Anjuli profusely, and smiled and held her to try to express the deep appreciation for the way she cared for me during this treatment. I would recommend a 1.5-2.5 hour initial session and then a follow up session or two of 90 minutes. If I lived near her I would quite possibly see her weekly!  You will quite simply never forget her work.

Anjuli is someone I trust.

You can book a session with her by visiting her site at  anjulimahendra.com or by calling: (808) 639-2462 or by emailing: anjulimahendra@gmail.com

Generally a man asks a woman out so for these examples we’ll us that traditional format.

If a man asks you out, and you actually have the desire and interest to go out with him, replying with any of the following is bad form:

“I can’t.”

“Can’t. I’m busy doing xyz,”

“I already have plans,”

“I’m at my friends house (or any other location)…”

What this does is telegraph to a man that you’ve got no interest whatsoever in getting together. Where is the rest of this terribly fragmented sentence?  All I want to say after hearing something like this is… And??? And then what?

Now, we all lead busy lives. We don’t just need to hear how busy you are or that you can’t and you can’t and you can’t without making some attempt on your part to show that you actually want to see the other person.

I personally like and respond well to yes women. And at the very least I like a woman who suggests an alternative when she is interested like,

“Oh, I can’t tonight BUT (magic word) I would love to see you on Wednesday or Friday.”

“Tomorrow’s not good but how about tonight?”

“You know, I’m so busy the whole week but I do want to to see you. How about sometime next week?”

Ah! men and women would love this.  It’s not that you’re creating more of a desire when you say no and we have to keep asking, it actually just sounds like you’re not interested. And if you’re not interested, that’s fine, but definitely do not say no by just telling us how busy you are. Say no by saying no.

I’m not sure what it is, if it’s a fear of being rejected or just not wanting to put yourself out there a little bit, but I assure you, dipping your toe into the water and making yourself a little available will go along way with the person that you like. So simple and so attractive. That friends, will make you stand out amongst the rest.

What kind of thoughts come to your mind when you think of swimming in the Ocean? Most of us get a chilly ripple down our spine just thinking of it. It’s a bittersweet relationship we have to one of the greatest gifts on the earth.  No one can deny its beauty and it’s ability to sooth and even excite you.  Living in Southern California it’s a luxury not many get to enjoy but she’s also a bit of a tease, because, let’s face it, who wants to hop into 40 degree water?  I am not a fan of cold water and I don’t know anyone who is, but I adore the ocean and adore being in nature. In fact, there’s nothing I enjoy more in life than being in a tropical location, the sun beaming down onto me, and swimming inside clear, warm tropical waters with fish and turtles swimming beneath me. Not so much the case in Santa Monica or Malibu.

Several years ago I overcame a large fear I didn’t know I had: Walking on fire atop raking hot coals.  I had done one of Anthony Robbins live seminars called Unleash the Power Within, and it was life changing.   So, when the moment came to pull up my pants, take off my shoes and walk across 2000 degree coals, I did so successfully without a burn or blister.  Fast forward a few years and my friend Olaf tells me about the Iceman, a mature man who lives in Europe who can successfully regulate his own body temperature with his breath, and as such, can sit in ice or ice water for two hours.  He holds the world record.

My friend Olaf, being a Chi Gong master and, and master of many things spiritual, took a keen interest and invited the “Iceman” out to Los Angeles to do a seminar on the secrets of doing what he does. This is also a man who ran a marathon barefoot in the Sahara desert with no water.  He’s amazing. And he stayed at my house for a few nights.

During the seminar, and after a few hours of breathing practices we had to put our skills to the test. A bathtub stood outside and in it, several hundred pounds of ice cubes. Our job as students was to climb in, sit up to our neck in ice, and breathe deeply.  I remember not being terribly nervous about it but also disgusted with myself that I had put myself in this situation – what was I thinking?

It didn’t help that attractive women were hopping in in their bikinis and making the most indulgent faces as though they were receiving some sort of euphoric pleasure from the ice itself.  After several men that needed to be first went in, it was finally my turn.  Ready, set, go! I wanted to get it over quickly but the idea was not to rush. I climbed in, pushed the ice all the way up to my neck and began to deeply breathe.  I’m not going to lie, I found the experience challenging, but there I was turning into a human popsicle with the Iceman giving words of encouragement alongside us. Not only that, but everyone there, roughly 40 of us, were all standing around the tub watching.

Now the lessons that come from something like this run far deeper than just a shock factor experience. It taught me a lot about myself and both how capable I was but also how much I could grow.  And it wasn’t over yet. The next day, we had to go to the ocean – and of course it was a cold, dark and overcast day. In fact it wasn’t even a pleasant day to be standing on the beach at all even in a wool jacket and pants. But there we all were, most of us, in our bathing suits preparing to practice our breathing exercises inside the freezing cold ocean.

And we did. In and out we went. Swimming all the way in the ocean then back out on the sand for deep breathing practices. Then back in again, then back out. Quite an amazing experience.  Many of us began to shiver strongly after about 10 minutes of being out of the water and we used our breathing to bring us back to normal.  It was truly an amazing experience.

I share this story because since then, I have made the cold Pacific Ocean my friend.  Probably that Winter, Spring and this last Summer that followed, I was in the ocean 15 more times and guess what? It was absolutely amazing!!! Yes, cold sometimes but amazing!

There is nothing like the power of the ocean to literally wash away all of your concerns. Nothing brings you more to a zero point awareness than being in an ocean.  It’s a gift you just can’t get anywhere else, not even in a pool.  So while normally I am a man who appreciates comfort, I am so glad that I had these experiences. It has opened up a world to me that has changed my life forever.

On Thursday December 6th fashion Designer Shale K launched a collection of her gorgeous new line of formal dresses at Duplex on Third.  It was a formal event and part of the main celebration was a circle of 20 models walking and posing elegantly throughout the lounge.  Tari was invited to create an AcroYoga based performance piece as the main event.  He brought on his friend, dancer and choreographer SuzE Q and together they performed a special piece of art in the Burlesque meets AcroYoga theme. The results we’re amazing. Below is SuzE Q upside down in one of Shail K’s dresses being supported in “Floating Pashi” by Tari.  Amidst a crowd of over 100 people filling the lounge, confetti and smiles filled the room as they set the tone for the evening.

The secret however to not wearing socks and not having stinky feet however is baby powder.

Simply dust your soles with a healthy amount of the powder of of your choice and shake it down so it extends all the way down to the toes and voila! Fresh feeling and smelling shoes, toes and feet that will last all day.

I also keep tiny canisters of powder with me in my travel case and in the car for just such occasions.

You’ll love how simple this trick is and how fresh it will make you feel.

1. Never come to my table and ask if I would like “Bottled sparkling or bottled flat water,” For $10 a bottle as though I do not have the choice to drink filtered tap or tap.
- Patrons, never feel guilty to ask for ‘regular’ or filtered water from the tap.

2. Never leave empty plates, sugar and straw wrappers, empty glasses on the table.
Patrons, never hesitate to cue your waiter or bus boy in  by stacking or downright handing them the plates before they leave the table

3. Never ever walk up to a table and simply say, “Are you guys ready to order?” or worse, “Do you know what you want?” or abominable, sit there in silence staring at your table waiting for us to reply.
Patrons, feel free to apply social pressure by saying, “Hi there!” in a clear voice with a smile and sit and stare at them as they wither beneath your kindness.  Engage further by asking their name.

4. Never ask someone to take their used fork or utensil off their plate and save it for their dinner and certainly do not physically take it off their plate yourself with your own hands
Patrons, feel free to request a fresh one if you so desire unless this does not bother you

5. Never stare at your patrons attractive date of the opposite sex longer than your same sex patron and certainly don’t flirt if they are with someone of the opposite sex.
Patrons feel free to accidentally nudge your waiter or pull him or her from his trance with a direct question

6. When a customer asks for something to accompany their meal, bring it to them to enjoy during their meal, not after. If someone asks for a side of sauce to accompany their entree, bring it as quick as you possibly can
Patrons, don’t hesitate to stand up and go make the request of another waiter or manager. Also don’t hesitate to rise and request a check if you’ve been waiting longer than five minutes.

7. Don’t check on your tables in motion, or while you’re trying to walk away because you are in such a hurry to go somewhere else. Do not ask “is everything ok?” as you are barely facing and have one eye on your next table.
Patrons apply social pressure by looking them square in the face like you’re going to say something, smile, wait for them to stop and take a breath, then speak normally

I think we can all agree that sometimes half the experience of a nice dining experience is the atmosphere and service. I have had incredible meals turn sour fast based solely on a waiters mood or lackluster attitude. While I don’t think it’s good to fight fire with fire, use some of the tips in here to help you salvage any poor dining experience.