Eros Rising Summit

Dr. Topeka K. Sam is a trusted consultant, entrepreneur, and advocate who founded The Ladies of Hope Ministries and multiple businesses, including EPIC Financial PBLLC, TKS Ventures, and MyFRSH financial services, all aimed at addressing trauma and emotional well-being. Since her release from federal prison in 2015, she has become a national speaker, board member for organizations like The Marshall Project and United Justice Coalition, and a strategic advisor for RBIJ and HARP. She was a principal in creating The First Step Act, the largest-ever prison reform bill in 2018. Recognized for her impact, she has been featured in major publications and media outlets, spoken at high-profile events, and was credited as “The Black Woman behind the video that led to the Trump Clemency of Alice Johnson.”

Nicole is an author, activist and creator; 20 years ago she created Orgasmic Meditation which has now been studied by top research universities in the country and endorsed by some of the biggest names in Hollywood, she co-founded OneTaste, a company that at its peak had 35,000 customers around the world coming to its workshops to learn about the philosophy she calls Eros. She also created the Prison Monastery, a novel approach to incarceration which was adopted at a Level 4 prison in California. All before she herself was canceled in a big way.

Dr. David Kriegman is a clinical psychologist who integrates evolutionary biology with human experience to examine how biological imperatives shape behavior and meaning. He has held key clinical roles, including Chief Psychologist at the Massachusetts Treatment Center for Sexually Dangerous Offenders and Clinical Director for a maximum-security adolescent treatment unit in Boston, while also serving as an expert witness in court cases. He has taught psychology at institutions like SUNY Buffalo, Boston University, and Lesley College, is a faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute for Psychoanalysis, and served as a creative consultant for the Couples Therapy docu-series on Showtime. A founder of the Psychoanalytic Couple and Family Institute of New England, he has published extensively, contributed to major psychoanalytic journals, and writes for Mad in America, where he critiques the politics of diagnosis and treatment.

Dr. Andrew Newberg is the director of research at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health and a physician at Jefferson University Hospital, specializing in internal and nuclear medicine. Fascinated by questions about reality, truth, and the human mind since childhood, he merged his interests in neuroscience and religious experiences while working with Dr. Eugene d’Aquili. His research focuses on brain function during prayer, meditation, rituals, and mystical experiences, as well as their impact on health and memory. He has also used neuroimaging to study aging, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and depression. With over 250 peer-reviewed articles and 14 books translated into 17 languages, he is recognized as one of the 30 Most Influential Neuroscientists Alive Today. His work has been featured in major media outlets and documentaries, including What the Bleep Do We Know? and Religulous. He has spoken at global conferences on neuroscience and spirituality, advocating for a rigorous scientific approach to studying religious experiences. Newberg believes in maintaining the integrity of both science and religion while exploring their intersection.

Jim Garrison, PhD, has been a lifelong activist in anti-war, anti-nuclear, citizen diplomacy, and environmental movements since the 1960s. He has held executive leadership roles, including as co-founder and president of the Gorbachev Foundation/USA and the State of the World Forum, and later founded Ubiquity University after serving as President of Wisdom University. He holds degrees from the University of Santa Clara, Harvard University, and the University of Cambridge, specializing in history, religion, and philosophical theology. An accomplished author, he has written multiple books on politics, global affairs, and theology, and currently teaches at Ubiquity University.