THE TEAM

Paula Comunelli

Listening Well Founder & CEO

My life's work is to access and unleash the power and potential of people enabling us to create the lives and world we envision. I founded Listening Well to use the power of our stories to integrate the learning embedded in life's impeccable lessons. Everything I do and am is the integration of my desire and practice to focus on the positive, learn from the wisdom in and around me, and stay connected to life's mystery. My knowledge is built upon more than 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur, corporate manager, consultant, facilitator, wellness and recovery educator, leader, community activist, motivational speaker, and student of life. I have a BS in Business from California State University, Hayward, and a MS in Organization Development (MSOD) from Pepperdine University. My favorite times are spent working and playing with people and pets I love.

Larry Boone

What I enjoy most is creating connections, discovering strengths and unleashing the best in you. When I see the best in you, I see the best in me along with each and every person who we share that experience with. As a result we can create whatever we envision. My true work is to integrate life's lessons, stories, perceptions, and lived experiences into what has true heart and meaning. I do this by listening, connecting, and mirroring each person's unique gifts, talents and abilities for all to see. My knowledge is sustained through 30 years of experience in organizational, community and human development as a healthcare manager, consultant, entrepreneur, wellness and recovery educator, and community leader. I have a BS in Therapeutic Recreation from CA State University, Sacramento.

Amy Brownfield

I believe in human capacity and creativity to overcome obstacles and personal challenges. I owe this to my own experiences of transcending labels and expectations, witnessing countless others transformed by sharing their stories through Listening Well, partnering with individuals as a Personal Service Coordinator at the MHA Village, and my Master's degree in Occupational Therapy, which instilled in me a healthy awe of meaningful roles and activities—how we impact the world around us and in turn are shaped by what we choose to do and be in our everyday lives. On an individual, collective, and organizational level, I seek to transcend limitations of all kinds to move towards balance, integration and wholeness. I practice this by being in between with a calm, peaceful presence, recognizing and fostering the best people have to offer, catalyzing and integrating a full sense of self, and bringing seemingly separate parts into a unified whole.

Stephan Dubose

As a young person I decided to go on a quest to understand why the world was the way it was and how I could make a difference. I had privilege and freedom and yet so many of my brothers and sisters in this world did not. I studied all I could of world philosophy, history, psychology, religion, spirituality, culture, literature, language, art, and geography. I have done many kinds of work and met many people. I have helped them with their cars, computers, school work, home, health, business, and their relationships. I practice being kind and generous and offering assistance wherever I can. I invite people to take a chance and believe in themselves and their dreams and do my best to support others as others have supported me on my journey.

Patti Haskell

Sharing my story has shifted my view of the world, and more importantly, my view of myself. I am committed to my continued growth, and the growth of those I serve. As a Listening Well facilitator, I have witnessed participants shed pieces of their pasts, create new support systems, and see themselves in a new light. I am passionate about the power of lived experiences to heal ourselves and our world by connecting us to one another. I have a BA in Child and Family Studies from WSU. I work in Placer County as the Listening Well liaison and Client Services Counselor for the Department of Health and Human Services. I enjoy hiking, backpacking, sewing, and occasionally dancing. I live in Roseville with my husband, two children, and our beloved dog, Jet.

Kerry Kile

It is my passion and gift to empower all individuals in finding freedom of expression and claiming their unique voice. For the past 12 years, I have worked in the Mental Health field as a Licensed Psychiatric Technician and facilitated workshops; Core Gift, Wellness Recovery Action Planning, Harm Reduction, and Motivational Interviewing. My ambition is to promote affirmative change in individuals and systems. After my Listening Well Experience and the transformation I experienced, I am committed to bringing this work forward so that others have the opportunity to revel in its hope and wisdom. Each circle is a new journey and I truly feel honored to be part of it!

BJ North

I work as a consultant to build bridges across uncommon grounds such as those from businesses to community, individuals to community resources, and agencies to consumers. I have been able to assist various community agencies to better serve by helping them hear and speak to one another in the spirit of mutual respect. I use a common foundation for my teaching approach—use of language from cultural perspectives and individuals' self-knowledge. I have an Advanced Drug and Alcohol Studies certificate from UCSC and am pre-licensed for CAADAC.

Nancy Ogilvie

I have a life-long passion for enhancing people's access to their inner power and wisdom, enabling us to bring more of who we are into the world. I know of no better way to do this than to share life stories. It has been my honor and privilege as a Listening Well facilitator to witness the transformation that occurs in people's lives when we hear—truly hear—our own and others' stories. For 30 years, I developed leaders, trained managers, built teams, and facilitated organizational change in both business and nonprofit organizations. I have two Masters, one in Organization Development and one in Culture and Spirituality. Four years ago, I founded Inspiring Results, currently supporting women entrepreneurs to move from frantic and stressed out to powerful, calm and centered.

John Travers

My efforts focus on encouraging individuals to discover (or remember) an identity other than their present "label of differentness" and to pursue opportunities that promote citizenship and connectedness in order to realize a life beyond the mental health system. I believe that storytelling is universal, opens the heart to truth and forgiveness, and initiates a journey toward love, purpose, and self-esteem. I am a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner, Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor, and graduated the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Peer Advocacy Program in 1997.

Margo Zanzinger

I stand for hope and inspiration, as well as the knowledge that mental illness is not a sentence of medication, unemployment, depression, and suicide. For 25 years, I worked as an elementary school teacher and learned about uniqueness and patience. Since my retirement, my studies and interests include becoming a prayer practitioner at Inner Light Ministries and working with Reiki, which allows me to channel energy for the highest good. I am pleased to have been asked to work with Listening Well as we look at our stories and find the gifts that are waiting to be discovered.