CONVENTION OF THE AMERICAS • July 2026
Workshop
Schedule
Learn. Experience. Grow.
All Workshops have simultaneous interpretation
Wednesday, July 22 – 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
SALÓN ESTANCIA
The Presence Within: Awakening to Oneness in Everyday Life
Facilitators: Bob Deen & James Peak
There is an eternal awareness at the heart of your being that has never been separate from Life itself. In this transformative workshop, you'll explore what it means to live from that awareness — moving through your daily roles and relationships without the weight of division. Drawing on spiritual wisdom and the insights of voices like Brené Brown and Emma Curtis Hopkins, you'll discover that Oneness isn't something to achieve — it's something to remember.
(Offered in English with simultaneous Spanish interpretation)
SALÓN VERDE
Awakening Together: Revealing Your Super Power Within
Facilitators: Ellen Suazo
(Offered in Spanish with simultaneous English interpretation)
What if our greatest transformation doesn’t come from fixing ourselves... but from awakening to and revealing the power that has always been within us—together?
In this experiential Fun-Shop, we gather in connection, curiosity, and the shared path of practicing consciousness. Grounded in the understanding that nothing is inherently broken, this session invites participants to move beyond the idea of “healing” and into the joyful discovery of their true nature. This is more than a workshop—it’s a shared awakening.
Blending tools from Access Consciousness and Science of Mind, participants will:
• Explore a consciousness-based perspective: nothing to fix, everything to reveal
• Experience simple, practical tools to shift awareness in real time
• Activate and embody their unique inner superpower
• Experience the harmony of Access Consciousness and Science of Mind as a unified pathway into what already is
Wednesday, July 22 – 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
SALÓN ESTANCIA
Finances Without Drama: From Fear to Financial Peace – Where Spirituality and Money Meet
Facilitators: Emma Moreno & Gabriela Calderón
(Offered in Spanish with simultaneous English interpretation)
Inspired by the book Finanzas sin Drama (Finances Without Drama) by Gabriela Calderón, this workshop integrates spiritual reflection with practical tools to identify the emotional patterns that influence our financial decisions—including the impact of core wounds such as abandonment and rejection.
In many spiritual traditions, money has often been viewed with detachment or discomfort. However, we also recognize that every spiritual mission in this world requires resources to sustain and expand itself. This workshop proposes reconciling this apparent contradiction by integrating money as a conscious tool placed in the service of one's purpose.
Through interactive exercises, group dynamics, and moments of introspection, participants will learn to replace fear, guilt, and avoidance with conscious, sustainable habits.
As a result, each participant will design a simple system—aligned with their personal values—to manage their finances with clarity and peace of mind. Furthermore, they will be invited to participate in a guided 21-day practice aimed at creating a contingency fund and establishing a more conscious relationship with money.
Because financial peace does not begin in your bank account... it begins in your relationship with yourself.
SALÓN VERDE
Many Paths, One Truth
Facilitators: Betty & Liz Illana
(Offered in Spanish with simultaneous English interpretation)
Many Paths, One Truth is an experiential space designed to guide participants toward recognizing the essential unity underlying all spiritual beliefs. Inspired by the principles of Ernest Holmes’ Science of Mind, this workshop invites you to look beyond dogmas, structures, and apparent differences to connect with a deeper truth: the presence of the Divine within every being.
Through reflections, interactive exercises, and a guided meditation, participants will explore how various experiences, paths, and beliefs are all part of a single process of awakening consciousness. This workshop does not seek to change beliefs, but rather to expand understanding and foster a direct experience of unity, peace, and inner connection.
It is an invitation to let go of the illusion of separation, to embrace the diversity of spiritual paths, and to recognize that—beyond all forms—we all share the same essence. Participants will take away practical tools to live with greater awareness, clarity, and spiritual connection in their daily lives.
Wednesday, July 22 – 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
SALÓN ESTANCIA
The Energy Behind Spiritual Mind Treatment
Facilitator: Corina Scherer
(Offered in English with simultaneous Spanish interpretation)
An experiential workshop discussing what energy is and how we can use it to become a better practitioner. Meditation for aligning our chakras to be more grounded prior to offering a client a spiritual mind treatment. River Meditation for finding our personal blocks followed by a discussion on blocks experienced in the meditation, how we overcome these blocks and noticing how we feel as a result.
Participants will create their own Spiritual Mind Treatment based on this experience. Handouts include the 7 main chakras, a blank page for drawing a map of their river journey including the blocks and noting what they represent as discovered in group conversation, along with solutions/new desires once these blocks are released.
SALÓN VERDE
Architects of Your Destiny: From Theory to Opulence
Facilitator: Heliberto Cano
(Offered in Spanish with simultaneous English interpretation)
Are you a student of Truth who has yet to see tangible results in your finances?
This transformational workshop is designed to help you stop merely studying abundance and start demonstrating it. Under the theme "Bankrupt Architects: Why Aren't We Manifesting?", we will explore the fundamental principles of Science of Mind and Applied Metaphysics.
Through a dynamic, bilingual approach, we will break down four essential pillars:
1. The Omnipresence of Substance: Money as spiritual energy.
2. The Mental Mold: The Law of Correspondence reflected in your bank account.
3. The Law of Circulation: Breaking through stagnation through the power of blessing.
4. Feeling Is the Secret: Tuning in to the frequency of wealth.
This is not merely a theoretical workshop; it is a space for introspection—a place to confront your beliefs of scarcity and activate your "Contract of Deservingness."
You will leave the workshop equipped with practical tools, a concrete action plan for the first 24 hours, and the absolute certainty that your divine inheritance is infinite supply.It is time to design—and inhabit—the life of opulence that is yours by right of consciousness!
Friday, July 24 – 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
SALÓN ESTANCIA
Singing as a Spiritual Practice
Facilitator: Marco Lira
(Offered in Spanish with simultaneous English interpretation)
What if your spiritual practice could move with you through your entire day?
This interactive workshop explores singing as a pathway into Presence, mindfulness, and spiritual connection. Through original songs inspired by the teachings and affirmations of Ernest Holmes, participants experience how music can become a living spiritual practice rather than something reserved for quiet moments or formal meditation.
Blending spirituality, mindfulness, and music, this workshop invites participants to discover that Presence is available anywhere and anytime — while driving, walking, working, resting, or gathering in community. Singing becomes more than music. It becomes prayer, affirmation, meditation, and embodiment.
Lyrics will be displayed so everyone can easily participate, regardless of musical experience. No singing background is needed. Simply come willing to participate, breathe, listen, and experience what happens when spiritual practice becomes something you can carry into every moment of life.
SALÓN VERDE
Make Good Use of Emotions
Facilitator: Trish Hall
(Offered in English with simultaneous Spanish interpretation)
In times of social, organizational, and personal change, fear, grief and anger are increasingly present—often unnamed, misunderstood, or mismanaged. This highly interactive workshop empowers participants to recognize these emotions not as problems to be suppressed or eliminated, but as intelligent inner signals that can lead to compassion, discernment, clarity, and healthy action.
This workshop provides guidance and skillsets that empower individuals to shift from emotional reactivity to fully utilizing their emotional energy in consciously chosen constructive ways.Participants are guided through brief self-inquiry to identify which emotional structure – grief, fear, or anger — is most present for them. Gaining understanding about how each emotion functions and why emotions are commonly misidentified, they learn how to transmute these powerful energies into constructive strengths.
Workshop Facilitators
Betty Illana
I earned my license as a Spiritual Practitioner (2017) and graduated as a Spiritual Director (2022), and I am now preparing for my ordination at the 2026 Chapala Convention. I have extensive training in human development, including Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Reiki, Akashic Records, and other consciousness-based disciplines. My ministry focuses on spiritual awakening, inner healing, and the recognition of unity with the Divine.
Bob Deen
Dr. Bob Deen is a seasoned spiritual leader, educator, and speaker dedicated to helping people discover the light within themselves. With decades of experience in ministry and teaching, he weaves together timeless spiritual wisdom with practical insight, offering guidance that is both accessible and inspiring. Known for his clarity, compassion, and gift with words, Dr. Bob invites audiences to see the “Infinite Yes” alive in every moment of life. Dr. Bob became a Religious Science Minister in 1995.
Corina Scherer
I first attended the Kelowna Center for Spiritual Living with Revs. Dr. Kenn and Dr. Deborah Gordon in 2004 and began taking Science of Mind classes, eventually becoming a Licensed Minister in 2014. I moved to Mexico in September 2017 to start the Center for Spiritual Living Puerto Vallarta and held our first weekly service on October 8, 2017. I was ordained in 2020 and had my Ordination Ceremony in Chapala during the Convention of the Americas in 2022. I currently teach both online via Zoom and in person. My first Spanish-speaking student will attend his Practitioner panel at this year’s Convention in Chapala. I look forward to continuing to teach classes in both English and Spanish to help spread this powerful philosophy and inspire personal and global transformation to truly make this a better world for all.
Ellen Suazo
Ellen is the founder and CEO of Mindshifting International, a holistic entrepreneur, and a personal development coach specializing in entrepreneurship and holistic practices. She is an inspirational speaker, workshop facilitator, Access Bars practitioner, and author of workshops, ebooks, and a book. Ellen is a licensed CSL practitioner and serves on the Board of Directors of One Love Center at Centers for Spiritual Living in Brooklyn, New York. She has been an active member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is one of the most requested workshop facilitators on these topics. Her purpose is to co-create a world where justice, equality, and love prevail beyond appearances or differences. Through her projects, she has supported victims of domestic violence and sexual assault by providing education, support, and self-love tools that facilitate healing, empowerment, and transformation.
Emma Moreno
Emma Moreno is a transformation coach, author, philanthropist, and international speaker. She combines spirituality, emotional intelligence, and financial awareness to guide people in healing their relationship with money and living in prosperity with purpose. She is the author of “Dare to Be You: 21 Days Toward Unshakable Love” and creator of the program From the Heart to the Money. Emma inspires Latino communities to transform fear and scarcity into clarity, confidence, and action as they create their own businesses. Her philanthropic work supports LGBTQ+ youth through leadership scholarships in honor of her son, Danny Altfeld Moreno.
Gabriela Calderón
Gabriela Calderón is the founder of Finanzas sin Drama, a financial advisor and investment educator with more than two decades of experience in the corporate world in the United States, where she led high-level operations and large-scale teams. She is the author of the book Finanzas sin Drama, where she shares a practical and transformative approach to improving one’s relationship with money. Today, she is dedicated to educating and supporting the Latino community in building wealth through investment, protection, and financial mindset. Her mission is to help people move from fear and misinformation to clarity, confidence, and financial freedom.
Heliberto Cano
Originally from Villagarzón, Colombia, he earned a degree in Accounting from Hunter College (NYC) and holds a Master of Business Administration from Lehigh University. He has more than 25 years of experience in administration and finance in the pharmaceutical industry. His spiritual journey began in 1983 at Unity Manhattan with Eric Butterworth and continued at the Agape International Spiritual Center with Michael Bernard Beckwith. He has been a Science of Mind Practitioner since 2020, a life coach since 2017, and served as the Spanish-language Spiritual Director of Unity of Burbank from 2017 to 2020.
James Peak
Rev. James Peak is an advocate for practicing kindness and living as the presence of unconditional love, as this leads to a powerful, creative, and joy-filled life experience. He is an ordained CSL Minister, has served as Senior Minister of a local community, and is currently the Director of Information Technology at the CSL Home Office in Colorado. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Phoenix and a Master’s degree in Consciousness Studies from Holmes Institute. He enjoys living among the pines in the foothills of the Rockies with his son and two grand-dogs.
Liz Illana
Liz Illana is a physician and surgeon. Her professional experience includes work in a variety of medical and pharmaceutical settings in Mexico City, including service during the pandemic at a facility involved in developing the COVID-19 vaccine. She got her medical degree at Anáhuac University in Mexico City. She holds a master’s degree from Complutense University of Madrid and a second master’s degree in Global Health and Management from University of Aberdeen. She currently lives and works in London. She is excited to be in Chapala to celebrate her mother’s ordination.
Marco Lira
Born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, he is the son of Dr. José de Lira Sosa. He earned a degree in Communication Sciences with a specialization in Advertising and worked in the field of Corporate Image for several decades. He became a certified Yoga Instructor in 2010 and a Meditation Instructor in 2012. In 2014, he earned his RScP certification through Centers for Spiritual Living. He developed professionally as an instructor, education manager, and community manager for the Dr. Ernest Holmes Institute, A.C., based in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. In 2022, he earned a diploma as a Mindfulness Facilitator, and in 2025, he earned a diploma as a Neuroscience Instructor. He currently teaches classes at the Dr. Ernest Holmes Institute. He has a Holistic Studio where he offers: Yoga practices Meditation practices Mindfulness interventions Spiritual therapy His short-term goal is to achieve his certification as a Spiritual Director. Toward that goal, he is an enthusiastic student of ELE (School of Spiritual Leadership).
Trish Hall
An insightful international best-selling author, speaker, and coach, Dr. Trish blends wisdom, authenticity, humor, and compassion in support of her passion for conscious inclusivity. She has been honored to be a two-time presenter at the Parliament of the World’s Religions. Whether addressing audiences, facilitating communication among diverse populations, working with students, or supporting individual clients, she thrives on awakening the unique magnificence within each person and empowering everyone to live their “best yet to be.”
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