By Mallory Bulman and Kaitlin Vogel

Hay House’s recent two-day I Can Do It! 2014 – New York event brought over a dozen thought-provoking authors to the stage—from prominent spiritual leaders to personal wellness luminaries to health coaches…even a Google executive! It was an enlightening weekend from start to finish. If you didn’t catch the conference this year, here are some of the highlights:

Dr. Wayne Dyer

“When you remove fear, the only thing that’s left is love.”

You might think that after forty books, renowned author and speaker Dr. Wayne Dyer would have nothing left to say. But his latest work, I Can See Clearly Now, is the one book we’ve been waiting for him to write—his memoir! In it, Dyer takes a look back at many struggles in his life, seeing them in a new light, as divine gifts placed in his path to help him grow. Dyer inspires us to view our own challenges with not only acceptance, but also gratitude for their role in helping us reach our true potential. In his compelling keynote address, he shared that he always knew there was a deep place within himself beyond this world, and when he was able to come to grips with his “infinite self,” nothing in the physical world was able to impact him in the same way.

Kris Carr

“I threw my pain into this project. I threw my pain into this passion.”

After learning she had terminal cancer at age 31 and being told there was no treatment available, Kris Carr decided to take matters into her own hands. She knew that her only medication would have to be self-care. Slowly teaching herself how to cook, and hitting the books on mind/body medicine, she began to practice healthier eating habits—and despite her diagnosis, she started to heal. As Carr explained, when she made the mental shift not to give up—she joked that “I don’t like the word ‘no’ unless I’m saying it myself”—a positive physical shift took place. Carr calls cancer her “mentor” and says, “it took cancer to teach me how to be happy.” She ended her presentation by encouraging us to keep the faith even during the darkest times, and to understand that healing happens on its own timeline. Sometimes, she says, we have to “rise to the challenge…and leap even if there isn’t a net.” We can’t wait to try Carr’s nutritious recipes from Crazy Sexy Kitchen: 150 Plant-Empowered Recipes to Ignite a Mouthwatering Revolution and catch up with her popular radio show.

Tim Ryan

“We have to give our youth the skills to be self-sufficient. It’s about learning to slow down, focus, and set goals.”

Here at Rewire Me, we’re already huge fans of Congressman Tim Ryan’s powerful new book, A Mindful Nation. At this conference, he shared his views on mindfulness not just from a politician’s perspective, but also as a concerned father, husband, and citizen. Ryan explained that it’s not enough just to tell kids to “pay attention.” We must teach them how to pay attention and mindfulness is the way to do it. Educating children about experiencing the present moment can open up an entirely new realm for our education system. Ryan has big plans to implement more holistic and integrated solutions to the problems facing our society, starting from the ground up—literally. “There should be a garden in every schoolyard, a kitchen in every schoolhouse, and a salad bar in every school cafeteria.” Ultimately, he hopes that his work with mindfulness and personal transformation will build the foundation for cultural and societal transformation.

Dr. Christiane Northrup

“Don’t ever again say ‘I’m having a senior moment.’ I’ve been having senior moments since I was 20.”

Dr. Christiane Northrup has been a physician for over 25 years. In her latest book, Goddesses Never Age: The Secret Prescription for Radiance, Vitality, and Well-Being, she aims to debunk myths and educate both men and women about female aging. Northrup began her speech with a question that she recently posed to her Facebook followers: “What does aging gracefully mean?” Among the many funny and honest answers, one that stood out was, “I want my obituary to read ‘Broke neck falling off platform shoes while dancing on table at senior center.’” Clearly, Dr. Northrup is not the only woman who wants to fiercely defy cultural expectations long into her golden years! Northrup emphasizes that health is linked to beliefs as well as biology, citing a study showing that people who believe aging is useful live seven years longer than those who believe it to be detrimental. Aging is a lifelong process, and Dr. Northrup is a firm believer that your best years are ahead of you—not behind you.

Caroline Myss

“Look at the world and say ‘I can either grace this moment or withhold grace.’ That’s ultimately the decision you make about everything. 

Confident, charismatic, and humorous, Caroline Myss commanded the attention of everyone in the room as soon as she started speaking. “Humanity comes down to the need to create and the need to survive,” she said, explaining that survival is the focus in all aspects of modern life. Myss believes that as a society, we’re too afraid to start a family, a business, or a job because we’re not sure it will survive. “What’s expected of you is so much better,” she said. And with her no-bullshit, tough-love attitude, it’s easy to believe her. Urging the audience to take control of their situations instead of watching life go by, she shared a personal and painful story about her brother’s death from alcoholism. “Become someone with a titanium backbone,” she advised.

Gopi Kallayil

“My purpose is leveling the playing field for information.”

If you’re surprised to find a Google executive at a conference on mindfulness and wellness, then you’re not familiar with Gopi Kallayil. While he obviously understands the value of information, Kallayil contends that the most sophisticated technology at our disposal is not our search engines but rather our brains, bodies, and consciousness. Kallayil shared his five essentials for accessing your “inner-net”:

1. Focus on the essential by asking yourself what your priorities are.
2. Do one thing at a time.
3. Connect to your inner-net for at least one minute every day, through meditation, yoga, or whatever centers you.
4. “Make an appointment with yourself” to do something you enjoy.
5. Find your meaning and purpose.

Nick Ortner

“Even though I have all this pain in my body, I love and accept myself.”

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is the practice of tapping on the meridian points of the body to release energy blockages. Skeptical? So was Nick Ortner when he first heard about the technique. However, after trying tapping to relieve neck pain, he was an instant convert. Author of The Tapping Solution: A Revolutionary System for Stress-Free Living, Ortner says that tapping is a highly effective tool for changing limiting beliefs and “rewiring the way the brain is acting and reacting.” He called a few audience members with chronic pain to the stage and instructed them to tap various parts of their bodies while repeating a mantra of love and acceptance. One woman who had been struggling with shoulder pain for years said, “Thank you, I felt like that was hundreds of people praying for me.”

There was still plenty more to come at I Can Do It! When the weekend ended, we had armfuls of new books to read:

• Nancy Levin’s Jump…And Your Life Will Appear is a guide to breaking out of a rut and affecting change. Rewire Me founder Rose Caiola has been a fan of Nancy’s since hearing her speak at Emerging Women, and we loved her refreshing candor and easily applicable lessons.

• Anita Moorjani chronicles her inspiring story in Dying to Be Me. After a near-death experience in a cancer-caused coma, Moorjani awoke with a clear sense of life’s purpose. She ended her speech with, “Love yourself like your life depends on it, because it does.”

• Tara Stiles gave us a lesson on shaking up our wellness habits with an introduction to her Make Your Own Rules Diet. Stiles, the founder of Strala Yoga, was inspired to write a diet book that encourages readers to rely on their intuition rather than strict rules.

• Doreen Virtue is a spiritual clairvoyant and creator of several sets of oracle cards that are popular in the Rewire Me office. Her latest book, Angels of Abundance, is a guide to manifesting your desires.

• John Pierre delivered a fascinating and fact-packed speech on nutrition in only twenty minutes. We grabbed a copy of his book, The Pillars of Health, and can’t wait to learn more about his empowering program.

• John Holland, a dynamic speaker and psychic medium as well as an author, even autographed our set of his Psychic Tarot Oracle Deck during his break!

• Singer-songwriter and author Alex Woodard found inspiration in a letter from Dr. Wayne Dyer’s daughter.

Participating in an event where you’re surrounded by like-minded people is truly a rewiring experience. Hay House is hosting another I Can Do It! in Pasadena, California, this coming October 24-26, so if you live on the West Coast, try to catch it. You won’t be disappointed!

Click here to see Rose’s tips for healthy and happy relationships