Today, a group of techies took over G.WIZ as part of the weekend event known as BarCamp Sarasota. I had the opportunity to be a part of this special Occupy Sarasota: Techies Take Over G.WIZ event with a twist — not to be confused with any other “occupy” events taking place around town today.

If you missed today, there’s still time to make it tomorrow for the 2nd Day of BarCamp. Here’s where to learn more.

Melinda Leeson, DOM, Acupuncture & Homeopathic Physician

Over the last few months, I’ve had the privilege of becoming acquainted with Melinda Leeson, DOM. She’s an acupuncture and homeopathic physician who operates a clinic here in Sarasota called “Nature’s Own Wellness.”

Now let me first say that I haven’t yet tried acupuncture. Prior to meeting Dr. Leeson, I would’ve placed it in the category of “things that might be helpful that I might be willing to try.” Frankly, I would’ve never thought that I suffered from any condition that would’ve been helped by acupuncture.

As far as homeopathy goes, I would’ve said, “I’m definitely open to it.” I have a healthy skepticism about medications. In fact, I tend to think that as a general rule, we Americans are little too quick to reach for (or ask our doctors for) a bottle of pills. The idea of natural remedies that don’t involve a lot of bizarre pharmaceuticals is actually appealing to me. Thankfully, I’ve been very blessed with great health. Aside from some injuries that have required chiropractic treatment, I rarely darken the door of a doctor’s office… unless they are a client!

And that’s how I happened to meet Dr. Leeson. We were introduced by Sarasota florist and my good friend and client, Becki Creighton. Since Becki has raved and raved about her experiences with Dr. Leeson, I was delighted to be able to meet her.

One of the things that Dr. Leeson (who tends to call herself Melinda) helped me understand is that acupuncture doesn’t hurt. I guess a lot of people assume (as I did) that the needles would prick or sting a bit on the way in. Evidently that is not the case… most people don’t feel anything and are even surprised to find out a needle as already been inserted.

Another thing she helped me understand is that the needles are about energy flow. Traditional Chinese medicine looks at physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy differently than we tend to think of it here. This is very intriguing to me, as is the idea that treating a specific symptom or condition really should be done from a holistic perspective. She explained that she spends a great deal of time with her patients… learning about their lives, how they spend their time, what they eat, what stresses they experience, and so on. This helps her arrive at a course of treatment that is more likely to get to the source of the problem(s) and not just alleviate a symptom.

Another interesting thing I learned is that the practice of Chinese herbal medicine goes beyond acupuncture to the use of herbs and teas that introduce natural substances which may target certain deficiencies and so forth. This is very interesting to me because I’m convinced that eating the same foods over and over again — does anyone do this but me? — is bound to cause us to come up short in certain areas… not to mention ending up with too much in some others!

Overall, her use of homeopathic remedies goes most deeply into re-balancing or correcting the driving forces within each person that initially set up the energetic patterns for disease. This is a major departure from what we typically experience in health care today. And… to me, it’s worth exploring.

Another thing I didn’t know is that traditional Chinese medicine — acupuncture, herbal remedies, etc. — is able to really help with a wide variety of ailments. Melinda helps her patients with everything from weight loss to chemical imbalances. She works on colds and flu, ADD/ADHD, symptoms of menopause, osteoporosis, allergies, chronic fatigue, headaches, joint pain, fibromyalgia, arthritis, insomnia, depression… the list truly goes on and on.

Whether or not you’ve ever considered or tried acupuncture, Sarasota has a true gem in Dr. Melinda Leeson. I’ve spent a number of hours getting to know her — both face-to-face and over the phone — and she is a highly conscientious, precious, compassionate person. She has demonstrated the highest integrity, which in and of itself gives me reason to highly recommend her. Here’s how to find her:

Nature’s Own Wellness (Website: http://www.naturesownwellness.com)
7029 South Tamiami Trail, Suite A, Sarasota, FL 34231
Appointments & Info: (941) 926-9082

My favorite independent Sarasota coffee shop is currently featured as a Tampa Bay Area Groupon deal! Just wanted to give a quick heads-up to my Sarasota readers who are also coffee connoisseurs. Spend $6, and get $12 worth of stuff on your next visit. Here’s the Groupon deal. Get it now: it expires today!

While they also sell & service espresso machines (residential & commercial), their cafe on Bee Ridge has been a welcome addition since they opened last year. Great-tasting food, free wi-fi and lots of beverage options make The Beanz Man a fantastic choice. And, as we’ve mentioned before, they make the ultimate Almond cappuccino. Be sure & tell ‘em I sent ya!

**Update** The BarCamp Sarasota Fall 2011 event takes place October 15-16 at GWIZ. Epiphany Marketing is making presentations there as well. We hope to see you!

I’m writing this from inside an Entrepreneurial Roundtable session being facilitated by locally-based technologist Stan Schultes. The ideas being generated within this “open source” group of people are absolutely stellar. There are folks in the room who have been there, done it, and are looking for an opportunity to share back and forth.

This is just one example of the benefits of having an event like BarCamp Sarasota. This year’s event is being held this weekend at GWIZ, which turns out to be a perfect venue because of their various small rooms that seem ideally suited for sessions like those you’ll find at a BarCamp event. The sessions are on a wide variety of topics — both technology-focused and otherwise. Skimming through upcoming session for today, here are some of the topics on the menu:

• “Leadership and Community Building, Why Now More than Ever?” with Sara Hand
• “The Zen of Building Sustainable Technology” with Lorrie Vervoordt
• “Programming Humans” with  Tracy Ingram
• “Facebook Marketing & SEO” with Thao Tran

At 11am, we’ll be presenting…

Making It All Pay: Growing Your Business with 21st Century Tools

Yes… technology is great! We love it… but without a comprehensive, written, measurable strategy in place, most every business will find themselves floundering in a sea of unfinished initiatives — nearly all of which have failed to produce any significant result from a business standpoint.

For example… how many businesses have websites, blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, etc. but can’t point to any new business that they have produced? Or (perhaps worse) know that some business has been produced, but the metrics aren’t in place to identify how much and from which initiatives.

So… we’ll be talking about the strategy piece of the equation… and lining up all the elements in a way that gets you the result you desire. For most businesses, this means new customers, bigger  market share and long-term profitability.

Hope you join us for our session… More reports from this year’s BarCamp event later!

We were thrilled to be able to work on a “fresh” project for Christian Family Church Sarasota. They’re launching a brand new Saturday evening meeting time beginning March 26th, 2011 and wanted to get the word out in an innovative way.

They already had planned to do a postcard mailing, so we worked together with Lead Pastor Warren McGregor, who is also an entrepreneur and business owner, to create an integrated campaign that would provide people with the opportunity to get a “taste” of Christian Family Church. When the postcard arrives, the recipients are invited to visit a website created specifically for this campaign called Spring Clean Your Life.

Once there, the visitor has an opportunity to receive 3 downloads:

• a free MP3 containing a 10-minute message from Entrepreneur & Lead Pastor, Warren McGregor, entitled “Fresh Start”
• a voucher redeemable for a free meal for the entire family from CFC’s amazing International Bistro, and
• a coupon good for 30% off any purchase from the CFC Cafe Bookstore, which offers a variety of books, CDs and resources for a successful life

In addition to the postcard, the SpringCleanYourLife.org website (along with the special offers) will also be promoted through the CFC Facebook page and Twitter account.

One final touch is that the Church’s sign, which sits on Clark Road (just east of Beneva Road) in Sarasota, is being updated with a fresh new look that ties in with the postcard, website and Spring Clean Your Life theme.

A Personal Note About Christian Family Church Sarasota

My family and I have been thrilled to be connected with Pastors Warren & Kathrine McGregor and the entire CFC Sarasota family since late last summer. This project has been a great way to help create some awareness for the community in Sarasota about the jewel we have here in CFC.

CFC features energetic music along with positive, inspiring & motivating messages in a family atmosphere. There are a variety of special-interest activities available for every age group, including some powerful high-impact items like global humanitarian outreach (I just returned from a highly productive trip to Haiti with a group from CFC and medical missions organization, Hearts Afire).

Whether or not you receive a postcard, I encourage you to check out CFC and visit a weekend meeting… either on Saturdays at 7pm or Sundays at 10:30am (starting the weekend of the 26th & 27th). You can learn more at the Christian Family Church Sarasota website.

Update (December 17, 2010), you can now hear Carl tell the story for yourself in this PRP Sarasota video.

I recently spoke to a newly-retired Sarasota resident who had found himself facing knee surgery.

After enduring numerous treatments — starting with cortisone shots and progressing from there — he was experiencing additional symptoms in his knee. And his “good” knee was beginning the same decline. The result? He walked with a limp, couldn’t climb stairs, and was slowing down significantly.

Remarkably, after hearing all about his knee problems, this guy did a happy dance in front of me. No really… he danced. And quite vigorously, too!

This guy was dancing for 2 reasons:

• He had saved a bunch of money avoiding surgery, and…
• He had avoided surgery.

Did I mention he didn’t need surgery anymore?

Oh… and the other reason he was dancing: he had no pain in his knees!

Medically speaking, this gentleman had experienced regenerative healing. When you have new tissue growth and repair, there’s no need to go under the knife!

How did it happen?

3 words: Platelet Rich Plasma. Or in 3 letters: PRP.

Dr. Kassicieh with some Platelet Rich Plasma equipment in his Sarasota office.

How Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Works

It turns out our bodies have amazing healing abilities. (Who knew?) But sometimes situations deteriorate in places where it’s hard to get the healing ability of the human body to function. So… in a simple outpatient procedure that literally takes minutes to complete, Dr. Dan Kassicieh draws blood from the patient, works a little magic (not the medical term), and re-injects the resulting soup right at the point where your body needs some healing.

This treatment happens on a completely outpatient basis in Dr. Kassicieh’s office on Cattlemen Road. And although it’s relatively pain-free (the gentleman I spoke to didn’t feel any pain during the procedure at all) and is quick, perhaps the best benefit of all is that you get to skip the recovery time associated with surgery!

The “magic” I referred to earlier involves spinning the blood drawn from the patient in order to separate the platelets from other components. The platelets are then mixed with some other stuff (bioactive proteins, I’m told, among other things) and the super-concentrated healing liquid gets expertly injected at just the right point.

From there, the platelets and proteins act as a catalyst — triggering an amazing healing response from the patient’s own body. Actual new tissue is created as a result.

The procedure isn’t right for every situation, but for most people suffering from joint pain, sports-related and other injuries, and a variety of other painful conditions, PRP is a fantastic way to avoid surgery and narcotics.

If you’re interested in learning more, you can visit Dr. Kassicieh’s PRP Sarasota website, check out this Platelet Rich Plasma Sarasota video on YouTube… or call Sarasota Neurology at (941) 955-5858.

Mmmmm....Cappuccino!

Those who know me well — and shoot… even those who read this blog! — know that I’m a Starbucks fan. I carry the Gold card, I’ve unlocked the Foursquare “Barista Badge,” and I’ve had Starbucks almond cappuccinos on multiple continents.

However… in the famous revamping of 2008, Starbucks ditched a few of my favorite things. Some of them hit a little closer to home than others. The loss of the Bearista left me with one less source for cute little stuffed animals to bring home to my wife and daughter. That hurt. Thankfully, the Bearista is back this fall.

What hurt even worse, however, and what is not back… is Starbucks almond syrup. My eulogy to this personal favorite continues to bring visitors from all over the world to this site.

Starbucks has a consistent product… all over the world. That makes it worth counting on… no matter where you are.

However, since the demise of their almond syrup, I’ve taken to checking out local, independent coffee shops to see what treasures I might discover — especially here in Sarasota, Florida. Consequently, I’ve found that there are some places around town that produce some fantastic products. LeLu Coffee Lounge on Siesta Key is one such place. In fact, they make a mocha using genuine Ghirardelli syrup that makes my wife melt. +1 for LeLu!

But just yesterday I believe I may have discovered Nirvana. No… not the Kurt Cobain-fronted grunge band from the 90s. But the real deal… the ultimate almond Cappuccino. And it doesn’t smell like Teen Spirit!

Locals here in Sarasota may recall the name, “The Beanz Man.” We knew it as a dealer of a wide variety of personal and professional espresso machines. When their shop disappeared from North Washington Boulevard, I thought perhaps it was another casualty of the economic times, so to speak.

Turns out, they suffered a devastating fire. I don’t know the details, but apparently it forced them to relocate and start over. Imagine my surprise when I spotted their vans parked in the parking lot next door to my office on Bee Ridge Road a few months ago!

Well… not only did they move… but last week they opened a full-fledged cafe! They serve a variety of sandwiches and soups. I walked over to it for lunch yesterday with my wonderful wife, Jill, and had a prosciutto and fontina sandwich that was spectacular.

But… what do you get when you take an espresso machine dealer… one who probably knows the ins and outs of making espresso-based drinks as well as anyone else… and put him in his very own cafe?

You get the handmade cappuccino of your life… with the perfect amount of almond syrup to boot! (At least… that’s what you get if you’re me! You might order something else… that, I recognize. But that would be your loss.)

Actually… I’m sure that any espresso-based drink you could possibly dream up would be amazing at The Beanz Man Espresso Bar Cafe. Here’s a sure thing: I’ll be walking next door more often… a lot more often. Check out the cafe page on their website to download yourself a coupon, then head on over there yourself. Enjoy something to munch on at one of their nifty little cafe tables, or sink down into the cozy couch and fire up your favorite wi-fi device to do some surfing.

And be sure to tell ‘em I sent ya!

Sarasota Opera House

It’s widely accepted that Sarasota is a city of the arts. Dating back to the days of John Ringling, the arts are in our DNA. And since we have such a focus on the arts, it stands to reason that some spectacular opportunities exist for our children to be exposed to the stage from an early age.

Julie Rohr Academy’s recent production of “Music Man” is a perfect example.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a little biased. But as I often say when I talk about how gorgeous and talented my wife is, “Just because I’m biased, it doesn’t mean I’m wrong!”

Here’s why I’m biased: my daughter was in the show.

But here’s why I’m not wrong: my daughter (who is just wrapping up Pre-K) has had the most amazing experiences on stage this year in her time at Julie Rohr Academy. The school — the Sarasota private school with a performing arts focus — produces 4 shows each year. Each class is involved in each show in some way. And I’ll admit, most of the shows are parent-pleasers that feature the children singing, dancing, and otherwise enjoying themselves on stage for a production that you may not want to invite your friends and neighbors to… but the grandparents wouldn’t miss for the world!

“Music Man,” however, was quite the opposite.

In fact, aside from their diminutive stature, you’d have never guessed that not one of the kids in the show was yet out of the 8th grade. The school did cast a handful of adults in some parts — mostly as “extras” and members of the barbershop-style singing group. But all of the lead parts were played by the school’s students. And they were absolutely stellar.

Heading up the cast, and handling an enormous volume of lines, singing parts & stage time, were the young Bryce Vokus as Harold Hill and Kristina LePage in the role of Marian Paroo. Keep an eye out for the two of them — as well as many of the other young performers — they’ve got a future! Every last young man and lady in the production demonstrated a tremendous amount of poise and excellence in their work.

In addition to the excellent performances from the school’s students, the Center for Musical Theater at Julie Rohr Academy ponied up for a fantastic venue (the gorgeous Sarasota Opera House) and some amazing sets in order to produce this year’s big final show.

The school has a tradition of putting on one big show like this at the end of the year. And I’ll admit, never having previously had a child enrolled at the school… I would have been unlikely to attend one of them. But after what I witnessed this year, I’d go back any time for one of this school’s productions… regardless of whether I have a child of my own in the show or not.

Big kudos to Julie Rohr McHugh, the Center for Musical Theater at Julie Rohr Academy, and the family of teachers, faculty, staff, and parents for doing something that Sarasota can truly be proud of… and something the kids who were involved will never forget. It was no small undertaking.

Yes… I’m a proud papa. My daughter was (of course) the cutest 5-year-old who ever existed on stage in her period costume… bellowing out “76 Trombones” at the top of her lungs. But it brings tears to my eyes to think about all those kids who have learned so much from their experiences putting on shows like this one with Julie Rohr Academy. The school is truly an asset to our great city.

I have no idea what’s on tap for next year’s production. But I can’t wait!

Sometimes, you just need to laugh and enjoy yourself. And when that time comes, there just isn’t anything better than good food, the company of good friends, and a British farce to do the trick. So when we got word from some friends that a plan had been formulated to take in “Caught in the Net” at the Golden Apple last Friday night, we jumped on it right away.

My wife and I love the Golden Apple. To us it is a “known” in a world of “unknowns.” You can always expect to be treated well, enjoy a good meal, and sample some of the very best local talent (and in a community like Sarasota where local talent is off the charts, that’s saying something!).

However, we knew nothing about the play that was on deck for the night we were scheduled to go. Nothing, that is, except that it’s a sequel to the other production that the theater is currently presenting in rolling repertory. In fact, we’d received a strong “hint” from theater staff that we should really see the other one (“Run For Your Wife”) first.

But… schedules are tricky, babysitting arrangements even more so, and it’s just too hard getting together with these two couples — people whose friendships are measured in decades rather than years, and who we just don’t see often enough.

So… we went for it anyway.

And boy are we glad we did!

“Caught in the Net” is a brilliantly-written play by Ray Cooney that takes place (according to the program) 17 years after the events of “Run For Your Wife.” Set entirely within the living quarters of two separate households (which happen to share the same space on-stage), the fast-paced opening scene quickly introduces the audience to the two families at the center of the unfolding drama. Think of it like a smartly-produced split-screen film segment… for the the stage.

As the scene unfolds, we quickly learn that the teen-aged boy from one family has “met” (online) the teen-aged girl from the other. And as they compare notes, they discover that not only do their fathers share a first, middle and last name, but also that — irony of all ironies — each has a cab driver for a Dad.

Even for those of us in the audience that had not yet seen the first play, it didn’t take long for us to figure out where things were going. Mr. John Smith, it seems, has been keeping up two families for the better part of two decades… and while working hard to keep his secret well-hidden, the determined young teenagers are about to be the undoing of it all. And that, of course, is where the tension begins for Mr. Smith, and where the fun starts for the audience.

The play is a hilarious romp through the chicanery of deception as John Smith and his sole confidante — a somewhat dim-witted boarder living with one of Smith’s two families — try to hold it all together.

No spoilers here — the play is a must-see, as is (I’m quite certain) it’s counterpart. The cast was nothing short of spectacular, and even managed to convince most of our party that their British accents were all authentic. Cliff Roles was brilliant in the role of Stanley Gardner (the boarder), and was — we discovered — the only cast member hailing from the British Isles and thus, the only with an authentic accent. Heidi Davis and Leigh Anne West were strong in their roles as the two Mrs. Smiths, opposite Ernest Weldon as the harried Mr. Smith. Of special delight were the two youngest members of the cast: Geena Ravella as the teenage daughter and Colton Herschberger (on the night we attended) as the teenage son. And Richard LeVene provided lots of comic relief as Stanley’s outspoken and quite senile father.

To round out the experience, dinner was fabulous as always. We helped ourselves to plenty from the buffet, where I personally enjoyed the delicious roast beef and some excellent mashed potatoes. The broccoli was quite good as well. The special treat, of course, was the dessert. My wife opted for a gooey pumpkin cake before curtain time, while I chose to have the chocolate torte arrive at intermission.  Since they were spaced apart, we ended up splitting both, and they were delicious.

All in all, it was a fabulous night out with favorite friends. I highly recommend that you treat yourself to an experience at the Golden Apple with the Turoff family and their top-notch team. You might just run into us there catching “Run For Your Wife!”

Add this as the latest in the bewildering flurry of confusing and contradictory information about the Sarasota real estate market. According to Today Show Real Estate Expert Barbara Corcoran, Sarasota is the number one place in the country to buy a home.

“Sarasota, Florida is probably what is a symbol of the worst real estate market in the country.”

- Barbara Corcoran

The reason she cites is all about market timing. According to Ms. Corcoran, prices fell one-third in 2008 and are rising rapidly — up 12% this year.

Now I’m not sure where Ms. Corcoran is getting her data, but perhaps she has failed to factor in the pending foreclosures in Sarasota County, which some speculate to number above 7,000! Of those, more than 5000 have yet to even hit the markets. And the other big unknown: what will the impact of the Option ARM resets be when they really begin to escalate in 2010 and 2011?

As I’ve said before, I have friends in the real estate business (and related industries) around here who constantly feed me information about what’s going on. And I must say, the numbers are so loaded with spin by the time they make their way into the public eye that it’s impossible to interpret them accurately.

Ultimately, like any investment, if you’re thinking about purchasing real estate in Sarasota, you need to do your own research and be prepared for the risks you face.

Also Barbara Corcoran’s list: (#2) San Francisco, CA, (#3) Lansing, MI, (#4) Marietta, GA, (#5) Grand Rapids, MI, (#6) St. Petersburg, FL, (#7) Naperville, IL, (#8) Trenton, NJ, (#9) St. Louis, MO, (#10) Saginaw, MI.

Is this encouraging for Sarasota real estate owners? You be the judge.