TEACHING
Teaching & Public Speaking – Locally & Virtually
Below you will find a comprehensive list of teaching topics, prepared with warmth & wisdom, aimed at the greatest good for the greatest number of human beings. God willing.
Lectures are available to all faith communities and include time for Q&A and sacred conversation..
Workshops & AWE 24/7 are available exclusively to the Muslim community, including academic institutions, youth groups, parent groups, homeschoolers, humanitarian service-workers, chaplains, camps, and retreats.
By the grace of God, I am able to travel and bring these programs to communities in the Eastern Standard Time Zone. For communities elsewhere, we meet on Zoom.
The Pedagogy for Human Flourishing
We human beings learn best when we take in a little information at a time and put it into practice before taking in more information. This is the process by which transformation takes place, which is my top priority as a therapist & educator.
Information >>> Integration >>> Transformation
When it comes to human suffering, there are only two modes of approach: prevention & intervention.
The former is highly preferable. The latter is sadly necessary. You will find both here. You will also find some elaboration on the issues that are wreaking the most havoc. When it comes to human flourishing, BEAUTY & LOVE are essential. You will find this here as well. My professional recommendation based on decades of experience is that you begin by replenishing your heart & soul, so you have the wherewithal to tackle the problems successfully. AWE 24/7 is the best place to start.
Lectures are 1 session. If there is interest and my schedule permits, it would be my pleasure to facilitate a few months of group coaching on Zoom after the lecture.
Workshops are 2-4 sessions. In addition to the intellectual
& practical focus of the lectures, workshops are experiential, designed to fortify life-skills, instantiate good habits, inculcate spiritual practice, beautify relationships,
boost mental-health, and expand capacity for service.
Alphabetical List of Teaching Topics:
Afternoon Tea & Masnavi — Drinking Deeply from The Wellspring of The Sacred
Thousands of people from many religious backgrounds attended his funeral. His universal message of Oneness & Love had quenched their spiritual thirst, flowing to him and through him from the fountainhead of Life itself. He began his career as a classically trained Islamic scholar, and after meeting his spiritual master, God granted him an enormous spiritual opening that poured forth into ecstatic poetry. 800 years after his death, Rumi remains the most beloved sacred poet of all time. The Masnavi is his magnum opus and is often called The Qur'an in Persian. If we want our souls to flourish in these times when spiritual darkness & human ugliness have cloaked the globe, we need to drink deeply of Divine Light & Beauty. If you are suffering from spiritual dehydration or have never tasted the sweetness of bliss, please join me. Bring your empty cup to this sacred place of longing & belonging. Only LOVE is flowing at this hospitable inn. Everyone is welcome and refills are on the house.
Alphabet Madness™ — Reclaiming The Sanctity of Human Sexuality
Identity formation is THE developmental task of adolescence. Given the absolute madness being promulgated by aggressive secularists and the widespread confusion and heartbreaking suffering it has caused, my love for human beings compels me to speak. Clarity is near at hand, not in the ugliness of postmodern culture, but in the beauty of sacred scripture. Certainty is readily accessible, not in the temporal realm of ever-changing social mores, but in the eternal realm of never-changing cosmic logic. The former are manmade and lead only to human suffering. The latter are God-given and lead only to human flourishing. Sadly, these distinctions and admonitions have, for the most part, been banished from public discourse. This lecture, presented with utmost compassion, is designed to revive the crucial truths we have forgotten.
Parents will be empowered to discuss this hot topic with their kids at home and advocate for them at school.
Teens will be empowered to respond truthfully & compassionately at school & online. Spiritual seekers will be empowered with sacred knowledge that leads to clarity & peace. Everyone will come away from this experience with a deeper appreciation of God's LOVE and the perfection with which 'He' created the world.
AWE 24/7 — From Overwhelmed & Stressed to JOYFUL & Blessed
AWE 24/7 is an uplifting & empowering full-day retreat, a deep dive into the BEAUTY & LOVE that are present in every moment, a sublime time of inspiration & rejuvenation. AWE 24/7 is designed to reawaken AWE of God's creation and open pathways of awareness so you can experience the blessings that flow constantly. If you are drained by doom scrolling and ready for the JOY of bloom extolling, AWE 24/7 is what you've been longing for. You will learn experientially the principles & practices that support robust mental-health & spiritual well-being and how to take them home and integrate them into your daily life. From your own direct experience, you will TASTE THE JOY that flows naturally when we are calibrated to the sacred. Truly: Life in tune with God is delightful. Your life.
Babylon in Their Pocket™
The trustworthiness of The Qur’an is a gift from God beyond measure. Its purpose is the confirmation of the scriptures that preceded it, and the restoration of authentic Abrahamic Monotheism. With this reliable standard for Truth as our guide, we gain great benefit from studying the Abrahamic scriptures and secular history.
For Muslims, we are reminded at least 5x/day in our ritual prayer not to make the same mistakes as those who preceded us. As such, it is incumbent upon us to learn precisely what went wrong so that, God willing, we get it right. The repeated and variegated failures of the Israelites led to huge problems, including the destruction of the Temple, the demolition of Jerusalem, and their long captivity in Babylon, the most decadent, idol-worshipping place on the planet, the hotbed of vice of its time. In our time, everyone who lacks knowledge has Babylon in their pocket.
You will come away from this riveting lecture with two crucial bodies of knowledge. One, you will learn the specific mistakes the Israelites made that led to the Babylonian captivity. Two, you will learn practical strategies for protecting yourself & your children from the seductive-destructive Babylonian content that dominates social media.
Calibrated to The Sacred™ – The Infinite Wisdom & Vast Compassion of Divine Law
The challenge is this. We are living at a time when adherence to The Mosaic Law has been largely abandoned, and its affirmer & successor, The Sharia Law, is hugely misunderstood. As the chaos all around us attests, this predicament does not bode well for human flourishing, which is my primary concern as a therapist & educator.
The opportunity is this. When we look deeply at authentic Abrahamic Monotheism, we discover the luminous beauty of God’s plan. The All-Mighty-All-Merciful created a perfect cosmos, an astonishing, finely-tuned universe, from the intricacy of the human genome to the majesty of the celestial spheres. From Mt. Sinai to The Mountain of Light,
God gave human beings Divine Law so that we can align ourselves properly. Ultimately, The Lord of Love has given us Divine Law so that we can attune ourselves to the love-song of the cosmos.
You will come away from this riveting lecture with a profound understanding of Divine Law as the foundation for human flourishing, and a deep appreciation for the absolute magnificence of 5x/day prayer as the primary means for attunement.
Communication Skills Training For Parents
The power of language is God’s greatest gift to human beings. This workshop is designed to teach parents how to speak so your kids really listen, & how to listen so your kids feel comfortable enough to speak.
Courage — Standing Our Ground as Believers in an Unbelieving World
David slew Goliath. Jonah converted the Assyrians. Moses defeated Pharoah. Peace be upon them all, these prophets whom God chose & granted victory, these leaders whom we are to emulate. Strengthening your courage muscles is the focus of this inspiring, empowering talk.
Digital Addiction — What Parents Must Do To Prevent Calamity
The MIT computer scientist who invented the first talking computer back in the 1960s warned us about the evils that would ensue if we did not manage our devices properly. The data are copious & clear about how digital technology changes brains & behaviors. This lecture is designed to give parents the solid knowledge and practical tools they need to protect their children from serious mental-health problems.
Education — Empowering Parents & Safeguarding Children
The conundrum is this: On one hand, for many families, private school or homeschool is not an option. On the other hand, public education in many places poses huge risks. If your kids are in public school, you must understand what they are being taught and how to protect them from aggressive secular indoctrination. That is what you will learn in this lecture.
Excellence — God’s Standard for Human Beings
One of the travesties of the prevailing cultural zeitgeist is its disdain for excellence and abhorrence of meritocracy. This is in direct contradiction to what God decreed for human beings. Excellence is vital for robust mental-health and spiritual well-being. This inspiring lecture is designed to revive the passion for excellence in you.
Fitrah Fitness™ — Spiritual Aerobics for The Marathon of Life
When we are serious about running a marathon, we hire a professional trainer. The same is true spiritually. This workshop is designed to guide, challenge, encourage, and lovingly hold accountable teens who want to go the distance and finish strong.
Friendship — God’s Remedy for Loneliness
According to recent polling data, young people comprise the largest group of people who are lonely. This is a first in human history that should stop us in our tracks. Online ‘friends’ are anything but. This heart-to-heart talk is designed to revive the blessings of friendship that have sustained human beings since the dawn of time. Parents will be equipped with solid knowledge & practical strategies to help their kids. Teens will be inspired & empowered to engage with their peers in ways that truly nourish their hearts. Spiritual seekers will discover the love for which they are longing.
God-Centered Individual Psychology: Principles & Practices for Cultivating Robust Mental Health
Cultivating robust mental health requires solid knowledge & consistent practice. In these dynamic, interactive sessions, supported by much love & encouragement, you will learn the principles & skills that empower you to live JOYFULLY.
God-Centered Social Psychology: Principles & Practices for Fostering Social Cohesion
ONENESS is the essence of life itself. One God. One cosmos. One humanity. We commit heinous crimes against each other when we lose sight of our shared humanity and our absolute servitude to Almighty God. This is what fuels the many tensions here in the U.S., the atrocities in Gaza, and the oppression we see all over the globe.
It can be otherwise. This workshop is designed to resolve conflict & restore harmony. All that is required of participants is a sincere intention. Over the years, God has given me the opportunity to engage in mediation & healing work in some very difficult cases, in family and faith-community settings. God-willing, I can do some further good in this regard.
“And He has shown you O human being what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
(Micah 6:8)
"And hold fast, all together, by the Rope which God stretches out for you, and be not divided among yourselves."
(Qur'an 3:103)
God is Calling YOU! -- NOW is The Time to Answer
Did you know? The word 'vocation' comes from the Latin 'vocare', which means 'to call.' Truly, God has called every human being to serve 'His' creation. And 'He' has given each of us distinct gifts, talents, & aptitudes. Ours to do is
discover & develop them. Herein lies the JOY we seek. This dynamic, interactive workshop is designed to help teens
identify their God-given gifts and map-out the best plan for their education & vocation.
Grace & Grit™ — Strength-Training for Middle- & High-School Students
In these times of aggressive secular indoctrination, kids who want to protect their faith need more spiritual muscle than ever. Absent this, it’s like expecting a couch potato to run a marathon. Impossible. Kids from religious families are at-risk, living with traditional values at home, but then thrust into absolute madness at school and online.
As such, many suffer from severe cognitive dissonance, what I call 'psychological whiplash.' To make matters worse, many have been seduced into the cult of self-absorption, desperately seeking attention online and losing touch with the joy of living life in the real world. Is it any wonder we have a mental-health disaster on our hands? The good news is that there is a way forward, a tried-&-true method for empowering our young people so that they are resilient and strong in the face of relentless peer pressure. This is what you can expect in this dynamic, interactive workshop.
Habits — Deadly Enemies or Lifelong Friends
One of my colleagues and friends, a brilliant psychiatrist, neuroscience whiz, preacher’s kid, and medical school professor emeritus summed it up this way:
“We become what we do repeatedly. So we need to be careful what we do repeatedly.”
This dynamic, interactive workshop is designed to uproot bad habits and instantiate good ones.
Human Being 101™ — Love God & Love Our Neighbor
We are painfully aware that the United States has become a place of hatred and discord racially, religiously, politically, & socially. The only thing that can heal our ailing nation is to return to our roots: One nation under God.
We are also painfully aware that atrocities are being committed against innocent civilians in Gaza, and elsewhere around the world. Clearly, we have forgotten what it means to be a human being. This lecture is designed to remind us, to return us to the LOVE that God intended, proclaimed by all the messengers 'He' sent.
Jesus answered, “The greatest is: 'Hear, Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. The second is like this: You shall LOVE your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”
(Mark 12: 28-31)
Mindfulness Training — HERE & NOW is Where We Find God
Throughout time, there have always been men & women who were fully present in each moment, fully aware of God’s presence, breath by breath. Fortunately for us, they documented their methods of practice and left us instructions.
Over the years, in workshops & retreats, these practices have been the most impactful & life-changing. I’ve seen similar results in therapy with: the 14-year old struggling with adolescence, the 19-year old struggling with anxiety, the 23-year old struggling with family discord, the 65-year old struggling with a cascade of problems. This workshop is designed to give you these powerful, beautiful tools.
Navigating Adolescence — A Thrival Guide for Parents
No doubt, parents have the most important & difficult job in the world. I am here to support you.
The smooth transition from childhood to adulthood has always been difficult— hormones raging, bodies changing, self-confidence plummeting, peer-pressure rising. For most of human history, this transition was supported by the guidance of wise elders. Nowadays, teens are shaped by the secularism & materialism they find online. Hence, their confusion & depression.
Many Muslim youth struggle with additional issues because they are American-born kids of foreign-born parents. The difference in cultures is difficult to navigate & assimilate into one cohesive, healthy sense of self.
This practical, interactive workshop unpacks the challenges of adolescence from a developmental and cultural perspective. You will come away with a clear understanding of the developmental tasks and cultural challenges your teenager is confronting, and how best to help them succeed: solid in their religion, strong in their identity, and happy in their life. Last and certainly not least, you will learn how to maintain your own sanity & serenity.
Navigating Adolescence — A Thrival Guide for Teens
In this dynamic, interactive workshop, teens will have a confidential space to talk openly & honestly about the issues they are struggling with, and an opportunity to acquire the life-skills they need to succeed.
Please organize your groups by cohort: middle-school boys, middle-school girls, high-school boys, high-school girls. Groups should consist of no fewer than 6 participants and no more than 12. Parental consent is required.
Peace & Love, Unity & Beauty — The Heart of Islam
For my brothers & sisters in humanity and the Muslim community at large, I welcome the opportunity to share with you this incredible legacy. Islam is first & foremost an affirmation & celebration of The Oneness of God, The Source of Peace & Love, Unity & Beauty. Sadly, this Truth has been vanishing from parts of the Muslim world to greater or lesser degrees throughout our history and in these times. The best way I know of to restore what we've lost is through sacred poetry, which was always an integral part of traditional Muslim life.
Among the greatest of these ardent bards is Yunus Emre, the most beloved mystical folk poet writing in Turkish.
Like his contemporary Rumi, Yunus was inspired by the sublime writings of poet-saint Ahmed Yesevi. The story goes like this. Rumi asked Yunus what he thought of the Masnavi. Yunus said, "Excellent, but I would have done it differently." Surprised, Rumi asked, "How?" Yunus replied, "I would have written, 'I came from the eternal, clothed myself in flesh, took the name Yunus.' "
An unlettered shepherd, Yunus Emre ripened into spiritual maturity under the guidance of his sheikh, Taptuk Emre. Yunus' poetry, like his practice of Islam & devoted service to the common people of Anatolia, was focused on loving & uplifting human beings. He was undogmatic, compassionate, down-to-earth. His aim was to be a true muwahid,
a person who strives to preserve the Oneness that life is, and to mend it when it has been broken. What could be more beneficial in these divisive times? As such, I pray that you will join me, and that together, we can weave these words of Divine Light into our minds & cherish them in our hearts. A great gift we have been given in Yunus' linguistic prism through which we come to love God & creation more deeply.
Pornography Addiction — Tragic Facts & Practical Solutions
The age of first exposure to hard-core pornography continues to plummet. It is currently 8-10 years old for boys.
In my clinical practice, middle-and high-school girls report being sexually harassed on their devices, at public school, and Islamic school, by boys who watch pornography. Everyone is suffering.
One story. A Muslim teen was addicted to pornography and keen on ball busting. Please forgive this graphic language. Such are the evils of pornography addiction. His well-meaning dad sent him for umrah. The kid watched porn in Mecca. After this heartbreaking event, the dad called me, related this story, and asked if I would start seeing this sweet, confused teen for therapy.
For our first session, I took him hiking. Sitting together by the river he poured out his suicidal heart. I saw him for sessions at God’s Cottage, and his parents did everything they needed to do at home. Thank God, he did not kill himself and has grown into a young man strong in his religion and solid in his family relations. But he suffered so much, as did his family. Unnecessarily. Surely, prevention is what we must strive for. The stakes are huge. If we want our young men to become loving husbands & fathers like The Best of Creationﷺ, we must address this topic. Education is the first step.
This lecture will provide the facts concerning the disastrous consequences of early exposure to porn on brain development & behavior, the realities of addiction, and practical strategies for prevention & treatment.
Retirement – Harvesting Your Formidable Gifts to Mentor The Next Generation
Love & Blessings to you retirees. You have so much talent & life-experience that our young people desperately need.
This dynamic, interactive workshop is designed to help you identify your God-given gifts and map-out a plan to put them into action. May you cross the finish line of life strong, making the most of every breath God gives you. Amen.
Service — The Key That Unlocks The Door of JOY
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”
(Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore)
This uplifting lecture is designed to remind participants that we human beings were put here on earth for two reasons only: to worship God and take great care of God's creation. You will come away from this inspiring talk excited to make the very most of your one precious life.
Wisdom From The Lips of Ahmed Yesavi : Divine Reminders from a Great Poet-Saint
The son of a renowned spiritual master, Ahmed Yesavi followed in his footsteps, lighting the way and spreading Islam throughout Central Asia in the 12th century. The poet-saint who inspired Rumi, Hafiz, & Yunus Emre, Ahmed Yesavi composed a poetic masterpiece entitled The Book of Wisdom. Called by some The Book of Love, its message has never been more relevant.
Zeal — Full of God!
Of the seven deadly sins, the one that tends to fuel the other six is sloth, aka spiritual apathy. It’s antidote is zeal, aka spiritual enthusiasm. Did you know? The word enthusiasm derives from the Greek, en theos, which means
full of God!
In Arabic, the word for zeal is himmah. The methods for perfecting it reached their apex in the lives of the spiritual masters whose teachings inform this dynamic talk.
You will emerge with a spring in your step, JOY in your heart, & a renewed vision for your life.
“We had heard really good things about Sister Sharada and invited her to be the guest teacher at our youth retreat. Her warmth and wisdom are amazing and have had a lasting impact on me as a youth chaplain.
I learned so much from watching how she interacts. People need to know that you really care about them before they’re willing to hear what you have to say. That’s how it is with Sister Sharada. She is incredibly open and warm.”
Muneer Zuhurudeen
Muslim Chaplain
“I first met Sharada over 25 years ago when she was teaching stress-reduction classes at the center she founded. She led an amazing class, creating a special energy, and I left feeling relaxed yet invigorated. Needless to say,
I signed up for more classes.
When I learned that she was going to lead a four-session workshop I was eager to join.
Her teaching style, delivery, and message were so powerful that a group of us asked if we could continue meeting after the four sessions. We did so for ten years, until she moved. I am blessed to have been Sharada’s student and client. She is a force of energy unlike anyone I have ever known.”
Alice B.
Director of Development
at a residential treatment center
for drug & alcohol addiction
“In these turbulent times, when I think of someone who embodies true compassion, profound stillness, sacred wisdom, deep peace, generosity of spirit, and love for all humanity, I think of Sharada. Her presence is like an oak tree, grounded and centered. When she speaks, she is truthful, heartfelt, and totally engaging.”
Reverend Janet Lee Kraft
Interfaith Minister