From top Corporate business woman, to internationally acclaimed author, Anita Telle talks to us about how her child being bullied, changed her and her son’s life as well as the lives of many people from around the world. She has a mission: To teach acceptance and love to children ages 4 – 9 so they will grow up to be amazing, supportive and loving teenagers, immune to peer pressure and bullying. She also has a story to tell. And it’s an important story; one that touches everyone, everywhere, from every culture. But it is especially important for children:
Being different IS normal. We are all different, in different ways.

Anita Telle grew up in an idyllic suburb of Bergen Norway where she was very competitive in sports during high school and won several medals. After high school Anita studied business and worked for Statoil and NPC in Norway. She also started modeling, and traveled to the USA to become fluent in English and further her modeling career. Anita was very lucky to be introduced to a wonderful model (Karen Lott) who was a role model and a teacher for Anita, always encouraging her to believe in herself.

Together with 3 partners, Anita started Salon Technology, a distribution company in the beauty industry. Anita was part of growing this company to a $20M company. After selling Salon Technology in 2003, Anita retired and became mom to a beautiful little boy named Branden. Anita is one of the co-founders of Santa Cruz Children’s Charities (SCCC), dedicated to improving the lives of children locally and globally.

As a very involved mom, Anita realized just how much she loves children and created the first ever “feel good” Gnomy’s Boo-Boo Bears for children with a unique story for each Boo-Boo-Bear. Anita is furthering her love for children and is now focusing on anti-bullying because her son Branden was born with a cleft pallet/lip and was bullied for being different. As a mom, she asked herself what she could do to make a change in her son’s life. Anita decided to start writing children’s books with a “message of acceptance”.

In 2009, Anita founded Asti Life, a company that develops and distributes natural skincare products known as: “miracle in a bottle” products for skin disorders. In 2012, Anita earned an Entrepreneur Award from the JT Foxx organization.

Anita lives in California with her son Branden.

For More Information: Anita Telle

Tracy Culbreath has a passion for conflict resolution that began after pursuing her Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Central Florida in Interpersonal Organizational Communication. After observing the consequences of poor communication on a personal and professional level, she realized she needed additional skills to address the conflicts that often resulted from communication breakdowns. In 2014 Tracy graduated from the University of Baltimore with a Master’s of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Management.

Tracy is an Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator at the Maryland Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO). Tracy also serves as a conflict coach, mediator, and promotes conflict resolution processes through trainings, outreach initiatives, and continuing education for conflict resolution practitioners.