Our Story

“Wisdom of the World Wellness offers a deep experience of essence, a remembering of our direct connection with all that is. The healing effect of their emotionally impactful work cannot be overestimated, touching us where it matters most.” 

– Joan Borysenko, author of Minding the Body, Mending the Mind

Wisdom of the World Wellness was born from the success of Graceful Passages: A Companion for Living and Dying. Created by Gary Malkin and Michael Stillwater, in association with Doris Laesser Stillwater, Graceful Passages is globally acclaimed as the most effective work of its kind—a uniquely powerful resource for people facing all phases of serious illness or the end of life. It helps people face and assimilate grief and traverse major transitions of all kinds.

Since its release in 2001, Graceful Passages has touched nearly a million people worldwide and has been endorsed by leaders in hospice and palliative care, personal and spiritual development, and transformational media.

Its success among caregivers inspired Gary Malkin to found Wisdom of the World, Inc., in 2003, to continue to uplift people during challenging times and transitions by combining spoken wisdom with original film-score quality soundtracks. It inspired the creative team behind Graceful Passages to produce another set of immersive, music-enhanced spoken wisdom products, called Care for the Journey: Music and Messages for Sustaining the Heart of Healthcare.

Two editions of the Care for the Journey interactive program became the core curriculum for retreats for hospital care providers in North America. They were distributed through Companion Arts, a non-profit organization that Gary and Michael founded.

When Michael and Doris moved to Europe in 2007 to expand their workshop offerings, the team handed the reins of Companion Arts to allies passionate about serving lay and professional caregivers. (In 2020, Gary and Michael resumed the stewardship of Companion Arts under the non-profit organization, Living Bridges.)

In 2007, Gary purchased the rights to Graceful Passages from Michael, intending to market it to audiences beyond the end-of-life arena. He formed a strategic investment team to fund, promote, and market Graceful Passages.

He also produced an innovative contemplative visual media genre, WisdomFilms: Media for Human Being. Now available worldwide on Gaia TV as Islands of Inner Peace, these films are considered among the finest contemplative short-format films ever produced.

In 2010, YouTube began to overwhelm the online media marketplace. Wisdom of the World, Inc. was dissolved, and Gary focused on developing and offering keynote presentations, performances, and webinars aligned with his original mission and purpose: to demonstrate how music and media could bring greater meaning, connection, and humanity into the healthcare, corporate, and personal development arenas.  

 After working with Gary since 2010 as a webinar co-host, Dr. Clint Rogers joined him to form Wisdom of the World Wellness, LLC. Gary and Clint were particularly passionate about how music-infused wisdom could create “holy moments”—illuminated experiences of self-recognition and emotional wellness—to catalyze people’s awareness of their unique innate wisdom.

Clint studied Ayurvedic healing with the late great Dr. Pankaj Naram for ten years and became a respected emissary of Dr. Naram’s work, leading to the release of Clint’s celebrated TEDx talk and the 2020 publication of his book, Ancient Secrets of a Master Healer. Clint’s understanding of alternative healing modalities informs his passion for promoting the wellness of body, heart, mind, and soul.

In 2007, Gary purchased the rights to Graceful Passages from Michael, intending to market it to audiences beyond the end-of-life arena. He formed a strategic investment team to fund, promote, and market Graceful Passages.

He also produced an innovative contemplative visual media genre, WisdomFilms: Media for Human Being. Now available worldwide on Gaia TV as Islands of Inner Peace, these films are considered among the finest contemplative short-format films ever produced.

In 2010, YouTube began to overwhelm the online media marketplace. Wisdom of the World, Inc. was dissolved, and Gary focused on developing and offering keynote presentations, performances, and webinars aligned with his original mission and purpose: to demonstrate how music and media could bring greater meaning, connection, and humanity into the healthcare, corporate, and personal development arenas.

In Gratitude

We’d like to acknowledge these people in our lives, without whom we would never have been able to share our gifts, talents, passion, and purpose with the world in the way that we have been blessed to do.

“I strongly believe that the breadth, scope and content of Wisdom of the World Wellness’ moving work provides an immense benefit for all individuals of the greater human family. Their work is not just beautiful, but inspiring and liberating with profound healing capabilities.”

John Robbins, Bestselling Author, Diet for a New America