Former President Vicente Fox and Sir Dustin Plantholt during a Lives Amplified fireside chat, December 2, 2024. (Photo by Musicratic - Niles Miller)
The Miami waterfront stirred with a restless rhythm that night, waves tapping the dock like a quiet insistence. Inside Lique, the atmosphere felt charged—not loud or ostentatious, but humming with an unspoken intensity. This was no ordinary gathering. The room was filled with the kinds of people who shift the world’s axis—presidents, royals, billionaires, CEOs, and social media influencers. No gala, no awards, no fanfare—just influential leaders coming together in their purest and most authentic form.
This was Lives Amplified, an exclusive, invitation-only society with a mission as bold as it is necessary: to change the world before it collapses under its own weight. I’m proud to call myself a member.
Dr. Steven Melnik, the society’s chairman, had asked me to host a fireside chat that evening. The invitation didn’t require a second thought. To sit across from Vicente Fox, former President of Mexico, and guide a conversation with someone who has shaped nations? That’s not an opportunity you hesitate over. It’s one you seize.
Brock Pierce, the tech entrepreneur known for his work in cryptocurrency, began the evening with a tone both measured and urgent. His message transcended mere support for Lives Amplified, resonating instead as a call to action. The society, he explained, was more than an idea—it was a critical force for change. His presence infused the room with purpose, laying the foundation for what followed.
Then it was my turn. Across from me, Fox carried a stillness that spoke of wisdom earned in the trenches of leadership. His words were deliberate, his insights profound. He spoke of borders, not as political constructs but as reminders of human fragility. He framed education as the ultimate equalizer, the tool to break generational cycles of poverty. And when he spoke of family—specifically his wife, Lady Marta—there was a softness in his voice, a tenderness that felt like a quiet anchor amidst the storms of his public life.
The room seemed to lean in, the weight of his words holding everyone in place. This wasn’t the kind of audience that came to be entertained. It was a room full of strategists, thinkers, and doers. Candice Beaumont, representing the Salsano Family Office and Lives Amplified’s Young World Leaders Academy, listened with the intensity of someone already envisioning the next move. Nearby, Kevin McGovern, Co-Chairman of the Climate Council, sat with a calm composure, his expression suggesting a mind at work, piecing together the puzzle of what comes next.
As the discussion ended, the audience stepped into the conversation. Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie, co-chair of the Interfaith Council, led with a thoughtful question, his voice carrying the authority of someone accustomed to making his words matter. Others followed, each adding layers to the evening’s dialogue, turning it into something collaborative, alive.
The night unfolded without grandeur or theatrics, its strength rooted in purposeful intent. It was a gathering of minds driven by action—a night that set things in motion, its effects subtle at first but destined to grow, shaping the future in ways yet unseen.
Later, standing on the edge of the water, I watched the moon scatter its light across the waves, their movement as steady as the tide. It was a fitting end to a night defined by quiet strength. Lives Amplified doesn’t market itself or seek the spotlight. It simply moves forward, like the waves—persistent, deliberate, shaping the future one ripple at a time.