Meet the LDE Team
Life Design Education is led by a team of trainers and facilitators committed to creating grounded, experiential learning spaces where people can grow, reconnect, and build meaningful relationships in every area of life. Get to know the people behind LDE — the trainers, leaders, and educators who bring this work to life.
Daniel Paraszkay
Founder, CEO, and Lead Trainer
Part Two: Life Design • Part Three: Velocity Leadership • Inspired Educators
Daniel brings more than 40 years of experience in transformational training, leadership, and personal development. Mentored by esteemed trainers Dr. Ray Blanchard and Bettie Spruill, he has dedicated his life to guiding people into deeper self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and inspiring leadership.
Daniel has led advanced trainings around the world, co-created the Inspired Educators Training, and continues to design new workshops that expand the reach of LDE’s work. He also coaches individual clients through Zella Life and co-hosts The Life Design Studio podcast, where he shares practical insight and grounded guidance for creating clarity, connection, and possibility.
His passion is unwavering: to help people reconnect with their authentic selves and live free, fully expressed, powerful lives.
Kristen Bowers
Co-Owner, COO, and Trainer
Part Three: Velocity Leadership • Inspired Educators
Kristen is an educator, author, and transformational trainer with nearly twenty years of experience helping people grow through clarity, emotional intelligence, and aligned action. A former high school English teacher with a master’s degree in education, she founded Simply Novel in 2005 and later became co-owner of Life Design Education, where she has played a key role in its modern evolution.
She is a certified Trainer Designs Global trainer and has co-led Part 2: Life Design and Part 3: Velocity Leadership trainings. She has also coached students and served as both Coordinator and Captain within the leadership programs.
Kristen is the author of Because I Say So: Live Your Life With Clarity and Courage and offers individual coaching through her Brilliant Results Coaching practice, where she helps clients gain clarity and take meaningful, aligned action. Her work is focused on empowering people to access their authentic selves and build lives and relationships grounded in courage, connection, and purpose.
Dr. Ray Blanchard
Lead Trainer, Part One: The Freedom Course • Inspired Educators
Dr. Ray Blanchard is an internationally recognized trainer, seminar designer, and corporate consultant with more than five decades of experience in transformational education. He holds a Ph.D. in counseling psychology and has delivered trainings to hundreds of thousands of people around the world, supporting individuals and organizations in creating meaningful, lasting growth.
At Life Design Education, Ray serves as the Lead Trainer for Part One: The Freedom Course, bringing deep expertise, clarity, and compassion to the foundational stage of the Connections Course journey. He also offers peak-performance coaching on a limited basis for individuals seeking grounded support in personal and professional development.
Maria Paraszkay
Enrollment & Community Manager
Maria brings more than 35 years of experience in communication, relationship building, and client support. After a successful career in sales and marketing with State Farm Insurance, she transitioned into the personal development field, where she spent over a decade supporting transformational workshops and programs in Los Angeles. Certified as a personal development trainer in 2017, Maria is known for her warmth, insight, and genuine care for people.
At Life Design Education, Maria serves as the Enrollment and Community Manager, offering guidance, encouragement, and support to participants throughout their Connections Course experience.