Randy Rolfe, JD, MA
Motivational Speaker
Seminar Leader
Family Counselor
Internationally acclaimed author, popular TV therapist, wife and mother, specializing in Creating Healthy Families
Summary
Randy has changed thousands of lives through her many books, seminars and keynote addresses on parenting, marriage, and healthy family life. A popular TV and radio guest therapist for the past 25 years, Randy has created with her husband Jay Rolfe what they call “marriage momentum,” using creative strategies that are often overlooked for keeping marriages strong and growing as well as fresh and fun.
Audiences
Randy has presented to a great variety of audiences: Parent University, Lake Zurich IL; Soviet/American Conference on Peace, Children & the Environment, sponsored by USSR first lady Raisa Gorbachev; American Electronics Laboratories - National Management Association; Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company; Main Line Unitarian Church; Rosemont College Holistic Health Conference; U.S. Journal Training Conferences in Orlando FL with Jack Canfield, and in Nashville TN and other cities; John Robert Powers Modeling School; Singles Symposium with Jeff Zaslow; Citizen’s Alliance for Progressive Health Awareness; International Women’s Writing Guild Summer Conferences; The Eleventh Step Bookstore; Barnes & Noble repeatedly; Evesham Township Schools; First Baptist Downingtown Church; Pennsylvania Bar Association; Penn Mutual Insurance Company; E.I. DuPont; Kraft Foods; Caron Foundation; Johnson & Massey; Corestates First Pennsylvania Bank; Adolescent Counselor; Young Men’s Hebrew Association; Main Line School Night Association; New Frontier Society; Young Adult Stroke Victims Group; and many more parent support groups, school groups, and corporate enrichment groups. Randy has presented courses and lectures at Villanova University, Rosemont College, Temple University, St. Lawrence University, and Clarkson College.
Background and Writings
Randy’s interest in creating healthy families began with a fifth grade paper she wrote on the American family. It grew into a passion when her travels with her family in over 29 countries convinced her that all peoples share common goals for their families. After a successful law career, Randy turned her passion into her life’s work. She founded the Institute for Creative Solutions in 1985 and published her first book, You Can Postpone Anything But Love – Expanding Our Potential as Parents. She soon became a popular guest expert on TV, appearing 20 times on Geraldo Rivera, 6 times on Sally Jesse Raphael, 3 times on Maury Povich, 2 times on Montel Williams, and many more. She has been interviewed on 100s of radio shows. She has authored 4 other books, including The Seven Secrets of Successful Parents; Adult Children Raising Children; The Four Temperaments; and The Affirmations Book for Sharing, which she co-authored with her husband on improving communication in marriage. She has contributed to other books also. Her articles and a variety of interviews have appeared in numerous magazines and news columns. As an international speaker, one of her most memorable speaking engagements was a parenting workshop in Moscow, whose participants included several top Soviet government executives.
Degrees, Recognition and Awards
Randy’s unique background intrigues and enlightens audiences. The press has dubbed her “A True Renaissance Woman,” “This Generation’s Dr. Spock,” and “Popular Television Therapist.” She earned her B.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania in 1969; her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law in 1973; and her M.A. in Theology from Villanova University in 1998. She has received numerous academic honors and awards including: in college, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Pi Gamma Mu, and Bennett Union Board; in law school, Law Review Editorial Board and Faculty Assistantship; and in graduate school, Commendation and Research Fellowship.
Career and Service
Before Randy turned to her passion for creating healthy families, Randy excelled as part of the commercial litigation team at Montgomery McCracken Walker and Rhoads, a top Philadelphia law firm. Later, as part of a federal research grant to the Air Management Control Department of the City of Philadelphia, she pioneered and helped to establish the legal basis for what is now considered a normal strategy for pollution control – the sale of pollution credits. When writing for the Villanova Law Review, she wrote a seminal work on the court cases leading to equal opportunity among school districts for funds from local taxation. She is a member of numerous civic and professional associations. Randy is particularly proud of receiving the Legion of Honor from the Chapel of the Four Chaplains, for her service to the community.
Cutting Edge
Randy is one of very few women among top professional and motivational speakers. She stays at the cutting edge of everything she undertakes. She was one of just 12 women in her first year law school class at the University of Virginia School of Law in 1971 and was in the top 10% of her class. When she transferred to Villanova University School of Law, she was one of just 25 women in her graduating class, again in the top 10%, and was the only woman to serve on the Villanova Law Review Administrative Board. She was one of the first two women every employed by the law firm where she started practice, one of Philadelphia’s top 10 law firms. She pioneered the legal basis for the now well-known concept of pollution credits trading. She was among the very first authors, long before desktop publishing, to self-publish a book, market it independently, and have it picked up by a top 3 publisher. She was one of the first 3 women to ever serve on the faculty of Villanova University School of Law. She was among the first in her generation to move “back to the land” and try independent living as a “homesteader.” An early leader in the homeschool movement, she was instrumental in developing the homeschool legislation in Pennsylvania. She was also a leader in the defense of indigenous people’s rights in upstate New York. Randy was one of the first women over the age of 40 to compete in state beauty pageants, and she won the title of Mrs. Pennsylvania-America 1993, Second Runner-Up, inspiring many more mature women to share their beauty and accomplishments in competition. She has also been a pioneer in the wellness movement and since 1971 has given hundreds of lectures and courses on natural living. Now she finds she is one of the few of her generation to be still happily married after over 30 years, to have grown children who did not boomerang but rather moved smoothly into independence and personal fulfillment, and to consider her life still unfolding with new adventures, fresh learning, and ever-growing impact.
Recap
Randy’s presentations sparkle with her own personal experiences as a wife, mother, attorney, teacher, counselor, therapist, TV guest, beauty pageant contestant, world traveler, theologian, homesteader, entrepreneur, swimmer and ballroom dancer! Her personal mottos are: “You can postpone anything but love;” and “Healthy people, healthy planet.” Her presentations excel in linking the big picture of our core beliefs and values with the everyday practical challenges of being a spouse, a parent, and an active participant in the community.