Cutting Through the Noise is a transformative 3-month, one-on-one program designed to help you break free from the mental clutter and external distractions that cloud your clarity and impact. In a world overflowing with opinions, pressures, and never-ending information, it’s easy to feel stuck, reactive, or overwhelmed. But the ultimate superpower in today’s world isn’t working harder—it’s FOCUS.
And by focus, we don’t mean doing more—we mean the ability to not pay attention to what doesn’t matter.
With distractions constantly pulling us in every direction, those who can cut through the noise and lock in on what’s truly important will be the ones who create real change.
By the end of this program, you will:
We created Cutting Through the Noise because the world doesn’t have a focus problem—it has a misunderstanding problem. Most people think they need more discipline, better strategies, or stronger willpower to stay on track, but the truth is, clarity is our natural state when we stop giving attention to what doesn’t matter. We’ve seen firsthand that the biggest breakthroughs come not from adding more but from removing the noise—the unnecessary thoughts, distractions, and external pressures that keep people stuck.
When you join Cutting Through the Noise, you’re not just investing in yourself—you’re investing in the next generation. Every dollar from this program goes directly to support the Rebels for Peace Mini Rebels program, and 8 participants in this program directly sponsors a full class of youth in one of our schools. This means that as you learn to master your focus, you’re also giving youth as young as 9 years old the tools to do the same—helping them develop resilience, clarity, and confidence from an early age.
This program is designed to give you both deep personal transformation and practical tools to sustain your focus in the long run. Here’s what you get:
6 One-on-One Coaching Sessions – Personalized guidance to cut through mental clutter, sharpen your focus, and navigate distractions with clarity.
3 Small Group Sessions – Join live Q&A with like-minded leaders, reinforcing what you learn and gaining support from others on the same journey.
Full Access to Accelerating Change – Our 8-week program for Social Impact Leaders, designed to help you navigate uncertainty and lead with clarity and resilience.
Design Your Own “Roadmap to Focus” – A customized framework built around your goals, ensuring you leave with a clear, actionable plan to maintain focus and impact long after the program ends.
Special Session with Rebels for Peace Facilitators – Gain insight from the incredible leaders on the ground working with youth in Chicago, and see firsthand how the principles of focus and resilience are transforming lives.
Highlighted as a Rebels for Peace Sponsor – As a thank you for your support, you’ll be featured on our website as a Rebels for Peace Sponsor, showing the world that you’re not just investing in yourself, but in the next generation.
Exclusive Video Update from the Work on the Ground – You’ll receive a behind-the-scenes video showcasing the impact Rebels for Peace is making in Chicago—real stories of transformation made possible by your contribution.
This offer incudes:
– 9 One-on-One Coaching Sessions
– 3 Small Group Sessions
– Full Access to Accelerating Change
– Design Your Own “Roadmap to Focus”
– Special Session with Rebels for Peace Facilitators
– Highlighted as a Rebels for Peace Sponsor
– Exclusive Video Update from the Work on the Ground
This offer incudes:
– 9 One-on-One Coaching Sessions
– 3 Small Group Sessions
– Full Access to Accelerating Change
– Design Your Own “Roadmap to Focus”
– Special Session with Rebels for Peace Facilitators
– Highlighted as a Rebels for Peace Sponsor
– Exclusive Video Update from the Work on the Ground
This offer incudes:
– 18 One-on-One Coaching Sessions
– 3 Small Group Sessions
– Full Access to Accelerating Change
– Design Your Own “Roadmap to Focus”
– Special Session with Rebels for Peace Facilitators
– Highlighted as a Rebels for Peace Sponsor
– Exclusive Video Update from the Work on the Ground
Mara Gleason Olsen, Co-Founder and Director, has enjoyed working with all walks of life throughout her career, including MIT-trained physicists, UN directors, US Marines, NHL players, Microsoft managers, prisoners, the Chicago PD, and teens from Southside Chicago and Gaza. Prior to founding One Solution, she co-founded and directed One Thought, a NYC and London-based company that trained hundreds of organizational leaders from around the world. She’s also the bestselling author of One Thought Changes Everything. Mara graduated with a Master’s degree from Columbia University in 2006, and currently lives in Chicago with her husband and co-director, Eirik, and several plants that she works hard to keep alive, despite their frequent travels.
Eirik Olsen, Co-Founder and Director, Eirik Olsen became fascinated by the relationship between the mind and human capability after his experience in the military and deployment in the Middle East. He spent the next decade working with individuals, groups, organizations, executives, youth, health clinics, and programs for families and communities. After running a successful consultancy and training institute around the mind and resilience, he co-founded the One Solution Foundation to try to tackle the biggest challenges we face as humanity: conflict, war, climate change, poverty, etc by elevating the conversation around the mind as the missing key to sustainable change. He considers himself a student of humans, creativity, and the mysteries of life and loves the dance between a macro-level vision and on the ground grassroots work. He currently resides in South Side Chicago with his wife and co-founder Mara and his son Teo.
Prince Jimmar is a co-founder of Rebels for Peace and an Artist from Chicago, that's inspired about transforming his community from the inside-out. He leads and facilitates resilience training for youth from 4-8 grade in schools in south-side Chicago, and co-hosts yearly youth leadership programs, teaching aspiring leaders about resilience, wellbeing and creativity. He also has experience supporting youth currently incarcerated in juvenile prisons, teaching the same foundational training. He is a sought after speaker, hosting classes, workshops and inspiring talks to people from all walks of life.
Josh Downing, Videographer, Photographer, is a writer, director and editor originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma. After receiving his B.F.A in film production at Oklahoma City University in 2016, he spent the next two years working as a freelance editor in Los Angeles and New York. He has written and directed short films that have been accepted to national and international festivals and, most recently, he co-wrote and co-directed his first feature film, "All We Have is Now." After switching gears to documentaries and non-profits, Downing wishes to use his video production skills to work for his community and shed a new light on important issues that surround the world today.
Aisat (I-Esha) Oladokun, 23, is a recent graduate from Kalamazoo College. She completed her bachelors of Arts in English and Global Health. Her plans are to pursue a Master’s in Public health to impact more communities about the importance of health, especially gun violence that impacts her neighborhood. Aisat is very dedicated to every community that she enters and has a passion for mentorship and facilitating others through workshops. Through her time in college, she was a mentor to incoming freshmen and has successfully facilitated workshops through the Kalamazoo Juvenile Home. As a member of the Rebels for Peace, Aisat is dedicated to uplifting the lives of others and strengthening mentorships through the one tool we all have, our minds!
For over thirty years, Andrew has helped people uncover their true potential through the mind. He's coached Olympic athletes, entrepreneurs, social impact leaders and students. Andrew has seen firsthand how teaching people about the mind allows them to see for themselves the innate powers they already have and is at the heart of all sustainable human change.
With One Solution, Andrew will help grow the reach of our existing programs and develop new relationships with organizations, funders, and allies who can further our mission.
WEEK 1 - THE FOUNDATION OF ACCELERATING CHANGE
Live Zoom Call + Online Content
In week one we'll host a live kick-off event on Zoom with your facilitators and the cohort of peers you’ll be going through the course with. In online content, you’ll explore why the mind is the most natural shortcut solution for accelerating change.
WEEK 2 - THE HUMAN MIND AND THE WORLD
Online Content + Reflection Activity
In this week's online content, we'll explore how the mind affects how we see and experience the world and why that's important when pursuing change. You'll complete a personal reflection on how this topic relates to your own life.
WEEK 3 - CHANGE IN INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES
Live Zoom Call + Online Content
This week will feature a live session with special guests working on change with individuals and within communities, plus online content where you’ll explore how accelerating change happens in these contexts.
WEEK 4 - CHANGE IN ORGANIZATIONS
Online Content + Reflection Activity
In this week's online content, you’ll explore how organizational change happens with videos from special guests actively working in this context. You'll complete a personal reflection activity to explore how this topic applies to your project.
WEEK 5 - CHANGE IN SYSTEMS
Live Zoom Call + Online Content
This week's session will feature special guests working on systems change, plus online content where you’ll explore how accelerating change happens in this context. You'll complete a personal reflection activity to explore how this topic applies to your project.
WEEK 6 - DEALING WITH OBSTACLES
Online Content + Personal Reflection Activity
This week will feature online content where you’ll explore how to deal with the obstacles to accelerating change. You'll complete a personal reflection activity to explore how this topic applies to your project.
WEEK 7 - BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
Live Zoom Call + Online Content
This week's session will feature a live Zoom session and online content bringing together everything we've learned into an applicable and sustainable approach to accelerating change. You'll take all of this and put the final touches on your 90 second presentation for the Showcase Event next week!
WEEK 8 - SHOWCASE EVENT
Live Zoom Call
The Showcase event will feature YOU and the entire cohort sharing individual 90-second presentations on the project you are working on and how you have grown over the past eight weeks. Friends and family will be welcome.