RENEGADE FOR GOOD

A visionary whose life purpose is centred around making an impact for the better, both domestically and internationally, Julie Toskan is driven by challenges, compassion and change for good

- CECE M. SCOTT

Loosely described, a visionary is someone who has unusually keen foresight, one who can aptly envision the future. The visionary process can be achieved through formal practices such as meditation and dreams. Or, in Lotus Land culture, the aids to “envisioning” are sometimes accessed through attempting to connect with supernatural powers, often and quite possibly aided and abetted by the use of mind-altering drugs.

To be described as a visionary is a positive valuation and one that is certainly appropriate for Julie Toskan, CEO at Genius 100 Visions. Without a doubt, Toskan, a change-maker to her core, is in the most esteemed company. Martin Luther King Jr., whose hopes and actions championed equality and seamless integration for all cultures and races, is unquestionably a visionary. So, too, are Leonardo da Vinci, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Albert Einstein, the ultimate visionary. Completely unabashed by hundreds of failed experiments, Einstein used the information gleaned from his realms of failures as teachable moments from which to envision the path forward. In fact, more than 100 years after the anniversary of Einstein’s general theory of relativity, Genius 100 Visions created the 3D-printed book Genius: 100 Visions of the Future with designer Ron Arad. The book, which through a partnership with NASA saw a copy prototyped in space, features 100 eminent global thought leaders across a broad spectrum of genres. These include award-winning actress and singer Barbra Streisand; bestselling author and renowned pioneer in integrative medicine Deepak Chopra; human rights activist and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Nadia Murad; and zen master and global spiritual leader Thich Nhat Hanh, to name just a few.