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TRINA BECKSTEDSpread the WordBy Benjamin GleisserHer head is in the clouds, her heart is in the moment and her feet are firmly on the ground. Russell native Trina Becksted, president of Cloud Nine Marketing, has a national client list that includes alternative medicine guru and best-selling author Deepak Chopra, New Age musician Chris Spheeris, and author and motivational speaker Austin Vickers.She's currently working for Nobel Peace laureate Oscar Arias' group Alliance of New Humanity, to plan the Peace in Peacetime Conference in Puerto Rico. The event's aim is to promote humanitarianism, social justice and media responsibility. "This is such a change from the way I was in high school," she says with a husky laugh. "I was a big-time jock. Then I started looking for spiritual fulfillment in my late 20s." She taught Sunday School at the Community Church of Chesterland, and began reading thought-provoking writers like Scott Peck (The Road Less Traveled) and Harold Kushner (Why Bad Things Happen to Good People). "I've also been someone who has always pursued knowledge as a way to get to my spirituality. I've come to believe that the mind, body and spirit operate on equal levels." As a businesswoman, Trina preaches what she practices. In 1997, she left her position as a marketing support manager at a cellular communications company to open her own market- ing/consulting firm. Dreaming of success, she named her company Cloud Nine (www. cloudninemarketing .com). She grew her business running campaigns for dot.com startups and wireless phone companies, and volunteering to run fundraisers for worthwhile organizations like Rainbow Babies Childrens Hospital, the March of Dimes and St. Jude's Medical Clinic. "We either approach life with love or fear," she says. "When you stay in your heart space, good things happen." In 1999, she became the publicist for the Cleveland stop of the Whole Life Expo, where she met Wayne Dyer, James Van Praagh and other internationally known authors and motivational speakers. Confident she could bring off a major program on her own, she booked Deepak Chopra and rented Severance Hall for the event. Chopra was so impressed, he worked with her in other markets, and has since completed successful events in Columbus and Phoenix. "I love to share stuff with people that makes them feel better about themselves," she says. "I feel I'm in this position to help spread the word about human potential, spirituality and preventative medicine. I like where I am now. I feel good in this skin."  Chris Spheeris, Deepak Chopra, & Trina |