MEET THE AIKI TEAM

The Sensei, The SEAL, and The Scholar

Thomas Crum ("The Sensei")

Thomas Crum is an author and presenter in the fields of mind/body harmony, conflict resolution, peak performance, and stress management. He is the founder of The Aiki Approach taught through best-selling books, audio and visual materials, and live presentation designed to help people become more centered, connected, and resourceful in all situations.

For over 40 years, Tom has been a teacher of Aikido, a graceful martial art which uses energy rather than force to resolve conflicts, and he includes principles and movements from Aikido, Tai Chi Chuan, Qi Gong, and other mind-body arts in his presentations, creating an experiential event which adds excitement, color, and value.

Tom's regular practice of meditation, his love of golf and skiing, and his dedication to his wife Cathy (and their three children and eight grandchildren) are the center of his life.

Curt Cronin ("The SEAL")

Curt met Tom and Ali while in Egypt on a quest for deeper meaning. When Tom shared that he believed that Post Traumatic Stress could become Post Traumatic Growth, Curt knew he had found a Sensei in his life's mission to inspire, heal, and connect humanity.

Curt's early experiences in the Navy SEALs ingrained his belief that the guiding force for life is purpose-driven and mission aligned team in full surrender to each other. His goal is to operate at the intersection of creative innovation and grounded manifestation to leverage the power of experience to awaken, story to expand, and technology to enhance life as we know it.

From Navy SEAL Commander to entrepreneur, Curt's passion is to manifest vision into reality. Curt co-founded the Broadway Strategic Return Fund to bring the power of transformation to life in theater through dynamic, contemporary stories. He serves as the Executive Director of the Flow Genome Project to continue the Sensei and the Scholar's explorations at the cutting edge of mind-body-spirit integration for ultimate human performance.

He and his wife Julia are the excited and humble parents of Connor, Rachel, Abigail, Olivia, and Ellie.

Champion Magic of Skiing coach Jenny MacArthur

Alia Crum, PhD ("The Scholar")

Alia J. Crum, PhD is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and chief investigator at Stanford's Mind-Body Lab. She received her PhD from Yale University and BA degree from Harvard University. Dr. Crum's research focuses on how changes in subjective mindsets-the core assumptions we make about things and processes in the world-can alter objective reality through behavioral, psychological, and physiological mechanisms.

Dr. Crum's research aims to understand how mindsets can be consciously and deliberately changed through intervention to affect physiological and psychological well-being. To date, her research has won several awards including the NIH New Innovator Award and the Association for Psychological Science's Rising Star Award.

Ali's venture into the mind-body world started at an early age, attending her dad's "Journey to Center" trainings and volunteering as Tom's "uke" in Aikido demonstrations. The academic questions that Ali and her team are investigating at Stanford are helping to provide scientific endorsement for the principles of The Aiki Approach. Ali and her husband Ryan, and their daughter Siggy, live in Palo Alto, CA.

Ali Crum giving a presentation

Tom Crum demonstrating Aikido technique with his daughter Ali.