Malibu’s “Bionic Woman,” Lindsay Wagner, will speak Friday at the Women in Film monthly breakfast at Chart House Restaurant.
Wagner makes little distinction between her life as an actress, advocate, mother, humanitarian or author. What unites these various parts is a commitment through her work and her personal life to advancing human potential. Even early in her career this commitment was evident in her Emmy Award winning portrayal of “The Bionic Woman.” Her use of media as a way to communicate ideas to help people in their personal process is demonstrated in so many of her films.
Films such as “Shattered Dreams,” on spousal abuse and domestic violence, starred in and produced by Wagner in 1991; “The Taking of Flight 847” on the root complexities of terrorism (1988); “Evil In Clear River” on the quiet rise of the neo-Nazi movement in America (1988); “Child’s Cry” on child sexual abuse (1985); “I Want To Live” on the moral dilemma regarding capital punishment (1983); and “The Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel” on the battle between naturopathic and allopathic healthcare (1979).
Off screen, Wagner continuously works both publicly and privately in advocacy and public education. Wagner has also co-authored two books: a best-selling vegetarian lifestyle cookbook entitled, “The High Road to Health” (Simon & Schuster), and a book on acupressure, “New Beauty: The Acupressure Facelift” (Simon & Schuster).
From 2003 to 2006 Wagner co-facilitated a support group for convicted batterers and their families. In 2004 she co-founded “Peacemakers Community,” a nonprofit organization that offers families and individuals more constructive and peaceful ways of relating to each other and oneself in order to help end the cycle of family violence. Her work utilized a range of psychological and spiritual techniques.
For the public, Wagner has been offering experiential “Quiet the Mind & Open the Heart” retreats and workshops. These programs are designed to help people realize how the conscious and unconscious concepts they carry in the mind often have a life diminishing influence on others and themselves.
The WIF breakfast takes place Friday at 8 a.m. at the Chart House Restaurant, 18412 Pacific Coast Highway. $10-$15. 310.457.8664