Meet the Team
Sandra Coiffman, founder
Sandra spent the last 30+ years working with families and children of all ages, toddlers to seniors. She holds a doctorate degree (Psy.D) and worked as a clinical psychologist in Florida and Director of Clinical Services at the Mind Spectrum Institute. Sandra has experience working with seniors as Director of Resident Services at Vi, a Continuing of Care Retirement Community.
As an educator, she is a former Adjunct Faculty at the College of Psychology at Nova Southeastern University. Because serving the community is essential to Sandra, she volunteers with Foster Care Review and is a facilitator for the Holocaust Documentation Center during their student awareness days.
She offers a unique combination of contemporary and positive psychology, Eastern practices, breath work, yoga training, and years of professional experience, knowledge, and expertise. She has an integrative approach to wellbeing, recognizing the interrelations of mind, body, emotions, relationships, and life's meaning.
JENNY MENZEL, designer
Jenny is a multifaceted professional, combining her talents as an artist, writer, and advocate of alternative health solutions. After receiving her graphic design degree in California, she returned to her home state of South Dakota and pursued a career in promotional marketing. For over a decade, Jenny has successfully branded and marketed a diverse portfolio of businesses and organizations, both locally and nationally.
Since 2016, Jenny has been recognized as a South Dakota roster artist, sharing her expertise in digital and fine arts with schools and nonprofits. Her specialties include foundational art education, photorealism, photography, and graphic design, all aimed at enhancing brand integrity. Additionally, Jenny has contributed her artistry to the Lyme Disease Challenge, a campaign that garnered global attention, including support from well-known celebrities.
Jenny joined the Wisdom of the Century team after illustrating and formatting Merle R. Saferstein's Living and Leaving My Legacy, Vol. I, a curated collection of life lessons through legacy journaling.
Merle R. Saferstein, author
As the director of educational outreach at the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center for 26 years, Merle worked closely with hundreds of Holocaust survivors helping them to pass along their Legacy of Remembrance to hundreds of thousands of students and teachers. She developed a course entitled Living and Leaving Your Legacy® and teaches and speaks to audiences locally, nationally, and internationally.
Merle works closely with the patients at the end of their lives, doing sacred legacy work. She volunteers at a camp for children who experienced the death of a family member—helping them gain essential tools to cope with their grief, and facilitates an all-day parent session at these camps. She also leads a writing class at Gilda’s Club for women impacted by cancer.
For 14 years, Merle culled through her journals, taking excerpts according to approximately 70 topics. Living and Leaving My Legacy, Vol. I, a book containing 11 of these topics was released in 2022, with another 11 published in Vol. II in 2023. Merle is also the author of Room 732, a council member of the International Association of Journal Writers, and a contributor to various publishing platforms.
Pipe Yanguas, photographer
Originally from Cali, Colombia, renowned photographer Pipe Yanguas @thephotobiographer has spent his career documenting and photographing clients on a global level from the Americas to Europe and the Middle East, creating a chronological story for his clients and depicting the fundamentals of what makes them unique throughout poignant times in their lives.
In 2018, Yanguas became a co-author after contributing his photographic talent to author Françoise Elizée’s successful self-published book, Haiti Rediscovered, The Quintessential Potomitan, a coffee table book developed as a tribute to the Haitian women who have captivated the powerful female entrepreneurial spirit of Haiti. To date, Pipe continues to evolve as a visual artist and is currently dividing his time between photography and his artistic endeavor, Dots and Lines World. For more information, please visit dotsandlinesworld.com
Follow along on his journey on Instagram @dotsandlinesworld @pipeyanguas
Be the first to grab your copy
The Wisdom of the Century coffee table book launches December 12, 2024 at the HistoryMiami Museum, where the Wisdom of the Century Exhibition will be on display through February 16, 2025.