"Exploding Heart"
RADD ART STORY #36
Leadership Roundtable
Kitchener, ON. Jan 13, 2025
Generously sponsored by Justin Caldwell CIM and the Caldwell Group at Richardson Wealth
Created live by RADD ARTist Aaron Klaas
About the Artist:
Aaron Klaas is a NexGenHealth Energy Certified Artist whose work bridges the realms of visual art, music, and design. Born and raised in Cambridge, Ontario, where he lives with his wife and son, Aaron translates our surroundings into what he calls a “dream world” — full of texture, movement, and dramatic imagery.
As a visual artist, Aaron has exhibited internationally, with shows in Canada, the U.S., and beyond. Locally, his paintings have been featured at Gallery M in Cambridge and the Toronto Brennan Demelo Gallery, and his work also hangs in restaurants in Manhattan, NYC.
Aaron is also a professional musician, performing under the stage name Shade as the lead singer and guitarist for the alternative indie rock band MENEW, alongside his brothers. With a sound once described as “If Muse, Coldplay and The Killers had a genius, dirty lovechild, its name would be MENEW” (Loudwire), the band has achieved international recognition. Their albums Wide Awake Hello and Mother Nature were shortlisted for multiple Grammy nominations, with music featured on major networks like NBC, CBS, MTV, and ESPN, as well as films worldwide. They’ve toured with artists including U2, Stone Temple Pilots, Akon, Filter, Weezer, and Linkin Park, and performed on The Late Show with David Letterman. Their EDM side project, Brothers, has played major stages from the Cannes Film Festival to clubs in Monaco and St. Tropez.
Aaron brings this same creative energy and global experience to his role as resident RADD ARTist for NexGenHealth. His paintings, including Exploding Heart, capture the transformational energy of live dialogue and translate it into art that continues to inspire long after the event ends.
Created live during a very special round table evening.
The Birth of Exploding Heart
The evening gathered medical, business, and community leaders for a keynote, dinner, and dialogue.
The piece Exploding Heart was born at Janet Lynn’s Bistro in Kitchener, Ontario, during a private Leadership Round Table hosted by Dr. Mitch Abrams and the NexGenHealth Foundation.
🙏 Acknowledgments
This inspiring event was made possible through the extraordinary generosity and vision of Justin Caldwell of Richardson Wealth. Justin’s commitment to supporting heart-centered initiatives made this gathering possible, and his leadership speaks volumes about the person he is. By investing in work that uplifts compassion, coherence, and community connection, Justin exemplifies the kind of leadership our world needs.
We also offer special gratitude to Dr. Ruth Gingell, a remarkable family physician who dedicated her career to caring for others. Ruth was instrumental in bringing leaders together for this event. She first encountered NexGenHealth at a professional development program at McMaster University, and her passion for the mission illustrates the ripple effect of this work.
💡 The Conversation
Dr. Mitch Abrams opened the evening with his talk “The Heart of Healing: Transforming Healthcare and Communities.” He shared a vision for NexGenHealth and the Foundation’s work, showing how heart coherence education can transform not only individual well-being but also community connection, workplace productivity, and even global healing.
The science of coherence — the alignment of heart, brain, and body — revealed how cultivating compassion and connection can ripple outward into measurable societal change. For many participants, this perspective was eye-opening. One physician put it simply:
“This is something that all physicians should learn — if not all of humanity.”
🤝 Dialogue and Discovery
The second half of the evening was spent in vibrant roundtable discussion. Leaders shared challenges they face in healthcare, education, and business, while exploring how heart coherence and NexGenHealth’s vision could provide solutions.
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Some advocated for introducing a curriculum in professional training to reach future doctors and leaders in their formative years.
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Others saw opportunities to integrate heart coherence into hospitals and schools, reaching both staff and young people.
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The group wrestled with important questions about readiness and accessibility, agreeing that meeting people “where they are” is essential for real change.
The energy in the room was palpable. Rather than a one-way presentation, it was a co-creation of vision — a collective imagining of how to transform healthcare and society through compassion, connection, and coherence.
❤️ About Dr. Mitch Abrams
Dr. Mitch Abrams is a radiologist, educator, and founder of NexGenHealth Ltd. and the NexGenHealth Foundation. Having served as a physician, department chief, and patient, he brings a unique perspective to the future of healthcare. His work focuses on teaching heart coherence practices, fostering compassion in healthcare systems, and helping individuals and organizations thrive.
At the heart of NexGenHealth’s mission is the belief that when we cultivate coherence within ourselves, we build stronger communities — and contribute to the healing of the planet.
🔗 Learn More & Get Involved
This artwork and its story are part of a larger movement to bring more heart into healthcare and society. If you are inspired, here are some ways to take the next step:
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🎥 Watch Dr. Mitch’s TEDx talk: The Medicine of Frequencies – What Did Einstein Mean?
👉 bit.ly/TEDxDrMitch -
🌍 Join the Global Heart Sync movement, a worldwide community gathering in coherence to amplify healing and peace.
👉 GlobalHeartSync.org -
📘 Explore the Coherence Toolkit — a free resource hub with practices, science, and a community of practice you can join today.
👉 bit.ly/CoherenceToolkit
🎨 About RADD ART
RADD ART (Radiologist Developed Autonomic Rewiring Therapy) is a unique fusion of live art and transformative dialogue. Each piece captures the story of an event, carrying forward the energy and insights that emerged in the room. Every RADD ART piece includes a QR code, linking the artwork to its origin story, ensuring that the moments of transformation live on.
Exploding Heart embodies the essence of that evening: a powerful convergence of leaders, ideas, and heartfelt vision — a reminder that compassion is not only a value, but a catalyst for change.