Nkechi Deanna Njaka (she/her) is a neuroscientist, choreography artist, leading mindfulness expert and meditation guide. She is the founder of The Compass, NDN lifestyle studio and co-founder of the sleep app DreamWell. Nkechi has spent the majority of her life investigating the relationship between the brain and the body and has always felt the significance of their integration. She attended…
MINERVA has a career that spans performance, education, and production, blending together mixed media artistic sources. Her workshops and performances take the participant on aunique ride of experiences; humorous, contemplative, provocative, and entertaining. As a Contemplation and Mindfulness trainer, she uniquely blends, art, culture, play and meditation as natural human activities that can be easily accessed and of value in…
Passionate about the power of collaboration, Melissa challenges existing structures of power and privilege to create equitable and inclusive spaces to build community and drive change. Melissa is an organizer, activist and educator at heart. From grassroots community organizing, community science, facilitation, bilingual educational programming, coalition building, to policy and advocacy work, she brings a diverse skill set and a…
Arthur (Trey) Carlisle, AKA EMCEE P.O.E.T.R.E.Y, is an artivist (artist + activist) passionate about waging peace and building Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Beloved Community” through music, dance, storytelling, and mindfulness. Trey has spent the past 10 years creating films, writing songs, and teaching dance & Black history classes (in the U.S. and in China), aimed to build bridges and foster…
Dr. Lori Baudino has been a practicing clinician for over fifteen years. She received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology and Masters in Creative Arts Therapy – Dance/Movement Therapy, the therapeutic use of movement to further the individual’s emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration. Her professional work fuses integrative health into hospital care, private practice, parent education, academic teaching, and global…
Lauren Van Der Veen is a visionary with a modern yet holistic approach to design. Lauren is originally from the South Side of Chicago where she studied Interior Design at the Art Institute. After being commissioned to renovate an estate In Malibu, California she relocated and continued her education at Woodbury University School of Architecture. What sets this designer apart…
Rashid Hughes seeks to bridge the worlds of contemplative practice and collective care. He is a proud graduate of the Howard University Department of Music and the Howard University School of Divinity. Rashid is a certified Mindfulness Teacher, a certified Yoga Instructor, a Restorative Justice Facilitator, and currently in training to become a Fire Pujari. All of Rashid’s perspectives flow…
My work has involved a great deal of time at the intersections where decisions about educational programs are made – I’ve delved into how curricula support the learning it is designed to deliver – and how people, money, and time should be allocated to sustain the enterprise. I have discovered that understanding, defining, and evaluating teaching and learning must connect…