With an educational background in anthropology, Abby comes to Mindful following sales support work in the legal services industry. She loves to travel and learn new things—especially cultures and languages. She lives in Atlanta and enjoys spending time with her two cats (despite their bad behavior). At work and at home, she likes to work with new technologies and discover how they can be better utilized.

Hailing from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Alissa comes to Mindful with an educational background in journalism and a professional background in technology marketing. She brings a diverse skillset and unique perspective to the Mindful marketing team. In her spare time, Alissa can be found baking, reading, or out on the hiking trails with her rescue dog Loki.

Amanda has an eclectic background, with graduate degrees in both political science and criminology. She has worked as a freelance editor, writer, and has over a decade of experience teaching both high school students and undergrads. She has worked for a variety of nonprofits, typically in areas of security and conflict resolution, and is a second-generation Buddhist who has been practicing mindfulness and meditation since childhood.

Amber has honed her skills as an editor in many contexts, from academia to entrepreneur development to creative writing. During her yoga-filled teenage years she encountered mindfulness, a journey she’s grateful to continue as part of the Mindful team. She enjoys vegan cooking and omnivorous reading, and her favorite place to meditate is outside, surrounded by living green things.

Ava is a writer and digital content creator who draws on a diverse background in her role as an associate editor. Her education is in journalism and her work experience ranges from commercial fishing to serving, but no matter what she’s doing, she brings her adventurous spirit and passion for storytelling. On the weekends, you can find her exploring the great outdoors of Nova Scotia (ideally near the ocean), doing yoga, or reading. 

A longtime professional writer, editor, and trainer specializing in applications of mindfulness and awareness to everyday life, Barry is editor of The Mindfulness Revolution and served as developmental editor for Congressman Tim Ryan’s books, A Mindful Nation and The Real Food Revolution. From 2008 to 2012, he wrote for the “Mindful Society” department of Shambhala Sun magazine. He is also coauthor of The Rules of Victory, an extended commentary on Sun Tzu’s Art of War.

Bill is an accomplished leader with over 28 years of experience in the healthcare information technology industry.  Before joining Mindful, he held various executive leadership positions at companies including Agfa Healthcare and McKesson Corporation. True to his passion for the mental health and wellness industry, he was the CEO of Alluceo, which offers team-based mental health integration technology and services. Bill and his family live in the Atlanta area, love to explore our beautiful country together, and cheer on his beloved Georgia Bulldogs. 

Brenda Jacobsen is an accomplished business leader in the health, wellness, and healthcare spaces, with deep expertise in scaling, multi-state business operations, and M&A. The former CEO of Lakeside Medical Centers and Life Cross Training, Brenda’s career has focused on improving the health and wellness of workforces globally, focusing first on physical wellness and now on well-being. Brenda and her husband, Steffen, raise their children, chickens, and bees in a suburb north of Chicago. 

Born and raised in Florida, Chelsea began her career in the fast-paced industry of entertainment with companies like Universal Studios, Disney, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, DreamWorks, and Nickelodeon. Having the opportunity to travel the world with her career, as of 2017 she is an American transplant in Halifax. She is the backbone of all things advertising at Mindful, where she lets her creativity and out-of-the-box thinking take on new heights.

With a background in brand strategy and business development and a focus on data science, Christine works to share Mindful’s story and services across business and consumer channels. She lives in Halifax, NS and enjoys gardening, sailing, and backpacking. She plays the fiddle and collects unusual books and vinyl records.

Over the last decade, Chuck has had a successful sales career supporting some of the top brands in the natural health and wellness industry. He is a mental health advocate, practicing Buddhist, and mindfulness enthusiast located in Central Pennsylvania. Chuck enjoys hiking with his wife and four children, writing about mental health awareness, and geeking out about coffee and local foods.

Born and raised in the Bahamas, Deandrea brings her warm and joyous personality to Mindful. She is a recent graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, passionate about enhancing the lives of people and improving her workplace environment. Deandrea is enthusiastic, self-driven, and detail-oriented in her role as administrative assistant.

As app developer and technologist at Mindful team, Garang is focused on working with, improving all in-house tech tools and solutions. Garang joined the Mindful team with over three years of experience working with web apps. Prior to joining the team, he worked as Junior Data Scientist at the University of Guelph before moving on to a sustainability consulting firm as Web Developer. In his spare time, Garang volunteers with Masakhane as an NLP developer.

Heather is a seasoned editor with a proven track record for growing audiences, creating digital products, and building strategic partnerships. She started her career as a health editor for Rodale, honing her service journalism and digital management skills. She’s since been hired by top brands, like Men’s Health, Prevention, Fitness, and Self, to create engaging content. She balances her career with a healthy dose of family life and a few weekends a month fronting an indie folk/barnrock band.

Jessica joined Mindful in 2012 as one of its founding team members. She brings a wealth of experience to her position as creative director, including over two decades designing for digital media and print publications. Trained in graphic design, journalism, and English literature, Jessica was born into a family where meditation was practiced on a daily basis. Mindfulness has infused every aspect of her life, and she considers her work at Mindful to be a natural extension of her lifelong mindfulness practice.

With a background in journalism, Kylee has honed her storytelling and digital content skills in several roles. She worked as a copywriter, public relations coordinator, copy editor, and social media coordinator in the Montreal area before joining Mindful. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, doing yoga, reading, and exploring Nova Scotia.

With a passion for health and wellness, Lydia brings her creative, enthusiastic, friendly, and detail-oriented personality to Mindful. She has recently graduated from Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) in the office administration program alongside her diploma in business computing which she attained in Uganda, her country of origin. She is an entrepreneur, loves to crochet, garden, and most of all, spend time with her children Ephraim and Liora.

A Chicagoland native, Monica first began exploring mindfulness techniques while working in the demanding environment of management consulting. After a brief sabbatical teaching cooking classes at a recreational culinary school in Chicago, she brought her diverse talents to LifeXT by Mindful as the director of client relations. Monica is a former Fulbright recipient, amateur artist, pigeon fancier, and culinary enthusiast who can usually be found making a mess in her kitchen (cocktail in hand). 

Nate is a writer, philosopher, and entrepreneur. Prior to his role as a founding partner at Mindful, Nate was the cofounder of the corporate mindfulness training company LifeXT. In addition, he is the coauthor of the New York Times Bestseller Start Here: Master the Lifelong Habit of Wellbeing and the forthcoming book The 80/80 Marriage (Penguin Random House). Nate has previously worked as an assistant professor of political science and philosophy at Pepperdine University. He holds a B.A. and M.A. in philosophy from Stanford University, and a PhD in political philosophy from Princeton University.

Paige has been working in the print design world for many years and is thrilled to be continuing that adventure at Mindful. She is passionate about bright color and bringing joy to others in any way she can. If she’s not designing, she is probably buried in a new craft project, sending happy mail, or doing a puzzle. 

Sharon has supported many initiatives in the mindfulness field over the past 10 years. She worked with the British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches, the Bangor University Centre for Mindfulness, and the UK Mindfulness Network. Now she holds the position of CEO at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre and has been working with Zindel Segal to build and manage ACCESS MBCT. Sharon established the Mindful Directory to support the mindfulness community by building a global register of teachers, events, and organizations in the mindfulness field.

Before joining the Mindful team, Spencer worked as an independent designer and brand consultant with clients across North America in the not-for-profit and arts sectors. Having honed his skills in print shops across Canada, Spencer brings his passion for print design to every aspect of his life, hosting events in his free time just so he can design the poster. He also speaks French and is a black-light enthusiast.

Stephanie Domet is Mindful’s managing editor. A writer, editor, and sometimes-podcaster she lives in Halifax, where she cooks, gardens, and sews her own clothes. She’s the author of two novels, Homing and Fallsy Downsies, with a third in the works.

Stephanie Hildreth joins Mindful with 19 years of customer-focused experience leading sales, operations, and customer success teams. Her experience varies in industry; from e-commerce to SaaS to various entertainment segments. Stephanie considers herself a student of people and business, passionate about both equally. At Mindful, Stephanie is responsible for the strategy, growth, and customer journey as we continue our mission of helping people enjoy better health, foster more caring relationships, and cultivate a more compassionate society through mindfulness.

Zina Mercil is a coach, therapist, presenter, and writer. She specializes in increasing personal awareness, growth, and performance, while decreasing burnout and health consequences. Zina is fascinated with facilitating mindfulness approaches, and the mind/body connection, and has a MA in Somatic Counseling Psychology and BA in Neuroscience. She has presented at several conferences, including Stanford’s MedX and works with two national nonprofits, Vital Hearts Resiliency Training Initiative and the Project Athena Foundation.

Founded by Richard J. Davidson, PhD, this world-renowned research center, located within the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is dedicated to creating a world in which healthy qualities of mind flourish. A global leader in the emerging field of contemplative neuroscience, the Center conducts rigorous scientific study of healthy qualities of mind in pursuit of research findings that could help relieve human suffering and increase happiness.

MARC was created to bring to a renowned mental health research institution the ancient art of mindful awareness, in a scientifically supported and rigorous form.

The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University is striving to create a community of scholars and researchers who will advance our knowledge of the human capacity for compassion and altruism.

The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society works to integrate contemplative awareness into contemporary life in order to help create a more just, compassionate, reflective, and sustainable society.

The Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School has pioneered the integration of mindfulness meditation and other mindfulness-based approaches into mainstream medicine and healthcare.

The Garrison Institute is a not-for-profit, non-sectarian organization that explores the intersection of contemplation and engaged action in the world.

The Greater Good Science Center (GGSC) studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being, and teaches skills that foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society.