Life has taken me down many paths that make up the person I am today. Each twist and turn I am grateful for, for without them I would not be who I am in this moment. My practice has taught me that nothing is wasted and each moment in life is part of the story that makes up the uniqueness in each of us. Embracing my story, and all that has unfolded in my lifetime, has been most empowering and motivating.
Teacher Relations Manager
Since October of 2020, I am fortunate enough to be working for the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, supporting others on the same Teacher Training Pathway I took to become a Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher. It is quite amazing to support these teachers-in-training from all over the globe. I am also responsible for the organizing and implementation of the Live Online Teacher Trainings and Teacher Training Practicums that are offered via Zoom and in different languages. Working with these experienced MSC Teachers who teach the benefits of kindness, compassion and self-love, and watching it spread around the world during a time it is needed most, makes me feel incredibly grateful to be part of something that is changing the lives of so many people.
Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher and Meditation Leader
Currently, I am teaching the 8-Week Mindful Self-Compassion course at Ramapo College of New Jersey. I also am one of four Peer Leaders for the NY Insight NJ Sangha, leading meditations and offering Dharma readings once a month. My teaching and leading is based around three parts of my own mindfulness practice - Meditation, Self-Compassion, and Buddhist philosophy. Meditation allows us to learn to be with what is in the present moment without wishing it to be any different. Whether it be an experience, thought, emotion or feeling, we learn to react and respond with clarity and wisdom. Self-Compassion opens up the heart and the ability to treat oneself with the same kindness and care we would show a loved one or dear friend. We give ourselves permission to replace self-criticism with self-love. Buddhist philosophy teaches us that suffering is a part of being human, and that by changing our relationship to the pleasant and unpleasant moments in our lives, we can learn to work with and alleviate our suffering instead of pushing it away.
Adjunct Professor at Ramapo College of New Jersey
In addition to teaching MSC to the community at Ramapo College, I also teach MSC to students as an Adjunct Professor. I teach a 9-week Mindful Self-Compassion course in the fall and the spring semesters, that is part of the Contemplative Studies Minor. It is a great honor to support Ramapo students in getting to know themselves on a deeper level so they can move ahead on their journeys with motivation from clear insight, self-awareness and self-kindness, instead of self-critism.
Mindfulness Center Managing Director
From 2015 to 2019 I worked for Ramapo College of New Jersey, as the Managing Director of the Krame Center for Mindful Living. My staff and I supported three pillars - Community, Ramapo College and K-12 Educators. We offered wonderful mindfulness programs like Weekly Meditations, Half-Day Retreats, 8-Week MBSR courses, 8-Week MSC courses, a Lecture Series, programs for K-12 Educators and local businesses, and programs for Ramapo College students, staff and faculty. We partnered with outside organizations and renowned mindfulness centers like the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical School & the Mindfulness Center at Brown University, to offer 5-Day Silent Retreats, 9-Day MBSR Teacher Trainings and 5-Week Meditation Series. The Center grew rapidly to keep up with the demands of the mindfulness community. It was another demanding endeavor, but one that allowed me to utilize past experiences and helped me to develop into a more "mindful" Managing Director and team player. In addition, my practice deepened, I was introduced to Buddhist philosophy, and I found a desire to teach and share with others - all leading led me to the path I am on today.
Learning Center and Marketing Coordinator
When my son was in school full-time, I went back to work as the Learning Center & Marketing Coordinator for the Chambers Center for Well Being, an Integrative Medicine Center at Morristown Hospital in NJ. Our team grew a small Center into a state of the art Wellness Center, offering Acupuncture, Energy Work, Massage, Functional Medicine, Cooking Classes, Meditations, a Lecture Series, Yoga, 8-Week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Courses, and more. Another busy time for me, as a single full-time working mom, and daughter of an ailing parent. It was then that I began to explore the nourishment of my mind and embark on my journey into mindfulness and meditation.
Certified Holistic Health Coach
After the birth of my son in 2004, I took a respite from the working world to be a full-time mom. It was an absolute gift to be home with him, and something that was a deep core value for me. Those early years with him opened my eyes to the quality of food our family was eating. With a desire to live a healthier lifestyle, I enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in NYC and graduated ten months later with a certificate in Holistic Health Coaching. For the first time in my life, I felt I was living a healthy lifestyle and new how to properly nourish my body. I changed my unhealthy relationship with food and discovered my gluten and dairy intolerances. I began cooking and baking everything from scratch, and revamped family favorites to be gluten & dairy free. We switched to organic "whole" foods, added more greens & whole grains, and removed overly processed products. I shared my journey and knowledge with family, friends and clients, supporting them on their own healthy lifestyle journeys. It was an amazing time of learning, self-exploration, and sharing of my journey with others.
Creative Studio Manager
I graduated from Villanova University with a degree in Economics in 1992. I worked in the Environmental Industry and then on Wall Street in the Financial Industry. While on Wall Street, I designed a brochure for the company I was working for, and soon found myself taking graphic design classes, teaching design software, and working as a Freelance Graphic Artist around Manhattan. I moved to Boston and worked full-time as a Senior Graphic Production Artist for an advertising agency, Bronner Slosberg Humphrey (BSH). A few years later, I returned to Manhattan as the Creative Studio Manager for BSH (now Digitas), helping them open their New York City office. It was a fast-paced time, working in NYC and growing our small Studio of five to thirty five employees and freelancers over the next four years. Looking back, it was a time when my staff and I could have benefitted from a mindfulness practice.
Education and Training
Villanova University Bachelor of Science in Economics
Institute for Integrative Nutrition Certified Holistic Health Coach
Center for Mindfulness UMass Part 1 of MBSR Teacher Training
Center for Mindful Self-Compassion Trained Mindful Self-Compassion Instructor
