Meet our teachers and staff members!

Ampudia, Mariana

Mariana Ampudia

Youth Program Teacher

Mariana is a certified Mindfulness Instructor for kids and teens. She took a mentoring and certification training program at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness. She also completed an intensive teacher training in the Mindfulness in Schools Education Project (MiSP - .b program), a program launched in the UK, having obtained a certification to teach this dynamic, classroom-based program to middle and high school students. She is currently working to become certified to teach the Making Friends with Yourself Program, which is a Self-Compassion curriculum for teens based on the ideas and research of Kristen Neff and Christopher Germer taught at the Center for Self-Compassion. Since 2015, she has been working with the Youth and Family Programs Division at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness. At this time, Mariana provides support in Mindful and Compassionate Parenting Workshops and will start offering training on this to parents in Mexico. Mariana strongly believes in the power of Mindfulness. This has inspired her to concentrate her studies on helping children and teens develop self-regulation, resilience and social-emotional skills that they can use for the rest of their lives. Her passion for teaching children and teens has inspired her to pursue further training in the Little Flower Yoga Program. This also motivated her to start a Stress Reduction Program where she applies her knowledge to teach in economically underdeveloped areas in Oaxaca, Mexico, where she has been teaching a multiage group of teens and pre-teens. Mariana is a multicultural woman. She spent eight years living in Europe. This has helped her better understand how different societies work. Her native language is Spanish and also speaks English, French and German. She spends her free time traveling and producing wine at her vineyards in Ensenada, Mexico with her husband.

Atala-Doocy, Lisette

Lisette Atala-Doocy

Certified MBSR Teacher

Lisette Atala-Doocy is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Instructor who also holds a Certification from The Mindfulness in Schools Education Project, a program originally from the UK. Furthermore, she received a Certificate of Attendance from the Omega Institute on Radical Acceptance: Pathway of Emotional Healing & Spiritual Freedom led by Tara Brach. She is Co-Founder of the Bilingual Center for Mindfulness, which promotes mindfulness courses in Spanish and English.

Lisette's strong conviction about the benefits and power of mindfulness practice has inspired her to passionately promote these techniques within our community. She has been teaching MBSR, Mindful Yoga and Mindful Living in Spanish and English for several years in the San Diego – Baja California regions. The mindfulness programs she has led in various institutions include the School of Medicine, Baja California State University and a Scripps Clinic women's group. She has been spearheading a Mindful-Living group for more than six years. In addition to having practiced meditation for over 23 years, Lisette has also studied classical music and linguistics while making significant contributions to the San Diego art world over the course of many years.

Becker, Michelle, MA, LMFT

Michelle Becker, MA, LMFT

MSC Teacher Trainer
Compassion for Couples Teacher

Michelle is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, the developer of the Compassion for Couples program, and the founder of Wise Compassion- a company specializing in teaching compassion in various relational contexts. She is a teacher trainer, mentor and co-founder of the Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher Training, as well as a senior teacher of Compassion Cultivation Training, certified Daring Way Facilitator and a Senior Trainer at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness. She teaches and speaks on the topics of compassion internationally. You can listen to her podcast: Well Connected Relationships wherever you like to listen to podcasts or on her website. Her book Compassion for Couples: Building the Skills of Loving Connection is due out February 2023. For more information please visit her website: WiseCompassion.com.

Bhatti, Tahir, MD

Tahir Bhatti, MD

Wellness Physician

Tahir Bhatti, MD has been a faculty member at the UC San Diego School of Medicine since 1997, working both in the Department of Medicine and Department of Psychiatry as an Associate Clinical Professor. He is currently a Wellness Physician providing meditation instruction and Life Coaching through the UC San Diego Concierge Medicine, UC San Diego Executive Health & Wellness, UC San Diego Center for Wellness, and UC San Diego (Dean Ornish) Cardiac Rehabilitation & Wellness programs. He obtained his undergraduate degree at Brown University, completed his medical training at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, began his residency training in psychiatry at Rush Medical Center in Chicago and then completed his residency and a clinical research fellowship at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. He became a meditation practitioner in the early 1990's to cope with some stress related health issues. He worked with t'ai chi, qigong, yoga, mindfulness and other forms of sitting meditations. His dramatic improvement with meditation led him to conduct studies on Complementary & Alternative Medicine during his Clinical Research Fellowship. He was awarded one of the first Fellowships to Explore Alternative Therapies in the UCSD School of Medicine. He studied the effect of t'ai chi in patients with chronic low back pain, stress and anxiety. His current clinical work at UC San Diego is focused on teaching the principles and practice of meditation to inspire and empower his patients to claim their optimal health while embracing their most loving and authentic self.

Cullen, Margaret

Margaret Cullen

Certified MBSR Teacher
MBEB Teacher

Margaret Cullen is a licensed psychotherapist and was one of the first ten people to become a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher.  For over 20 years, she has pioneered secular contemplative programs for a wide variety of populations including physicians, nurses, HIV positive men, cancer patients, overweight women, military spouses college students, clinicians and educators.  She has developed and taught contemplative interventions for research studies at Stanford, UCSF, Portland State, Penn State, University of Michigan, and University of Miami.  In 2013, she developed a mindfulness and compassion program (MBAT - Spouse) for military spouses that she piloted at Ft. Drum, Maxwell Air Force Base, and Joint Operations Special Command.  In 2015, she co-authored a book on Mindfulness-Based Emotional Balance (MBEB), an evidence-based program that she piloted across the US and Canada.  She has also designed and co-delivered teacher trainings for both MBAT-Spouse and MBEB.

As a clinician, Margaret has been a facilitator of support groups for cancer patients and their loved ones for 25 years.  In 2010, she was invited by Thupten Jinpa to contribute to the development of the Compassion Cultivation Training, first through the Center for Compassion, Altruism, Research and Education at the Stanford School of Medicine and currently as Founding Faculty for the Compassion Institute.  A meditator for over 35 years, she has sat dozens of intensive retreats ranging from ten days to three months and has written extensively on mindfulness. Nothing brings her greater joy than contributing to a more compassionate world.

Davis, Helen, PhD, LMFT

Helen Davis, PhD, LMFT

Certified MBSR Teacher

Helen E. Davis, PhD, LMFT. is a licensed psychotherapist in group practice in Rancho Bernardo. Helen began her journey in meditation over 30 years ago. It transitioned to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in 2013 when she took the 8-week MBSR class at UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. She has completed the MBSR Teacher Training Intensive under the direction of Susan Woods, LICSW and Char Wilkins, LCSW and attended the Advance Teacher Training facilitated by Dr. Steven Hickman and Beth Mulligan, PA-C.

Helen teaches mindfulness programs in her group practice and has incorporated mindfulness-based treatment for anxiety, emotion regulation, depression, trauma and self-esteem into her practice where she has worked as a therapist for over 23 years. Helen's intent and passion is to offer MBSR and mindfulness to help individuals with emotional and physical pain find greater peace, contentment and wellness. Helen is married to a wonderful man and they have one beautiful daughter.

Dhamija, Anish, MD, MS

Anish Dhamija, MD, MS

Trained MSC Teacher

Dr. Anish Dhamija is a full-time psychiatrist and family medicine practitioner in San Diego County. He has been practicing mindfulness-based methods since 2010. With a passion for educating others regardless of background, he has had experience teaching mindfulness and self-compassion courses to a wide range of folks, from the unhoused to physician trainees. He has found the skills learned from these classes to significantly enhance his own life, and he is eager to share them so others may hopefully have the same benefits as well. His philosophy as a teacher is to be approachable and be realistic with the busyness of life, so one could more naturally integrate these teachings into one's routine.

Anish lives in Poway with his wife and a young son, and enjoys outdoors, woodworking, and soulful music.

Anish looks forward to hopefully connecting with you in class soon!

Becker, Michelle, MA, LMFT

Michelle Becker, MA, LMFT

MSC Teacher Trainer
Compassion for Couples Teacher

Michelle is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, the developer of the Compassion for Couples program, and the founder of Wise Compassion- a company specializing in teaching compassion in various relational contexts. She is a teacher trainer, mentor and co-founder of the Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher Training, as well as a senior teacher of Compassion Cultivation Training, certified Daring Way Facilitator and a Senior Trainer at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness. She teaches and speaks on the topics of compassion internationally. You can listen to her podcast: Well Connected Relationships wherever you like to listen to podcasts or on her website. Her book Compassion for Couples: Building the Skills of Loving Connection is due out February 2023. For more information please visit her website: WiseCompassion.com.

Falcon, Corrie

Corrie Falcon

Certified mPEAK Coach

After a decorated career as a world class swimmer, Corrie was first exposed to mindfulness on a yoga retreat in 2002.  A certified yoga instructor and the former Head Swimming Coach at the University of California, San Diego, Corrie incorporated mindfulness concepts into her athletes mental training routines.  Now as a certified mPEAK (Mindfulness Performance, Enhancement, Awareness & Knowledge) Coach, Corrie works with athletes and teams to increase their performance through the power of present moment awareness.  Corrie lives with her husband and 2 young children in Solana Beach, CA.

Glaser-Reich, Joseph, MAPP

Joseph Glaser-Reich, MAPP

Certified mPEAK Coach and Research Coordinator

Joe Glaser-Reich serves as a rotary wing search and rescue professional and rescue swimmer in the federal government. He practices, coaches, and teaches mindfulness as a way of being that supports both high performance and sustainable well-being. Joe is a certified mPEAK (Mindful Performance Enhancement Awareness & Knowledge) coach and an Assistant Instructor in the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology Program where he earned his master’s degree in 2018. He regularly works with high performers to integrate mindfulness, positive psychology, and performance psychology to enhance performance and resilience. Joe also has extensive experience integrating mindfulness at an organizational level having co-led a mindfulness pilot project designed to advance wellness, resilience, and performance across multiple federal agencies. Prior to his current roles, Joe sailed on an ice breaking buoy tender for a year and taught English in Thailand on a Fulbright Scholarship. In his free time, Joe enjoys meditating, hiking with his wife and dog, reading a print newspaper, writing, hanging out on a surfboard with his wife (his dog doesn’t swim too well), and occasionally catching a good wave.

Harth, Noriko Morita

Noriko Morita Harth

Director of Training, UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness
Certified MBSR Teacher
Certified MSC Teacher

Noriko Morita Harth is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Instructor, Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Instructor and the Director of Training at the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. Noriko has been teaching MBSR and MSC since 2014. She also offers mentorships for MBSR and MSC teachers, MBSR Teacher Training programs, and practicum at the Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute at the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. 

Born in Japan, she moved to the States in 1985. Noriko feels that her life transforming journey of discovering and exploring mindfulness practices has allowed a more balanced life and identity between these two cultures. Noriko strongly believes practicing mindfulness and compassion, and bringing its principles into her life has and continues to help her grow as a person. She feels passionate about bringing these practices to other people's lives. It is her mission to share what she has learned, what she continues to learn to our community. In addition, Noriko sees an opportunity, based on her own integration experiences, to introduce mindfulness & compassion programs to the Japanese community.

カリフォルニア大学サンディエゴ校マインドフルネス・センターで、トレーニング・プログラム・ディレクターとして働くと同時に、マインドフルネス・ストレス低減法プログラム(MBSR)とマインドフル・セルフ・コンパッション・プログラム（MSC)を担当しています。マインドフルネスとセルフ・コンパッションを紹介することを目的に、様々な分野の方々と協力しながら、日本語でのワークショップも開催しています。

Hobbs, Lorraine Duran, MA, CHOM

Lorraine Duran Hobbs, MA, CHOM

Youth, Family & Education Programs Founding Director
Certified MBSR Teacher
Certified MSC Teacher

Lorraine M. Hobbs is the Founding Director of the Youth, Family & Education Programs at the University of California, San Diego Center for Mindfulness. During her tenure at the Center, she has developed and implemented curricula in mindfulness for multiple age groups and a course in Mindful & Compassionate in Parenting.  As a family therapist and former clinical director of adolescent treatment programs, her concern for the adverse effects of stress on the social and emotional development of teens led to pioneering work in the area of self-compassion for teens. She is co-author of Making Friends with Yourself: A Mindful Self-Compassion Program for Teens & Young Adults, adapted from the adult Mindful Self-Compassion Program and endorsed by Kristen Neff, Ph.D. & Chris Germer, Ph.D. She is certified to teach MBSR (Mindfulness Based-Stress Reduction), MSC (Mindful Self-Compassion), and CCARE (Compassion Cultivation, Altruism, Research & Education), a year-long training program created by clinical psychologists and contemplative scholars at Stanford University. Lorraine is co-director of the Mindfulness for Adolescents Certification Program. She also consults with educators on integrating mindfulness and compassion-based programs in schools and offers workshops & public talks in the community.

Jordan, Shannon, MA

Shannon Jordan, MA

Director of Programs and Operations
Certified MBSR Teacher

Shannon has spent 30 years helping people thrive in their personal and professional lives. She specializes in translating the science underlying mindfulness, wellbeing and human flourishing into insightful, interactive learning experiences for employees, leaders, teams and organizations. Shannon has designed and delivered global programs for Fortune 100s such as Cisco, Discover, IKEA, Amgen, Accenture, Unilever, Bloomberg, Marriott, Deutsche Telekom, Guardant Health, Philips, Verizon, Siemens, and The Nature Conservancy through her work with the Potential Project. Working closely with client companies has provided her an upfront view of stress in our modern workplaces and the positive effects empirically based mindfulness interventions can have on performance, change resilience, innovation, and inclusive cultures. Her work is informed by her years in learning & development, career counseling, university administration, executive coaching, talent management, leadership development, and academic teaching.

Shannon holds a B.A. in Business and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology, is a Board Certified Coach, and a National Certified Counselor. She is a certified MBSR teacher who integrates nature and environmental awareness into her facilitation. As someone who cares deeply about the health of our planet, people, and ecosystems, Shannon is currently pursuing certification as a Mindfulness Based Sustainable Transformation teacher through the Inner Green Deal. She was one of the first to be certified as a Search Inside Yourself teacher (the mindfulness and emotional intelligence program originated at Google) and successfully ran several SIY and MBSR programs for employees at Qualcomm. Shannon has taught mindful leadership for UCSD Rady School of Management Executive Programs and served as a on the evening faculty at USD School of Leadership and Education Sciences where she taught the psychology of work, counseling theory, life span development, and career assessment to graduate students.

Although she’s had a meditation practice for 20 years, Shannon only began teaching after a rare and life-threatening skin cancer diagnosis in 2014. Shortly after that she left the corporate world to share the transformative practices of mindfulness and compassion on a broader scale. She is active with the North County Insight San Diego sitting group, has a dedicated yoga and Qi Gong practice, and lives in Solana Beach. In her spare time she can be found hiking, biking, cheering on her daughter (a college swimmer), walking her dog on the beach, or off the grid at a nature retreat.

Kim, Helen Hyun-Chung

Helen Hyun-Chung Kim

Qualified MBSR Teacher
Qualified MBCT Teacher

Helen Hyun-Chung Kim is a Qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy teacher. In her previous life she was a board certified psychiatrist in Korea for 15 years, working for underserved communities. During this time she witnessed suffering in the lives of her patients and felt a strong pull towards the field of mindfulness and self-compassion as a way to heal and alleviate suffering. 

With the guidance of the founding director, Dr. Steve Hickman, Helen was able to join the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. At the center, Helen learned various Mindfulness-Based programs from many great teachers. In their teachings she discovered a rich, grounding foundation for her life, filled with awareness, acceptance, ease, and compassion. On her journey of self-discovery and healing, she is witnessing, over and over, her growth and transformation as a human being. Helen is committed to sharing what she has learned with others who may be on their own journey of self-discovery and healing. 

Kirchmer, Peter

Peter Kirchmer

mPEAK Program Director/Trainer
Certified mPEAK Coach
MBSR Teacher

Pete Kirchmer is a Life Coach, Mindful Movement Instructor and Meditation Teacher in Encinitas, CA. As the founder of Mindfulness Based Health, he specializes in helping his clients apply the practice of mindfulness to making healthy lifestyle changes as well as improving performance in both work and life. Pete has completed the foundational training as a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher through the University of Massachusetts Oasis Institute, holds a BS in Exercise Physiology, and is a Certified Professional Life Coach through the Coaches Training institute, Center for Applied Positive Psychology and Wellcoaches. Pete is also a Master Trainer for efi Sports Medicine and certified STOTT Pilates Instructor. He is a lifetime learner and an active member of the International Coach Federation and the Harvard Institute of Coaching. Currently Pete has a private coaching practice in Encinitas, is a regular presenter at Rancho La Puerta, a world-class wellness resort in Tecate, Mexico and is on the board of directors for the Encinitas Mindfulness Community.

LeardMann, Lucas

Lucas LeardMann

Certified MBSR Teacher

Lucas attended his first meditation retreat in 2002 and has been cultivating a mindfulness practice ever since. He has a teaching credential and has been a teacher, trainer, and group facilitator for many years. For Lucas, mindfulness has been integral to learning new ways of relating to the inevitable stresses of teaching, work, parenting, and daily life, as well living life with more presence, connection, and ease. With two kids at home, he explores daily how mindfulness and compassion inform his role as father and husband. Lucas has found a calling in the work of sharing mindfulness with others. He feels especially passionate about providing ongoing support to those who've completed courses at the center or are beginning to explore, and wish to deepen the practice in their daily lives. 

Lewis, Renée

Renée Lewis

Youth, Family & Education Programs Acting Director
Certified MBSR Teacher

Renée is the Acting Director of the Youth, Family & School-Based Programs at UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. With education as her background, Renee is very interested in mindfulness for teens and adults alike. In 2013, Renée was hired as the Administrative Coordinator for the Center for Mindfulness. At this same time is when Renée attended her first MBSR class. Since then she has been practicing daily and has developed a passion for teaching mindfulness. She attended the MBSR Teacher Training in 2015 and since then has been sharing mindfulness with women's groups, teens, and various health centers including Moore's Cancer center.

Miller, Jennifer, PsyD

Jennifer A. Miller, PsyD

Certified MBSR Teacher

Dr. Jennifer Miller is a Senior Meditation Teacher at the Center, a licensed Clinical Psychologist—PSY17908, and a Public Education Specialist (PES) in the Department of Anesthesiology. She began her mindfulness training in 2010 with Dr. Steve Hickman, Founder of the Center for Mindfulness at UC San Diego. Dr. Miller is certified to teach Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and is trained to offer Mindful Self-Compassion and Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention courses. In early 2024, Dr. Miller began offering a ground-breaking 8-week Mindful Preparation and Integration of Psychedelic Interventions course at the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. As a PES, Dr. Miller is a Senior Meditation guide for various research projects studying the power of mindfulness to alleviate pain and suffering. When not serving at the Center, Dr. Miller is actively running Mindsmith, A Psychological Professional Corporation–a clinical practice specializing in mindful psychology; offering mindfulness-based interventions for depression, anxiety, and stress disorders. Dr. Miller is also the founder of Mindful Monday, a free, drop-in, weekly virtual meditation practice group. The joys of her life are her husband, to whom she’s been married for over 30 years, and her two young adult children. Practicing mindfulness has been and continues to be a daily blessing in this full life.​

Poe, Burrell

Burrell Poe

CCT Teacher

Burrell Poe is a U.S. Army Veteran from the West Side of Chicago. Burrell is very passionate about social and environmental justice and dedicates his time to furthering solutions for these issues. Burrell is on the Board of Compassion It and the Anthropocene Alliance. Burrell works as the Director of the Chicago Peace Fellows at the Goldin Institute. Burrell is working with the Goldin Institute Global Associates in Colombia and Uganda to refine a new curriculum on the themes of peacebuilding and tools for forgiveness, compassion and reconciliation.

Potiker, Julie

Julie Potiker

Certified MSC Teacher

Julie Potiker is a mindfulness expert who helps others bring more peace and wellness into their lives through her Mindful Methods for Life program offerings, where Julie combines various trainings into courses and workshops.

Julie is a Certified Mindful Self-Compassion teacher and founder of the Balanced Mind Meditation Center in La Jolla, California. She began her in-depth study of mindfulness after graduating from the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of California, San Diego. She was trained by Kristin Neff, Christopher Germer, and UCSD as a Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher in 2014. She studied with Rick Hanson, becoming a graduate of his Positive Neuroplasticity Training Professional Course.

Julie is a graduate of David Treleaven’s Advanced Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness Course, and a teacher of the Mindful Self-Compassion Adaptation for Healthcare Communities and the Mindful Self-Compassion short course. She is a Certified Grief Educator for peer-to-peer and group facilitation through David Kessler’s Grief Educator Certification.

Julie's first book, “Life Falls Apart, but You Don’t Have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos" is now available in paperback on Amazon and on audiobook. Her new Book, “SNAP! From Chaos to Calm” teaches a system for people to manage their nervous system – to calm down and then change the channel on their mood - easing their mind, body and spirit, and, by extension, helping those around them. “SNAP!” is available wherever books are sold. Her wish is for all beings to live with less suffering and more peace of mind.

Her work has been featured by The Oprah Magazine, Costco Connection, AARP, AP News, NBC, CBS, Fox, The CW, and many more. She holds a B.G.S. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from George Washington University.

Prager, Megan, MA

Megan Prager, MA

Compassion Programs Director
University Liaison
Certified MBSR Teacher
Certified MSC Teacher

Megan Prager is the Compassion Programs Director at UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness and Co-Founder of Mindful Labs . Megan is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Instructor (MBSR), a Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Instructor (MSC), a Certified Compassion Cultivation Instructor (CCT), an Adjunct Faculty member at San Diego State University, and a Lecturer at UC San Diego Rady Business School. She is also a Teacher Trainer and Mentor for the UC San Diego Mindfulness Based Professional Training Institute and for the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. In addition to teaching Mindfulness-based programs, Megan specializes in developing and delivering mindfulness and compassion trainings for Fortune 500 companies as well as for educational, healthcare, and academic settings. She is currently collaborating with Universities to establish and instruct Mindfulness and Compassion courses at the collegiate level. In all her ventures, Megan's passion and mission are the same: to empower individuals with an understanding of the important role they play in shaping their lives and well being. Megan believes through compassionate awareness individuals are able to utilize one of the best resources they have: themselves.

Rana, Deborah, MD

Deborah Rana, MD

Certified MBSR Teacher
Certified MSC Teacher

Dr. Deborah Rana is a board-certified Pediatrician and an HS Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine & Public Health. Dr. Rana received her MD from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and completed her residency in Pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Prior to moving to UCSD, she was an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School where she completed her fellowship in Medical Education. Dr. Rana is also a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher. She joined the Center for Mindfulness in 2010 where she currently teaches MBSR and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC). Dr. Rana has presented many national workshops for faculty physicians on resilience and well-being applying the tools of mindfulness and self-compassion to clinical medicine. She also co-authored a national on-line curriculum developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics on resilience for residents, fellows, and faculty . Dr. Rana continues to see patients at San Ysidro Health, whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of underserved communities.

Schairer, Sara

Sara Schairer

Compassion Cultivation Training Teacher

Sara Schairer is the founder and executive director of Compassion It®, a nonprofit organization and global social movement whose mission is to inspire daily compassionate actions and attitudes. She created the one-of-a-kind reversible Compassion It® wristband that inspires compassion on six continents, 50+ countries and all 50 US states.

​Sara develops and leads experiential workshops on burnout prevention, implicit bias, mindfulness, and compassion. A senior facilitator of Compassion Cultivation Training® (CCT) course developed at Stanford, Sara has led courses at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness, Kaiser Permanente, the Naval Medical Center, Donovan Prison, and Las Colinas Women's Detention and Reentry Facility. She also facilitated trainings in Africa sponsored by the Botswana Ministries of Health and Education.

​Sara is contributing author to the book The Neuroscience of Learning and Development: Enhancing Creativity, Compassion, Critical Thinking and Peace in Education and guest blogs for the Chopra Center for Wellbeing. Her most rewarding and challenging role is being the mother of 12-year-old Hannah.

Shah, Cheryl

 

Cheryl Shah

Workplace Program Co-Director
Certified MBSR Teacher
Certified MSC Teacher

Cheryl has 20+ years of Finance corporate experience, in leadership roles, working in a high demanding career while raising two daughters. The daily stress she faced, led her to the conclusion that there must be a better way to live and work. She has seen firsthand the negative impacts of long work hours, stress and pressure on individuals and the resulting emotional and mental pain suffered in the workplace. Her extensive work experience informs her teaching, makes her an accessible and compassionate teacher, and helps her translate mindfulness and compassion into a language that is relevant and applicable to corporate life.

Cheryl first discovered meditation in college when her wandering mind caused difficulties with her studies. She learned about mindfulness when she discovered Mindful Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in 2005. In 2010, realizing how self-critical and judgmental she was with herself and others, she then began to explore mindfulness more purposefully, taking the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program. Cheryl subsequently attended an intensive 10-day silent Vipassana retreat at the Southern California Vipassana Center in Joshua Tree in 2013, and continues retreat practice every year.

Cheryl embodies mindfulness and self-compassion, with a solid daily mindfulness practice, but more importantly, these practices have given her the ability to take the “Pause” in life to respond with more intention, to help support herself and others with a compassionate and wise response.

Cheryl has decided to end her Finance career in Corporate America and start Simply Pause to support others in this great adventure of life, to change peoples’ relationship to stress and attend to themselves and others with wise compassion.

Previous employers include NRG, Sprint, CareFusion and Jack-in-the-Box, UpWind Solutions (Vestas, Wind Turbines), Pacira Pharmaceuticals and UC San Diego, Housing/Dining/Hospitality.

Cheryl lives with her husband in San Diego, CA and they have two beautiful adult daughters. She enjoys playing tennis, traveling, hiking & spending time with friends & family.

Vieten, Cassandra, PhD

Vieten, Cassandra, PhD

Executive Director

Cassandra Vieten is a licensed clinical psychologist and mind-body medicine researcher. She is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at UC San Diego, and the Director of the Center for Mindfulness at the Centers for Integrative Health. She is also Director of Research at the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination, and Psychology Director at the Center for Psychedelic Research. Her research has focused on development and pilot testing of mindfulness-based interventions for substance dependence, obesity, mood disorders, improving psychological well-being, and increasing prosocial emotions and behaviors. This interest extended to developing and testing mindfulness-based approaches to prevention of postpartum depression in pregnant women, as well as "MAMAS" - a mindful eating and stress reduction intervention for overweight/obese low-income inner-city pregnant women, which showed not only reductions in stress for pregnant women, but also beneficial outcomes for their children, from immediately to 8 years postpartum.

She has also been a leader in establishing empirically based competencies for mental health professionals in the area of spiritual and religious diversity, including currently serving as co-chair of the American Psychological Association Division 36 Task Force on developing practice guidelines in this area. Her recent research has focused on the development of virtual reality interventions to foster prosocial emotions such as empathy, compassion and awe. She has authored three books, including Mindful Motherhood: Practical Tools for Staying Sane During Pregnancy and Your Child’s First Year and Spiritual and Religious Competencies for Psychologists and Mental Health Professionals. She has published numerous articles in scientific journals and is an internationally recognized keynote speaker and workshop leader.