We are partnering with UCSD Center for Mindfulness to offer SIY in San Diego, CA. Register today!

Our Team

We aim to embody the benefits of a well-balanced mind and are dedicated to helping individuals and organizations sustain peak professional performance with ease, kindness and compassion. Our teachers have rich and diverse backgrounds that include coaching senior executives at Fortune 100 companies, working in the world’s top neuroscience labs and holding prominent executive positions in leading companies.

Our staff, board and teachers all share a personal commitment to practice what we teach.

Board of Directors
Carolina Lasso

Carolina Lasso

Author, Entrepreneur
Carolina Lasso is the author of bestseller The Path to Flourishing, and the founder of the personal development platform, Plenari. 
Caro Hart

Caro Hart

Chair of the Board
Chelsa Bocci

Chelsa Bocci

Personal Development Coach, Co-founder of Kiva.org
Dr. Cathy-Mae Karelse

Dr. Cathy-Mae Karelse

Author, Scholar-practitioner, Facilitator and Public Speaker
Ellie-Tumbuan

Ellie Tumbuan

Officer, Organizational Strategy
An organizational strategy and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) specialist with a 20-year career in management consulting, leadership and program development, communications, and open data and civic technology.
Lindsey Kugel

Lindsey Kugel

Executive Director, SIYLI
​Lindsey has held founding roles in several mission-driven startups and nonprofits.
Lori Schwanbeck

Lori Schwanbeck

LMFT, Trauma-Informed Psychotherapist, Mindfulness Teacher, and Curriculum Designer
Michelle Maldonado

Michelle Maldonado

Former tech attorney, leadership development consultant/coach/trainer, mindfulness teacher and practitioner with more than 40 years of personal contemplative practice. State legislator and social change activist.
Advisory Board
Tim Ream

Tim Ream

Environmental Activist and Mindfulness Champion
Tim Ream is a long-time Earth activist and Zen practitioner and teacher.
Jenée Johnson

Jenée Johnson

Mindfulness, Public Health and Racial Healing Innovator.
Science Advisory Board
We are delighted to announce that we are working with a science advisory board in order to maintain rigorous scientific integrity in SIYLI programming. We are grateful to our partners, including the Jha Lab at University of Miami, for their input and expertise.
Dr. Ekaterina Denkova

Dr. Ekaterina Denkova

Dr. Ekaterina Denkova
Dr. Denkova serves as the Assistant Director of the Neuroimaging Facility and Assistant Director of Research for the UMindfulness Initiative.
Amishi Jha

Amishi Jha

Professor of Psychology
Dr. Steven Laureys

Dr. Steven Laureys

Neurologist, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Neuroplasticity, FNRS Research Director, Editor-In-Chief Brain Connectivity, Author & Speaker
Dr. Judson Brewer

Dr. Judson Brewer

As a psychiatrist and internationally known expert in mindfulness training for treating addictions, Dr. Jud has developed and tested novel mindfulness programs for habit change.
Dr. Heather Berlin

Heather Berlin, PhD, MPH

Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

We are proud to showcase a team of talented individuals who have completed our yearlong teacher training program and are certified to teach the SIY program.

Find an SIY Certified Teacher near you
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Lindsey Kugel

Lindsey Kugel

Executive Director
​Lindsey has held founding roles in several mission-driven startups and nonprofits.
Auri Whitaker-Jimenez (1)

Auri Whitaker-Jimenez

Manager of Marketing, Voice & Culture
Auri has worked in the social & non-profit sector for 11 years. She's SIY-certified; teaches to liberate, leads with compassion, shares stories to inspire meaningful change.
Cherry Mangat

Cherry Mangat

Senior Program Manager
Cherry has depth of experience in both private and mission-driven B2B and B2C organizations.
Malene Bell

Malene Bell

Program Manager
In her roles as a facilitator, coach, systems designer, and leader, Malene is driven by the mantra, "transform yourself to transform your world.” 
Chade-Meng Tan

Chade-Meng Tan

Bestselling author and philanthropist.
Marc Lesser

Marc Lesser

Author, speaker, facilitator, executive coach and Zen teacher
Philippe Goldin

Philippe Goldin

Professor of Neuroscience, researcher in cognitive-affective and contemplative neuroscience, health psychology and behavioral science.