OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
and MBSR INSTRUCTORS
Barbora Kostrunkova
Yoga and Certified MBSR (L2) Instructor, President, and Founder
There was a point when I felt lost in today’s never resting, fast world and I sought for alternatives. My journey to living slower and closer to myself has begun - and thanks to IM’s MBSR course I discovered the key importance of awareness in daily life. I feel grateful being part of Imagine Mindfulness and sharing the positive experience with new people, helping them be happier in their lives.
Nancy Barich
Yoga and MBSR Instructor, and Treasurer
​
I learned Transcendental Meditation in 2016. In 2020, I completed a Mindful Self-Compassion Course and a Palouse Mindfulness class. In 2021, I took my first Imagine Mindfulness course and began my journey in learning Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. Initially, I was involved in the Instructor Development Program and was an inaugural member of the teacher training program in 2021 and have been training ever since.
Merel De Boer
Senior Director of Instructor Development Program, Certified MBSR Instructor (L3), Secretary, and Founder
When I was in my late 20s, working as a social psychologist, training companies, and living live as was expected to be seen as ‘successful’, I realized this was not MY life. Mindfulness has given me the insights to learn about myself, to truly listen to and trust myself and plot my own path. I enjoy teaching MBSR and in doing so helping others navigate their own personal journey to learn about themselves.
Shishir Arya
Director of the Instructor Development Program, Certified Mindfulness Instructor, Board Member, and Founder
An engineer turned MBA turned consultant, I was perhaps doing well on most metrics except one - happiness. And so I quit, to search for answers. I was fortunate to stumble upon mindfulness - a scientific bridge that helped me unlock a deeper meaning to life. Serving the world through spreading mindfulness unconditionally, especially in the education space, is something that helps me realize my own happiness.
Summer Meyer
Executive Director, MBSR Instructor, and Founder
While working in the sustainability field, I realized that change will only be possible with increased awareness of self and the world around us. Coming back to my roots in counseling psychology, I co-founded Imagine because MBSR’s groundedness offers both a professional and a personal framework to develop this much needed skill. I’m passionate about inspiring people to become and embrace their very best self.
OUR OTHER MBSR INSTRUCTORS
Kristin Stein
MBSR Instructor with Imagine and Mindfulness Teacher (Centre for Mindfulness, Canada)
(Heart is link to webpage about Kristin)
The very first time I sat in meditation was in 1997 while in graduate school. Since then, I have studied and practiced different traditions, approaches, and teachings. While teaching formal mindful practices is a more recent professional development, I have been designing, developing, and delivering educational courses and programming for over twenty years, across a diverse spectrum of audiences and learning platforms.
Smiksha Babbar
MBSR Co- Instructor
My mindfulness journey began in 2016, from a strong urge to help myself face life’s stressors. My educational background of dentistry and public health sowed seeds of prevention in me which led me to find ways to combat stress at initial stages. After attending two 10-day silent retreats and getting an immersive mindfulness experience, I developed an interest in sharing my mindfulness learnings with others and since then I’ve been part of Imagine’s team.
Pamela Nicholas-Hoff, PhD
MBSR Co- Instructor and Educator and researcher at the University of Virginia
My research focuses on the effect of mindful awareness practices (MAPs) and compassion-based practices on educators. When given the autonomy to create a health and physical education curriculum for my alternative middle school students, I included elements of social and emotional learning (SEL). After engaging in SEL lessons and MAPs, students experienced short- and long-term positive outcomes. This reinforced my belief that engaging in MAPs could be life-changing. I joined Imagine because their core philosophy aligns with one of my own: that MBSR should be accessible to and affordable for all.
Richa Kumar
MBSR Co- Instructor, Yoga Instructor, Nutritional and Personal Coach
I thought I had all aspects of life covered but a difficult transition to a new phase in my life completely threw me off balance and that’s when I found Imagine. Mindfulness gave me the tools and techniques to meet challenges, be more present for myself and for people around me and most importantly helped me be kinder to myself. Sharing these tools with as many people as I can from diverse backgrounds and cultures is my way of giving back; my gratitude for this gift of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program. I am honored to be a part of Imagine’s diverse and supportive community.
OUR MSC INSTRUCTORS (Mindful Self Compassion)
Jon Walker
Certified MSC Instructor at Modestly Mindful and with Imagine.
As a physician, I found the practices of mindfulness and self-compassion to be invaluable for working with stress and burnout. But they also showed me how my old habits of mind would get in the way of leading a fulfilling and meaningful life. These practices provide us with ways to free ourselves from those habits, and that benefits us on an individual level and spreads out to the world at large. So I am very grateful to be part of this teaching community!
Ela Compton
Mindfulness and Certified MSC Instructor
I’ve been practicing Zen meditation and Yoga for decades but it was Self-Compassion that saved me in crisis and caregiver burnout. It fueled my passion for empathic resonance and human interaction. I created ParentsPause and Meditation Playdate, to support parents of young children and children with special needs. I also designed a mobile app with minute meditations for busy parents. The effectiveness of my ParentsPause program has been verified in a University of California (Los Angeles) study. I completed the Advanced Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness training. I believe that taking care of ourselves can be the best thing to do for others.
OUR ADVISORY BOARD
Pat Owen
Chair of the Advisory Board and Qigong Instructor
I serve on Imagine's Advisory Board as an Imagine alumna. I am also a Spring Forest Qigong instructor. Spring Forest Qigong was created by Master Chunyi Lin, an international Qigong Master from China. This form of Qigong is designed to be very simple to learn and practice, yet very powerful in its benefits. This practice is one of breathing, focusing your mind, doing very simple body movements, and meditating.
Vanessa Hood
Yoga Instructor, Wilderness and Mindfulness Guide
My approach to people is rooted in kindness and understanding. Metal and ceramic both serve as artistic outlets. I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2012, I underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2013 and that experience led me to finding new purpose and growth with my life. In my survivorship I found a young adult cancer non-profit, True North Treks. I was offered the position to guide as a meditation leader and jumped at the chance.
OUR Wonderful ALUMNI VOLUNTEERS
Kathleen Warren
Executive Assistant to the Director
As a nature-inspired textile collage artist, I’ve often experienced a flow state while creating art. I wanted this sense of ease and flow in my “normal” life. I signed up for the MBSR program with Imagine Mindfulness to be able to engage with meditation teachers and ask questions. After receiving so many life skills with such kindness from the teachers, I knew I wanted to give back and support this organization in its mission of affordable world wide access to online mindfulness training.
Sara Silva
Alumni Book Club Coordinator, Meditation Student, and Language Tutor
I’ve always been curious about myself. As a child, I liked pondering big ideas, like beauty, nature, and the world. As an introvert, books were my faithful companions and they provided me with a rich, creative inner world where I could find refuge from life’s noise and chaos. As an adult, I’ve rediscovered that refuge in meditation. It allows me to retreat to that wonder world of my childhood, where I found peace.
I collaborate with Imagine by co-organizing the Imagine Mindfulness Book Club to forge deeper connections.
Dave Achtymichuck
Administrator and Team Lead for Imagine's Group Platform
​
"Spending time in nature, especially on the water, has always made me feel alive and fully present. Recovering from serious injuries a few years ago, I turned to mindfulness and started to develop an expanded sense of awareness. I now have a daily meditation practice, while I also lead group sessions at Palouse and started the Instructor Development Program at Imagine. MBSR dramatically changed me and my life in such an amazingly positive way, for which I am eternally grateful. I feel like my journey has just begun and know that, for me, it is a lifelong path."
