Paula Blake-Beckford RN, BSN, holds an undergraduate degree at Barry University, Miami Florida, and currently a graduate student at Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she is majoring in Mindfulness Studies. Paula has over 17 years of experience as a Registered Nurse specialized in neonatal nursing and recently has been incorporating her passion for caring into the community at large. Paula completed training at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Healthcare, and Society and is a certified Center for Mind Body Medicine (CMBM) facilitator. She currently facilitates our Mind Body Skills Groups for adolescents and community and family workshops.

Piero Falci teaches Mindfulness Meditation and Mindful Living and the acclaimed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. He leads Insight Meditation Silent Retreats and organizes Silent Peace Walks. He lives in Florida, USA. He was trained by the teachers at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University. Piero is also the author of A Better Life in a Better World - Can Mindfulness Save Us From Ourselves? Piero facilitates MBSR courses in our education and community programs. 

Linda Gradess, M,S., EdM. brings more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, school counselor, mental health practitioner, and certified health and wellness coach.  Linda has completed training as qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher, Dr. Amy Saltzman’s Still Quiet Place, a 10-week practicum for K-12 Educators and Allied Professionals; Gina Biegel’s 10-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for Teens (MBSR-T) Certificate Training for Professionals, Amy Edelstein’s The Inner Strength Teen Mindfulness Teacher Training, Level I, and the Advanced Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness Course with David Treleaven. Over the past six years Linda has taught MBSR and mindfulness workshops at several adult communities, the School District of Palm Beach County in their Adult Community Education Program and the Hearth, a non-profit organization in Boca Raton. Linda teaches our MBSR for Teens program and supports our community of practice. 

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 A sophomore in high school, Shaivi is passionate about mindfulness, giving back to the community, and all things computer science. Shaivi is interested in a career in criminal law and justice. In her free time, you can catch her reading, playing the piano, and spending time with friends and family.

Natalia is a recent college graduate with a double major in communication and economics. She is passionate aboud girls wellbeing, gender equility, climate action and serving the community. She has worked with different branches of the United Nations including the CINU (Centro de Informacion de las Naciones Unidas) in collaboration with the UNODC (United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime) designing a public policy to face teen pregnancy and school drug offenses for at-risk and vulnerable communities in Bogota Colombia.

Natalia helps with all the marketing, communications and outreach strategies to help grow the online presence of AHAM and spread our  messages and goals as far and wide as possible 

Michelle Salvatierra Peedin, MSW is a queer Peruvian-American originally from North Carolina but has called New York City home since 2021. She graduated with a BA in Global Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill with a concentration in Social and Economic Justice in Latin America. Minoring in music, she credits her passion for culture and the arts for guiding her abroad to Costa Rica and Ireland. She continued her professional journey as a Fellow with Student Action with Farmworkers in Durham, NC. Guided by her personal spiritual journey, Michelle later worked as the Program Coordinator on the ecological justice and health & wholeness teams at the NC Council of Churches. In the wake of 2020, she felt called to the intersection of healing justice and ecological justice which led her to pursue her Masters in Social Work at Columbia University. While at Columbia, she served as a clinical social worker supporting Black and Brown youth and homebound older adults. Michelle served as the chair of Lila Latinx LGBTQ+ Initiative, the Multiracial Caucus at Columbia’s School of Social Work, and the Environmental Justice Initiative at the CSSW Action Lab.

Elizabeth is a Certified Center for Mind-Body Medicine  (CMBM) instructor and faculty member who currently facilitates programs and workshops throughout Broward County. As an Ageless Grace Educator, Elizabeth brings brain fitness to various branches of the Broward County Library, assisted living and memory care facilities. She is a Certified Yoga for Youth Educator and is an Advanced Reiki Practitioner. Elizabeth holds degrees from the University of Miami and Nova Southeastern University. She also holds a Certificate in Human Resource Management from Florida Atlantic University. Elizabeth currently facilitates our Mind Body Skills Groups for teens and supports our ongoing community of practice and Spanish programs.

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