Advisory Council

Our Advisory Council

Jude Addo

JA Group & Co
Founder and CEO of JA Group & Co, an alternative investment firm with global interests in financial services, technology, real estate, and natural resources.

Saadiah Ali

International Healthcare Management
Saadiah is an International Healthcare expert with over 20 years of Operations Management, Marketing, Business Development and Strategic planning.

James Baraz

Awakening Joy
James has been a meditation teacher since 1978. He is creator and teacher of the Awakening Joy course (since 2003). He leads retreats, workshops and classes in U.S and abroad.

Bhante Buddharakkhita

Uganda Buddhist Centre

Founder and Abbot of the Uganda Buddhist Center in Uganda, Bhante is a Visiting Professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York, USA.

Vidyamala Burch

Prudence Margaret Burch OBE, known professionally as Vidyamala Burch, is a mindfulness teacher, writer, and co-founder of Breathworks, an international mindfulness organization known particularly for developing mindfulness-based pain management.

Imee Contreras

Mindfulness Asia

Founder of Mindfulness Asia and a co-founder of Philippine Insight Meditation Community. An affiliate teacher at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center and Cross-Cultural Mindfulness Teacher and Board Member of Braided Wisdom. 

Margaret Cullen

Compassion Corps
Margaret Cullen is a licensed psychotherapist and was one of the first ten people to become a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher.

Simon Cohen

Event host and keynote speaker

Simon is a peace activist, keynote speaker and communications specialist who purpose is to spread messages of hope.

Andrew Dreitcer

Claremont School of Theology
Professor of Spirituality in a Christian seminary that focuses on inter-religious, multi-cultural engagement.

Elissa Epel

UCSF

Elissa Epel, Ph.D, is a Professor at UCSF and best-selling author. She studies how chronic stress can impact biological aging, and how biobehavioral and contemplative interventions may promote psychological, physiological, and social thriving. 

Daniel Ellenberg

Rewire Leadership Institute
Daniel Ellenberg, Ph.D. is the president of Relationships That Work – an organization that supports people to create more emotionally intelligent personal relationships.

Gaylon Ferguson

Naropa University
Gaylon is a faculty member in the religious studies and interdisciplinary studies departments at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.

Anna Friis

Anna is a psychologist specialising in compassion-based therapy and a teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion.

Ananta Kumar Giri

Madras Institute of Development Studies; Vishwaneedam
Ananta Kumar Giri is a Professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai, India. He has been a Visiting Professor and Researcher at many universities in India and abroad.

Tony Fernando

Practice92
Senior Lecturer in Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland from 2000 to 2020. PhD in Compassion in Medicine, University of Auckland. Author of several publications on compassion in medicine since 2014.

Liz Grant

University of Edinburgh

Liz is Professor of Global Health and Development and Director Global Health Academy at the University of Edinburgh

Hailan Guo

Hailan Family Well-being

Hailan is an ophthalmologist-turned-into-psychologist with 20 years experiences in medical sector and 23 years in mental health and well-being. In 2015, she founded Hailan Family Well-being.

Lori Gottlieb

Atlantic Magazine
Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist, New York Times bestselling author, TED Speaker, co-host of the popular “Dear Therapists” podcast, and “Dear Therapist” columnist for The Atlantic.

Felicia Huppert

University of Sydney

Felicia is Honorary Professor at The University of Sydney’s Body, Heart and Mind in Business Research Group, and Visiting Professorial Fellow, Department of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney.

Thupten Jinpa

Compassion Institute

Thupten is a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, former monk and an academic of religious studies and both Eastern and Western philosophy.

Carson Kelly

Compassion 2.0 / Benevolently

Carson is an entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in technology startup management, enterprise software sales, and civi engagement.

Jack Kornfield

Spirit Rock Meditation Center
Author, Buddhist practitioner, Spirit Rock Meditation Center founding teacher, and one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West.

Olga Klimecki

DZNE Dresden

Olga Klimecki, PhD, is a researcher and meditation teacher. Her research focuses on promoting the sustainable development goals.

Crystal Lim-Lange

Forest Wolf

Crystal is the CEO and Founder of Forest Wolf, a global pioneer in future-ready skills, leadership, corporate learning, and development for the future of work.

Julie Matthaei

Wellesley University
Marxist-feminist-anti-racist-ecological economist, specializing in women, gender, feminism, and work, and involved in research about and promotion of the emerging solidarity economy.

Myriam Mongrain

York University

Myriam is a clinical psychologist and Full Professor of Psychology at York University.

Deogratias Niyizonkiza

Village Health Works

Deogratias Niyizonkiza is a Burundian-born American who founded and leads the organization Village Health Works in Kigutu, Burundi.

Lakiba Pittman

Menlo College

Lakiba is a Senior Adjunct Professor at Menlo College and Notre Dame de Namur University.

Vasimalai Marimuthu Paramasivam

DHAN Foundation

Over years, DHAN has facilitated about 500 thousand families to come out of poverty thru a self-declaration process.

Sharon Salzberg

Insight Meditation Society
Sharon is a central figure in the field of meditation, a world-renowned teacher and NY Times bestselling author.

Judith Simmer-Brown

Naropa University

Judith is a Distinguished Professor of Contemplative and Religious Studies Emerita at Naropa University. 

Jeff Snipes

Millennium.Org
Founder & Chairman of Millennium.org, a non-profit lab school and teaching institute advancing human well-being through greater awareness, compassion, wisdom and purpose.

Ha Tran

Authentic Live and Learn (Vietnam)

Ha Tran is Director of Authentic Live and Learn and a self-compassion trainer.

Ha Vinh Tho

Eurasia Foundation
Dr. Ha Vinh is the founder and chairman of Eurasia Foundation, a humanitarian NGO developing educational programs for children and youths living with disabilities.

Katherine Trebeck

Edinburgh Futures Institute

Katherine is a political economist, writer and advocate for economic system change. She co-founded the Wellbeing Economy Alliance and also WEAll Scotland, its Scottish hub.

Barbara Doeleman-van Veldhoven

BFC Compassionate Care & Mindful Medicine

Barbara is an expert in integrating and putting into practice the connection between healthcare, compassionate leadership, teamwork, science, mindfulness and spirituality.

Michael West

Lancaster University

Michael is Visiting Professor at the King’s Fund, Professor of Work and Organisational Psychology at Lancaster University, Visiting Professor at University College, Dublin, and Emeritus Professor at Aston University.

Christine Wamsler

Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS)

Christine is Professor of Sustainability Science and Director of the Contemplative Sustainable Futures Programme.

Ruby Wax

Oxford Mindfulness Centre
Ruby is an American-British actress, comedian, writer, television personality, and mental health campaigner.

Magdalena Whoolery

Breastfeeding International

Magda is a Nurse with a PhD. She is the founder of Breastfeeding International®, fighting for Women & Children’s Human Rights by promoting health, nutrition & breastfeeding. 

Monica Worline

University of Michigan, Center for Positive Organizations
Monica holds a lectureship at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, and is part of the core faculty at the Center for Positive Organizations.