UC San Diego

Natalie is the founder of Mindful Wellness, a training and coaching platform to help you build your own source of calm, clarity, and powerful resilience. Her approach brings the benefits of mindfulness, meditation, and compassion training into the practical realm of our daily lives teaching you to discover calm and balance in a common sense, relatable manner.

Natalie is a senior certified teacher and the Director of Program Development for the global Center for Mindful Self-Compassion overseeing programs on Mindfulness and Self-Compassion for the public, healthcare professionals, and Mindful Self-Compassion teachers. She is the co-author, with Dr. Kristin Neff and Dr. Chris Germer, of the “Self-Compassion Training for Healthcare Professionals” program, the only self-compassion training available for healthcare providers. Natalie also supported the development of the NEW Fierce Self-Compassion 8-wk course with Kristin Neff and the Self-Compassion for Shame 8-wk course with Chris Germer. Natalie is also a faculty member of UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, MARC, as a certified mindfulness teacher.

As a leading teacher of mindfulness and self-compassion she works globally with individuals and companies. Natalie has been practicing mindfulness and meditation since 1985 and lived in an ashram for a year in 1989 dedicating herself to intensive practice of meditation and self-compassion. After studying neuropsychology she became a Physical Therapist, working for 17 years as a clinician, Director of Rehabilitation, and a clinical specialist for medical devices in rehabilitation.

Natalie has been featured in Today, Travel and Leisure, the LA Times, MSNBC Your Business, and Thrive Global for her passionate embodiment of presence and compassion. She has brought her work to Fortune 500 companies, CEOs and organizations like NBC Universal, the Milken Institute, Getty Foundation, Wharton, and many others. She believes our work is to learn how to become our own best ally so we can thrive is today’s over-busy world. Her programs and retreats allow you to experience deeper fulfillment and happiness, reconnect with your own joy, and feel more calm and connected.

Helen Hyun-Chung Kim is a Certified 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. 

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.

Dr. Deborah Rana is a board-certified Pediatrician and an HS Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine. 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 Mindful Self Compassion and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher. She joined the Center for Mindfulness in 2010 where she currently teaches MBSR, Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) and Self-Compassion for Healthcare Communities (SCHC). 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 the communities we serve with access for all.

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.

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.

Lisa Marie is a Certified iRest Teacher, Yoga Teacher (500-RYT), Massage Therapist and owner of Oakes Healing Arts with her husband Jim Oakes in San Diego, California. Lisa Marie specializes in working with seniors, and clients facing health challenges that benefit from her decades of experience working with oncology clients and others with complicated health concerns leading several classes each week in the Rancho Bernardo area. Sleep and stress reduction classes are a favorite among her students. In addition to weekly Chair Yoga and Gentle Yoga classes, Oakes Healing Arts creates custom workshops to introduce and deepen students knowledge of iRest and other meditative and Yogic trainings. It's Lisa Marie's joy to create inclusive events where everyone is seen and welcome exactly as they are in that moment and creating space for their unique experiences. ​

Jim is a Certified iRest Yoga Nidra Teacher and Yoga Instructor (200 RYT) and owner of Oakes Healing Arts with his wife, Lisa Marie Oakes. He leads weekly Meditation and Movement classes, blending traditional yoga practices, iRest Yoga Nidra and somatic techniques to help align the body and mind as well as iRest Yoga Nidra Workshops. Jim came to yoga and meditation in the midst of seeking balance, connection and alignment in 2011. An athlete, coach and corporate executive at a crossroads of health and wellbeing Jim embraced yoga and meditation and sharing this pathway to health has been a passion of his ever since. Jim holds a Bachelor of Science from the United States Naval Academy and proudly served in the U.S. Navy for 8 years before joining the civilian workforce. He is a Program Director with BAE Systems, having worked there for over 25 years. He also coached Men’s Crew at UC San Diego and at San Diego Rowing Club, and continues to share his passion for coaching and guiding students to be the best they can be. ​

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.​

Mirjam Luthe is certified in yoga, Mindful-Self-Compassion, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and Awake in the Wild, complemented by Mindful Schools training, Council Practice and similar dialog techniques. She serves as International Affairs Manager at the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, and a core team member of the European Network for Grateful Living and the annual Swiss ETH Cortona Week. Mirjam is also a teacher at Monviso-Institute in Italy, a real-world laboratory for research, education, entrepreneurship and new living on sustainability transitions and regenerative design.