Alexis Slutzky, MFT

Mentor, educator, guide and facilitator whose work supports cultural restoration through listening and mindfulness practices, nature connection, grief tending, dream work and community ritual. Alexis holds a Master’s Degree from Pacifica Graduate Institute in depth psychology, is Adjunct Faculty at Antioch University and offers programs, retreats and one-on-one mentoring. She is currently based in Santa Barbara, CA. Learn more at www.WildBelonging.com. 

Amy Paulson

Mental health and healing activist and co-founder and of Gratitude Alliance, a global nonprofit working to end cycles of individual and collective trauma and democratize access to healing resources for communities disproportionately affected by trauma and systemic violence. Gratitude Alliance’s model weaves together the science of trauma recovery with the art of healing. To date, they have impacted over 60,000 survivors across the US, Asia, and Africa. As a survivor child abandonment, sexual abuse, and generational trauma, Amy approaches healing through somatic, expressive arts.

Dr. Karambu Ringera

 Founder and President of the Tiriji Foundation (TF); International Peace Initiatives (IPI); and the founder: the Amani Children’s Homes (ACHs), the New Generation Leaders (NGL) program; and Tiriji Eco Centre; and co-founder, the Practical Permaculture Institute, Mount Kenya Region.

 She has used her extensive academic background and international experience working in many countries to design and implement models of effective community engagement, women’s & youth’s grassroots organizing programs, collaborative problem solving models, preemptive and post conflict reconciliation, and proactive health campaigns. She has built a successful, working model of “Amani Homes,”community homes of peace for orphans and vulnerable children in Meru, Kenya. 

Timothy Tillman, MA,CHT

Somatic Psychotherapist, Hakomi Trainer, Somatic Educator, Meditation Teacher, and Founder of the FireTenders Men’s Movement with over 25 years experience in his field. He holds a B.S. in physical therapy and an M.A. in clinical and somatic psychology. In his years as a physical therapist, bodyworker, and somatic psychologist he experienced first-hand the connections between body, mind, and emotions. Today Timothy draws on personal and professional experience to provide a fresh mindfulness-based and embodied approach, guiding individuals toward self-inquiry and freedom.

Lamara Heartwell

Body intelligence expert who inspires people to claim their bodies as an essential source of intelligence, power, and pleasure. Lamara founded Santa Barbara Dance Tribe in 2009, a thriving weekly ecstatic dance event. In 2013, she co-founded the Body Intelligence Summit, an annual online conference. She holds a coaching certification from the Hendricks Institute, counseling training from the Interchange Institute, and teaches regularly at the Esalen Institute. She has produced dozens of performance art events in California over the past 20 years. For more info on Lamara’s background and education, visit: www.lamaraheartwell.com.

Hannah Jermstad

Executive Director, CA Global Youth Peace Summit (www.cagyps.org) Facilitator and revolutionary of change working with both youth and adults in leadership development programs, nature-based guiding, and transformational education. She founded the organization to carry on and strengthen the culture and community of the Global Youth Peace Summits on the West Coast and is working to help set the model for this work to be scaled and shared around the world. She holds a bachelor's degree in Human Development and Education from the University of California, Davis, and is completing her masters degree in Eco-Psychology, Spiritual Ecology, and Human Development.

Aliya Rosenbloom

Director of Program, Casa de Miel

Aliya has spent most of her life helping create spaces that provide people with the opportunity to explore and celebrate all facets of their humanity. This has looked like supporting in the development and facilitation of many Global Youth Peace Summits in Texas, California, and Kenya. This has also included using international travel as a tool to take people out of their typical environments and get curious about the diverse magic that exists on the edge of the familiar. Most recently, she co-founded the first Ecotherapy center in Texas, facilitating experiences with horses, plants, yoga, and the teachings of nature to increase presence and connect people more mindfully to themselves, their communities, and the planet. Aliya holds degrees in Environmental Sustainability, Nonprofit Management and a Masters in Social Work, Community Development and Horticultural Therapy. More than anything, she is devoted to living a life that embodies the principles nature teaches us--patient and slow, inclusive and diverse, giving and selfless.