Hi, I’m Shannon. I’m a Lead Coach with Unified Mindfulness and I am driven by the desire to help people live happier, more fulfilling lives. Originally drawn to meditation as an antidote to stress and anxiety, once I felt the benefits of a mindfulness practice on my day-to-day life, I knew I wanted to teach these practices to as many people as possible. I’m particularly interested in coaching people who struggle with anxiety or who need more self-compassion in their lives. With a background in professional theatre, I also love working with artists and other creatives, as well as with teens (I’m the mom of two).
I am a seasoned coach and teacher with nearly 20 years’ experience coaching clients one-on-one, as well as in groups, as a nutritional consultant. Before that I taught acting to students, ranging from young children up to the university level. I still teach tap dancing and I’m training as a yoga teacher. I’ve also done further training in Mindful Self-Compassion, Trauma-Informed Mindfulness Coaching and Mindfulness-Based Stress-Reduction for Teens, in which I’m a certified practitioner.
I teach Unified Mindfulness to groups of students and I coach individual clients, both in-person and online. I am motivated every day by my clients’ reports about the improvements in their lives – from less anxiety and panic to better relationships to spontaneous moments of happiness throughout their days. It is endlessly fascinating to see this system work in people’s lives.
My well-rounded and diverse background, centred in creative work, but informed by the science and holistic approach of nutrition training, provides rich experience from which I draw when coaching clients. I am an empathetic listener, a compassionate guide and your number one cheerleader.
If this sounds like a good fit for you, you’re welcome to connect for a no-strings-attached introductory chat.
Julianna received her BA in psychology from Duke University. As founder, president, and head trainer of Unified Mindfulness, she is dedicated to disseminating Shinzen Young’s comprehensive mindfulness meditation system through the creation and presentation of educational programs and teacher-training certification programs.
Dr. Hunter serves as associate professor of practice and is the founding director of the Executive Mind Leadership Institute at the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management, Claremont Graduate University. He also serves as visiting professor at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, where he developed and co-teaches the Leading Mindfully executive education program..
Dr. Eisendrath serves as chief psychologist and president of the Institute for Dialogue Therapy, P.C., where, as a Jungian analyst, she offers psychotherapy with individuals and couples, psychoanalysis, supervision, and training.
Dr. Vago serves as the research director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and the director of the Contemplative Neuroscience and Integrative Medicine (CNIM) Laboratory at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is an associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Department of Psychiatry.
Stella is a psychologist, professor, and Zen practitioner. She became a formal student in 2008 in the Soto Zen tradition. She teaches courses in mindfulness based psychotherapies and the psychology of compassion at the Union Institute & University. She also co-facilitates a family program and young adult program at Shao Shan Temple, in Woodbury Vermont.
Dr. Creswell serves as a tenured associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University. He is also the director of the Health & Human Performance Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University.
Dr. McCormick currently serves as director of education at Unified Mindfulness. In 1975, he received a B.A. in psychology from the University of California Santa Cruz, where he was part of Dr. Elliot Aronson’s research team that examined cooperative approaches to reducing interracial conflict and academic performance problems in newly integrated school, and made Honors in Psychology, College Honors, and Thesis Honors.
UnifiedMindfulness.com is the official teacher training platform for Shinzen and the Unified Mindfulness System.
Created over 50 years of research and testing by Shinzen Young, Unified Mindfulness is a system of meditation that’s easily researchable by science, with clear terminology and rigorous precision around concepts and procedures.
The Unified Mindfulness system is a comprehensive, robust and refined support structure that any individual at any stage of meditation practice can rely on to go deeper in their insight and their ability to share it with others. It is also a secular form of meditation, which means it’s not religious in any way so anyone, of any faith, can do it.