Pez Owen’s meditation journey began in 2006 with Shinzen Young, initially as a therapeutic approach for managing depression and dissociative identity disorder. Encouraged by Shinzen to start teaching in 2009, Pez eventually joined him as a co-teacher at two retreats in Israel, in 2010 and 2012. They continue to support Unified Mindfulness retreats as coach and co-teacher.
In 2014, Pez took over an established weekly mindfulness group in Flagstaff, which they still lead online. Their teaching portfolio expanded to include meditation workshops and corporate training at various institutions, including Coconino Community College, the MS Society, College America, Northland Hospice, Coconino Federal Credit Union, and Ponderosa High School.
Additionally, Pez works privately with individuals and small groups, offering personalized one-on-one guidance.
Pez completed the Unified Mindfulness Pathways training program in 2020 and graduated from the first Compass cohort in 2022. They now work with Unified Mindfulness, supporting current students in these training programs.
Now semi-retired, Pez continues to share their expertise and personal insights. Their firsthand experience with mental health challenges and a sleep disorder informs their compassionate and practical approach to teaching mindfulness, enriching their ability to guide others on their meditation journeys.
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.