I’m delighted to have a chance to share my passion for practice with you.
My path towards meditation and awakening appeared to begin abruptly with a ten-day vipassana retreat, which I enrolled in during a period of dramatic depression, anxiety, and desperation. Unable to appreciate almost anything in my life, I turned to that drastic measure, despite having only two months of ten-minute-daily meditation practice.
I quickly discovered the transformative and profound effects of committed meditation practice, and this would be the first of many retreats. Since then, I have felt compelled to continue committed meditation practice, driven by a combination of inspiration and hopelessness: knowing that with practice, amazing fresh potential is available in my life; without practice, not much will change, and suffering will continue to arise again and again.
The arc of my practice has spanned a range of teachers, helping me to cultivate practices in the traditions of vipassana, “The Mind Illuminated”, Unified Mindfulness, Rinzai Zen, and Pure Land Buddhism (in that order); as well as complementary practices in breathwork, martial arts, and yoga.
In my professional career, I’ve studied public policy (Ph.D., Pardee RAND Graduate School) and data science (M.S. Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University), recently serving as Co-Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit startup Center for New Data. I am also a board member of the Center for Contemplative Enrichment.
Though it has been challenging to lead a nonprofit startup while simultaneously advancing a committed meditation practice, it’s provided a unique opportunity for personal and professional growth and the deepening of practice, which I hope to share with others in similar positions.
As a coach, I meet clients where they are, helping them to identify and pursue their goals, be they professional, personal, or spiritual. I pull from a range of modalities, including UM-style coaching, motivational interviewing, journaling assignments, and holistic health.
It is my passion to share these practices.
I understand that it can be intimidating to reach out to a new teacher or coach. If you’d like to explore working together, please email me, and I would be happy to schedule a pro bono 45-minute introductory session.
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.