Meet The Team
Naomi
Naomi is a professor of global philosophy, religion and psychology. She also holds a credential in Integral Therapies and Medicine. She teaches and designs courses at many colleges and universities, including her most popular classes on Death and Dying and World Religions.he is a grief and trauma educator and a somatic practitioner with a non-dual emphasis. She has spent much of her adult life living in South East Asia and West Africa, studying a range of healing modalities, including yoga and energy medicine in India and Cambodia and sound healing in Nepal, Senegal and Mali. She is the author of several publications on global spiritual beliefs, practices and rituals, with works featured in iUniverse, Lonely Planet and National Geographic. Jerod
Jerod is a father to a beautiful daughter. He is a creator and designer for indoor and outdoor spaces with skills in building, off-grid living, self sufficiency, permaculture and many other fields. Jerod is responsible for much of the creative design, innovative building and ongoing maintenance of the unique, Wisteria dwellings, from the space room to the salt cave. He has played the Didgeridoo for many years, bringing his attention to the world of sound and frequency and their healing effects.
Jack
Jack is a gifted healer, intuitive, and Reiki master who brings authenticity and passion to his work. Guests are often inspired by his grounded presence, nurturing spirit and wicked sense of humor.
Jessica Carew Kraft
Jessica Carew Kraft is a writer and editor in the wellness space who has worked with Qigong master Robert Peng, Wim Hof the Iceman, Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno, and energy healer Donna Eden, among others. She has trained in Forrest yoga, Ashtanga, and Bikram, and maintains a daily long-distance running practice. Her background is in anthropology, and she holds degrees from Swarthmore College, Yale University, and the University of London. She is also a California naturalist instructor, wilderness adventurer, and the author of Why We Need to Be Wild: One Woman’s Quest for Ancient Human Answers to 21st Century Questions (Sourcebooks, 2023), which introduces the benefits of rewilding, foraging, and deep nature immersion. She lives with her two daughters in the Sierra foothills, and you can find her on Instagram @whyweneedtobewild and online at www.jessicacarewkraft.com.
Wendy D'Arcy
Wendy has 33 years of experience as a massage therapist, specializing in deep tissue & Swedish massage.
She is also a doTERRA Wellness Advocate and utilizes essential oils for many health conditions affecting all major body systems.
She is also available to use singing bowls and hot Himalayan salt stones.
Lindsey
Lindsey is our bookkeeper hailing from the scenic Philippines. In addition to managing financial affairs and administrative duties, Lindsey finds immense joy in assisting others and maintains a positive perspective in life.
You can get in touch with her, as she offers a range of specialized freelance services. Reach out to her via email at dlindseyethel@gmail.com.
Sydney
Sydney is a dedicated Breathwork Facilitator, Sound Healer, and Transcendental Meditation teacher committed to inspiring a world of love, light, and compassion. With a passion for holistic wellness, Sydney fosters harmonious energy integration, nurturing curiosity, growth, and fulfillment in every aspect of life. Through her teachings, Sydney empowers others to tap into their innate healing abilities and achieve deeper states of well-being. At the heart of Sydney's mission is a team of wellness experts devoted to exploring and understanding our world through both conscious and subconscious thought. Together, they create a supportive environment for personal evolution and collective healing. You can find her and her team on Instagram: @divinerawenergyretreats and https://divinerawenergyretreats.org/
Amber Choisella
Amber Choisella was born with a spark of conscious connection which led to an innate ability to engage with energy. When she became an adult she chose to develop her abilities to practice mediumship. Amber has trained with the Morris Pratt Institute and the Arthur Findlay College which are both institutions of Modern Spiritualism and has been practicing mediumship for 14 years.
Amber also has a Bachelors in Metaphysics from the University of Metaphysics and earned a Masters of Science in Mental Health Counseling. Amber is a licensed psychotherapist who specializes in: grief, relationship conflicts, and life transitions. Amber is multi-faceted and enjoys utilizing her unique expertise and welcoming energy to help others on their journeys forward. You may find her at https://blossomandrise.com/
Jenna
Jenna is a compassionate guide currently working with Veterans and those who struggle with PTSD and addiction, as she completes her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. She graduated with her Bachelors in Cognitive Science from UC Davis. She is a native of Northern California and believes in the healing power of the terrain. With a focus on inner child work, trauma therapy (trained in Brainspotting), and mindfulness based practices, Jenna uses a collection of modalities to help the client to reconnect with their deepest truths. She is a self-healer with a passion towards authenticity, well-being, and connection.
Jett
Jett (she/they) is a gifted hospice medical social worker and grief and loss counselor who assists clients in work with death and dying, multi-generational healing and ancestral work. She is also an author, intuitive healer, Reiki Master, Tarot reader, parent, poet and queer mystic. Jett has authored several books including Experience the Mystery of Tarot, Sacred Path of Reiki & Fire of the Goddess. She works with guides including the Arcturians, inter-dimensional light beings who offer assistance in healing our water body and activating our light body. She offers her gifts locally in Portland, Oregon, globally, and online. Find her at IG:@jett.koda and www.jettkoda.com.
Laila
Laila has almost 20 years of experience as a crisis counselor and somatic practitioner. She has worked with sexually exploited minors, those suffering from body dysmorphia, severe postpartum depression, various stages of cancer, and At-Promise youth. Laila is a certified hypnotherapist and doula, with extensive experience in trauma integration and the benefits of mind-heart-body coherence. In addition to serving her community, Laila has maintained a 30 year practice in Joyful Movement as a professional dancer. She incorporates play and breath work in all her workshops, noting while the body is simply the vehicle, it deserves to be part of the conversation. “We have to embrace our shadow to fully experience our light.”- Laila
Honorary Members
Adama Doumbia
The inspiration for a global healing center rooted in the world’s wisdom traditions began with this visionary, Adama Doumbia. A native teacher, healer, musician and dancer from West Africa, Adama’s sagacious counsel, passion for humanity and deep spiritual foundation made possible this first wellness space of its kind. He continues to watch over our community and work his ethereal magic. Adama co-authored the well-reviewed book The Way of the Elders: West African Spirituality & Tradition.
Jason Trowsdale
With a boundless sense of adventure, good-humor and spontaneity, and an unbridled passion for nature, Jason Trowsdale helped us to locate the ideal location for our wellness retreat. He could not have guided us toward a more perfect location in Pollock Pines, surrounded by over 120 lakes in El Dorado county alone. A master carpenter and mechanic, with a special affinity for building log cabins, Jay put in tireless hours consulting on this project, along with laying floors, assembling fencing and overseeing an infinite list of unseen maintenance projects that made a space like this run efficiently… and shine. Ever the trickster, he looks after us, ensuring we never take ourselves too seriously.