A strategic thinker and innovator, Tony has served as a trusted advisor for executives at some of the most successful global organizations, including the National Basketball Association, AT&T, Daimler, Coca-Cola, Indeed, Whole Foods, Dow Chemicals and American Express. He has helped companies navigate transformational change, people & culture change, mergers and acquisitions and other initiatives impacting culture and human capital. His consulting expertise is backed by over 20 years of diverse leadership experience with a Fortune 100 company, and he is adept at providing strategic advice across industries. Tony holds a MS in Organizational Behavior from Case Western Reserve University.
Debra has been trained in various treatment models including Gestalt, Sensory Motor Psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems, Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Restorative Breath Work and Mindfulness, to name a few.
Debra values Imagine Well Being’s mission to make available resources that support each person’s journey toward health and resilience. With IWB, she leads offerings on breathwork and self-compassion.
After participating in activities offered through Imagine Well Being, Sandy started leading decluttering workshops in 2021 that reflect three of her passions: organizing, helping people, and teaching. She believes that clearing out spaces in our homes helps us feel lighter, creates space for something new, and can give our unused possessions new purpose, which can support the environment.
Beginning in fall 2023, Sandy started pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from George Mason University. She is excited to see how her new knowledge can help support Imagine Well Being.
Sandy has over 13 years of experience organizing conference curriculums for nonprofit membership associations. Earlier in her career, she served as a legislative assistant for health and human services to two governors in their Washington, DC offices and a U.S. Senator. In addition, she taught U.S. Government at the high school level.
Sandy earned her B.A. in Government from Cornell University, an M.A. in Political Science from Villanova University, and a Graduate Certificate in Secondary Education for Social Studies from American University.
Founder and CEO of Scaling Up, a global executive education and coaching company with over 200 partners on six continents, Verne has spent the past four decades helping companies scale up.
He’s the author of the bestseller Mastering the Rockefeller Habits and The Greatest Business Decisions of All Times, for which Jim Collins wrote the foreword. He also wrote Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0), which has been translated into 22 languages and has won eight major international book awards including the prestigious International Book Award for Best General Business book. His latest book, Scaling Up Compensation, rocketed to the #1 HR book on Amazon.
Bob Lawrence is a Senior Associate General Counsel at Freddie Mac, pro bono immigration lawyer, and, albeit far from perfect, mindfulness practitioner and instructor. At Freddie Mac, Bob manages high-stakes litigation on behalf of the company. Since 2016, Bob has had an active pro bono immigration practice in which he has represented indigent detained immigrants in asylum cases before U.S. Immigration Courts. For the past approximately 20 years, Bob has imperfectly practiced mindfulness to take the edge off of depression and anxiety that he has experience’s most of his life. Bob also has lead a number of mindfulness stress reduction classes and seminars that advocate the use of mindfulness-based strategies to heal relationships.
In the early days of Imagine, she led a program called Cosmic Evolutionary Story and led other nature and science offerings. She enjoys participating in yoga with Imagine Well Being.
Dr. Nixon has 25 years of experience as a licensed professional counselor and a licensed marriage & family therapist, and 40 years of experience in the fields of healing, wellness and mindfulness.
Her passion is to help people heal from mental health conditions, physical health challenges, relationship difficulties and to “re-awaken” to their True Self and live a Life of Love, Happiness, Peace and Purpose. An expert in integrative behavioral health and healing, she is a sought-out speaker for professional conferences, businesses and community organizations.
Dr. Lynn A. Reid was Director of Loudoun County Aging Services, also known as the Area Agency on Aging, for 17 years until retiring a year ago.
Lynn has a Ph.D. in Gerontology and Health Behavior from the University of MD. Professionally, she has had a lifelong interest in Wellness, Health Education, and Optimal Aging. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines, traveled throughout Asia, hiked in Nepal, and lived on a kibbutz in Israel.
She has taught medical students, undergrads, and graduate students. Personally, she enjoys nature, traveling and hiking. Last year, she walked the El Camino de Santiago! She has lived in Loudoun County for 22 years and loves the ample hiking trails and fabulous scenery of the Blue Ridge mountains.
Brigitta runs a nonprofit called UNO Souls. UNO Souls Chats honor beacons of light in our communities, in the hopes that the chats give people listening ideas about other ways to cope during these surreal times. She wants people to know that they are not alone.
Brigitta’s life changed and was enriched when she started meditating in the Vipassana style 27 years ago. She wants to highlight the importance of savoring the deliciousness of every present moment. She leads online meditation practices with the Mindful Meditation group through Imagine Well Being.
Brigitta is the CEO of UNO Translations and Communications, which she founded in 1998. UNO grew out of her personal experience seeing her parents struggle in learning another language and culture. The company not only offers translation services in more than 200 languages, but also consults with companies in international cultural business issues.
Dave is a co-founder of Imagine Well Being and currently serves as Project Coordinator. Dave passionately believes in the transforming power of intentional community and mindfulness practice. He has many years of experience in contemplative practice and spiritual leadership. Dave believes in the profound importance of building bridges of understanding and compassion in this tumultuous time of change.
Cathy has been practicing meditation and contemplation for over 20 years, She is a registered yoga teacher RYT (200) in the Integral Hatha Yoga tradition and integrates mindfulness into the practice of yoga with a seasonal nature focus. She has completed training in contemplative leadership and attended the Servant Leadership School in Washington, DC. She teaches meditation in nature and mindful meditation in the tradition of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, and is a Virginia Master Naturalist.
Jessica, a math teacher in the public schools, serves as the bookkeeper for Imagine Well Being. She values being involved with Imagine Well Being because of the emphasis on self-compassion and mindfulness. She studied Buddhism for many years.
In her free time, Jessica enjoys training in Taekwondo with her two sons. She has been awarded her black belt.
David has a background in Theology and also spent formative years in Asia where he taught English and studied Tae Kwon Do. A native of the east coast, David now resides in Portland, Oregon with his wife and two adult kids. He organized and leads the Portland chapter of Imagine Well Being. He enjoys the outdoors, exercise, and long walks.
Having dealt with anxiety since childhood, he learned to seek a path of healing and wholeness – at first unconsciously, and then, ever so slightly, more and more consciously. David attributes Imagine Well Being, with its emphasis on compassion and kindness to self (and thereby to others), as opening the way to the necessary work of integrating the hardest parts of oneself and becoming whole.
Imagine Well Being inspires the community with the beauty and importance of nature, balance, and mindfulness. Thad is blessed to support the community and share the benefits with others.
Richard is a proponent of creating community support networks with an emphasis on in-person engagement. With an M.S. in Food Science from UC Davis and a long career in food and beverages, hospitality and event planning, his appreciation harks back to the deep cultural legacy we share as current caretakers of the greater worldwide human community, and of the natural world which buoys it. Richard is a winemaker, owns a tea brand, imports and consults. But most of all, he values the human thread of connection implicitly embodied by these ceremonial and historic beverages that ultimately traversed the globe, and in their own way made the world turn.
As a lifelong champion of the fundamental importance of nature, Richard utilizes the contextual practice of recentering the mind to frame our lives in continuity with the natural world. His advocacy for proactive improvement in environmental responsibility is rooted in renaturing, whereby participants discover their time-honored connection laying deep within us all as beings of nature. In turn, strengthening this personal bond while immersed in nature by the simple practice of mindful awakening.
He enjoys daily endurance activities, and this routine has been a crucial component of his physical and mental well-being for years. It not only challenges the body and mind, but also offers the benefit of reflective attunement. Richard hikes and runs often, and not rarely, seeks out weeklong excursions to semi-remote areas. Through IWB Portland, Richard started the Meetup group, An Invitation from Outside by which he organized and led local hikes on trails within the surrounding Pacific Northwest forests to foster the benefits of mindfulness in nature. He is certified in Wilderness First Aid and is also certified in MBSR, having completed Dave Potter’s Palouse Mindfulness program. Additionally, Richard has participated in helping to orchestrate TREK Family Adventure Camp with the Salish Sea School.
He seeks to expand our sense of collective stewardship. To renew ourselves with clarity and purpose by creating a wealth of vitality for families and communities, as well as the living sustainment of diverse ecosystems. His favorite mindfulness quote is, “The mind creates the abyss, and the heart crosses it.” – Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
Terri has a BA in Communications from JMU and worked for 14 years specializing in Human Resources, Contract Business Management, and Recruiting.Terri is an aspiring writer, enjoying the retired lifestyle with Jim, her husband of 33 years. They look forward to travel and family time with their grown children and grandchildren. Terri considers herself to be an “extroverted introvert” and recharges emotionally with intimate gatherings and listening to quiet music and reading a good book.
During the pandemic, Terri focused on new hobbies such as nurturing plant propagation and mastering sourdough. She loves strength training and VR gaming, but mental fitness has become more of a priority in her 50s. Terri is devoting her time and energy as part of an Imagine Well Being development team to launch Well Being Circles in response to the Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Epidemic of Loneliness. Terri believes that she is better at “overcoming obstacles by getting over herself” and turning outward with others who share their journeys and stories.