LA PLATA, Md. – A recent afternoon at Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School found third graders in an intense game of battleship as their physical education (PE) teacher, Marty Margolis, observed — and at times joined in. Continue reading.
Advisory Board Member of the Rotary Club of London, UK
Advisor on venture capital investments, philanthropy and ESG
More than three decades as Managing Director for leading US investment banks Mother of two children, experience with mental health and depression in teenager
“The combination of mindfulness and meditation for inner balance with the power of movement is deeply nurturing and refreshing for me, especially when faced with the intensity of high performance in daily life.”
Certified Vedic Astrologer with EV-VA Certification
Study of Vedic Astrology and Yoga at the Astrovedic Academy, in collaboration with the Institute of Vedic Astrology and the American Institute of Vedic Studies
Holistic health consultant according to the method of Christian Dittrich-Opitz
LFI certified herbalist
Author of books “Green Smoothies” and “Superfood Smoothies”
Mag. phil. University of Vienna and Sorbonne Paris in Romance Studies
“The future of our children is very close to my heart. I feel that OmmWorks strengthens such important skills as emotional and social intelligence. In this way, OmmWorks makes a significant contribution to a humanly valuable togetherness.”
Chopra certified primordial sound meditation trainer
Member and Past President Toastmaster Berkeley Square Speakers, London and Toastmaster Rhetorikclub, Innsbruck
Managing director of Rissbacher Walter GmbH, mineral oil distribution
Oil Trader, Finance and Risk Manager BP p.l.c. London and Hamburg
lic.oec.pub. University of Zurich in Business Administration
“For me, it is very important to start each day with joy. OmmWork’s energy dance brings me fun and lightness for the whole day!”
Louis is the Founder and Chief Innovator of De Monfort – A fitness and Sports technologies company with products such as:
PhysednHealth
Which allows k-12 students to link everyday unstructured lifestyle activities to PE so that they can take ownership of their physical health, thereby improving their behavior and academic performance.
Organization Wellness Challenge Portal
To encourage organizations to build a healthier community focused workforce, reduce healthcare costs and curb lost productivity by encouraging employees to work as a team towards their fitness goals together.
Nina Strane was born and raised in Lima, Peru. Before immigrating to Texas in 1983, Nina lived as an au pair for four years in Cologne, Germany. While in Europe, Nina had the opportunity to acquaint herself with several European countries, and fell in love with the ancient architecture of many cities. She is the mother of two grown children and the grandmother of two wonderful grandsons whom she adores. Nina is AMI certified, and after 30 years of enjoying working with children, she retired. Nina enjoys walking, crocheting, knitting, and veganizing her favorite Peruvian foods. She lives in southeast Houston with her husband and her dogs.
Danielle has been in Montessori education for over a decade, specializing in Early Childhood Education. She has served as a Lead Guide in AMI classrooms for 12 years and spent time as an Administrator and Educational Coach. With a passion for guiding children and their families, she founded Montessori Spaces, an educational program aimed at partnering with parents in seeing the world through a Montessori lens in the eyes of a young child. She is a consultant to families in the home, educators in classrooms, and has consulted in research and curriculum development for OmmWorks. She currently serves as the Virtual Training Developer and Coordinator for OmmWorks.
Joining the OmmWorks team is a full-circle moment for Danielle since Kathi was her first gymnastics and dance instructor. Giving children the opportunity to practice OmmWorks modalities in early childhood is foundational to aid in development of their social and emotional intellect, growing confidence, and problem solving skills – what a gift to the world!
Yumie was born and raised in Japan. She has a BA of Visual Communication Design from Tsukuba University. She worked at Sony HQ in Tokyo from 1992 as a User Experience Designer. She was transferred to Sony America in ’96. After Sony, she worked at Excite@Home ’99 – 2001, at Danger, Inc in 2001 – 2006 & Microsoft in 2007. She met her husband, Joe Britt, co-founder of Danger, and got married in 2003. After her retirement, she enjoys skateboarding & playing piano with her sons. She teaches Yoga & Zumba; she has her RYT 200 and is a Zumba Instructor. She loves cooking & traveling. She created logo, graphics and design for OmmWorks and started a company called Smoothie Designs in 2019.
Ivy Hodges has been an Assistant Principal in Charles County Public School since January 2020. Prior to her appointment, Hodges was the school system’s Content Specialist for Health and Physical Education K-12. She also served Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) as coordinator for the mentor teacher program and as the Title IV grant manager. Ms. Hodges began her career with CCPS in 2003 as a health teacher at Thomas Stone High School. She also previously served as the health department chair at Henry Wise High School located with Prince George’s County Public Schools.
Hodges has a Bachelor of Science degree in Community and School Health and a Master of Arts in Human Resources, Educational Administration & Supervision, both from Towson University.
Growing up in Southern Maryland Michelle enjoyed gymnastics, cheerleading and competitive dance. She received her BA in Psychology with a Minor in Child Development from East Carolina University. She has enjoyed coaching, teaching, and working with children for as long as she can remember and currently enjoys volunteering for a local Teen Court program to help children make better choices. One of Michelle’s greatest joys is being a wife and Mother. She loves spending time in nature hiking with her family. Michelle is Co-Owner of Dharma Kids which implements OmmWorks into her classes. Being a part of OmmWorks has been an amazing journey; her favorite part of teaching OmmWorks is watching children learn and grow in ways that help them navigate their world with peace and kindness.
Peggy is the founder of Synergy Behavioral Health Group locates in a Lewes Delaware. She is a Clinical Social Worker in Delaware and Maryland. Peggy has worked in multiple settings learning the importance of respecting people for who they are and recognizing and building on their strengths. She has extensive training and experience working with children, adults, and families. Throughout her career, Peggy has participated in ongoing skill development in the areas of Family Centered Practice, the use of Family Team Meetings, Family Group Decision Making, Mediation Training, and Custody Mediation Training. She has developed curriculum and provided training through the University of Maryland School Of Social Work Training Department on the use of Family Centered Practice in Child Welfare. Peggy participated in the development and implementation of an in-patient adolescent addiction facility in Southern Maryland, where she was employed as an addictions counselor.
Other specialized training includes: Girls Circle Certified Facilitator, Critical Incident Stress Management, Forensic Interviewing of Child Sexual Abuse Victims, evaluations and treatment of sexually abused children and adolescents, Attachment Based Family Therapy, Clinical Intensive Training in Family Injustice, fully trained in Trauma Informed EMDR, provider of Neurofeedback, OETAS Addiction Training, and Certification in Traumatic Stress Studies through The Trauma Center at JRI, Boston Massachusetts.
Originally from Maryland, Jennifer started dancing at 3 years old. She studied under some of the best instructors, one of them being Ms. Kathi Donnelly who has had a positive impact on her life and career. Throughout her youth, she performed nationally and internationally. She attended Towson University where she continued her dance training and received a BFA in Dance Performance, a minor in Business Administration, and a Masters in Education. She later went on to live and perform in Tokyo, Japan for the Tokyo Disney Resort. Now residing in Los Angeles, she has performed with numerous companies in the Los Angeles area, appeared on television shows and national commercials, and performs daily in the stage show “Mickey and the Magical Map” at the Disneyland Resort. In addition to her passion for performing, she shares a great love for teaching and coaching. Ms. Maletto is most recently the coach of the Sunny Hills High School Dance Team and Pep Squad and finds great fulfillment in sharing her knowledge and love for dance with her students. She is thrilled to join the OmmWorks team to encourage others to find purpose through their own unique gifts and talents in order to spread joy and positivity into the world!
Hi, my name is Alex Toribio, I graduated from Towson University in 2017 with a Public Relations degree. I started dancing when I was 5, and did competitive dancing at the age of 8. I was the choreographer leader for my Show Choir for two years, and joined the Filipinos Cultural of Towson’s Dance crew in college. I loved being a yoga, dance, and Barre instructor from 2013 to and passionate about infusing those trainings into teaching OmmWorks. In college, I was also the Social Media and Communications Assistant for our Campus Recreation. My hobbies include dancing, practicing yoga, singing, writing and playing music.
Mimi Is currently a special education teacher for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other disabilities. Mimi is a Co-Owner for Dharma Kids which is a youth yoga program that implements OmmWorks into its classes. Mimi also writes curriculum for OmmWorks and adds her specialized knowledge for special populations groups. Mimi provides individualized training and feedback to parents, educators, therapists, and administrators in the world of Special Populations. Mimi received her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and Special Education from Notre Dame of Maryland University and has a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from McDaniel College.
Chopra Certified Instructor Health and Chopra Certified Instructor, Yoga, Health and Wellness, Author of Do Your Ommwork!, Cognitive Active Wellness Practitioner, Professional Development for Educators, Continuing Education Provider for Social Workers & Clinicians,. Yoga Alliance ERTY 300, Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider YACEP,
I have always been very passionate about our youth and wellness. Through my work with kids and families I have lived and worked with diverse populations culturally, socioeconomically and education levels and feel deeply connected with all. I recognize when kids connect with vision, purpose, and others, they feel a sense of success and enthusiasm toward learning and life. My first company, Power Tots founded in 1985, taught dance, gymnastics, yoga and the power of a positive attitude to children in daycares and schools. It was sold and is still a thriving business today. I have combined all my teachings from my Mom Agnes, Gary Pate, my dance teacher, world meditation and mindfulness expert Deepak Chopra and The Chopra Center with my professional dance background and 30+ years of working with families and children to live my true purpose in life through creating powerful, positive programs that inspire and teach. I currently live happily in Northern California with my husband, 4 kids and dog Brucey. I enjoy spending time with family & friends, connecting with others and being at the beach.