Our team
We are a team of committed, passionate individuals who want to make a difference in the world. We especially are passionate about preventative mental health interventions where possible and remedial emotional wellness approaches, when appropriate. Many of us have either experienced unhealthy societal pressures first hand, or been witness to such life-shaping episodes to near and dear ones. Our passion to enable heallthy emotional lives even in one child or adult drives us to what we do.
manju jain
My journey began in India as a young child. I would cry when I saw poverty in its various visible forms, and I felt I wanted to make a difference. As a teenager, I began to work with vulnerable populations, specifically street children in the slums of India.
Because both my parents were psychologists, I chose to study psychology as an undergraduate student. I was immediately drawn to Rogerian concepts of unconditional love and acceptance as a way for a person to be seen and validated, and allow the most empowered (best) self to come forth. Later in life, Natalie Rogers’ expressive arts process gave me a powerful way to nonverbally process and connect with my feelings.
My journey to learn and explore psychology, counseling, and expressive arts over the last 30 years has all led up to the birth of a creative pause. This work is my oxygen. I bring my heart, experience, perspective, love for learning, empathy, and global connectedness to each program, each workshop, and each day.
aslam khader
I am a computer and electronics engineer who has worked in technology for over 35 years. My work in managing teams in India, Japan and the US has been a wonderfully rich learning experience. In my last position as Chief Product Officer at AWS Elemental, an Amazon company, I was privileged to see how a $35B organization can still innovate.
I am passionate about the science of the mind and our ability to lead fulfilling lives by using the arts to enable neuroplasticity towards positive outcomes. I completed a course in InterPersonal NeuroBiology (IPNB), a 36-credit program offered by the MindSight Institute and Dan Siegal in 2020. I have been a junior partner to Manju in this work since we got together, and in 2019 when I joined Manju full time in her work, I quickly took to the challenge and the joy of engaging with an underserved population. I got hooked on being able to use my skills to make a difference. I bring the skills of a senior executive, a continued need to learn, a systems approach and an internal drive to make a difference in the world.
jyoti choudhary
Jyoti Choudhary grew up in India and moved to the U.S. over 3 decades ago. She has MBA from BGSU (Bowling Green State University). She worked at All-Sports Supply and NW Natural before joining Intel. She recently signed off from Intel to pursue other interests. She served on the DVRC (Domestic Violence Resource Center) board for over 7 years. She strongly believes in the adage 'to whom much is given, much is expected.'