Maggie

Like everyone else, I am a composite of selves and roles. I am a mother, grandmother, partner, sister, daughter, student, teacher, water-colorist, writer, reader, volunteer, hiker, and camper. I enjoy investing time in meditation, in nature, with family, with friends, and with my ginger tabby cats.

I became a meditation teacher so that I could share this life changing practice which I've maintained for the past twelve years. After 26 years as a teacher and administrator, the last four as a principal and Head Start director in the School District of Lee County, Florida,  I retired. My husband and I camped, hiked, and traveled Europe for a month. I began the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program in January, 2019. Synchronistically, that was also the beginning of my journey with large B-cell lymphoma.  Mindfulness helped me navigate the pain and stay present. I was less fearful and more grateful than I would have thought possible. In the fall of 2020, I was found to be in complete remission. I completed my mindfulness teacher training in January, 2021.

I believe that mindfulness meditation can help us not only overcome the obstacles and rough patches in our lives, but also open us up to the joy, wonder, and gratitude which can be found in each day. My mindfulness teaching is based on the work of my revered teachers: Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Sharon Salzberg, and others. I incorporate the trauma sensitive, embodied approach of both David Treleaven and Peter Levine. Additionally, I strive to promote a sense of belonging following the teachings of Larry Yang, Ruth King, and Resmaa Menakem.

QUALIFICATIONS

* Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education

* Master's degree in Educational Leadership

* Florida certifications in Educational Leadership, Early Childhood, Gifted,  and Elementary  Education

* Mindful Meditation Certification by Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program  provided by the  Awareness Institute and the Greater Good Science Centre based at the University of California, Berkeley

*Chairperson, Caloosahatchee Mindfulness

* Member of the International Mindfulness Teacher Association (IMTA)