Helping small businesses and entrepreneurs leverage their specialty and teach - changing lives and their business.
 

Dr. Shawn Y. Holmes

 
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Educator. Consultant. Life Balance Strategist.

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I am most joyful in nature, near either an ocean or the mountains, with friends, my son, partner and dog, Rumi. My second joy is creatively centering embodied mindfulness, trauma-informed practices, compassion, and joy so we can be our true selves in the world - as leaders, mothers, professionals, friends.

My personal and professional journeys have blessed me with a deep understanding and a fervent desire to show that mindfulness and trauma-informed practices support constructive developmental theories by:

  • encouraging perspective taking and discernment, and

  • valuing mistakes and discomfort as opportunities for,

  • growth, resilience, and compassion.

I’ve developed arts-based approaches as experiential learning with embodied awareness for learners to experience what they are learning. This is deeper than cognitive learning.

I have two doctorates and teacher certifications in mindfulness meditation and extensive training in trauma-sensitive mindfulness and ethical sensitivity.

I lead with care and compassion, and reject traditional ways of educating to ensure all learners are treated justly and as whole beings.

Recipients of my supportive guidance learn, grow and shift their perspectives beyond their conditioned behaviours toward practices of self-reflection, personal mastery, and interconnectedness.


I draw on 30 years of experience from:

being a dentist, treating patients with medically compromised conditions in Philadelphia and refugee camps of Ghana, West Africa
I’ve also…

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taught at Temple University as an assistant clinical dental professor
and…

earned a MA in multicultural education
and… 

taught science in public high schools in Pennsylvania, California and North Carolina
and…

earned a PhD in Science Education
and…

am an assistant professor in teacher education and leadership at universities in the US and Canada
and…

a consultant and teacher of embodied mindfulness practices that contribute to well-being.

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My Journey
 
  • Early On

    I became fascinated about learning when I taught my first class at age 10. As I stood in front of the classroom, I asked myself, What do I need to do or say to help students learn? That question changed everything for me. I started paying close attention to what connects teaching and learning. At 19, my conscious spiritual journey began when my sister introduced me to meditation.

  • Dentistry & Teaching

    I had two roles being a dentist; clinical assistant professor treating patients who were medically compromised and teaching dental students. It was critical that dental students learned how to provide compassionate dental care and treat patients with respect, dignity and kindness.

  • Giving Back

    Treating patients living in a refugee camp in Ghana, West Africa reinforced compassionate care, reaching a broader community, and making a difference through teaching. I earned a Masters in multicultural education and began teaching in public high schools.

  • Doctorate in Science Education

    I earned a PhD to share my passion for teaching and creating accountable spaces for racial and gender diversity. For my dissertation, I created a computer simulation centering ethical sensitivity as an assessment of teacher's ability to identify intolerant behaviors. The study is published inThe Journal of Education in Science, Environment and Health.

  • Mindfulness Meditation

    I've been a dedicated meditation pracitioner since 2004, and have been certified to teach by The Chopra Center in 2017, and by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach in 2020. I deepen my practice by attending several residential silent retreats a year. I've taught embodied mindfulness programs and incorporated these practices in my consultant business since 2017.

 
Professional Associations
 
 
I love, love, love the changing colour of trees during Autumn.
— Shawn Y. Holmes
 
 
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