Inward Bound Mindfulness Education

“I am excited about this growing movement and pledge 100% support to this organization, its mission and team. I have been working with youth and individuals dealing with PTSD – utilizing meditation and yoga to open pathways to awareness and mindfulness. It works. It is working, and it needs to keep working.” — Niyati Shah, Tranquil Space, Washington, DC
“The work that this organization does is definitely cutting edge and a most successful program. The adolescents that we have sent to the retreats and workshops have ALL had transformations and have been able to take on self-healing and have had tremendous changes in self-esteem and confidence.” — Candace Coffin, Director of Specialty Services, Mount Rogers Community Services Board
“Mindfulness has great power to reduce stress and promote a deep sense of wellness. For adolescents today, this is an urgent need. Supporting their inner work through thoughtful and effective mindfulness programs, as they are doing at iBme, can have far-reaching consequences for the good of adolescents at this stage of their development and beyond.” — Trish Broderick, PhD, Penn State Prevention Research Center
"Heartfelt gratitude to you for a wonderful workshop!! Folks really enjoyed and got much out of the morning with you." — Candace Coffin / Director of Specialty Services, Mount Rogers Community Services Board
“As a psychiatrist I have had the opportunity to see the huge benefit that a basic introduction to mindfulness practices can bring to people suffering from a wide variety of mood and anxiety disorders. What a wonderful plan iBme has to bring education in mindfulness to youths, who so often struggle to manage and tolerate their intense emotions.” — Jennifer Pasternack, MD, PhD, Erie, PA
“I have been teaching mindfulness techniques for almost 38 years, in the US and around the world. I recognize this (iBme) as an exciting program, with integrity, compassion and intelligence.” — Sharon Salzberg, Insight Meditation Society (Barre, Ma)
“As a psychology professor who teaches inner-city college students, I have lost count of the number of students who told me after my lecture on mindfulness and meditation, that they wished they knew how to do that. The iBme program has incredible potential to give students the boost they need to handle some of the challenges they face.” — Orin Davis, Quality of Life Laboratory, New York
“As Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA MARC and as a long-time teacher of mindfulness for youth, on behalf of MARC I wholly endorse iBme’s work. They are on the forefront of a movement to revolutionize inner development for teens and those who serve them, something desperately needed for our youth who are increasingly stressed and lost.” — Diana Winston, UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC)
“What a great endeavor! Our research demonstrates that mindfulness based programs can change brain structure and function, so a program like iBme can make a true, long-lasting impact on these students.” — Sara Lazar, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

Program Staff

	Jessica Morey is the Executive Director at iBme. She began practicing meditation at age 14 in the Insight Meditation Society teen retreats. She returned every year for 6 years and then participated for 10 years in an IMS young adult mentoring group. Jessica has attended longer (1-3 month) retreats in Asia and the US and is a founding board member and lead teacher for iBme teen retreats. Before joining iBme, Jessica worked in clean energy and climate policy and finance. She holds a BA in Environmental Engineering from Dartmouth and Masters degrees in Sustainable Development and International Affairs. She is an avid yogini and skier and loves dancing in any form.
	Joe Klein is the founder and Director of Programs at iBme. He has over 20 years experience working with youth as a teacher, counselor and soccer coach. Joe brings playfulness and a whole body experiential integration to his work with young people. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Substance Abuse Counselor and a long term practitioner of mindfulness meditation, yoga and Chinese internal martial arts. Joe teaches a graduate level course on mindfulness and SEL for teachers, social workers and counselors at Radford University and also co-leads retreats on “Mindfulness as Self-Care” for helping professionals in Southwest Virginia.
	Patrick Cook-Deegan is the West Coast and Development Director at iBme. In 2006, Patrick bicycled 2,800 miles across Southeast Asia raising funds for schools and scholarships in the region. Following this trip, Patrick started a non-profit that sent underprivileged teens from the U.S. to volunteer in developing countries. Prior to joining iBme, Patrick was the Director of Strategic Partnerships at US Campaign for Burma. He has spoken to over 100 schools and universities about the importance of service, global justice, and self-awareness, including at Andover Academy, Yale University, and the Clinton School of Public Service. Patrick has completed six 10-day meditation retreats and maintains a strong daily practice. He is a graduate of Brown University and a Fulbright Scholar.
	La Sarmiento is the D.C. Coordinator and a Retreat Manager at iBme. She has been practicing Vipassana meditation and has been a member of IMCW since 1998. Since 2005, La has been the guiding teacher/leader of the IMCW LGBTQ sangha and the IMCW People of Color sangha. She integrates the Kalyana Mitta process and the concepts of Respectful Confrontation and Non-Violent Communication into her gatherings to create a space for group wisdom to arise. La is a senior retreat/event manager committed to bringing diverse teachers to IMCW. La has been a bodyworker in private practice since 1992 and teaches mindfulness-based Reiki classes with her life partner Wendy Taylor in Adams Morgan, DC.
	Jesse Torrence grew up just outside of Toledo, Ohio and has resided in the Washington, D.C. since early 2009. He holds a BA in Economics and a BA in International Relations from Stanford University and a Masters in Public Administration with a focus in International Development from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Over the past 10 years, prior to leaving his most recent job as a consultant for the Independent Evaluation Group at the World Bank, Jesse worked with at-risk youth in Toledo, taught English in Middle East, managed several nonprofits, and helped several others start-up and launch successfully. He has been practicing meditation and yoga for the past few years and enjoys Latin dance. We’re happy to report that Jesse is recovering his health! And we look forward to his return to work with iBme.
	Liota Weinbaum is an administrative assistant at iBme. She attended the very first iBme retreat in 2007 at the age of 14. Liota attended every single iBme retreat for the next four years–until she was 17. She has been aware of Buddhist meditation practices all her life, attending family camp at Milarepa in Vermont since she was very young. Mindfulness and organic farming are her main passions. She has been a staff person at a number of iBme retreats, worked with children elsewhere.

You can also meet some of our fun and dynamic teen retreat staff.

Transformative Retreats & Programs for Teens, Parents & Professionals

Program Staff

iBme, Inc.