inward bound teachers
Our diverse community of Inward Bound young people, teachers, and mentors seeks to create healthier inner and outer worlds.
We are an extensive community of trained professionals, dedicated to empowering teens and young adults in a supportive environment
Our retreat staff are experts in the fields of mindfulness, youth development, mental health, and education, and have lived experiences that deeply connect with the teens we serve. They exemplify authenticity, compassion, and respect, upholding a strong code of ethics. In fact, some of our leaders today were participants in the first teen retreats offered in 1989. Find out more about our certified teachers and assistant teachers below. If you are interested in staffing a retreat, please complete our mentor application form.
apply to be a mentorteachers
Zac Ispa-Landa
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Anna Johns
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Catherine Banson
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Day Nyugen
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Harry Um
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Kiki Williams
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Lawrence Schuessler
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Nannette Weinhold
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Sara Van Zutphen Oakes
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Seonjoon Young
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Shea Riester
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Soroosh Vafapoor
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Tanzanite Msola
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Travis Spencer
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Mentoring on a Teen Retreat
Being a mentor is a very nourishing and powerful experience as well as a big commitment – we appreciate each mentor’s willingness to offer their time in this way. The primary role of our mentors is to support the teens in their practice and retreat experience. This is done by helping to “hold the container” in a kind and respectful way, “sweeping” teens to and from the meditation hall and activities, sharing in the experience of the retreat, and much more.
We look for applicants with a dedication to mindfulness meditation and an interest in supporting youth. Specifically, we aim to have mentors with silent retreat experience and experience with teens; counseling or therapeutic experience is a plus. We also aim to have at least one trained counselor/therapist on each retreat. We consider the diversity of the mentors for each retreat – race, gender, sexual orientation, age, life experience – and additional skills mentor have to offer – art, music, theater, sports, yoga, etc.
