The Shakti School is honored to offer scholarships each year to students who are passionate about bringing healing, wisdom, and positive change into the world. We want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who applied and shared their personal stories with us. Your authenticity, dedication, and heartfelt intentions did not go unnoticed.
Without further ado, we're excited to introduce some of our 2026 scholarship recipients and share their beautiful stories with our community.
If you'd like to apply for the 2027 Sacred Service Scholarship, click here.
Alexis Mulhauser | Oakland, CA | @yoginialexis & nourishtheessence.com
"As a native of New Mexico, I have been leading yoga and dance classes since 1998, and in the Bay Area since 2008. My classes are infused with a lifelong passion for the human body, movement as a form of meditation, and the many modalities I have studied that support healing and wholeness, including Hatha yoga, Breema, martial arts, macrobiotics, and Ayurveda. Additionally, I am a Certified Massage Therapist and Breema Instructor, and enjoy leading classes, workshops, and Breema intensive trainings throughout the Bay Area and internationally. When I’m not in classes or sessions with clients, I seek to grow and thrive in the wild unknown of parenting my budding 13 year old daughter, spending time in nature with my 4 year old Cavapoo Lola, dancing, cooking, thrifting, and traveling to new places. I am delighted to be furthering my studies in Ayurveda through the Shakti School and look forward to deepening my relationship to Ayurveda in level 2 next year. I’m hoping to integrate the Ayurvedic practices and tools not only into my daily life, but also in my work with clients as a bodyworker, Breema practitioner and yoga and dance instructor."
Wencit Quino Hersh | San Diego, CA | @wencithersh
"There comes a moment when we turn inward to truly assess our lives. Sometimes a difficult experience or illness pushes us to reflect; other times, a quiet inner voice urges us to find the root of our challenges to take meaningful action. As I experienced this awakening, I realized that one of the most important forms of self-care is learning to love myself.
Coming from a Filipino background, I was raised to put family first and serve others before myself. While this value is deeply woven into who I am, I eventually realized that constantly putting myself last had consequences. In 2024, after experiencing severe health challenges and being diagnosed with a chocolate cyst, I felt a strong desire to address my health in a natural, holistic way.
At exactly the right moment, I found The Shakti School. Everything on the website resonated with me, and receiving a scholarship felt like a perfect alignment. My goal is to first apply this Ayurveda education to myself and my family, then share these practices with my community. I want to build a strong foundation of knowledge and integrity so that I can eventually offer guidance to others with confidence.
I am deeply grateful to The Shakti School team for making this dream possible. I feel incredibly blessed to be among women committed to transforming their lives and creating positive change in the world."
Essra Paddock | New York | @the_naturally_charmed_mom
"My name is Essra and I am a wife and mother of 4 living in upstate NY. I have been interested in Ayurveda since 2020 when I saw something about eating seasonally online. I purchased a couple of books right away, but really wanted to take a live class. Whenever I looked into them they were so expensive and just never felt attainable. I started following The Shakti School right before Christmas 2026, but didn't know Katie did classes. My health has been a struggle lately and my mother told me to look into Ayurveda again and the next day I saw Katie's promotion for the class! It felt so Spirit led. I reached out asking about a scholarship and was so excited to find out they offered them. I applied right away. I am loving the class so much. The teachers are amazing. My initial goal for Ayurveda was to support my own health journey, but as a mentor, I am sure it will sneak into my work."
Alaura Winning | Finland | @alauragw & alauragrace.com
"My name is Alaura, I was born and raised in Canada, and now live in Finland. Learning about feminine-form medicine and Ayurvedic traditions was something I didn't envision because the programs always seemed out of my reach. I always felt a calling to return to our roots and a simplified approach to health practices and living better. My mom introduced me to Yogic living and philosophy at 3 years old, and I slowly built a practice as I grew into the person I am today.
In 2021, I completed my first introduction to Yoga study and since then, I continue to devote time to learning the roots and how this wisdom relates and supports women's bodies. I was drawn to The Shakti School because of their inclusivity and genuine support through the process of studies. Every new concept is taught in a way that we can embody this philosophical teaching and introduce it into our daily lives.
The support we're learning brings us back to accessibility and simplicity for healing ourselves. We don't need to follow elaborate exercise or eat schedules, instead, we see how choosing herbs and spices while cooking, along with food choices, can create big, positive shifts in someone's life. My passion has always been to work one-on-one with people. I am a nutritionist and women's coach and my Ayurveda education will integrate perfectly into my one-on-one support and my free practices on YouTube. My work is virtual, as well as workshops and Yoga classes (Yin, Kundalini, Resorative) in-person in the Helsinki metropolitan area in Finland.
After graduation, I hope to always keep learning Ayurveda, and bring it into my sessions with clients, making their care and support even more personalized. I plan to bring the teachings into my Yoga Nidra and EFT tapping support I provide throuhgout my sessions to create even greater healing within. I am so deeply grateful and touched that the Shakti team provided this scholarship, and I can't wait to continue to learn Ayurveda throughout my life."
Jennifer Carey | CA
"I am a devoted wife of 15 years and a proud mama to 2 amazing children ages 9 and 11, along with our beloved mini Queensland heeler and our spirited tuxedo cat, a crested gecko, and a chameleon. I am a licensed esthetician who chose to step out of practice to be more present with my family, and I currently serve as the head of safety and discipline at my children’s school. I am deeply passionate about supporting others, whether through active listening or by offering care through my background in esthetics and massage therapy. Having navigated anxiety and panic attacks since a young age, I’ve developed a strong sense of empathy and a desire to explore holistic approaches to well-being. This path led me to Ayurvedic studies, which I’ve been drawn to for years, and more recently The Shakti School, where I’ve found both inspiration and healing. While I am still discovering how I will fully integrate this work into my life, I am already sharing what I’ve learned with my community and experiencing meaningful shifts through the grounding power of daily routines."
Eva Anderberg | Perth, Western Australia
"My name is Eva and I am originally from Stockholm, Sweden but I have lived in Australia for more than half of my life. I currently live in Perth, Western Australia.
I feel Ayurveda found me a few years ago and welcomed me in with open arms. I trained as an Ayurvedic Kansa Wand Face Massage therapist and began offering sessions to women in my community from a small studio in my garden but I never went further in my studies. I dont know how I found the Shakti School but somehow I came across Katie Silcox and heard her talk about Ayurveda and I felt something landing deep inside of me. A sense of homecoming that touched me profoundly, as if I had finally landed on my path. That is how I came to enroll in Level One Ayurvedic Health Coach training with The Shakti School. A few months into the training my life has already transformed so much. I have changed my eating habits in a profound way. I feel a newfound love and gratitude for my body. Ayurveda feels alive, wise and so nurturing to me. I sometimes just close my eyes and allow the loving currents of the teachings to flow through me. This has effortlessly rubbed off on my husband as well and we have found ourselves embarking on a beautiful new journey together.
My dream vision is to support women in my community in finding an Ayurvedic lifestyle that helps them feel beautiful, nurtured and rejuvenated. I trust that their families will then benefit as well and that this will ripple out into the broader community."
Jen Lantier-Novelli | Albany, NY | prancingponyyoga.com
"Namaste! I’m Jen, and I’m incredibly honored to be a Shakti Scholarship recipient.
I started my career as a kindergarten teacher in the U.S., but curiosity and a love of learning led my husband and me to spend years traveling the world, teaching and living in a new country each year. Along the way, I fell in love with the ways different cultures approach wellness, mindfulness, and community.
Now I teach yoga and mindfulness to kids, sharing practices like movement, meditation, breathwork, and philosophy with my littlest yogis. It’s truly my joy and purpose. I also offer “pay what you can” classes in my home studio because I believe every child deserves access to tools that help them feel grounded, confident, and connected.
I’m excited to study Ayurveda so I can bring even more holistic, accessible wellness practices to children and families — and help plant seeds for a healthier, kinder future."
Kim Keskitalo | Wilmington, NC | @kim.keskitalo
"My name is Kim Keskitalo. I am a yogi, a mom of 2 kids and 2 dogs, and a board member of Yoga Village, a non-profit dedicated to bringing trauma informed yoga to the people living in Wilmington, NC. I am honored to be a scholarship recipient to the Shakti School. For as long as I can remember I have always been called a "medical mystery" and have decided to embark on this journey with Shakti School to help myself as well as others around me.
I was drawn to The Shakti School by my mentor, she integrated so much of what she had learned into her yoga classes and I took notice and began to practice. I knew that I needed more so I took the plunge and signed up for Level 1. This course has changed my life in so many ways. I am hoping to bring what I have learned here to my community in the form of workshops and eventually as an Ayurveda Wellness Counselor. I truly believe that what we learn in Shakti School should be more available and visible in our society as a whole and cannot wait to help educate others on the powers of Ayurveda."
Jessica Camano | Phoenix, AZ
"My name is Jessica Camano, and I reside in Phoenix, Arizona. I am deeply honored and grateful to be the 2026 Shakti School scholarship recipient as I begin my journey as a Level 1 Ayurvedic Wellness Coach. I am a psychotherapist working in a community integrated care setting, serving individuals and families from underserved communities. As a lifelong student and practitioner of yoga, I have always felt drawn to yogic, Vedic, and holistic teachings as pathways for deeper healing. My work in mental health has inspired me to explore new ways of supporting clients beyond traditional approaches—honoring not only the mind and emotions, but also the body, spirit, nervous system, and lived experience. Many of the individuals I serve have had limited access to these teachings, and my hope is to bring the wisdom of Ayurveda and Vedic psychology into my work in a grounded, accessible, and compassionate way. I see this training as a beautiful steppingstone on my path, and I am so grateful to learn alongside such a loving and inspiring community of women."
Libby Guerin | Adelaide, South Australia | @goldenheartyoga_ & goldenheartyoga.com.au
"Hi, my name is Libby from Adelaide Australia, I have a beautiful little family, husband and little 4yo girl and two golden retrievers. I'm a life long learner (who said after uni I'd never study again, but the pitta in me had other ideas). Since doing my yoga teacher training in 2007 and learning a bit about ayurveda, I just kept wanting to learn and understand more about both worlds and have kept on studying. I had seen Shakti School around the place and looked at it but it always felt out of reach for a girl from Adelaide, but here we are, in head first, learning and deepening my knowledge and loving every minute of it. Life is full and I'm so grateful for this opportunity to be included in this cohort of students and learning and embedding this beautiful feminine way of learning ayurveda.
My goal is to share yoga and ayurveda to guide women to themselves again and that helps show that our unique bodies already know the way, just awakening that in themselves by working with the rhythm of nature and seasons and cycles. So coupling, yoga, ayurveda, coaching and wellness all into one beautiful cup of nourishment."
Monya Pierce | Page Springs, AZ
"Hi everyone, Monya here. I currently live in Page Springs AZ. Born and raised in S.A, immigrated to America in 2001. I retired from nursing in 2020. I'm feeling extremely appreciative for this incredible gift of scholarship, thank you Katie!!! I have been drawn to holistic healing for some time and then this door opened for me. Thank you Universe. I know the path of most value as an Ayurveda Health Coach will be shown to me, so I continue to listen for guidance. I wish everyone on this journey only the very best."
Jody Jackson | Darwin, Australia | @j_louisa_jackson
"I have always had a deep fascination with Ayurveda. It felt a little unusual because I was never drawn to other nutritional courses or healing modalities — for me, it was always Ayurveda or nothing. Until now, I had only skimmed the surface and never truly considered that it could become part of my life’s path.
I’ve always been naturally drawn to living in a balanced and nurturing way. Self-care and caring for my self have always come naturally to me, and I’ve never felt guilty for prioritizing that. As someone who loves food, the idea of healing and thriving through herbs, nourishment, and ancient wisdom brings me so much joy.
It is still early days in my studies, and there has been so much to learn — including many Sanskrit terms and concepts — but the teachers have been incredibly supportive, encouraging, and understanding throughout the process. Their guidance has made the experience feel exciting rather than overwhelming, and I’m truly enjoying taking it all in.
I’m staying open to where this journey may lead, but I feel especially passionate about teaching self-care and self-love through Ayurveda and Tantra. I would also love to create programs that support peri-menopausal and menopausal women, as this can be such a profound and transformative stage of life. Many women may not realize there are gentle, natural, and holistic ways to support themselves through these changes.
I’m incredibly grateful to The Shakti School for offering me this partial scholarship and for giving me the opportunity to deepen my knowledge in a path that already feels deeply aligned with who I am."
Andrijana Sabadosh | Toronto, ON, Canada | @playandpauseyoga & playandpauseyoga.com
"My name is Andrijana Sabadosh, and I am a yoga teacher based in Toronto, where I have been teaching for the past decade through my work with Play & Pause Yoga. With a background in Psychology and training in Hatha Yoga and as an Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist, my intention is to continue sharing this wisdom through embodied, practical experiences that support women - especially women who spend so much of their lives caring for others - in creating more balance, rhythm, resilience, and connection to their bodies and lives again. Ayurveda has become deeply woven into both my teaching and personal life, inspiring me to begin creating Seasonal AyurYoga workshops that bring together yoga, seasonal living, an understanding of digestion, daily rituals, and practical support for everyday life.
The Shakti School came into my life at the right time, helping me embody the teachings in a more grounded and lived way so that what I share with my community feels real, compassionate, and practical. It also reminded me of the power of community, support, and how deeply healing it can be to feel seen and encouraged at the moments when we need it most. What I love most is the way Shakti School translates Ayurveda and Tantra into accessible teachings that feel relevant for modern women’s health and wellness. My intention is to continue bettering and healing my own life so that I can share this wisdom from a real, embodied, and honest place with others."
Frannie Ayers | Greenville, NC | @zen_sister_healing & feelmorewhole.com
"Frannie hasn’t always worn the titles of Tantrika, Yoga Teacher, Light Worker, and Mom. After a long battle of anxiety, depression, and living an unfulfilled life she began a spiritual journey that allowed her to take her power back and learn who she was without the layers of trauma and programming. She likes to think of herself as Kintsugi, the Japanese art of filling broken cracks with gold to make it stronger and more beautiful. As her journey progresses she has found that everything we need to feel worthy, thrive, and take power back from our lives is in our own being. It is through her own journey that she has been called to help other soul searching humans. Providing a space where they can explore themselves on every level in a non-judgmental space. A space where they can see how good life can get, just as they are. Adding Ayurveda into the toolbox allows for another facet to help others find wellness and joy. Working with a majority of women who are finding difficulty aging and finding dis-ease in the transition to crone, the shakti school was the perfect space to learn for self knowledge and to share with others."
Arina Shames | San Francisco, CA | @sensoryrituals
"I’m a beauty artist, yogini, dancer and wellness practitioner based in San Francisco with a growing passion for Ayurveda, embodiment, and nervous system healing. My background began in the beauty industry, where I became deeply interested in the connection between ritual, self-perception, touch, and emotional wellbeing. Over time, that curiosity evolved into a deeper exploration of movement, somatic practices, feminine wellness, and Ayurvedic philosophy.
As someone navigating modern urban life, motherhood, entrepreneurship, and periods of intense stress and transition, Ayurveda has helped me reconnect with a more grounded, sensory, and intentional way of living. My vision is to eventually create experiences, rituals, and products that help people restore connection to themselves through beauty, embodiment, nervous system regulation, movement, and daily ritual practices.
I believe wellness is not only about optimization, but also about presence, softness, sensory experience, and learning how to inhabit the body more fully. I’m incredibly grateful to continue this path through Shakti Ayurveda School and to be part of a community helping shape a more conscious and embodied future."
Dionne Dupuis | Massachusetts
"My name is Dee Dupuis and I want to begin with a genuine heartfelt thank you to the Shakti School for this scholarship. In a surprisingly short time this program has already given me language for the things I have known in my bones for over two decades, but could never quite name. That alone has been worth everything.
Here is the short version of a very long and beautifully complicated story.
I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at 25. I had just received my Master's degree in Political Science in one hand and a prognosis nobody asked for in the other. I was told to prepare for a wheelchair and a much smaller life. As a dancer since the age of three, movement was how I experienced being alive. I had one very clear response: I would accept the diagnosis, but not the prognosis. If I ever ended up in a wheelchair, it was going to be a blinged-out one, and I was absolutely going to keep dancing. MS was not going to have me. What followed was two decades of living fully in the real, raw, messy middle of life. I found yoga, Pilates, Reiki, holistic healing practices, spiritual teachers, community, and my way back to myself over and over again through every setback this diagnosis threw at me.
Life also brought a bulging disc, severe back pain, job loss, and financial struggles. Each time I got back up—like Rocky, if Rocky had a yoga mat, essential oils, a strong meditation game, and a crystal collection. I went on to earn another Master's degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling and have spent the last decade helping others reclaim what they thought was lost through employment services, benefits navigation, housing support, and community engagement.
Underneath all of that achievement was a deeper journey: learning who I was inside a body that was fighting itself. For years I lived in survival mode—pushing, fighting, proving. Somewhere along the way I lost touch with the softer, intuitive, feminine parts of myself. Then I found Ayurveda through The Shakti School, and something clicked. For the first time, I felt seen beyond a diagnosis. The idea that my body is not broken—that it is seasonal, that it has a constitution, and that symptoms are signals to listen to—felt like coming home to a house I did not know I had been searching for my entire adult life. Since starting at The Shakti School, I have lost 30 pounds and begun finding myself again.
I am a 200-hour RYT yoga teacher, a Reiki Level 2 practitioner, and the founder of The Healing Heart House, a growing online community for women with Multiple Sclerosis. It is being built because the community I needed at 25—scared and alone with a diagnosis nobody prepared me for—did not exist. I wanted a space that focused on the whole person and the possibility of living a vibrant life.
My intention with my Ayurvedic education is deeply personal and profoundly purposeful. I want to bring this wisdom to women who have spent years being told what their bodies cannot do and instead help them understand what their bodies are asking for. I want to weave Ayurvedic principles into everything I teach—nutrition, daily rituals, seasonal living, and nervous system support. Most of all, I want the women I serve to be met as whole human beings, not just a diagnosis or a list of symptoms. I am building a business centered on healing, hope, empowerment, and the radical belief that even inside a life with limitations, there is still so much possibility."
Jamie Helen Knox | Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada | @jamieknox20
"I truly appreciate being selected for a scholarship. I am on a healing journey and adapting to an Ayurveda lifestyle has helped me heal in so many ways. Not perfect but my body will tell me when I’ve fallen off track!
I moved home after 30 years of working in healthcare for the Canadian Military. I knew I wanted to continue helping others, specifically indigenous women. I was drawn to the Shakti School’s IG post two years ago. I missed out and when the opportunity arose this past January I told myself this is a sign!
Ayurveda teaches you to put you first! It’s a lot of information but very interesting, encouraging and inspiring. My plan is to provide health and wellness presentations to indigenous women in my community and surrounding communities."
Elisabeth Wilson | Ocala, FL
"Elisabeth Wilson is based in Ocala, Florida, and is driven by a long-standing curiosity about health, sustainability, and our relationship with the natural world. Her path has led through studies in dietetics, holistic health, and environmental sustainability, into a deeper exploration of nervous system regulation, Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and contemplative practices. She is especially interested in what may be missing from modern conversations around chronic health and healing, and in exploring how reconnecting with ourselves, our bodies, and nature might support both personal wellbeing and a deeper relationship with the living world."
Alice Summermatter | Just outside Zurich, Switzerland | @aliceshakti
"I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Shakti Ayurveda School scholarship program. Every week, I am inspired by the wisdom, the teachers, and the incredible community. Studying Ayurveda feels like putting together the pieces of a much larger puzzle—one that helps me understand health, healing, and our connection to nature on a deeper level.
I live just outside Zurich, Switzerland, and come from a family shaped by both resilience and migration. As the daughter of an Eastern European refugee and with roots in the Swiss mountains, I carry a deep appreciation for community, perseverance, and the healing power of nature.
My vision is to help women step out of the hamster wheel of constant doing and reconnect with themselves. I want to inspire women to see health not as something that simply happens to us, but as something we can actively cultivate and invest in every day. Through Ayurveda, yoga, and community, I hope to support women in becoming their most radiant, healthy, and authentic selves.
I am also a passionate gardener, plant lover, and herbal enthusiast. One of my dreams is to help people reconnect with the earth by growing healing plants, sharing traditional knowledge, and creating simple remedies that strengthen both individual wellbeing and community resilience.
I believe that when women heal, communities heal. And when we learn to care for ourselves with greater awareness and compassion, we help create a kinder, healthier, and more conscious world for everyone."
Linda Nicolin | Burford, Cotswolds UK | @themessyzen
"In 2024, right in the messy middle of my life at 50 years young, I made the difficult decision to leave my home in South Africa and move to the UK with little more than a suitcase, leaving behind lifelong friends, familiar landscapes and most of my heart - my 3 beautiful daughters. While the move offered new opportunities, it also left me feeling ungrounded, disconnected, and living in what often felt like a temporary life. During this season of transition, I found myself searching for something deeper—a way to reconnect with myself, create a sense of belonging, and make meaning from change.
That search led me to Ayurveda and my curiosity quickly became a profound recognition that this ancient wisdom held many of the answers I had been seeking and a strong sense that I had returned home. Ayurveda's approach resonates deeply with both my personal journey and my professional background as a health coach, chef and lifelong student of holistic wellbeing. Ayurveda's approach to our physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual wellbeing aligns with my passion for helping people reconnect with their inner wisdom through food, nature, ritual, and self-awareness. I connect deeply with Ayurveda because of its beautiful understanding that true nourishment extends way beyond what we eat. I hope to deepen my understanding of this ancient wisdom and weave it into beautiful retreats and wellbeing days.
My vision is to create immersive retreats that nourish the whole person - mind body and soul - with food and ritual at their heart. Drawing on my culinary background, I hope to guide guests through meaningful experiences that include cooking, sharing beautiful seasonal meals, connecting with nature, and discovering their own inner wisdom and joy. I believe that some of life's deepest healing happens around the table, in community, and through simple daily practices that bring us back to ourselves."
Aino Pöytäniemi | Helsinki, Finland | @poyta
"I'm a former lawyer, and my path to Ayurveda has been anything but linear. After years of building a life that looked right on paper, I burned out – not necessarily from overwork, but from living out of alignment with who I truly am. I slowly found my way back through Ayurveda, meditation, and surfing – and the three have been inseparable ever since.
With my Shakti School education, I want to build a practice rooted in women's health – supporting women who, like me, are navigating burnout, nervous system dysregulation, and the deeper longing to live a life that actually feels like theirs. I want to meet women where they are and walk alongside them on the most important journey there is: coming home to themselves.
Would love to connect if anything resonates. Wishing you a beautiful Ayurveda journey!"