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!"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"Over the years, I’ve been an artist, a business owner, a dancer, a musician, and a hairstylist. I’ve always felt drawn to spiritual teachings from the East and inner exploration. Whenever I’ve lost my peace, I’ve found myself retreating inward to stillness—to Self.
"
"
"
"My name is 
"
"
"
"
"Hello and Sat Sri Akal my sisters. 
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"I have been in the healing/light worker career for over 25 years. I have learned many different modalities to help people and recently animals. I have always known the greatest gift is to LOVE. All of the help I have given others comes from my heart and from that love and the universal love.
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"My name is Mylinda Ogundipe and I live in Northwest Ohio with my husband and our daughter. I am currently a 200 hour certified yoga teacher, a mindfulness coach, and am in the process of becoming a yoga therapist. My interest in the health and wellness space was sparked by my desire to increase the health of my daughter, who was born with Sickle Cell Disease, an inherited blood disorder that causes organ damage as well as pain in various parts of the body. Our research into holistic support maintained that a healthy diet, yoga, and meditation could help manage this disease, so after a deep dive into yoga, I found Ayurveda. My initial interests in this program was to help my daughter and others living with Sickle Cell Disease. I still want to specialize in assisting those with Sickle Cell Disease, yet after being exposed to all the good that Ayurveda can do, I have expanded my focus to include individuals living with chronic pain in general. As a woman of color, I also believe that Ayurveda can serve as a protective factor against the disparities faced at all points of the motherhood journey, so I would like to expand my focus to help women of color along the path of motherhood. My ultimate goal would be to marry this Ayurvedic knowledge with yoga therapy in order to assist as many people in as many ways as possible. I know this Ayurvedic journey has just begun, and I am so very excited to learn more! Thank you so much for this scholarship opportunity!"
"
"
"Hi, I’m LaToya Maria! I am a therapeutic yoga teacher, feminine embodiment guide and wellbeing educator with an intentional focus on women’s health. I'm the founder of Rooted & Crowned, a collective devoted to creating bespoke holistic wellness experiences for women. Known by many as an energy alchemist, I passionately guide women on a holistic journey into embodiment, liberation, and ease. My devotion to mindbody intimacy led me to yoga as a personal practice in 2015. In 2017 I took a sabbatical from work and traveled to India to study yoga philosophy where I completed my hatha yoga and meditation teacher training in Rishikesh, India. I have over 15 years of energy and movement-centered well-being expertise which contributed to the development of my signature style, Enchanted Flow- aimed at increasing reproductive health, honoring women’s cyclical nature, and expanding innate wisdom to support overall well-being. After spending 10 years living outside of my home country, losing my job in 2020 and grieving my father’s death in 2022, I found myself in deep need of care. I found my way back to Ayurveda through the comfort of food, rest and healing touch. I rediscovered Shakti School last year and felt a spark of light shine within me that said, “this is a practice that not only supports you, but the women and girls you hold space for.” I intend to bring Ayurveda for the female form into my community in an accessible way. I envision myself facilitating workshops and retreats that can transform women across all socioeconomic statuses. Wellness and wellbeing isn’t a luxury, it is our birthright! I am so grateful for this scholarship and to be a part of this community. I intend to move on to Level II next year."
"
"
"
"Hi, my name is Gabriela. I am originally from Brazil, currently living in Brisbane, Australia, and loving every second of Shakti School! I’m profoundly touched by these teachings and very grateful for this amazing opportunity.
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"Who I was when 2022 began and who I am after seven months in Shakti School are practically two different persons. Over my nearly 40 years of this incarnation, I have gained degrees in psychology and certifications as a coach, yoga and mindfulness teacher, and nutrition educator. Yet the personification of coming home to myself, the practices of self-care, and the application of genuinely holistic wisdom have come through the teachings of Ayurveda. As I continue to Level 2 of Shakti School, I plan to incorporate Ayurvedic lifestyle practices within my life as daily rhythms, the seasons of nature, and the moon cycle. I want the embodiment of wisdom throughout my spiritual, emotional, and physical being, as well as in my environment, relationships, and pursuit of financial abundance. I will create a coaching practice with supportive and appropriate tools to help others develop their best life now and in the future. I believe each person deserves to feel as good as possible, and Shakti School lessons deliver the “how to” guide to get us there."
"
"
"Hello beautiful souls! I’m Apoorva, and I’m from India. Ayurveda is part of my roots and has always resonated with me. In the last year. I considered studying it formally and, through a synchronistic occurrence, discovered the magic of Shakti school! I’m 29 years old and have worn multiple hats professionally- I’ve studied engineering, worked as a data scientist, done a course in teaching, worked as an educator, studied human development, and now work as a researcher. As a researcher, I’ve been reviewing the global socio-economic imbalances that COVID-19 has exacerbated. I’ve realised now is the perfect time for me to be studying Ayurveda because it is a map to understanding reality and a way for me to process these imbalances and understand my potential to transform lives around me, starting with myself. For me, this journey symbolises learning to digest my experiences, as well as our collective ancestral experiences, tuning into my inner voice and connecting with my true essence – my swastha. As Katie says- “What do I do next?” is one of the most spiritual questions on the planet! My goal is to combine my diverse experience to curate a loving space that unlocks self-expression and reignites our collective compassion through a focus on food, movement, emotional awareness, and spiritual enquiry, based on the holistic health philosophy of Ayurveda – It is my heart’s desire to be a transmitter of this knowledge- this vidhya. I’m so excited for everything ahead and eternally grateful to the powerful Shakti tribe for this life-transforming experience."
"My name is Ashley King. I am a wife and a mother of two beautiful children. Although I am not currently practicing, I am a licensed massage therapist and a Yoga Teacher. But right now I’m a coordinator for a kid’s club inside of a gym. I’m going with the flow and seeing where that is going to take me. I am happy to be able to bring what I learn from Shakti School to my team and the kids where I work. I believe I will be able to help them ground and guide them in expressing themselves better when maybe at home they don’t have that option. I have a genetic condition called Peutz-Jegher Syndrome. It is a rare condition and polyps can grow anywhere, but mainly show up in my small intestine. I had my first surgery at the age of 7 and I have had 4 major surgeries total. Unfortunately, I passed it on to my daughter. I have been on my healing journey for about 10 years trying to discover ways to live life to the fullest and to be around as long as I can for my kiddos. When I looked into Shakti School, I knew deep in my heart that this was the school for me. To help heal deep wounds within me, assist my daughter in her journey with this condition and to help heal my community. I am so very grateful for this opportunity and super excited to be here."
"I was born to a 3rd generation American mother and grew up around Los Angeles and I am the oldest of four children and the only one to graduate high school. I grew up surrounded by poverty, gang violence, drug abuse/addiction, incarceration and untreated mental illness. I suffer from a heart condition and several gastrointestinal conditions that interfere with my quality of life. The trauma I have experienced in my life has deeply influenced my inclination towards holistic healing and Eastern philosophies. I believe whole heartedly in the ability to rise from nothing and build yourself up to greatness and the ability to overcome all obstacles that the universe puts before us. I have lived in Alaska, California, New York and Kansas and enjoy traveling around the world. I work with PETA as a volunteer vegan mentor and I’m a certified life coach, RYT-200 and an inter-denominational reverend. I am beyond blessed to have received this scholarship to Shakti School level one! I plan to go back to college and obtain my degree in Psychology and eventually attend med school to become a psychiatrist. I want to integrate Ayurvedic medicine, life coaching techniques, Yoga, Meditation and Western medicine together to form a mind-body-spirit approach to psychiatric medicine and patient care. In the future I would love to be able to attend level two of Shakti School to deepen my understanding of feminine form medicine and to obtain my RYT-500 certification. Thank you for allowing me to share this with you all!"
"Hi, I’m Jazmine. I am a social worker and yoga teacher. I have been in the counselling field for 13+ years. In 2013, I began to experience workplace burnout which in turn led me to pursue yoga teacher training and other eastern-based approaches. This was when my healing journey began… not just for the burnout but for a medical condition I had developed in my youth. This shift also altered the way I helped to support my clients; whereby I started to incorporate both eastern and western traditions into my counselling approach. Through this journey to healing, there was an ongoing tendency to try and learn from authority figures how to heal myself. I was going into it with the mentality that I didn’t have the answers and that “experts” had the answers. What drew me to Shakti School was the strong emphasis of attuning to the inner healer - ultimately recognizing that the sacred answers to my own healing lie within. My life journey led me here, to the sacredness of Ayurveda. The teachings of Ayurveda have been the most nourishing and holistic approach to self-healing I’ve had the honour of being gifted with. It is the path to help support my own healing journey, and also a holistic lens that will help me best support my clients. I am deeply honoured to be a Shakti School Scholarship recipient. Much gratitude to the teachings, teachers, Shakti team, and the loving community I am now a part of."
"I’m 26 years old yoga teacher and feminine energy mentor from Poland. I finished law school and I was working in a law office, but I realized this is not my purpose. I changed my life completely and went after what my heart was calling… nutrition and yoga. I went to India for yoga teacher training and become interested in Ayurveda as well. It was 3 years ago and since then I’m teaching yoga. Currently I’m living in Thailand and I love to learn more about Ayurveda that’s of course why I very much wanted to join Shakti School! Since 2 and a half years I’m running my own business, which started as fitness and nutrition oriented, I made 4 healthy living ebooks! With time I developed my business as well. I become interested more in women’s health. I’m creator of courses for Polish women about yoga philosophy, spirituality and health, which I’m so blessed to teach! I would love more women to connect to their own natural cycle, feel less stressed, enjoyed life as it is, know how to individually and durably take care of their physical and mental health. I’m so pleased to be able to expand my knowledge in Shakti School and bringing the ancient knowledge into modern hearts, which as I long for connection with nature."
"I am sure many of you can relate, but 2020 was a rough year for me. My name is Kelsi, and I am a 33 year old mother of two in Cincinnati. I have been a yoga lover for a decade, and I began a mediation practice during quarantine to help manage stress. When my partner and I split in May, I knew that I needed something healthy to focus my energy on. I discovered Shakti School through following Katie on social media, and I found myself being repeatedly drawn to the idea of it. I am a registered nurse and I have always been most passionate about women’s health. Along with the huge responsibility of raising two young women in this modern world, I simply feel like this program is exactly where I need to be. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and integrate Ayurveda into my life and share it with the people around me. "
"Meet Kyanne, an entrepreneur, beauty & wellness consultant, ayurvedic bodywork practitioner and an unshakeable optimist dedicated to supporting you on your pathway to personal wellness & healing. Kyanne is currently enrolled in Shakti School but plans to use her training and education to develop a Panchakarma Retreat Center in Iowa. "
"I am Lauryn Mumbi from Nairobi, Kenya. I feel excited, loved, felt, known and the scholarship was a surprise and I say thank you to the higher power and to Shakti School. Sometimes we get to the right path after pain and that is why being fully present makes you notice every detail. My pain story made me aware of guides, the first being my experience. Ayurveda so far has been an eye opener on all aspects of my life, and I want to use it to heal myself and those around me. Nothing about my life is lucky but I have seen a lot of divine guidance. Through the few lessons so far I am getting to understand me better and also hear my inner guides, I am able to make decisions without asking others what they think and I would love this to be the experience of everyone I come across. I used to do yoga just as an exercise but from the sub dosha lesson I learnt the purpose and uses of some inversions and I had a lot of ‘Ahaa’ moments. Someday I will be an Ayurveda doctor this makes me excited."
"My name is Lori Satter, I am from Houston, Texas and have had the opportunity to live in many locations, but always find myself back in Texas. I found my way to Ayurveda about 12 years ago while immersed in the yoga world, studying all the branches of the Vedic Sciences, Yoga, Astrology and Ayurveda. In 2013, I left my husband and found my digestion suffering, I turned to Ayurveda to help me return to balance and since then I have strived to live in accordance with an Ayurvedic lifestyle. In 2019, I left my job and went back to school to become an Esthetician and knew then I would be an Ayurvedic Esthetician, merging the best of East and West to offer my clients holistic based experience. The skin is the largest organ in the body and what you digest both physically and emotionally or lack of digestion will show up in the skin. My aim upon graduating from Shakti School is to guide women to feel comfortable in their skin, helping them seek balance physically, emotionally, and spiritually, so that their true inner radiance shines."
"My name is Maja, I am originally from Poland but currently living in Denmark. I am deeply thankful to Shakti School for supporting me in pursuing this career and self-healing path thanks to the scholarship. The Ayurveda School has become a second home for me, where I charge batteries, deepen my compassion and discover new paths towards self-healing. All of which supports my deepest heart-desire to share this ancient knowledge with women in my home country and across Europe. I am deeply rooted in the sustainable way of living, including a conscious lifestyle and diet. I have been sharing this knowledge for some months now with wonderful women and men who want to do something good both for our planet and themselves. Additionally to lifestyle coaching, I guide moon meditations and organize online sessions where people from around Europe gather together to go inside and connect to their inner source of power. Ayurveda has given me a deep sense of peace and grounding, which I believe is highly needed nowadays. Nevertheless, this is just the beginning of my healing journey, which has already given me such strength to continue supporting others that I cannot wait to see how it all develops in the coming months!"
"My name is Monica Martinez. I live in Palmdale, CA, I’m a Mother of 2 and grandmother of 2. Holistic Healing modalities have been very important to me for a few years now because I’ve used them on my own healing journey and have seen results. I’m now 50 and have had a few female issues throughout the years. Doctors couldn’t find the problem, they kept saying it was nothing yet wanting to give me meds to experiment. My father who passed away last April due to kidney failure, I know could’ve been healed by Ayurveda treatments in India, however I couldn’t afford taking him due to the pandemic. Due to my father’s passing I became more interested in Ayurveda. I want my kids, grandkids, mom and sisters to really benefit from the knowledge I would have in Ayurveda, especially my mom whom all these years they’ve been telling she was dying of liver cancer, but she’s still here. At the moment she is fighting for her life, a wrong dosage of medication was given to her at the hospital caused so many health problems for her. I realized the hospital is not where she is going to find healing. I’m on a mission to learn all I can in this Ayurveda course to especially help my mom heal, my immediate family, myself and as many people as I can in this world."
"My spiritual journey started around 7 years ago, when I first tried yoga. It showed me the deeper meaning of the word “lifestyle", where you are not doing exercise only, but working on establishing your mind-body connection. In 2019 I had a trip to Nepal. Somewhere on the roof of Kathmandu during a yoga class with singing bowls, a revelation came to my mind “I want to do this myself”, to teach, connect & heal others. Fast forward to 2020, I found myself in Rishikesh, India, doing a yoga teacher training, meeting people & gurus, & obviously starting to pay attention to Ayurveda. I decided to slow down & spend time alone. Panchakarma, a well-known Ayurvedic detox program, seemed like an answer to my problems. I felt heavy, my digestion was slow, I had skin issues, constant fatigue & compulsive eating. The results were stunning. I literally felt my body cleansing inside & out. This changed my life, I finally felt the inner peace & harmony regained. Currently I teach a few yoga classes a week. And it became clear to me that modern people are looking for answers. On how to balance their lives, how to eat well, how to recover from stress & better manage their daily activities. My eagle eye vision is to offer that knowledge & advice on improving their lifestyle. Coz Mama Nature has it all for us. We just need to listen."
"My name is Palloma and I currently live in the Windy City-Chicago. First of all, I am humbled and so deeply grateful to be able to return to the teachings of Ayurveda. After dealing with so many detours and different cycles in my journey, I honor my intuition which led me to be here in this present moment connecting with Katie and all the Shakti School sisterhood where I feel loved and very welcomed. I grew up by the ocean in Brazil and since my childhood my connection with nature has always been special… I remember stopping and admiring the diversity and colors of many exotic flowers & plants…I would fall in love with the delicacy and strength of nature portrayed on its flora, over and over again… but it was during my yoga teacher training, after so many springs that I had the opportunity to learn more about the sister science of yoga. That’s when I felt a strong desire to go deeper into this beautiful science of life. My heart intention with my spiritual education is to embrace, understand, respect, live and share the beauties and sacred teachings of Mama Nature through Ayurveda/Yoga/Sacred Feminine focusing on bringing awareness, consciousness, wellness, love and light, especially to sisters in vulnerable situations by assisting them, reasserting their relationship within their wildish nature, allowing these women to overcome the pressure and struggles of today's patriarchal society, by finding the medicine through a path of self-love and self-worth where they can honor themselves in the purest and most truthful form: LOVE! Com muito amor~"
"I hail from India, the land of Ayurveda. So right from my childhood Ayurveda was part of my life unknowingly. Which is why I never valued it and took it for granted. I ate homecooked food during my growing up years and we rarely ate food from outside. I got married and shifted to Dubai. That is when I actually starting ignoring my health and began eating unhealthy junk food. The stress of work added to it. I had my two kids. Though I managed to give them healthy food, still I could not strictly follow a healthy regime. Although I would always avoid allopathic medications for myself and my kids and treat them with home remedies. It was 5 years back that I had severe knee pain and was diagnosed with RA. That is when I began treatment with an Ayurvedic practitioner. I decided to take my health seriously. However, I was not relieved of the pain completely. In spite of being on medications on an off, the flare ups were unbearable and I would go into depression during such flare ups. My practitioner never explained as to why I was having this pain or ways to reduce my stress or depression. While I was fine on days when there was no pain, on days I had my flare ups I would be shattered and lost. That is when I came upon Shakti School. Call it my intuition or my inner calling, I strongly felt this is my path to healing. Also, I could heal other women like me who could be going through a similar journey. I was honoured to receive the scholarship from Shakti school. Today as I go through the sessions, I become aware and enlightened. I respect and value my body a lot more than I did before. I have already noticed positive changes in my health by applying what I am learning in Shakti school. My wish is to pursue a career in Ayurveda by helping people to follow a path in wellness."
"My name is Sara Rollins, and I come from the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. I am truly a teacher at heart, and have a passion for ethical outdoor recreation, and holistic practices that support overall well-being. I am blessed to be studying Ayurveda with the Shakti School this year after waiting for the right time since the very first group. Through this course, I hope to continue to solidify practices in my own life that I love and believe in to keep my own cup full so I can support others in need, especially those in rural areas who really need these practices, but often don’t have access to them. I love the format of slow, one-0n-one work with people, and my goal is to combine my unique set of skills in music, yoga, outdoor recreation, and Ayurveda to support individuals as they work to achieve whatever they want out of life. I live in my van full-time with my love, Burt, and our precious Norwegian Elkhound Lola. He is a musician, and I work on a research team for a podcast in it’s preliminary stage about the Appalachian Trail; my primary work for the podcast is bringing to light the dark history in the United States regarding the treatment of the indigenous natives of this land. I’m also a graduate student through Prescott College working toward my Master’s in Outdoor Education and Leadership. My undergraduate degrees are in Music Performance and Music Education."
"I am Sara, a soul alchemist, a womb-wisdom keeper and an Earth ambassador. I am the scientist and the shaman, the academic and the witch. The bridge between the structured logic and the fiery creativity. For many years, I have lived in the beautiful land of my Mind, where I was privilege enough to nourish my studies, up to getting a PhD in the social sciences. I followed my passion all the way to Cape Town, my home away from home. To a passionate researcher in the field of social trust, cultural taboo and ethnic diversity, South Africa is simply the place to be. Living in an incredibly interesting, yet very tough reality required me to have a strong balance in my own life. Mens sana in corpore sano, they say. I have thus started to embark on a journey of radical self-love through embodiment practices. Conscious breathing, conscious dancing, herbalism and yoga all brought me a step closer to a fuller version of myself. To feel whole, though, I needed Ayurveda in my life. As I work more and more in the poorest and most disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Cape Town, I see Ayurveda as a political practice, one of justice. I joined Shakti School to gain the knowledge and to access its teachers’ wisdom to be able to support and empower women (and their children) in taking deep care of themselves and their communities in a holistic and inexpensive way, in harmony with Nature and its cyclicality."
"After being diagnosed with Endometriosis in 2018, I knew that I wanted to help women navigate their health through finding the root cause of what they are going through. There is not a lot of information on Endometriosis and the cause, so trying to treat it makes it very difficult. I found through holistic practices and with the help of my medical team, that I have been able to successfully manage my symptoms. During the last year, I was thinking about going back to school to become an ear for those who feel they are not being heard in the medical field. However, I decided that I wanted to be more involved with women and their journeys and creating a process on how to heal not just their bodies but their souls. After completing the Ayurveda Wellness Coach - Level 1 program, I am looking forward to joining level 2 to extend my knowledge and then open a whole Mind, Body and Spirit sanctuary for all women looking to increase their Agni. After learning that Katie teaches the importance of integrating western and eastern practices together, I knew that this is the program I wanted to study. I am not 100% sure where this journey will take me, but I am very excited to be on it."
"My name is Sophia Parks, and for me it’s quite simple why I chose to study Ayurveda. I feel like much of the world has lost the art of true healing and continues to cover up health problems instead of understanding your whole being. I hope to share my knowledge with the BIPOC community and make the balance of health more accessible. I came to a more holistic form of healing because I have struggled with GI issues and skin imbalances and am working to bring my whole body into health so these issues will clear. I am passionate about yoga and Ayurveda and have been teaching yoga since 2019, you can see more about my classes on IG @sophia.sea.yoga. I am from Murrieta, CA and attend graduate school in infectious disease at UC, Riverside. This serves as a constant reminder that we are all struggling with dis-ease in one form or another. I am constantly in a male-dominant and male-thinking environment and have been craving feminine energy. As women we all have the power to be healers and it’s time for the world to recognize us in all our strength and power. My hope is that we rise up together to heal ourselves, each other and the world around us!"
"As far as I remember I have been feeling wounded inside and outside, throughout my 30 years of life I have suffered from scoliosis and eating disorders. Incessantly tried to fix my bones and my body that I despised; with great effort tried to seek everywhere the reason behind my restless spirit. Luckily, I was passionate enough to expand my inherent love for nature and follow my intuition that I finally realized the precious essence flowing through me was always within me. I could feel it like the delicious fragrance of blossoming flowers, like a wild ocean wave, like the rising of the sun... All inside and outside of me; the loving force of creation pervading all the universe and the miniverse within me. Shakti School has become a nest holding my restless spirit; a magnifying love glass for my senses through which I can look deeper, closer into my bones and my tiny cells yearning for attention. As I slowly and steadily drop the veil before me everything started to feel right. I feel so honored to be a part of this lineage of love that words are not enough to express my gratitude for this opportunity. It breaks my heart to see many women suffer from eating disorders and body hate and the fact that I will have the chance to bring forth the unique medicine growing inside me, fuels my passion in this journey. I would love to utilize these ancient and modern teachings of Ayurveda and Tantra that I am gradually integrating, for the amelioration of the women experiencing this suffering. I aim for weaving the practices with kind compassion so as to remind my beloved sisters of their inherent connection with the radiant essence within their being and help them to rebuild this lost connection with divine spirit."