Board Members
Ryan is a community-focused leader committed to strengthening both economic vitality and social well-being. He believes healthy communities are built through awareness – of ourselves, of one another, and of the systems we shape and participate in. His work focuses on fostering thoughtful dialogue, building trust across diverse groups, and creating environments where people feel supported and able to contribute meaningfully. His experience spans a range of community systems – from workforce development and food security to accessibility, newcomer inclusion, and local community development. Ryan is particularly interested in how intentional leadership, emotional intelligence, and mindful systems contribute to community resilience, mental wellness, and a deeper sense of belonging.
Marc has worked in the Finance industry for more than 15 years. He is currently a Portfolio Manager for Vancity Investment Management, a subsidiary of Vancity Credit Union and a pioneer in socially responsible investing, where he is responsible for managing several public equity portfolios. Investing has been a passion of his since he was a teenager and he is excited to bring some of what he has learned to his role as a Director at BCalm. After graduating from University Marc spent time travelling Europe and North America and also worked in Northern BC as a tree planter for two years, followed by two years working for a non-profit organization based out of Banff, Alberta. He has also volunteered for several organizations over the years including Meals on Wheels, Big Brothers of Canada and Special Olympics where he was a soccer coach for 10 years. In his spare time Marc enjoys spending time outdoors hiking and skiing with his Wife and two children.
Dana is committed to helping her community and is excited to be part of the BCALM team. She credits the organization for kickstarting her mindfulness journey. She currently works as legal counsel for the Province, mainly advising on regulatory schemes. Since 2009, she has worked as a litigator (criminal defense, personal injury and Aboriginal) and transitioned to a solicitor practice in 2023. In her work, family and life she values collaboration, kindness, respect and fairness. She is a drummer and singer in local bands and loves cooking and reading.
Staff Team and Facilitators
Michael is a purpose-driven leader with more than 20 years of experience guiding organizations through growth, change, and strategic renewal. He has held senior leadership roles across digital media, technology, and co-operative enterprises, including serving as CEO of Stocksy United, a global co-op owned by its employees and contributors. Throughout his career, Michael has focused on building strong teams, strengthening governance, and aligning strategy with meaningful impact. As Executive Director of BCalm, he is committed to supporting the organization’s long-term sustainability while expanding its reach and deepening its impact across British Columbia. Michael’s passion for mindfulness comes first-hand from seeing its power in helping deal with stress and anxiety and he looks forward to helping others discover the same.
Since turning tail on a career as a lawyer, choosing instead to devote herself to motherhood full-time for many years, Tracey has gone on to explore a professional life as a wellness coach, holistic nutritionist, yoga instructor, retreat leader, organic food farmer, and most recently, SYA accredited Shinrin Yoku/Forest Bathing Guide. Tracey offers Forest Bathing in secluded parks and urban natural spaces in and around Victoria, as well as at retreat settings on Southern Vancouver Island and surrounding Gulf Islands. As your guide in this beautiful practice, Tracey will support you in fostering mindful presence, sensuous awareness, and an embodied sense of ease, peace and belonging with nature. She contributes as a supporting member of the Shinrin Yoku Association.
Jane’s medical career spans 35+ years and has seen her in many rewarding positions of health services delivery. After providing medical administrative expertise for many years, she became a founding member of BCalm in 2010. She assisted in redesigning and creating The Art of Living Mindfully and continues to provide input, expertise and guidance throughout the organization. Jane has welcomed meditation and mindfulness into her life and continues to see positive changes on a daily basis. Family connections mean a lot and her daughter and granddaughter are a continual source of pride, joy and love, as is her terrific cat Baz ….the self-proclaimed and unofficial mascot of BCalm.
Lyndsi has been providing administrative support for BCALM since 2018. She has gained invaluable tools from attending our mindfulness offerings and incorporates these skills in to her daily life. Time spent with family is very important to her and you can find them playing Bocce, exploring local parks, refueling at a spa or absorbing the great outdoors on camping trips.
Jen is a family doctor who lives in the Cowichan Valley (The indigenous name for the Cowichan Valley is Quw’utsun, an anglicized term for the Hul’q’umi’num word “shquw’utsun”). Jen has been meditating (on and off) since she was a medical student, and practices in the Vipassana tradition of meditation. Her work as a physician is primarily in the field of mental health, and she believes in an integrated holistic approach to well-being (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual). In her life outside of work, she loves to spend her time in nature – hiking, paddling, exploring, star-gazing, and occasionally scuba diving.
Ocean is passionate about the Body-Mind-Spirit continuum. She holds a BSc in Nutrition and Biochemistry and a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology. Ocean is a Registered clinical Counsellor in private practice. She specializes in a holistic approach to anxiety, depression and trauma by integrating talk therapy, somatic practices and yogic principles. She is ardent about helping distressed couples with Emotionally Focused Therapy. In addition, Ocean is a Yoga teacher and a Yoga therapist. While she loves all aspects of Yoga, she is particularly drawn to the psycho-spiritual aspects of Yoga. She has been teaching Yoga since 2002.
Jennifer is a family physician in Comox BC, where she has been practicing for twenty years. She discovered mindfulness meditation early in her career, and continues to enjoy profound personal healing and growth as a result of the practice. After wishing for many years to share this practice with her patients, she was fortunate to train with BCALM in 2018; since then she has been offering Art of Living Mindfully classes in the Comox Valley. Prior to entering medicine, Jennifer studied International Relations at UBC and Oxford, and she maintains an interest in international affairs and social justice. In her spare time Jennifer enjoys spending time in the great outdoors, especially hiking and sailing.
Hayley is an experienced bookkeeper working from home in beautiful Cowichan Bay BC. She has supported a variety of clients over her 20-year bookkeeping career, and especially loves supporting Not for Profit groups. When not bookkeeping, Hayley keeps herself busy with her husband and two boys. Hayley is also a certified instructor in Kundalini Yoga – the Yoga of Awareness.
Mark is a family physician in Victoria, British Columbia, and is the founder and Past Executive Director of the BC Association for Living Mindfully (BCALM). Mark attended McGill University for his medical training and then UBC for his postgraduate Family Medicine residency. Mark has formal postgraduate training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Clinical Hypnosis, Yoga, Medical Acupuncture and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. Mark’s passion and principle clinical interests lie in mind-body medicine and in the use and potential of mindfulness and meditation helping people navigate the negative effects of stress in their lives.
Krista is a family physician based in Saanich, BC. She completed her Family Medicine training with a specialized focus in Indigenous Health at the University of British Columbia in 2007. Since that time she has primarily practiced as a family physician in First Nations communities on the west coast of BC. Krista sat her first Vipassana meditation retreat in 2004, after a particularly trying time in her training opened the door to her healing journey. Inspired by an early teacher, she learned to bring this lens of mindfulness into her work with patients. Later, living and learning in First Nations communities, Krista’s worldview and helping approach was further transformed by land base healing practices founded in ‘All My Relations’.
Megan is a family and addiction medicine physician based in Victoria, BC. Her mindfulness journey began in medical school after an unexpected diagnosis, which reshaped her approach to patient care and deepened her commitment to compassion-based practices. Since attending her first silent retreat during residency, she has cultivated a daily meditation practice and experienced its profound impact in many aspects of her life. This personal journey of healing has inspired her to share these practices with the patients she serves.
She has completed various trainings in mindfulness and self-compassion and integrates these practices into both her clinical work and teaching. She is passionate about supporting patients and colleagues in cultivating mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience in the face of stress and suffering.
Caren is a US-trained Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) whose professional specialization is in Family Medicine. After receiving her medical degree at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, she completed the University of California, San Francisco-affiliated three-year allopathic (MD) Family Medicine residency in Santa Rosa, California. In 2009 she became the first Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine to receive full licensure for general practice from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia. Caren was attracted initially to Osteopathic Medicine’s emphasis on the interconnection between all parts of the body, the mind and the spirit, which comprise an integral whole with inherent self-healing properties.