David Nichtern is the founder and CEO of Dharma Moon - a mindfulness-based education platform and global community. He is a senior teacher in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. This tradition combines a contemporary, secular approach to meditation with the ancient practices and philosophies of Tibetan Buddhism. David is also a four-time Emmy winner and two-time Grammy nominee, and a successful entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience integrating spiritual practice and everyday living. He is the author of Awakening From The Daydream: Reimagining The Buddha’s Wheel of Life and Creativity, Spirituality & Making A Buck on Wisdom Publications. To learn more, visit: https://www.dharmamoon.com 

René is the Community Director for Dharma Moon. They are a certified mindfulness meditation teacher and death doula, they studied comparative religion and gender studies, and they earned their black belt at 17. René’s career has a long and extensive history of advocacy, with a focus on collaboration with, support of, and focus on: at-risk youth; queer communities and people; intimate partner violence/sexual assault prevention and intervention; and grief and crisis counseling. René is passionate about making meditation and dharma teachings radically accessible and has personally used meditation to transform their relationship with their own anxiety and chronic health issues. Outside of work, they're likely to be knitting while trapped under a cat listening to podcasts.

Noel Coakley is a psychotherapist, meditation teacher and former elementary school special educator. He has studied Tibetan Buddhism since 1997 and the Bön tradition since 2013. He is a father, husband, and friend to a dog named Clementine. Noel is the director of the Boston Center of Contemplative Practice, a senior teacher of Dharma Moon, and co-presenter of the Metta (Loving-Kindness) Meditation Teacher Training. Noel is dedicated to the accessibility of the dharma and its application in modern culture.

Susan Layden is a senior teacher with Dharma Moon, serving as the coordinator of the 100 hr Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training program. She has been a close senior student of David Nichtern for over 10 years. She received her 100 hr meditation certificate from David Nichtern and Kaia Yoga. She is an experienced yoga and meditation teacher. She is a 500hr E-RYT and a YACEP (continuing education provider with Yoga Alliance) and holds a 100 hr certification from Little Flower Yoga to teach mindfulness and yoga to children. Susan is a 4th degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido. She has studied and taught under Grandmaster Ik Jo Kang for over 20 years. She is registered under Tae Kwon Do Jidokwan in Korea. She is the mother to three precious adult daughters. Susan is committed to her practices, her family, and giving back to her community. She has been in recovery for over 30 years.

Brittaney Valentino is an E-RYT 500, YACEP and mindfulness meditation teacher and owner of Rooted Nest LLC, a yoga and meditation company based in Wilmington, DE. She is also the co-founder of Embodied Mind LLC, a mindfulness-based consulting company. Along with offering online and in-person classes nationwide, she also moonlights as a senior teacher and the Programs Coordinator at Dharma Moon Incorporated, an online mindfulness-based learning platform and global community under the direction of her mentor, senior Buddhist teacher David Nichtern. When not teaching or practicing, she enjoys making memories with her family by traveling, being in the woods, hanging out by lakes, cooking, and gardening.

Seth Freedman is Dharma Moon's Marketing and Communications Director. A long time student of meditation, he has worked in the field of mindfulness and meditation for over a decade and has built online platforms, created programming, and run marketing for many of the leading teachers and organizations today. His past clients include Calm, Google, Open Meditation, New York Insight, Institute for Mindful Leadership, New York Zen Center, Lama Rod Owens, and many others.

Eric has been practicing mindfulness for over a decade and graduated from Dharma Moon's Mindfulnes Meditation Teacher Training in 2024 after many years of private study with Ethan Nichtern. He also completed Dharma Moon's two year Year Long Buddhist Studies course, which has shaped his life and practice in meaningful ways. Originally from Chicago, Eric is an actor and also serves as the Co-Owner and Artistic Director at Blackbox Acting, a school that aims to prepare artists for their careers through a holistic approach. Eric is passionate about helping artists foster genuine connections with themselves and their work while encouraging vulnerability and bravery. He hopes to support others in developing a mindful and healthy relationship with their craft, whether that craft is art or the complex journey of existence.