To email an individual facilitator, kindly send an email to info@soulshoppe.com and fill out the Subject line with the facilitator’s name.

Vicki Abadesco is an expert educator and program consultant with over 20 years of leadership work with schools and organizations throughout the United States and abroad. Her extensive work with a wide diversity of thousands of youth and adults allows her to have a constant pulse on what people need to be launched into lifelong success and growth.

Her expertise and training includes individual and group level counseling, conflict resolution, crisis intervention and accelerated learning techniques. She has written, created and produced several life skills curriculum manuals and activity card decks, including Leadership: Truth or Dare and Mentor Magic.

Vicki is also the developer for the companion curriculum to the College Life 101 internet radio talk show for students, distributed to First Year Experience educators from more than 50 schools across the nation.

Joseph Savage is a California credentialed teacher who has been working in education for over 20 years. He believes that educating the whole person and creating a safe environment are imperative to having successful learning experiences. In addition to his classroom teaching his educational accomplishments include directing student generated plays, training conflict resolution skills for youth and adults, conducting school wide assemblies on peace and creating practical curriculum.

As a teacher, Joseph is known for crafting nurturing and academically focused atmospheres for his students. As a teacher coach/mentor he is supportive and inspiring. In addition to his educational experience he has written, performed, and directed theater productions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Daniel Bruno is an award winning actor and musician from the Bay Area. His work in the arts branched out to teaching acting and directing plays for children a few years ago, and eventually led him to Soul Shoppe, where Daniel feels right at home. Daniel brings with him over twenty years experience, a boat-load of passion and a whole lotta love.

Melanie Hopson has enjoyed a variety of positions in community organizations. For 25 years she has worked in school districts, summer and day camps, non-profits, the YMCA, and various ecumenical settings. Melanie is extremely skilled at creating systems and advancing great ideas. She’s one of those people who can’t help but be organized and detail-oriented.

Amy MacClain is a Bay Area Native whose extensive experience with youth includes substitute teaching, directing plays, leading youth camps, bilingual tutoring (Spanish/English), sports coaching and most recently parenting! As a mother and community leader, Amy co-founded a child care co-operative based on conscious intentional parenting, teaching toddlers how to express their feelings positively and listen to each other (yes! this is possible!) while providing a supportive environment for parents to explore how they were parented in an effort to create the most nurturing and educational space for the entire community. Amy has trained in conflict resolution, Re-Evaluation Counseling and social oppression work. She is also a singer/songwriter with over 10 years performing experience. She is delighted to bring all of her experience together to lead powerful workshops and assemblies for schools.

Destined to walk a challenging and Divinely Inspired path, Dr. Heath Wood steps to his work everyday with leadership and a wealth of love and enthusiasm, giving thanks for the Beautiful Gift of Life. Dr Heath works faithfully to create opportunities for children to heal from the many painful experiences they, often silently, endure while empowering our youth with a heartfelt vision of self-love, friendship and collaboration that overcomes all fears and obstacles.

Knowing that when we are physically healthy, mentally clear, emotionally stable and spiritually aligned we are truly capable of Greatness, Dr Heath aspires daily to purify and cleanse himself, then focuses intently on helping others who seek healing and happiness to do the exact same.

His assemblies, trainings and consultations are powerful, and have often been referred to as “life-changing” for children and adults. With an unimaginable vision of the goodness of every human being, Dr Heath has wowed countless audiences with his incredible ability to help those supposedly “problem-children,” typically called ‘bullies’ and ‘troublemakers,’ to reveal what hides most deeply within their Heart- the wish for Love and Happiness. Beneath the fighting, there is a scared, misguided and hurting child. But beyond the walls of this pain and confusion, there is a Great Love abiding, and an Immense Joy waiting to burst forth into life!

Turning lives around wherever he goes, you can guarantee that Dr Heath’s visit will help you heal your fears, give health and light to your heart, and invite you into a Universe of Infinite Possibilities!!!

Dare to Dream! Dare to Create! Take the risk and follow your bliss! Step forward into the Life you were Born to Live! May 2012 be the year we all begin to Shine!

A California native, Jennifer Ferlito was raised in a beautiful home with love. However, she always had feelings of not being good enough and this led to years of insecurities, bad relationships, frustrations and not-so-good choices. She worked hard to please everyone, doing everything “to succeed” and fit in, but she lost herself in the process. Growing up she pushed herself: honor roll, dean’s list, awards and accolades, MVP soccer athlete, etc.; nothing brought the love and approval she craved. Jennifer shares both her challenges and the path she chose to walk on in order to change her life.

As a Life Coach, speaker and workshop facilitator Jennifer uses her attentive listening and non-judgmental loving approach to reach the hearts and minds of youth and adults. When speaking with students, Jennifer has touched lives with her warmth and humor; she is dedicated to teaching connection and communication tools that truly help young people.

With a passion for making a difference in people’s lives, she is committed to supporting and inspiring others. She volunteers for many great organizations like Challenge Day, Habitat for Humanity and competed in her first triathlon to raise money for the Leukemia Society’s Team in Training.

She shares her story of overcoming adversities with a message that everyone experiences pain in their lives and that we all have the power to heal.

Asher Lyons, Facilitator

Asher Lyons is excited to be a new part of the facilitating team at Soul Shoppe. He prayer and vision for supporting the youth began 10 years ago in mexico when dancing for peace in a native american ceremony. On the 3rd day Asher was ready to give and had collapsed from heat exhaustion but when the youth of the local village joined in the dance; Asher was compelled to continue. Asher got up off the ground with a new prayer born in his heart and tears streaming down his face. It was then that he knew he must dance for the youth in this lifetime. Since that time Asher has done just that in various ways. he has worked as a youth theater facilitator with at risk youth at the SF Mime Troupe and the Destiny arts center where he has supported youth in creating performances based on real life scenarios. Asher has also lead Rite of Passage programs for at risk youth during the summer months. Asher is also an actor and playwright and dedicates himself to utilizing this work as a tool for healing and growth. He would like to thank his family, friends, and teachers for all their support and wisdom.

Jonno Norton, Admin & Social Media

Jonno Norton joined the Soul Shoppe team in October 2011 with an interest in helping out administratively and working in the digital world to help bring Soul Shoppe up to speed with a modern, brand-marketing strategy. Since then he has played an important role in community building, marketing, and event coordination and promotion using social media and other online channels.

Jonno has his hands in many different projects outside Soul Shoppe. His natural ability to network, savvy in the online arena, and proven ability to manage successful marketing campaigns built on fresh and dynamic ideas makes him an ideal candidate for local businesses looking to build an online presence for their brand. Jonno plans to eventually open a online media marketing company serving local, Bay Area clients.

Follow Jonno on his journey through the complex world of bullying prevention news and media at the Soul Shoppe Twitter feed, @SoulShoppe.

Dawn Edwards, School Relations Coordinator

Dawn Edwards is the newest member of the Soul Shoppe family. She was born and raised in L.A. and grew up in Oakland. She has a BA in Political Science, completed 3 years of law school, and is one class shy of completing her Masters program in Public Administration. Her passion is social justice advocacy, and her time spent at a non-profit directing a program called Bay Area PoliceWatch allowed her to grow as an activist and realize that her future career goals involved working with and for the community, preferably in a non-profit setting.

She currently lives in Oakland, teaches dance/gymnastics part-time at the YMCA in Berkeley, and is a freelance writer for the San Francisco Examiner. Dawn is a trained gymnast and dancer in the genres of modern/jazz, and hiphop, and is always looking for new opportunities to perform. She is completing a book of short stories, is a mother of 3 boys-14, 11, and 3 years old and has been married for 11 years.

As a society, she believes we, collectively and individually, all have a responsibility to do what we can to peel away the layers of racism, classism, bigotry and gender bias, in order to get to the root of the myriad of problems that affect our community, and we must find our own way to make this happen.