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Linda Mitchell

Founder, Partner & Director, LPN, LMT, BCTMB, and CranioSacral Therapist
Linda was first inspired by her sister Mary Lou who died at the tender age of 6 from leukemia. It was this experience that led her into the field of healthcare; first as a Nurse, then into the world of Natural Medicine.
As a Visionary and Founder of The Tree of Health Center, Linda's belief is that it is necessary to blend Natural and Modern Medicine. "One is not less important than the other" states Mitchell.
 Linda has worked within the medical field as a Licensed Practical Nurse working with all ages in long term care facilities, as well as home care. Her continued path led her to natural practices initiating her journey in massage, craniosacral therapy, somatic emotional release, Reiki and Integrative Energy Therapy. Her work includes working with both humans, and horses.
Mitchell gained her expertise from the Institute of Therapeutic Massage, Center of Being and Upledger Institute. Linda's spiritual path led her to Unity of Sussex County where she embraced working with the YOU (Youth of Unity - Teens), and as a chaplain.​
Linda was the founder of the Holistic Mentorship Network, MARCI® Magazine, and ran the New Jersey Shore Leukemia and Lymphoma Marathon in 2004 in honor of her sister Mary Lou DePue.​
Qualifications
  • ​Founder, Partner & Director of The Tree of Health Center
  • Founder & Partner of the Universal Children's Fund 
  • Founder & Partner of the Universal Retreat & Healing Arts Center
  • Developer of MARCI® – Mindfulness, Awareness, Responsibility, Compassion & Intuition
    "A Pathway to Enlightenment"
  • Advocate for Healthcare & Elder Abuse
  • Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist
  • Board Certified Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork
  • Owner & Operator of “The Art of Touch”
  • Founder, Past Board Member & Executive Director of the “Holistic Mentorship Network"
  • Publicist of MARCI®, holistic health & wellness e-magazine 2006 - 2011
  • Publicist of “Conscious Healthcare” – A New Paradigm to Wellness 2012 - 2013
  • Cranial Sacral Therapist in Adults, Children & Equine
  • Reiki Master & Teacher 2007 - Present
  • Licensed Practical Nurse
  • Chaplin at Unity Church of Sussex County
  • Past Sponsor & Leader for the “Youth of Unity”
  • Past Vice President of the Health Professionals & Allied Employees Local 5107
  • Past Member of the Safety Committee of Local 5107
  • Completed the New Jersey Shore Leukemia and Lymphoma Marathon- 2004
  • Past Member of Toastmasters International & VP of Membership
  • Volunteered Chair Massage Services at Camp Nejeda (children’s diabetic camp); 2 Kids Foundation (Children with compromised illnesses); Multiple Sclerosis; & Lupus Events
Education
  • Center of Being, Inc. – Integrative Energy Therapy
  • Upledger Institute International, Inc. – Cranial Sacral Therapy I & II, Somatic Emotional Release I, Pediatric Cranial Sacral Therapy, Equine Cranial Sacral Therapy
  • UMDNJ – Hospital Based Program
  • Institute for Therapeutic Massage – Certified Massage Therapist
  • County College of Morris – Licensed Practical Nurse
Linda Mitchell
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Lorraine Ash

MA, Author
Lorraine Ash, MA, is the author of Life Touches Life: A Mother’s Story of Stillbirth and Healing (NewSage Press, 2004) and Self and Soul: On Creating a Meaningful Life (Cape House Books, 2012). Both are memoirs, a genre she sees as socially important.
“We each were born as a character into a family and cultural story and not always in the roles we would have chosen for ourselves,” she says. “Then fate takes us in unexpected directions. Writing memoir is a way to weave our outer and inner lives to create meaning and trace and direct our evolving identities over time.”

What does all that mean for the culture at large?

Nothing helps the human race see and understand itself more than such honest witnessing in every corner of the human experience. There is no taboo territory in autobiographical writing, which the author William Dean Howells once called “the most democratic province in the republic of letters.”
​
In her workshops and writing retreats Lorraine presents nuts-and-bolts techniques and examples from successful published works to guide new writers in creating their very best work.

Participants learn to find their strongest writing voice, structure their stories in compelling ways, and see their lives from surprising and useful new angles. All these goals are achieved in an informal backdrop of serenity and relaxation.

“The ultimate achievement for writers,” Lorraine says, “is to lead themselves, and their readers, to some truth.”

Through her business, Lorraine Ash Literary Enterprises, she also ghostwrites and edits books and coaches authors one-on-one.

In addition to her books, she has written shorter memoiric works that have appeared in anthologies, including Steeped in the World of Tea and various journals and webzines such as Cairn, Journeys, Ducts, and Recovering the Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing.

Currently, she is working on Missing Mae, a memoir.

Lorraine brings her sensibilities as a journalist to all she does. In another professional incarnation, she was an editor/reporter in her native New Jersey and holds a master’s degree in Communications from Fordham University.

She worked for the Ridgewood News, Daily Record, and Daily Voice. Her articles and special series have gained global, national, state, and regional attention and awards and have appeared in a number of newspapers, including USA Today.

Lorraine is active in the evolving world of stillbirth research and legislation. As a peer grief contact, she also works one-on-one with bereaved mothers of infants.
​
She lives in Allendale, New Jersey, with her husband, Bill, a jazz trumpeter. Her non-literary passions include cooking, yoga, great dramas, and the state of Maine.

​Lorraine Ash
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Julie Lange Groth

Julie Lange Groth has been teaching shamanism for over 18 years and is an experienced practitioner. A graduate of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies 3-year program, she has also studied with shamans from a variety of traditions. Julie is also a Reiki II practitioner, a 4th degree Paco in the Andean tradition, and is certified in advanced Pranic Healing. She is a member of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies and the Society for Shamanic Practitioners.
Julie is the author of two books: Healing What Grieves You – 4 Steps to a Peaceful Heart and Life Between Falls – A Travelogue through Grief and the Unexpected. She is the founder of Ravens Drum, offering workshops, advanced studies, gatherings and spiritual healing services.
Julie Lange Groth
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Debra M. Hollinrake

Partner & Director of Public Relations, C.LAC
Services & Classes: EFT, Life (DNA) Activation, & Meditation
Debra M. Hollinrake has been a Partner and Director of Public Relations with The Tree of Health Center, LLC since June 2013. She has been a successful entrepreneur for 26 years and joined Linda Mitchell, the founder of The Tree of Health Center, LLC because their goals were aligned. She is dedicated in service to humanity assisting others in finding their truth, their light, their unconditional love and their peace. Debra is certain that The Tree of Health Center is the perfect organization to help make that happen in a big way. Recognized as an Expert Author, Debra has had numerous articles published in the field of Personal Development.
“We are emotional beings born to express ourselves through our perception of the world. Frequently, however, negative energy gets stuck in our system and prevents us from being the creators we were meant to be. These modalities help you release that negative energy and give you tools to use – on your own – to freely follow your dreams.” - Debra M. Hollinrake
Qualifications:
  • Advanced Emotional Freedom Techniques Practitioner
  • Meditation Instructor
  • Life Activation Practitioner and Step 2 Initiate representing the Universal Great Brother and Sisterhood of Light in service to humanity
  • Law of Attraction Counselor
  • Ordained Minister, Metaphysical Practitioner and Spiritual Life Coach
  • Jikiden Reiki Practitioner
  • Ensofic Ray Practitioner
  • Teacher of Sacred Geometry, Meditation and Spiritual Intuition
  • Kabbalist through Universal Kabbalah
  • Advanced Award Winning Toastmaster
Education: 
  • Association for the Advancement of Meridian Energy Techniques (AAMET) Since 2011
  • University of Holistic Theology (UHT) Since 2010
  • Toastmasters International (TMI) Since 2010
  • International College of Metaphysical Theology (ICMT) 2010
  • Modern Mystery School Healers Academy (MMS) 2012
  • Jikiden Reiki Kenkukai (Institute) 2012
  • Ensofic Ray Healing Research Institute 2012
  • International Holistic Ministry (IHM) 2012
Debra M. Hollinrake
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Sharon Kulawiak

Certified Holistic Health Coach & Essential Oil Expert
Sharon studied at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition where she studied with the world’s leading experts in nutrition and wellness. She has also completed coursework from Essential Oils Institute, Institute of Nutritional Leadership and Dr. Sears Wellness Institute. 

Sharon resides with her husband and four children in Sussex County, NJ.
Sharon Kulawiak
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Julie Lain Trilling

RTY, Certified Childlight Yoga Instructor
Julie Lain Trilling has a deep love for guiding others towards self-appreciation, compassion & empowerment. At an early age Julie started dancing & eventually found her way to DanceExpression where she became an active member of the Dance Company. In 2002, she earned her BA in Sociology from TCNJ & went through the Alternate Route Program for Elementary Education & became the Director of Project Self-Sufficiency’s Little Sprouts Early Learning Center where
she worked for 3 years. Julie lives in Sandyston with her three children.

Experience & Education

  • Completed 200-hour HA-THA Yoga Method teacher training with Delia Quigley & Denise Kay.
  • Continued Training in becoming certified in Chair Yoga
  • Recently attended Nationally acclaimed Childlight Yoga trainings on Yoga & Mindulness for children, Advanced teaching concepts for Yoga & Mindfulness for Children and Yoga & Mindfulness in schools.
  • Teaches Parent/Child & Adult classes at the Sandyston Municipal building.
  • Leads a Chair Yoga club at the Sussex-Wantage library.
  • Initiated Yoga & Mindfulness programs at local day care centers & preschools.
  • Volunteers at Project Self-Sufficiency's Little Sprouts Early Learning Center teaching Yoga & Mindfulness.
Julie Lain Trilling
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Claire M. Schwartz

BA, Reiki Master Teacher, Grief Relief Expert, Spiritual Counselor, Certified
Professional Coach, Interfaith Minister, Owner & Founder of Miriam’s Well Healing LLC, Author
​Claire has been walking the path of survival and healing for 25+ years. She comes from a place she calls The Dark Ugly™ and has had to find, and make, her own light. She likes the light SO much better! But this gives her work an authenticity and integrity because she has been there and lived it.
​She did not get here on her own. She has had tons of support, lessons, encouragement and motivation from teachers, counselors, friends and other healers. She has needed a lot of energy from the Universe to grow and change, and now has the opportunity to Pay It Forward, which she considers a tremendous privilege. It’s time to give back. Claire spent many years in therapy sitting across from people with whom she felt very little connection or understanding. Some had knowledge, fewer still had compassion or wisdom. Because of these experiences, her goal is to bring the absolute best to the fore for her clients and students. She views her work as sacred, and an honor.

Claire was born and raised in a Detroit suburb to a musical family. She came to NYC after her mother died in 1996 to follow her dream of acting ~ which she did not bring to fruition. Why? Because she did not know my Authentic Self yet, nor had she done the healing and empowerment work necessary to speak from her Truth. Claire spent the next several years working in the corporate and legal worlds, as she figured her Self out, getting clear about who she is. Yet she knew something was missing, and she couldn’t figure out what…. Then in 2004, Claire discovered Reiki ~ and something opened up inside her like she had never experienced before. She felt a connection, a love, a lifting of soul and spirit....it was extraordinary.

She sought out the best teachers and most in-depth study she could find. She became a graduate of the Reiki Master program at the Reiki Arts Continuum in 2006, the only two-year course in the country, which required over 400 hours of class and practicum work. She then received her Reiki Master Teacher certification in 2007 in traditional Japanese methods and history from the International House of Reiki out of Australia.

Claire founded Miriam’s Well Healing LLC in 2006 in New York, bringing her practice with her when she moved to New Jersey in 2009. Here she is able to create a space where Transformation and Empowerment live, the kind of place she wishes she had found when she was seeking change in her life. She can use her BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan, her certification in Spiritual Counseling and as an Interfaith Minister woven together, for the benefit of all her clients and students. And the Journey doesn’t end here ~ with every new person who walks through the door, connection, compassion and inspiration happen, and she is filled with gratitude!
Claire M. Schwartz
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Renay Tripp

Book Club Facilitator
Renay is a former teacher and learning consultant. She is the former owner of the Book Shelf in Newton, NJ. She loves books and has been a member of the Book Shelf's book club and several other book clubs. She was also an English major as an undergraduate and has a master's in education and learning consulting. She has worked with children and adults as an educator and consultant. She loves all genres of books and sharing her thoughts and passion with others.

Education

  • William Paterson University - LDTC certification
  • New York University - Master's Early Childhood/Elementary Ed
  • Binghamton University - BA English
Renay Tripp
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Robert Cubby
Robert Cubby is a graduate of Montclair State University earning a BA degree. He joined the Jersey City Police Department in March, 1973. He served honorably for 38½ years, attaining the rank of captain assigned to city command. He had most of his assignments in patrol through all his ranks. For 8½ years he was assigned to Special Operation Emergency Services. From there he was temporarily assigned out to instruct in the Police Academy. For 2 years, as a  sergeant he was assigned to the Property Unit. A career in law enforcement resulted in a diagnosis of PTSD, but he was able to continue working until retirement. Now actively involved with bringing change to departments concerning PTSD, he is appearing in the award winning documentary Code 9- Officer Needs Assistance and is an Ambassador for Code 9 Project representing Code 9 at various screening and functions.

​Robert co-facilitates a NAMI Connections Peer Support Group for PTSD in veterans and first responders with John Drinkard. He brings as much experience and expertise as he can to the group and to all he does to helping veterans and first responders. He is also a third degree knight in the Knights of Columbus and he chairs the committee for veterans and first responders affairs through which he has raised funds assisting veterans and first responders.

Robert  is certified in Mental Health First Aid and takes classes in Reiki and Buddhist Meditation. He has attended Journey Dance classes, Dances of Universal Peace, Drumming Circles, diversity in the workplace and peer training workshops.  He helps facilitate healing with EFT, Total Relaxation Technique, suicide SAFE TALK, the Nurtured Heart Approach and Soul Injury practice and as a bereavement facilitator and support group facilitator. 

Robert has attended various veteran affairs and is an Associate Member of the Vietnam Veterans of America. He currently sits on the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office Task Force for Mental Illness and Law Enforcement and is involved with the Veteran’s Diversion Program. 
Robert Cubby
  
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Melissa Acuña, M.Ed

Master of International Teaching, Mindfulness for Kids
Melissa Acuña Dengo was born in Costa Rica and has lived all over the world. She began tutoring children while a teenager, moving on to refugee camps and volunteering at numerous orphanages in Vienna, Austria.
Upon leaving college, Melissa began teaching languages to adults. However, when she was offered a position at a kindergarten she realized that working with children was her true calling.​​
After teaching in England and Austria, she relocated to Japan where she taught at an International School for four years. While in Japan, she combined several of her passions, including meditation and spirituality, and began her personal journey towards more conscious living.
​Studying Shiatsu piqued her interest in Eastern philosophy, which was further fueled while visiting Buddhist temples in Japan. This is when she began incorporating some of these ideas into her teaching and classroom environment.
Melissa moved back to Costa Rica in 2014, and began teaching at a Montessori kindergarten, where she continued introducing mindfulness to children. Impressed with her results, she wrote her master’s thesis on the idea of incorporating mindfulness into the classroom and using it as an alternative method for dealing with aggression in children with ASD.​
Mindfulness is a concept dear to Melissa’s heart. She believes that by reaching out to young children and teaching them the concept of mindfulness, we are providing the stepping stones toward a better world.​

Qualifications & Education

  • Masters of Education in International Teaching
  • Masters Thesis: "Stop, Feel, Focus: Mindfulness - a viable solution for the management of aggression in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder?"
  • Kindergarten & Pre-School Teacher
  • Cambridge CELTA
  • Trained in Montessori
  • Continuing Education in Mindfulness and Meditation, including the Silvia Mind System
  • Author “The Benefit of Integrating Mindfulness into Schools”
Melissa Acuña
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John Drinkard

Interfaith Minister, Interspiritual Counselor, Bereavement Counselor,  Energy Healer, Shamanic Practitioner

John V. Drinkard is an Interfaith Minister who was ordained at the Institute for Spiritual Development in Sparta, NJ. www.isdsparta.org The Institute for Spiritual Development is a multifaith church that accepts and honors all religions and spiritual traditions as valid pathways for connecting with the Divine. John is an Interspiritual Counselor who received a certificate in Interspiritual Counseling from One Spirit Learning Alliance and a member of Spiritual Directors International. He has been certified as a Healer at the ISD where he offers both spiritual and energy healing. John also serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors at the Institute for Spiritual Development.
John’s Shamanic work is rooted in the ancient ways of indigenous peoples, yet it reaches into the modern day world of quantum physics. Shamans journey to the Spirit world to bring back healing, knowledge and power. John’s Shamanic healing experience includes soul retrieval, depossession, divination, extraction and psychopomp work. He has studied extensively with the Foundation for Shamanic Studies and with prominent Celtic shamans. John has also been trained in psychic development and mediumship.
John has been involved in hospice work for over 15 years. He serves as a Hospice Chaplain at the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice in Newton, NJ. He also counsels families who have lost their loved ones as a bereavement counselor. John established the Hospice Veterans Partnership Team at Karen Ann Quinlan where he counsels and ministers to Veterans who are terminally ill. John is also a certified Soul Injury Ambassador. John is a Vietnam Veteran, a former Marine Corps officer and Naval Aviator who served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. John counsels Veterans who are suffering from the trauma and invisible soul wounds of war. As a Program Leader he leads retreats for Soldier’s Heart www.soldiersheart.net Soldier’s Heart is an organization that is dedicated to healing the emotional, moral, heart, soul and spiritual wounds of war in Veterans and their families. John is also an active lifetime member of the Vietnam Veterans America (VVA) Chapter 1002 and a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
John Drinkard

Our Alliances

·   American Legion
·   Soul II Soul Health 
    and Wellness, LLC
·   Stepping Stone School
·   Sussex County
    Community College
·   Unity of Sussex
​·   VOICES Women's Circle

Volunteers

Consultants

· Victoria Dobler
​· Renay Tripp

​· Lexie Brennan