Meet the Mindful Return Global Team

Chief Executive Officer – Founder
Lori Mihalich-Levin

Lori is the CEO and Founder of Mindful Return. She is the author of Back to Work After Baby: How to Plan and Navigate a Mindful Return from Maternity Leave, co-host of the Parents at Work Podcast, and a healthcare lawyer in private practice. Lori lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and two wonderful, redheaded boys.

Working Dad Course Lead
Jeremy Smith

Jeremy guides new dads to an optimized and valuable paternity leave. He is the co-creator and moderator of the Mindful Return Working Dad Course, father of two incredible kids, and works in FinTech.

UK Chapter Lead
Anya Smirnova

Anya is the Mindful Return UK Chapter Lead. She is also a personal coach with a specialism in life shifts, something Anya is well acquainted with, spending 13 years as a private practice lawyer before leaving to live on a tropical island, and becoming a women’s health activist, entrepreneur and coach. Anya lives in London with her husband and two boys.

Spanish Language Mom Course Coach
Roberta Marcos

Roberta is the course coach and lead for Mindful Return’s Spanish Language Mom Course.  She is a first time mom to a boy and soon to be mom of 2. She works as a Sr. Financial Analyst at Dialpad in San Francisco and loves spending time with her extremely active son Eric, and her equally active German shepherd, Freya.

Spanish Language Dad Course Coach
Sergio Rosario Diaz

Sergio is the course coach and lead for Mindful Return’s Spanish Language Working Dad Course.  He is a musician, educator, and Fatherhood Advocate, husband to a US Army Officer, and father of a 4-year-old daughter. He is also the founder of Soy Super Papa, which promotes unifying fathers from all over the world. 

South Africa Chapter Co-Lead
Stormme Hobson

Stormme is the Mindful Return South Africa Chapter Co-Lead. She is a lawyer and was previously Head of Legal at a large multinational. She was born and raised in Zimbabwe but now lives in Johannesburg with her husband, two boys, a dog and two tortoises. 

South Africa Chapter Co-Lead
Noloyiso Tlali

Nolo is the Mindful Return South Africa Chapter Co-Lead.  An avid consumer of knowledge, she holds legal and business management qualifications from the University of the Witwatersrand and Henley Business School. She is a legal professional, diversity coach & facilitator, consultant, a wife and a mom to a very active and determined little girl.

India Chapter Lead and Dad Course Coach
Aaditya Khemuka

Aaditya is the Mindful Return India Chapter Lead and coach for the India Chapter Dad Course. He is a healthcare sector entrepreneur and has worked in financial services in Paris, New York, and London. He lives in Mumbai with his wife and son, and he is an advocate for fathers taking time to be with their children in the early days of life.

India Chapter Mom Course Coach
Trinjhna Khattar

Dr. Trinjhna is the course coach for Mindful Return’s India Chapter Mom Course. She is a qualified psychotherapist at the Institute for Exceptional Children (IEC), and she manages a number of mental health projects in schools, communities and on ed-tech platforms. Trinjhna lives in Mumbai with her husband and daughter. 

Global Mom Course Coach + Mindful Return 201 Faculty

Lauren Gordon

Lauren is both the course coach for Mindful Return’s Global Mom Course and is a member of the Mindful Return 201 faculty. She is a working mom of 3 daughters, a former senior manager in human resources for a global financial services company based in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a Certified Coach for working moms.

Mindful Return 201 Faculty

Sage Morgan-Hubbard

Sage is a member of the Mindful Return 201 faculty. She is a full-bodied Black, Jewish, Native, Multiracial, Queer mother, poet, artist, curator, and educator. She is currently the Director of Workplace and World Lab Learning at College Unbound for adult learners. She currently lives in Providence, RI with her two amazing, spirited children.

Mindful Return 201 Faculty
George Hwang

George is a member of the Mindful Return 201 faculty. He is an anesthesiologist and board member of Hope for Henry, a nonprofit that has revolutionized improving the hospital experience for children facing serious illness. He is a dad of two daughters and enjoys sharing his unique perspectives as a healthcare-working, remarried parent.

Balancing Career + Special Needs Child, Co-Lead
Bryan Levine

Bryan partners with Mindful Return on work-life integration issues facing dads of special needs children. He is the father of a child on the Autism Spectrum, and is also a Compliance Director for a Japanese bank. He lives with his wife and son in New Jersey.  

Balancing Career + Special Needs Child, Co-Lead
Mia Durairaj

Mia is a course coach and co-lead of Mindful Return’s Balancing Career with a Special Needs Child course. In addition to being a proud mom of a daughter with special healthcare needs, Mia is a Strategic Insights Manager at Dexcom and a Board member of Mama’s Kitchen. She regularly writes about navigating caregiving and careers.

Portuguese Language Mom Course Coach

Milena Batista Azevedo

Mila leads Mindful Return’s Portuguese Program. She is a marketing professional, a School Coordinator leading an English Program for kids in Brazil, and co-founder of A Day to Remember Journals, a global mental health publishing business.  Mila is a boy mom and is passionate about growing a supportive community for moms.

Portuguese Language Mom Launch Partner

Carla Renfield-Miller

Carla is a partner in the launch of Mindful Return’s Portuguese program for new moms.  She is an international banker with experience in multiple countries, and a respected Employee Resource Group leader.  After spending many years in New York, she recently relocated to southern California with her husband and two wonderful children.
 
Entrepreneur Maternity Leave Course Lead
Arianna Taboada

Arianna is the co-creator and lead for the Mindful Return Maternity Leave course for entrepreneurs. She is a public health social worker by training and author of The Expecting Entrepreneur: A Guide to Parental Leave Planning for Self-employed Business Owners. She lives, works, and plays with her family in Oakland, CA.

Social Media Manager

Jules Galpin

Jules is the Social Media Manager at Mindful Return. For over 15 years Jules has immersed herself in the field of Digital Marketing and Brand Management. She is happiest when her passion for strategy and creativity collide, designing engaging content that cultivates community and maximizes brand engagement. Jules resides in sunny South Africa with her husband and three children.

Alumni Facilitator
Margarita Wong

Margarita is Mindful Return’s Alumni Facilitator. Originally from Los Angeles, Margarita and her husband landed in the D.C. area to continue her career with the Federal Government. She is a working parent advocate and is now navigating the new world of primary caregiving for her daughter and son.

Executive Support

Linda Daniels
Linda provides administrative support to Mindful Return and is the Founder of Lifestyle Demands, a virtual company focused on managing her clients’ very busy professional and private lives in many different ways. She is also the Assistant Manager of the Mill Valley Tennis Club in Mill Valley California. Linda lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

Our Gift To You

At Mindful Return, we know that calm, thoughtful planning, and time for reflection, are keys to success in working parent life. Our FREE guide, 99 Questions to Ask Yourself Before, During, and After Maternity Leave, is our gift to you and your new bundle of joy.

Thanks! Check your e-mail for more information.