Trauma impacts the quality of our life. When bad things happen, they can take center stage for a long time, occupying our thoughts and keeping our mood dark. We can even feel like being happy is disloyal to the harm we’ve suffered, and we somehow deserve to feel this pain. With intention and specific practices, we can start to make room for joy. We all deserve happiness and to have lives we want to live. Joy Coach Kelsey Hopkins of Worcester ACTs and Susan Buchholz, Executive Director of the Heartwell Institute for Mindfulness will share tools you can implement every day to cultivate joy now!
Kelsey Hopkins is a public health professional and Executive Function Coach with extensive experience in volunteer management, higher education, and community engagement. She specializes in helping individuals achieve their goals by developing their organization, project management, and task initiation skills. Kelsey is guided by the belief that bridging academic content and real-world problems enriches educational attainment and learning. A graduate of Worcester State University, BS in Public Health and Clark University, MA in International Development and Social Change Kelsey believes in the importance of interdisciplinary education. Kelsey has expertise in supporting individuals with diverse executive function challenges, as well as a deep understanding of the evidence-based methodology of behavior change.
Susan Buchholz joined HeartWell in March of 2024 after three decades in the non-profit sector where she found her calling, advocating for health equity and social justice. From an early age, Susan felt a deep sense of responsibility to speak up for those she perceived as vulnerable to harm or neglect, a value that has guided her career and personal choices.
Susan is an enthusiastic community connector and communicator, who seeks out opportunities to bridge diverse perspectives, by finding common ground between seemingly disparate viewpoints.
Her approach not only exemplifies her commitment to social advocacy but also underscores her belief in mindfulness as a cornerstone for personal and professional growth.
Susan attributes her journey towards resiliency and hopefulness to her practice of Vipassana meditation, a discipline she has embraced for many years to maintain her well-being.
Susan holds a BS in human service management from Leslie University, Cambridge, MA, and is working towards her master’s in public health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. She is a Bloomberg Fellow with a concentration in addiction and overdose.
Susan views mindfulness as a journey rather than a definitive endpoint, highlighting the importance of embracing imperfection in oneself and others as a pathway to peace.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings be liberated.
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