Colleen Mizuki, Avenir Founder and SeniorTrainer

Colleen Mizuki has a B.A in French, Chinese, and Economics, an A.A. in Laser Electro-Optics Technology, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology, and certification as a Professional Coach from the Hudson Institute of Coaching. She also holds trainer certifications through the Cultural Intelligence Center (CQ and Unconscious Bias); Idea Connection System, Inc. (ISPI®); the HeartMath® Institute; the Institute for Social and Emotional Intelligence (ISEI®) and certified in Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT®) and Somatic Experiencing®. Colleen enjoyed a fascinating career in high-tech as a training development specialist and research analyst before moving to the realm of performance and wellness training and coaching.

Since 2007, when Ms. Mizuki founded Avenir Coaching and Training, she has been providing performance-enhancement training and coaching in myriad sectors, such as corporate, diplomatic, education, financial, fire fighter, legal, and military. During that time, Ms. Mizuki also served as the Director of Training for the Mind Fitness Training Institute, a non-profit dedicated to training military populations for enhanced individual and group performance and stress resilience. She is a Cadre Speaker for the Department of Defense Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program and is a contributing author to Healing War Trauma: A Handbook of Creative Approaches, published by Routledge in 2013. LinkedIn.

Kathleen Cutshall, Trainer

 For over a decade, Kathleen has provided counseling for active duty service members and veterans, as well as their spouses and partners, to assist them in navigating the impact of military life and the aftermath of repeated deployments. Kathleen has supported members from all 5 service branches in a wide range of combat and non-combat jobs, and completed multiple assignments at U.S. military installations and USMC Camps worldwide. Kathleen was an instructor and Military Therapy K9 Handler for the USAR Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. Additionally, she has been a supporting therapist for the Wounded Warrior Project/Project Odyssey. Kathleen holds both a B.S and a M.S. in Kinesiology from California State Fullerton, a Master of Social Work from UCLA, and is licensed to practice independently in California. She has completed the Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Trainer Certification Program and has been trained in, and practices, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). In addition, Kathleen completed the Service Dog Trainer Summer Session at Bergin University for Canine Studies (provider of Paws for Purple Hearts). Earlier in her work life, Kathleen managed an employee wellness program for Chevron Petroleum Technology Company and was a Hospice Social Worker for Kaiser Permanente.

Chris Dixon, Trainer

Chris retired honorably after 20 years in the United States Marine Corps and is a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He served with 1st Force Reconnaissance Company and 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. Chris deployed to Iraq three times and once to Afghanistan. Chris is a military diver and Airborne/Freefall parachutist. He instructed at the Military Freefall School in Yuma, Arizona and holds Instructor #588. Chris holds a B.A in psychology from California State Universtiy, Fullerton and in addition to providing training and individual coaching for Avenir, is a firearms instructor in Southern California. He is co-authoring a book on his experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan that he hopes will be a resource for civilians wishing to better understand the ins and outs of the military experience and overall culture.  LinkedIn

Christine Frazita, Trainer and Coach

Christine is an LCSW as well as certified by the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and by the Behavioral Therapy Training Institute, and has been trained by The Mind Fitness Institute in
Mindfulness- based Mind Fitness. In the past 30+ years in the health and mental health field, Christine has held senior positions in both inpatient and outpatient mental health clinics, hospitals, employee assistance programs, as a clinician, supervisor, and consultant. Since 1995, she has been in private practice, offering mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy to individuals, couples, and families, as well as teaching, supervising interns and medical residents, and mentoring therapists in the integration of psychotherapy, mindfulness, and body-based practices for increasing resilience. As part of the Mind Fitness Training team, she offered training in stress resilience and performance enhancement. Christine has a passionate interest in the intersection between the science of the mind and nervous system and the art of facilitating change.

Solwazi Johnson, Senior Trainer and Coach

Solwazi has over 25 years of experience as a public educator and trainer in the field of public health communicable disease control, mindfulness and as a certified Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness (MMFT) senior trainer. During his tenure with the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), he provided technical assistance, training, program evaluation, and one-on-one capacity building services to a variety of community-based, governmental, and private providers of disease-prevention services and training across the nation to public health physicians, nurses, epidemiologists, and disease intervention specialists. As a mindfulness teacher and MMFT trainer, Solwazi has worked with populations as varied as the military, corporate professionals, lawyers, and the incarcerated. Solwazi has degrees in Preventive Medicine Technology and Political Science from Merritt College and San Jose State University respectively. He is also a graduate of The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration in Boulder, Colorado, the Thai School of Complementary Health in Chaing Mai, Thailand, and the Academy for Guided Imagery, Inc. Solwazi received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy, where he worked as a Hospital Corpsman, providing a broad range of medical services to active duty service members, military dependents, and civilian contractors.

Jared Smyser, Trainer and Coach

Jared Smyser served in the United States Marine Corps for 9 years, deploying to Iraq and Central and South America. He held numerous jobs in the Marine Corps, including Artillery Section Chief, Martial Arts Instructor, Aviation Supply Clerk, and Vehicle Commander, running convoy-security missions throughout Iraq in 2005. After returning home and experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress, Jared became passionate about alternative healing modalities, such as mindfulness, yoga, nutrition, and exercise. He began practicing and making changes in his life and saw many benefits, which inspired him to pursue a career through which he could share what he found with others. In 2012, he was honorably discharged and began working with the Mind Fitness Training Institute, training Mindfulness-based resilience skills to military and civilian populations. Jared has a bachelor’s degree in Digital Cinematography from Full Sail University and founded Still and Motion Art, a photography and videography company. Jared is certified as a wellness coach through the Spencer Institute, coaching groups and individuals to be healthier and happier.

Shawn Van Bockel, Trainer

Shawn received her BS in Psychology from Yale University and Medical Degree from University of California, San Francisco. She trained in the Radiology residency at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center followed by Fellowship at Stanford University. She worked many years as a physician in the private sector before returning to VMC as an Attending Radiologist responsible for direct interpretation of patient studies, teaching In-house and Stanford residents, mentoring research in Body Imaging, and serving as Chief of GU Radiology.

Laura Hsu, Nutrition Consultant

Laura received her nutrition certification from Bauman College, School for Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts, and is board-certified through the National Association of Nutrition Professionals. She has also recently completed training to become an Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) Certified Coach. She has a BA in Economics from UC Santa Cruz and worked for an actuary for 20 years before switching gears and pursuing a career in nutrition, her lifelong passion. Laura has been helping clients achieve their wellness goals by teaching them that eating nutrient-rich whole foods is key to regaining health and vitality. Her approach is practical, sustainable, educational and supportive. She has helped clients with health issues including blood sugar and metabolic imbalances, gut dysbiosis and digestive problems, weight management, autoimmunity, and cancer. She currently offers private coaching, group nutrition seminars, 28-day nutrition challenges and liver detoxification programs.