VIA Certified MBSP Practitioners
The following practitioners have successfully earned their MBSP Certification, leading two MBSP Programs, receiving one-on-one coaching with a master trainer, and completing six in-depth training sessions—equipping them to integrate mindfulness and character strengths for personal and professional growth.
Listed Alphabetically by First Name
Interested in working with a practitioner? Send them an email to explore the services they provide and how they might support your goals.
Name | Alaric Newcombe |
alaricnewcombe@gmail.com | |
Certification Year | 2022 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Institution or Company | |
Language(s) | English |
Population Served | Iyengar yoga practitioners and psychotherapy clients |
Social Media | |
Bio |
Name | Barbara Winwood |
bwinwood@protonmail.com | |
Certification Year | 2024 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Institution or Company | Dorset Council Fostering Services |
Language(s) | English, German |
Population Served | Adults and organisations |
Social Media | N/A |
Bio | Barbara Winwood is a registered Social Worker and Life Coach, who is passionate about helping others to transform the way they live and work by discovering and using their strengths, individually and as teams. She applies her MBSP insights in her current work role as an Advanced Practitioner and is always open to intriguing collaborations. |
Name | Bettina Hantmann-Willmes |
bettina@hantmann.com | |
Certification Year | 2024 |
Country | Germany |
Institute or Company | |
Language(s) | German, English, French |
Population Served | Corporate professionals and leaders |
Social Media | https://www.linkedin.com/in/bettina-hantmann-willmes-55a66b83/ |
Bio |
Name (Charter Member) | Claudia Morales Cueto |
claudia.morcueto@gmail.com | |
Certification Year | 2022 |
Country | Mexico |
Institute or Company | |
Language(s) | Spanish, English |
Population Served | Adults in different settings and women interested in spiritual development |
Social Media | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudia-morales-cueto-mlp-4715aa69/ IG @paraserfelizhoy |
Bio |
Name | Cosiamo (Peter) Baverso |
pbaverso@gmail.com | |
Certification Year | 2023 |
Institute or Company | |
Country | Italy and the United States |
Language(s) | English |
Population Served | Professionals in the public sector, non-profit boards, and younger-emerging adults. |
Social Media | https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterbaverso/ https://www.instagram.com/umaniamo/ |
Bio | Primary interest is in strengths use and mental health. Also, organizational performance has been a big part of my career. |
Name (Charter Member) | Dana L. Walden, MBA |
contact@certoco.com | |
Certification Year | 2021 |
Institute or Company | |
Country | Switzerland |
Language(s) | English, French |
Population Served | Adults, including professional coaches and leaders |
Social Media | |
Bio | With an appreciative approach that places the spotlight on strengths, Dana facilitates learning, growth, and change for organizational and individual clients. She is the Managing Director of a human capital development business based in Switzerland, an ICF PCC-credentialed professional coach, and a VIA charter-certified MBSP practitioner. Dana works in English and French, providing coaching, assessments, and learning experiences; leveraging her career in multinational organizations, she specializes in leadership and leading change. Dana’s signature strengths include honesty, perseverance, hope, and gratitude. She serves as a member of the VIA Institute's faculty. |
Name | Dee Mackenzie |
deelach@gmail.com | |
Certification Year | 2024 |
Institute or Company | |
Country | United States |
Language(s) | English |
Population Served | Students and adults |
Social Media | |
Bio |
Name (Charter Member) | Elke Müller |
elkerienks@posteo.de | |
Certification Year | 2021 |
Institute or Company | |
Country | Germany |
Language(s) | English, French |
Population Served | Adults, vegans, and people interested in vegan living |
Social Media | |
Bio | I am a mother of 2 grown-up sons, live in Munich, and would like to do my bit to tackle the climate crisis and overcome injustice. |
Name | Eugene Tee |
teeyj@help.edu.my | |
Certification Year | 2021 |
Institute or Company | |
Country | Malaysia |
Language(s) | English |
Population Served | Students, adults, and junior executives |
Social Media | |
Bio | Eugene (Yu Jin) Tee is an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology, HELP University Malaysia, where he teaches and conducts research on emotions and positive psychology. Eugene holds a PhD in Management from the University of Queensland and a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice Certified Practitioner and Reflected Best Self Exercise (RBSE) Certified Facilitator. His work has been published in several academic journals, including Emotion Review, The Leadership Quarterly, Asian Journal of Social Psychology, Journal of Affective Disorders, and The International Journal of Wellbeing. Eugene is a TEDx speaker and features regularly on national radio, speaking on topics related to emotions, emotional intelligence, and well-being. He has conducted training for numerous organizations, including JP Morgan and the New Zealand High Commission. Eugene is the founder of Emotivity, a web portal that features research on emotions and resources on developing emotional intelligence (www.emotivity.my). He is the author and co-author of three books, one of which, The Science of Feelings, was awarded by the National Book Council as one of the 50 Best Malaysian Titles for International Rights in 2021/2022. Eugene’s signature strengths are creativity, judgment, humility, prudence, and perspective. He loves to write, and alternates between this with reading, playing video games, and crafting personalized origami artwork as gifts for his friends. |
Name | Hanna Tempelhagen |
ht@themindfulspaces.com | |
Certification Year | 2024 |
Institute or Company | |
Country | Germany |
Language(s) | German, English, French |
Population Served | Corporate professionals, coaches, and stressed high performers (leaders, athletes) who seek support with mental health issues. |
Social Media | |
Bio | Hanna is a mental health & mindfulness coach for high performers. She combines her expertise in mindfulness, compassion & strengths with insights from modern neuroscience, positive psychology, and competitive sports. |
Name (Charter Member) | Karen Pappas |
karen@pappas2.com | |
Certification Year | 2023 |
Institute or Company | |
Country | United States |
Language(s) | English |
Population Served | Professionals in diverse industries and career coaching |
Social Media | Karen Pappas (LinkedIn) |
Bio |
Name (Charter Member) | Karen Whelan-Berry |
kwhelanberry@umass.edu | |
Certification Year | 2024 |
Institute or Company | |
Country | United States |
Language(s) | English |
Population Served | Higher Education, individual faculty, lab, and grant research teams, as well as some administrative teams |
Social Media | |
Bio |
Name (Charter Member) | Lobna Cherif |
lobna.cherif@rmc.ca | |
Certification Year | 2022 |
Institute or Company | Royal Military College of Canada |
Country | Canada |
Language(s) | English, French, Arabic |
Population Served | Canadian Armed Forces Members (Military and Civilian Youth and Adults) and university students |
Social Media | |
Bio | Lobna Chérif, PhD, is Chair in Resilience and Associate Professor at the Royal Military College of Canada. She founded the RMC Resilience Plus Program and leads evidence-based initiatives to build resilience, leadership, and well-being in the CAF and globally. With a PhD in Psychology and advanced certifications in Positive Psychology, Coaching, and Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice, her research applies psychological science to leadership and performance in high-stress settings. |
Name (Charter Member) | Maria Hoffman |
Certification Year | 2021 |
Country | Norway |
Language(s) | Norwegian, Dutch, English |
Institution or Company | TankeFlyt / ThoughtFlow |
Populations Served | Leaders, coaches, and highly sensitive people |
Social Media | |
Bio | Maria likes to present herself as a Thought Artist driven by a mission to ‘colour the world more beautiful together’. Since 2011, she has been the owner of TankeFlyt (ThoughtFlow), where she provides (online) coaching and workshops in English, Norwegian, and Dutch, primarily serving clients across Europe. Fueled by an enduring curiosity and a passion for continuous learning, Maria has expanded her expertise beyond her professional ICF PCC coaching certification. She pursued specialized training in positive psychology, achieving accreditation as a VIA charter-certified MBSP practitioner. Additionally, she delved into photo-based coaching as a certified Points of You practitioner and mastered transformative drawing techniques, becoming a certified NeuroGraphica and NeuroDesign structuring specialist. With Maria’s IT background in municipal, educational, and healthcare sectors, and her experience as a middle manager, she understands the significance of appreciative communication. She is dedicated to inspiring you to focus on what you do best - and genuinely love doing - in ways that are stress-preventive, creative, and joyful. |
Name (Charter Member) | Matthijs Steeneveld |
Certification Year | 2022 |
Country | Netherlands |
Language(s) | Dutch, English |
Institution or Company | |
Populations Served | Adults, organizations, and professionals (coaches/trainers/leaders, etc.) |
Social Media | |
Bio | Matthijs Steeneveld is a positive organizational psychologist and works independently as a trainer, teacher, and consultant. His mission is to contribute to flourishing people in flourishing organizations on a flourishing planet. He wrote several (Dutch) books on positive psychology, his Character Strengths Intervention Cards were published in English by Hogrefe. He's a Faculty Member for the VIA Institute on Character and a cofounder of the Dutch Network for Positive Psychology. |
Name | Michele Suhie |
Certification Year | 2025 |
Country | United States |
Language(s) | English |
Institution or Company | |
Population Served | Healthcare professionals and health coaches |
Social Media | |
Bio | Michele is a board-certified health & wellness coach and certified lifestyle medicine professional. She divides her time between coaching individuals toward positive health behavior change, teaching university courses in pathophysiology & lifestyle medicine, and developing CE courses for coaches. Her virtual MBSP course has been approved by the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching for continuing education credit for health coaches. Michele also authors blog posts and podcast episodes on the intersection of lifestyle medicine, positive psychology, and Catholic spirituality. She is a wife, a mother of 2, a breast cancer survivor, and a musician in her faith community. |
Name | Nadia Auda |
Certification Year | 2024 |
Country | Denmark |
Language(s) | Danish, English |
Institution or Company | |
Population Served | Adults, organizations, and professionals in various sectors and industries |
Social Media | |
Bio | I am a coach, Communications consultant, educator, and mindfulness teacher, passionate about creating more well-being. |
Name | Namita Piparaiya |
Certification Year | 2025 |
Country | India |
Language(s) | English, Hindi |
Institution or Company | Yoganama Wellness |
Population Served | Corporate professionals |
Social Media | yoganama (IG and YT) https://www.instagram.com/yoganama/ |
Bio | Namita is the founder of Yoganama Wellness and is passionate about helping people live healthier lifestyles. Before finding her calling in Wellness & Content Creation, Namita was an MBA and senior corporate executive with MNCs such as Citibank, Aviva, & Future Generali. She now focuses on health behaviour change and simplifying complex concepts to drive real-world impact. As a content creator and certified Yoga & Mindfulness coach, she empowers individuals to make sustainable shifts in their lifestyles. She also supports startups to enhance productivity and build impactful, purpose-driven initiatives. |
Name (Charter Member) | Orlaith O'Sullivan |
hello@orlaithosullivan.com | |
Certification Year | 2023 |
Country | Ireland |
Language(s) | English |
Institution or Company | |
Population Served | Youth, Adults, Organisations, Teachers, Families (virtual & in person internationally) |
Social Media | |
Bio | Orlaith is passionate about building happier communities. She develops practical wellbeing pathways that meet us where we are. She is a Dharma Teacher in the Plum Village tradition and was International Coordinator of Wake Up Schools for five years. She teaches internationally, consults with Dartmouth University, and works on several international mindfulness and strengths-based research projects. |
Name (Charter Member & Master Trainer) | Peter Malinowski |
peter@petermalinowski.eu | |
Certification Year | 2023 |
Country | Germany & United Kingdom |
Language(s) | English & German |
Institution or Company | University Students, MBSP Practitioners; various sectors/industries |
Population Served | |
Bio | Peter is currently running the first MBSP certification in German. |
Social Media |
Name (Master Trainer) | Roger Bretherton |
Certification Year | 2024 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language(s) | English |
Institution or Company | Centre for Positive Health Sciences; VIA Institute on Character |
Population Served | University Students & large organisations across all sectors |
Bio | Dr Roger Bretherton is a Clinical Psychologist and Coach. He is an Honorary Lecturer at the Centre for Positive Health Sciences (RCSI), and Faculty of the VIA Institute on Character. He conducts training, consultancy, and research on character strengths interventions. His research team has examined the benefits of humility in leaders, the role of mindfulness in character development, a strengths-based approach to pro-environmental behaviours, the role of wisdom in business leadership, and character strengths in entrepreneurs. He has written two books and numerous articles and book chapters. He is also a reviewer for leading academic journals in applied psychology. He delivers coaching, training, and keynotes to a wide range of public and private sector organizations and delivers the Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice (MBSP) program online for VIA. |
Social Media | Roger Bretherton (LinkedIn) |
Name (Creator & Master Trainer) | Ryan M. Niemiec |
ryan@viacharacter.org | |
Certification Year | |
Country | United States |
Language(s) | English |
Institution or Company | |
Population Served | virtual; adults; trainees; professioals |
Social Media | ryanVIA (LinkedIN); dr.ryanVIA (Insta) |
Bio | Ryan M. Niemiec, Psy.D., is a strengths scientist, educator, and practitioner, with the title of Chief Science & Education Officer at the VIA Institute on Character, a nonprofit organization that leads the global advancement of the science and practice of character strengths. Ryan has been at the center of this work for 16 years, positively impacting many millions of people. Ryan is a 4-time, award-winning psychologist, annual instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, and author of 15 books, over 100 academic papers, and several hundred user-friendly articles. His books include the bestselling consumer book, The Power of Character Strengths, the two leading practitioner books in positive psychology – Character Strengths Interventions and Mindfulness and Character Strengths, and other books on stress relief, positivity for teens, mindfulness/strengths workbook, positive movies, character strengths for disability/ability, and character strengths for peace psychology. He created the empirically validated program in positive psychology, called Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice (MBSP), used in 50+ countries, and VIA’s first character strengths certification program – MBSP Certification. He’s given over 1,000 presentations on positive psychology topics. On a personal level, Ryan lives in Cincinnati with his wife and three young, zestful children. His highest strengths are hope, love, honesty, fairness, spirituality, social intelligence, and appreciation of beauty. Ryan’s hobbies include creative writing, poetry, playing tai chi, chess, basketball, tennis, guitar, traveling, watching Michigan State athletics, and collecting vintage Pez dispensers. He was ordained in the Order of Interbeing, a global mindfulness community that practices in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. |
Name | Shannon D. Silva |
shannondsilvamba@gmail.com | |
Certification Year | |
Institute or Company | |
Country | United States |
Language(s) | English |
Population Served | Women navigating breast cancer |
Social Media | |
Bio |
Name | Shelley Cox |
shelley@shelleycox.ca | |
Certification Year | 2024 |
Institute or Company | |
Country | Canada |
Language(s) | English |
Population Served | Entrepreneurial to Corporate Women Leaders at all levels |
Social Media | https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelley-cox-ba-pcc-cec-seic-she-her-a226428/ |
Bio |
Name | Yundi Chi |
Certification Year | 2023 |
Institute or Company | CHI Institute, CHI Voices (Nonprofit) |
Country | United States & China |
Language(s) | English, Mandarin/ Chinese |
Population Served | I-12, organization instructional coaching, university |
Social Media | |
Bio |
Certified Translation Partners
We’re proud to collaborate with certified translation partners who offer MBSP programs in their native languages, helping to expand access to strengths-based mindfulness around the world.
German
Partner: Peter – DGPP
Spanish
Partner: Masaya – Tecmilenio Universidad
Vietnamese
Partner: Tan – Flourishing Vietnam