Founding Teacher

Stephanie Swann, PhD began her journey into meditation in 1988. After experimenting with various traditions on a circuitous spiritual route, she began her daily practice in Vipassana meditation in 2008.

Of the many joys in this life, studying the Dhamma and practicing meditation are the greatest. The other greatest joy is sharing the teachings with others. Stephanie was a psychotherapist specializing in trauma treatment for 30 years and retired in 2021. Buddhist psychology, along with Interpersonal Neurobiology, played a central role in her understanding of stress, suffering, and healing. Now in retirement and following her lifelong love and passion for dogs, she founded an organization that takes care of the dogs in the local county shelter (www.ellijaypaws.org). Every day in this environment she meets her teachers of compassion.

Stephanie has been teaching Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction since 2010. She received her certification through the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Healthcare, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She is currently teaching mindfulness courses through Atlanta Mindfulness Institute. In addition, Stephanie is a facilitating teacher for Bhikkhu Analayo’s courses on Satipatthana and Anapanasati through Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.

Stephanie serves as an advisory council member and teacher for Dharma Voices for Animals, an international Buddhist animal rights/ animal advocacy organization (https://www.dharmavoicesforanimals.org/). As a passionate vegan, she deeply believes in a compassionate diet that respects the lives of all sentient beings.

Stephanie is a 2017 graduate of Barre Center for Buddhist Studies Entering the Path training and was a member of the Community Dharma Leaders Program (CDL6) through Spirit Rock Meditation Center.

Stephanie enjoys using gentle humor in her teaching as she invites her students to embrace the beautiful messiness of life, and to use this as a loving connection to fellow human beings. Stephanie lives in Ellijay Georgia with her spouse Nancy and their three rescue dogs, Willa Dean, Moose, and Cricket.

Founding Teacher

Susan Reviere, PhD, has studied Buddhism and mindfulness/meditation practices for more than 30 years, initially exploring the Thich Nhat Hanh and Zen traditions before settling into her spiritual home in the Insight tradition. She has studied and practiced intensively through one-on-one mentoring, residential retreats, sutta study, and intensive study courses with Dori Langevin, Tara Brach & the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, Lisa Ernst of One Dharma Nashville, Thanissara & Kittisaro & Sacred Mountain Sangha, Gloria Taraniya Ambrosia & Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Mindful Schools, and Awareness Training Institute (ATI).

Susan is a graduate of the 2-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Program led by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield and certified by ATI and UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, and she now serves as a mentor for this program training new teachers. She serves on the mentor team for several of Tara Brach's online mindfulness courses; and she mentors for the Sounds True Power of Awareness meditation training course also taught by Tara Brach & Jack Kornfield. With the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, Susan served as a mentor and facilitated IMCW's first online meditation group.

She is a clinical psychologist, offering both mindfulness-based psychotherapy and mindfulness/meditation mentoring.

Susan loves the Brahma Viharas and holds deep interest in the sacred feminine and devotional practice. Her passions are her family, Dhamma study, hiking, mountains, and music; and her commitments are open-heartedness, gratitude, environmental and social justice, and embodied spirituality. She finds joy in sharing these transformative teachings and hopes to transmit her love of the Dhamma to others on this path.