Mindi K. Counts MA, LAc
Mindi K. Counts is a rites of passage guide, Five Element acupuncturist, somatic practitioner, and East-West folk herbalist with a lifelong devotion to healing, justice, and sacred service. She is the founder of both the Inner Ocean Empowerment Project and Medicine People, two organizations dedicated to providing holistic healthcare and education to women and children in underserved communities throughout the world and the U.S.
A graduate of Naropa University’s Contemplative Psychology program, Mindi also holds a master’s degree in Classical Five Element Acupuncture. She has served in refugee birth clinics, slum communities in India, and post-earthquake recovery zones in Nepal—work that earned her recognition in Dr. Oz’s The Good Life magazine. She is a keynote speaker, retreat facilitator, and the author of Everyday Chinese Medicine and Tending Your Roots, as well as a contributing author to The Trauma Toolkit and Singing Our Heart’s Song.
Mindi’s leadership is deeply informed by her early work as a caregiver for people with special needs, a mentor for at-risk youth, and an animal rights activist. Her academic background in Buddhist psychology, ecopsychology, regenerative leadership, and trauma recovery continues to guide her integrative approach to healing.
Through Inner Ocean, Mindi has cultivated long-term partnerships with global communities, offering medical missions, leadership training, and capacity-building rooted in cultural respect and embodied compassion. She believes service is not just an action, but a way of being.
Bonnie Keller, RN
Bonnie Keller is a Registered Nurse, End-of-Life Doula, and lifelong caregiver with a heart rooted in both wild landscapes and tender thresholds. With a career that spans continents and communities, Bonnie has provided care in some of the most vulnerable and sacred spaces—from supporting orphaned gorillas in the Congo as a medical care provider, to accompanying humans through their final breaths as an end-of-life doula and hospice nurse.
A woman of extraordinary range, Bonnie has also served as a tour guide and cook in Africa, combining her deep respect for land, animals, and culture with her gift for nourishing others—body and soul. Whether she’s offering healing food, administering clinical care, or simply holding space with quiet presence, Bonnie brings warmth, humor, and resilience to every environment she enters.
Bonnie has been a dedicated volunteer with Inner Ocean Empowerment Project since 2017, serving on medical service trips to Nepal in both 2017 and 2018. Her work in Nepal reflected not only her clinical expertise but her deep spiritual calling to be of service in settings where care is scarce and connection is everything.
Through all of her work—human and animal, local and global—Bonnie is guided by the belief that compassion is a universal language, and that healing is most powerful when it is shared, humble, and rooted in relationship. She is a beloved member of the IOEP volunteer family, known for her fierce kindness, deep presence, and ability to bring laughter even in the most tender moments.
Ginney Hitchon, MA
Ginney Hitchon is an EFT Clinical Practitioner, Intuitive Coach, Yoga Instructor, trained Death Doula, and longtime hospice volunteer with a deep calling to serve at the threshold of life and death. With over a decade of experience accompanying individuals and families through end-of-life care, Ginney brings grounded compassion, emotional intelligence, and presence to every space she enters. Her background in energy medicine, movement, and intuitive coaching allows her to support others holistically—body, mind, and spirit.
A committed volunteer with Inner Ocean Empowerment Project, Ginney served as a practitioner on the 2023 and 2024 medical service trips to Sindhupalchok, Nepal, where she offered healing sessions, emotional support, and sacred listening to patients and caregivers in underserved mountain communities. Her time in Nepal deepened her connection to the Pashupati Hospice Center in Kathmandu, a partner site of IOEP. She now feels personally called to continue supporting the hospice’s staff, patients, and mission of dignified, compassionate end-of-life care rooted in Buddhist values.
Ginney brings tenderness, humility, and fierce devotion to her work—whether she is holding space in a hospice room, teaching a trauma-informed yoga class, or offering spiritual coaching to those in transition. She believes that death is not an end, but a passage, and that community care around death and dying is an essential part of collective healing.
Laurel Mackey Miller, LAc, M.Ac.
Laurel Mackey Miller is a Licensed Acupuncturist, Plant Spirit Medicine Practitioner, Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist, and Meditation Instructor with a deep commitment to healing at the intersection of body, mind, spirit, and community. With a background in Buddhist studies and years of personal meditation practice, Laurel brings a calm, grounded presence to her clinical and community work, guiding others into deeper connection with themselves and the world around them.
Laurel has advanced training in Zero Balancing and a lifelong devotion to the healing arts—not only through medicine but also through visual art and nature-based ritual. Her approach to care is both intuitive and skillful, drawing on ancient traditions, subtle energetics, and trauma-informed practices to meet people where they are.
As a longtime volunteer with Inner Ocean Empowerment Project, Laurel has participated in and co-led medical service trips, including the 2022, 2023, and 2024 programs in Nepal. Her leadership reflected not only her clinical expertise but also her gift for group facilitation and her commitment to cross-cultural listening and humility.
Laurel is also an active mentor and facilitator with Natural Highs, a youth-led initiative that helps teens find authentic joy, emotional regulation, and connection—without reliance on substances. Through this work, she supports young people in exploring meditation, herbal allies, and creative expression as real, embodied alternatives to numbing and escapism.
Whether in a treatment room, on a mountain in Nepal, or in a classroom full of teens, Laurel holds a strong and sacred container for healing. She is devoted to a world where joy is accessible, service is spiritual practice, and community is medicine.
Christine Janaky, CMT, WFR
Christine Janaky is a Certified Massage Therapist, Wilderness First Responder, Teacher, and Bookkeeper with a steady, grounded presence and a deep commitment to service. A longtime volunteer with Inner Ocean Empowerment Project, Christine has been actively involved since 2017, offering her time, skills, and heart on multiple service trips to Nepal, including as a care provider in 2017 and 2018.
With a strong foundation in bodywork and somatic healing, Christine approaches massage therapy as both a science and an art—supporting physical recovery, emotional regulation, and deep rest. Her training as a Wilderness First Responderadds an invaluable layer of preparedness and calm in remote, high-pressure environments, allowing her to meet the needs of patients and fellow volunteers alike with clarity and care.
Christine’s background as a teacher and bookkeeper reflects her wide-ranging talents and reliability—she brings both practical organization and nurturing wisdom to every space she joins. Whether she is offering therapeutic touch in a mountain village, tracking clinic supplies, or mentoring a newer volunteer, Christine is a quiet force of compassion and integrity.
Her ongoing commitment to IOEP’s mission speaks to her deep belief in community-rooted healing, equitable access to care, and the transformative power of service. Christine is an anchor in the Inner Ocean volunteer community, and her presence is felt as much in the care she offers as in the steadiness she brings.
Jonathan Grassi, LMT, CPTMI
Jonathan Grassi, LMT, CPTMI is a Board Certified Massage Therapist and Phenomenal Touch Master Instructor with over two decades of experience in integrative bodywork. His practice is grounded in the belief that every person—regardless of background or circumstance—deserves access to high-quality, compassionate touch as a pathway to healing. Jonathan’s training includes Trigger Point and Neuromuscular Therapy, Connective Tissue Therapy, Cranial-Sacral Therapy, Shiatsu, Trager Work, Reiki, and Prenatal Massage, giving him a broad and sensitive toolkit to meet the unique needs of each individual.
Jonathan has dedicated his career to bridging the gap between therapeutic care and social equity, ensuring that healing work is not a luxury, but a human right. A gifted teacher and mentor, he brings patience, precision, and presence into both one-on-one sessions and group learning environments.
As a committed volunteer with Inner Ocean Empowerment Project, Jonathan served on the 2016 Nepal service trip, offering hands-on care and training in rural communities with limited access to medical support. That experience further fueled his dedication to global healing justice and deepened his connection to Inner Ocean’s mission. He continues to support the organization’s efforts to provide education, healing, and dignity in places too often overlooked by traditional systems.
Jonathan’s approach is deeply relational, trauma-informed, and rooted in the sacred art of presence. Whether working with patients, students, or fellow practitioners, he embodies care that is ethical, intuitive, and committed to healing for all.