Dr. Valerie (Vimalasara) Mason-John, M.A (hon.doc) is a public speaker and master trainer in the field of conflict transformation, leadership and mindfulness. They were featured at TEDxRenfrewCollingwood where they gave a talk titled, We are what we think, which outlined a course of action we can take to work on the global epidemic of bullying.
Valerie — also known as Vimalasara — was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Community and is a senior teacher in this tradition. Although they works tirelessly in the field of mindfulness, the Buddhist teachings are an essential part of their personal practice. They are the chairperson of the Triratna Vancouver Buddhist Centre in British Columbia, Canada, and leads and co-leads retreats both nationally and internationally. They are also co-founder of Healing and Insight and is a teacher on Worldwide Insight.
Valerie is the award-winning author of 9 books, and the co-author and co-founder of Eight Step Recovery: Using The Buddha’s Teaching to Overcome Addiction. Since its publication, it has won the Best USA Book Award 2014 and Best International Book Award 2015 in the self motivational and self help category. Eight Step Recovery offers an alternative to the 12 step program for addiction. Eight Step meetings are now taking place in the UK, USA, Canada, Mexico, India and Finland.
Valerie is the co-creator of Mindfulness Based Addiction Recovery (MBAR). They are a certified professional Mindfulness Teacher, Recovery Coach, Life Coach, and a Compassionate Inquiry Facilitator and Practitioner. Valerie has been practicing mindfulness for over 30 years and is one of the leading African-descent voices in the field of mindfulness and addiction. They train professionals working in the field of addiction all over the world.
They also is the author of Detox Your Heart: Meditations for Emotional Trauma — a self-help guide on mindfulness of negative emotions.
Valerie wrote the box office sell-out cult play, Sin Dykes, and has been touring her one woman show, Brown Girl In The Ring, internationally for the past ten years. The show is adapted to current issues and politics, while keeping to the story that they are related to the Queen of England. They recently co-produced blackhalifax.com — 12 short poetic dramas documenting the African-descent history of Halifax, Nova Scotia dating back to the 1600’s. Their next book an edited anthology Afrikan Wisdom New Voices Talk, Black Liberation, Buddhism, and Beyond
