At the age of 15 I ordained into the engaged Buddhist community of Zen Master, scholar, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh in Southern France. I developed a deep personal mindfulness practice, while also helping coordinate multiple initiatives, including organizing international tours/retreats, facilitating mindfulness conferences, and structuring and teaching mindfulness classes for professionals, young adults, and children. I traveled to more than 20 countries, organized and co-facilitated more than 300 retreats, and connected with thousands of mindfulness practitioners around the world.