Board of Directors
Shelly Jo Spinden Wahlstrom, PhD, CHT, CRNC
Board Chairwoman
“The Amino Acid Lady" & Hypnotherapist”
Dr. Shelly Jo is the mother of a daughter who was diagnosed with anxiety at age 6, turned to drugs and alcohol at age 15, and eventually spiraled into meth. Motivated by the daily fear for daughter’s life, Shelly Jo set out on a journey to learn everything she could about the brain and addiction; and why some turned to drugs and alcohol for answers.
That journey led to Shelly Jo becoming a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist in 2016; and a Certified Addiction Recovery & Mental Health Nutrition Coach / Amino Acid Specialist through the Academy for Addiction & Mental Health Nutrition 2017.
Shelly feels that had she known this information when her daughter was struggling with anxiety at age 6, she may not have turned to drugs and alcohol at age 15.
Shelly’s mission is to spread this information throughout the world to help that child who struggles with anxiety, depression, focus; the teenager who struggles with social anxiety, fear, and panic; and adults struggling with OCD, stress, lack of energy, sleep, and weight gain. And those who find their relief through addictive substances such as: sugar, food, drugs, alcohol as well as addictive behaviors.
Shelly Jo is the author of Feed Your Brain Change Your Life, the founder of Shelly Jo Hypno Aminos Nutrition, and a public speaker.
Website: hypnoaminos.com
Email: shellyjo@hypnoaminos.com
801-643-3211
Mitchell J. Pearce,
D.C., M.S., L.Ac., D.A.C.B.N.
Correspondence Secretary
Dr. Mitchell Pearce practiced and taught chiropractic since 1982 and acupuncture since 1992. Dr. Pearce earned his Diplomate from the American Board of Clinical Nutrition in 1983.
Dr. Pearce was certified in alcohol and drug studies by UC Santa Cruz in 1996, and as a NADA treatment provider in 2006. He is also a paralegal.
Dr. Pearce has previously served as a Board of Directors member for Parents Helping Parents, a George W Bush Star of Life awarded non-profit dedicated to helping parents with handicapped, disabled, or otherwise challenged children.
In 2017, Dr. Pearce co-founded and is the CEO for USgeocoder LLC, a successful Geographic Information Systems competitor to Google and Bing specializing in political advocacy management, sales tax management, FINTECH, and business asset management.
Salvatore Di Liello, ND
Board Vice Chairman & Treasurer
Salvatore Di Liello is a Board-Certified Naturopathic Doctor with a concentration in Homeopathic Medicine and Board-Certified American Association of Drugless Practitioners. He is the founder of Naturale Solutions a holistic center providing health consultations, lectures, Biomagnetism, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Reiki sessions.
Salvatore is a Certified Addiction Recovery Nutrition Coach Level 2 from the Academy for Addiction & Mental Health Nutrition working with a non-profit organization in North Eastern Ohio offering Nutrition Assisted Treatment (N.A.T.) emphasizing proper nutrition, amino acids therapy and other natural supplements for clients in recovery.
"As a naturopathic doctor my focus is the preventive care and wellness of the individual. My goal is to educate and empower clients so they can make better and healthier decisions to ultimately achieve their optimized state of health."
Salvatore is also a member of American Botanical Council, the National Center for Homeopathy, the International Association of Reiki Practitioners and the American Association of Integrative Medicine.
Website: www.naturale-solutions.com
Elizabeth Kabanyan, B.S.
Certified Nutrition Recovery Coach
Social Media & Content Manager
Elizabeth Kabanyan is a seasoned healthcare executive with over two decades of experience in healthcare operations. Throughout her distinguished career, Elizabeth has impacted the lives of over 10,000 individuals, demonstrating her unwavering commitment to improving healthcare outcomes and fostering personal transformation.
With a solid educational foundation in biochemistry and health administration, Elizabeth brings a unique blend of scientific expertise and administrative acumen to her role as Chief Operating Officer at Rising Lotus Recovery. Her understanding of the biochemical processes underlying addiction, coupled with her strategic leadership skills, enables her to spearhead innovative approaches to treatment and recovery.
In addition to her academic achievements, Elizabeth is certified in the Psychology of Addiction and Recovery, having completed her training with Anna Lembke at Stanford. This additional expertise enhances her ability to address the psychological aspects of addiction and develop comprehensive treatment plans for patients.
Elizabeth is also a certified health coach and NeuroCoach, empowering her to explore the realm of biohacking and delve deeper into the intricacies of brain function and behavior. This multifaceted expertise equips her with invaluable insights into holistic wellness and personalized interventions, ensuring that Rising Lotus Recovery remains at the forefront of addiction treatment modalities.
Valsa Madhava, MD
Board Secretary
Dr Madhava is a board certified internist and addiction medicine specialist. She is also certified in functional medicine.
Besides her private practices, she continues to work in an adult substance use detox and rehabilitation treatment program in New York. She has worked in the area of addictions and use disorders since the 1990's. She has worked in primary care settings, in different opioid treatment facilities, and in the jail system treating addictions and dependencies.
While working with patients with addictions in various capacities, the near universal theme was that patients wanted to be cured and almost no one wanted to remain on medication-assisted-treatments such as methadone or Bupenorphine, in spite of their usefulness in preventing death. It was disheartening to see so many patients relapse quickly after a short recovery period, even though many tried very hard to achieve abstinence with standard treatment.
Over the past several years Dr. Madhava has dedicated herself to focusing on the physiology of the brain and body as the foundation in the assessment and treatment of addictions and recovery. She uses evidence-based approaches, published literature and her experiences to treat dependencies using a brain focused model to help patients achieve lasting recovery.
The framework involves functional medicine principles, testing and management of the root causes and promoters of addiction, such as nutrient deficiencies, hormonal and gut microbiome imbalances among many other foundational etiologies. She got her MD at Albany Medical College, Master of Public Health at John Hopkins, and a Masters in Clinical Research Methods at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She is certified in Functional Medicine from the Institute for Functional Medicine. On the personal side, Dr. Madhava has two kids, spends much of her free time reading, exercising and exploring spirituality. Among her favorite books is the Bhagavad Gita, which she uses as a guide for living.
Website: www.brainbodymedical.com
Michele Perron, PhD
Nutrient & Addiction Coach
certified in Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP)
Board Member
Michele Perron holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology, is certified in Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP) and the Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition Recovery Coaching Program, Level 1 (CNRC1).
She was employed as a Senior Clinical Supervisor for 7 years at a national telehealth addiction treatment agency where she developed Moderation Program which served over 500 clients with a team of 10 trained counselors.
Dr. Perron has also developed curricula to train counselors, coaches, and clients who want to break free of the one-size-fits-all paradigm by specializing in a breakthrough method by combining targeted medication support, nutrition based, and somatic therapies with positive psychology.
It is her passion to be able to offer this model as a viable option for clients who wish to return to low volume, low frequency drinking or quit for good.