Who We Are
Our Mission
Dedicated to reducing mental suffering through meditation and wellness practices. Timeless wisdom validated by empirical research, promoting peace and fostering a diverse community committed to personal transformation and enduring happiness.
Our Vision
Envisioning a future where compassion, respect, and integrity guide all actions. Proven meditation practices reduce stress and anxiety, fostering measurable personal transformation and lasting well-being in a rapidly changing world.
Our Team
Callan McClennen
Founding Director, President
Callan serves as Cofounder and President of Freedom of Mind. Growing up on Cape Cod, he trained in the family hospitality business, Wequassett Resort and Golf Club, a highly successful, Forbes five-star hotel and resort enterprise. He earned his BSc in Business Administration from the University of Colorado Boulder, focusing on leadership, entrepreneurship, and corporate strategy. His career specializes in financial derivatives and the digital asset ecosystem, alongside assisting family and friends with financial planning.
From an early age, Callan developed a deep curiosity about neuroscience, physics, and the philosophy of existence. Callan's meditation journey deepened through wisdom traditions and transformative retreats, particularly under American Buddhist monk Bhante Vimilaramsi and meditation master Acariya Delson Armstrong. Passionate about advancing neuroscience research in meditation, Callan has participated in studies on its effects on the brain. Balancing his career and foundation work, he enjoys meditation retreats, travel, exercise, and outdoor activities.
Dr. Andrew McClennen
Founding Director, Treasurer
Andrew is Cofounder and Treasurer of Freedom of Mind, and is dedicated to a philosophy of wellness that includes comprehensive fitness as well as philanthropy. An avid martial artist, Andrew became a serious meditator after studying with Bhante Vimalaramsi, David Johnson, and Delson Armstrong.
Dedicated throughout his career to worthy causes, Andrew was honored to contribute his skills to The Cape Wellness Collaborative and its mission to improve individuals' quality of life with cancer through complementary care. He headed a wellness center in Chatham, offering services such as chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage, energy healing, and holistic coaching. A graduate of Life University School of Chiropractic, he combined advanced spinal diagnostics with wellness education.
Andrew's career began with various roles at the Wequassett Resort and Golf Club, which his family owned since 1974. He worked and trained in every aspect of the business from housekeeping to sales manager and director of human resources, contributing to its growth into a Forbes five-star resort. He remained a board member and partner until its sale in 2021.
David Johnson
Director, Vice President
David Johnson is a significant figure in contemporary meditation practice, known for his association with Bhante Vimalaramsi and for authoring books that explain those teachings comprehensively. His meditation journey began during college, and in the late 1970s, he practiced Mahasi-style Vipassana at a Vipassana center in San Jose, CA, eventually becoming a staff member and the attendant to the teacher there. Many current TWIM senior students, including Bhante Vimalaramsi, were also staff members at the center.
David's path intersected with Bhante Vimalaramsi again at the Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center, where he adopted a new, distinctive meditation technique that led to profound insights. His dedication to these teachings prompted him to leave an active career in Silicon Valley and fully immerse himself in the activities of the center.
Since 2010, David has been a resident at the Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center. He authored The Path to Nibbana and co-wrote A Guide to Tranquil Wisdom Meditation (TWIM). At the center, he manages online retreat programs, teaches retreats, oversees daily operations, handles webmaster and book publishing responsibilities, and produces video content. Besides Bhante Vimalaramsi, he has worked with other renowned meditation teachers such as Dipa Ma, Mahasi Sayadaw, Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, and U Silananda. David currently serves as a Board Director of Freedom of Mind.
Delson Armstrong
Founding Teacher
Delson Armstrong is Founding Teacher at Freedom of Mind. He was born in Bombay, India, and moved to the United States in 1995. His spiritual journey began at the age of 13 with Hatha Yoga, sparking a deep interest in meditation and spirituality. He studied at Pathways World School and traveled extensively in India, delving into Advaita Vedanta and various spiritual texts. Delson was initiated into the lineages of several renowned spiritual teachers, including Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Nisargadatta Maharaj, and Paramahamsa Hariharananda.
While living in San Diego, Delson launched the Source Living meditation app and deepened his studies in Dzogchen and Mahamudra under Lama Lena. Bhante Vimalaramsi authorized him to teach Tranquil Wisdom Insight Practice, and he was later titled Dhammachariya. Delson has authored several books, including A Mind Without Craving, and has taught meditation retreats globally. Known for mastering various advanced meditation techniques, Delson contributes to neuroscience studies on meditation and prefers to serve as a teacher and mentor without formal titles.
Kirsten Jones
Director
Kirsten Jones plays a significant role at the Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center in Annapolis, Missouri. As the Retreat Coordinator, she is deeply involved with the practice of TWIM (Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation) and is recognized for her dedication as a long-time student of TWIM. She met Bhante Vimalaramsi in 2015 during her first retreat at the center. This transformative experience shifted her perspective from seeking to finding her path, recognizing that the answers lie within the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha.
Kirsten has been ordained twice as a Buddhist nun under Bhante Vimalaramsi. Her first ordination took place during a two-week retreat in 2018, and her second, for a duration of three months, further deepened her spiritual practice.
In addition to her work at the meditation center, Kirsten is a licensed therapist and clinical social worker in Missouri, holding a BSW/MSW/LCSW from Missouri State University, 2006. Her professional background adds a valuable dimension to the meditation and spiritual guidance she provides. The Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center is renowned for its focus on TWIM and other meditation practices, aiming at the Awakening and Elimination of Unhappiness. Kirsten sits as a Director on the board of Freedom of Mind.
Dr. Yixue Zhao
Director
Dr. Yixue Zhao holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of Southern California (USC). Her outstanding academic contributions have led to prestigious publications, U.S. Patents, and notable awards, such as Computing Innovation Fellow recognized by National Science Foundation and Computing Research Association, Microsoft Research Dissertation Grant, and Women in Science & Engineering (WiSE) Merit Award.
These conditions in a high-stress Ph.D. environment also taught her that “fame can’t buy happiness.” Inspired by a major mental breakdown, Dr. Zhao was determined to find a way out of her mental suffering. As a scientist at heart, she experimented with all kinds of methods of well-being, including many mindfulness practices, numerous well-being courses and books, and different types of therapy.
In 2020, to celebrate her Ph.D. graduation, Dr. Zhao joined a TWIM online retreat led by David Johnson from Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center. The unconditional happiness and peace were beyond her wildest dreams and had long-lasting effects after her retreat. This turning point has changed her trajectory to dedicate her remaining life to the well-being of herself and others. She has been trained under Bhante Vimalaramsi, Bhante Kusala, and Acariya Delson Armstrong. Dr. Zhao is a Research Scientist at USC’s Information Sciences Institute, conducting interdisciplinary research on well-being using modern technology. Among all her titles, Dr. Zhao is most proud of “the most positive person I’ve ever met” and strives to maintain it. Dr. Yixue Zhao’s website: yixuezhao.com
John Munroe
Senior Advisor
John Munroe, a Toronto-born, Tokyo-based entrepreneur and philanthropist, founded GaiaWorks Inc. in 1998, a company that merges social and environmental contributions with a profitable business model. Over the past 25 years, John has dedicated his resources to supporting meditation teachers and retreat centers, co-founding and managing two centers in Japan and one in Canada. An intercultural expert, he has lived most of his life in Japan and is a professional translator, notably translating Nobel Laureate Kenzaburo Oe’s novella When We Were Really Young.
John has studied with many distinguished wellness experts and completed numerous meditation retreats worldwide since 1977. He has been teaching meditation classes and retreats both in person and online since 2000. His diverse interests include scuba diving and antique writing instruments.