Our Team
Founding Partner
Founding Partner
Travel Specialist
Administrative Coordinator
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 Jo Ousterhout
Founding Partner
As an entrepreneur, consultant, and senior executive on Wall Street, Jo has worked in the US, Asia, and Europe for several of the financial world’s premier institutions. She was the executive director and chairperson for Dress for Success London, as well as the treasurer of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, a modern dance company in New York City. She serves on the International Board of Advisors for Women’s International Networking and is a member of the Women’s Leadership Board of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Jo's business savvy and desire to find solutions to global problems, especially those facing women and girls, make her a perfect fit for her role with Metta Journeys. She sees Metta Journeys as a vehicle to create a community of global citizens who actively work together to benefit others and, through that work, themselves.
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 Deepak Patel
Founding Partner
Deepak, Founding Partner and Chief Marketing Officer, brings over 25 years of travel and business experience to Metta Journeys. He started in the business by booking student travel for his college friends. After college he founded Contrail Travel, which handled business travel for several Chicago-area corporations. As the web began to displace traditional travel agents, he founded the triathlete travel company Premium Plus Sports. Besides working with Metta Journeys, Deepak is a partner in Travelcade/Travel Leaders. Deepak has served on the governing board of the NAAAP (National Association of Asian American Professionals) and currently serves as a Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Holy Trinity High School, assisting with fund raising efforts, creating college/work preparation programs, and establishing scholarships for economically-challenged children. Deepak is fluent in English, Arabic, Italian and Hindi.
Deepak brings to Metta Journeys his expertise in international tourism logistics, as well as his passion for travel and people. He envisions Metta Journeys as a responsible business for the global community.
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 Laurel Seidelman
Travel Specialist
Laurel is a 24-year veteran of the travel industry. She has worked in various fields within the industry, from sales and marketing to education and management, and has served at several esteemed companies including Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Andrew Harper Travel. Laurel received her travel consultant certification from The Travel Institute and was one of just two Carlson Wagonlit Travel agents among thousands from throughout the United States to be named as a Top Achiever in 2002.
Laurel is a big believer that travel consultants should have ample personal travel experience, and has spent time in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America. She is currently an independent travel agent affiliated with Travelcade/Travel Leaders, as well as the Travel Specialist for Metta Journeys. Working with Metta Journeys has confirmed Laurel's belief that travel is the best conduit for understanding other people and their cultures.
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 Kim Werth
Administrative Coordinator
Kim is a virtual assistant who has worked for corporations large and small, providing support to entrepreneurs and business owners across the globe. She handles all the administrative duties for Metta Journeys. She is passionate about MJ's cause, and serves as a trusted right hand to the MJ founders.
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Metta Journeys Advisors
Advisor, Co-Founder
Advisor, Co-Founder
Advisor, Co-Founder
 Sarah Powers
Advisor, Co-Founder
Sarah's vision of combining philanthropy, yoga, and travel was the impetus for the creation of Metta Journeys. Sarah is an internationally acclaimed yoga teacher whose teachings draw from her studies in transpersonal psychology and Buddhism. She teaches throughout the world and is author of the upcoming book Insight Yoga: An Innovative Synthesis of Traditional Yoga, Meditation, and Eastern Approaches to Healing and Well Being. Sarah was the senior yoga teacher on Metta Journeys’ inaugural trip in 2008 and advises Metta Journeys on yoga and philanthropy. She lives in Northern California with her husband Ty. Visit her website at www.sarahpowers.com.
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 Chandra Easton
Advisor, Co-Founder
Chandra Easton was one of the original founders of Metta Journeys, and one of the yoga instructors on Metta Journeys' inaugural trip to Rwanda. Chandra is a San Francisco Bay Area-based yoga teacher, as well as a Buddhist and Tibetan scholar, who was recently featured in Yoga Journal magazine as one of the top US teachers under 40. She continues to be involved with Metta Journeys by advising on aspects of the Metta Journeys' yoga program. Visit her website at www.shunyatayoga.com.
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 Janice Gates
Senior Yoga Teacher, Co-Founder
Janice, one of the original founders of Metta Journeys, is a Bay Area-based yoga teacher who teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, as well as at conferences and retreats around the world. She is the author of Yogini: The Power of Women in Yoga, founding director of The Yoga Garden in San Anselmo, California, and past president of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She advises Metta Journeys on aspects of its yoga program. Visit her website at www.janicegatesyoga.com.
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