A group of Soltara team members standing together in a lush jungle setting, smiling and looking at the camera.

The hearts thathold the journey

Each member of our team brings deep wisdom, genuine care, and years of dedicated practice to support your journey.

Maestros

The Ones who Shape the Spirit of the Ceremony

Carrying a lineage of Shipibo wisdom. Offering personalized healing through Icaros, attuned to your unique journey.

Ruben Barbaran Gomez portrait

Maestro

Ruben Barbaran Gomez

Ruben

Master Healer

Maestro Ruben see's each person’s healing path as unique and sacred, and is dedicated to help and accompany guests with respect, humility, and a big heart.

Clemencia Perez Sinacay portrait

Maestra

Clemencia Perez Sinacay

Clemencia

Master Healer

Maestra Clemencia has an infectious laugh and a light heartedness which is part of her medicine. She asks guests to come ready to focus and do their part for their healing, because healing with Ayahuasca is not a passive activity.

Maricela Rios Inuma portrait

Maestra

Maricela Rios Inuma

Maricela

Master Healer

Inkarina | "Fierce Medicine Woman Princess"

Francisco Huayta portrait

Francisco Huayta

Francisco

Master Healer

Maestro Francisco is delighted to share his wisdom and healing with people from all around the world here at Soltara together with his wife Maestra Maricela.

Silvia Marin Garcia portrait

Silvia Marin Garcia

Silvia

Master Healer

She passionately devotes her life to preserving and sharing the ancestral Shipibo tradition so it can continue to heal the world.

Anita Perez Sinacay portrait

Anita Perez Sinacay

Anita

Master Healer

Maestra Anita brings her gentle yet powerful approach to healing, facilitating guests’ connections to the healing spirits of the plants and the natural world.

Javier Vasquez Gomez portrait

Maestro

Javier Vasquez Gomez

Javier

Master Healer

His profound connection to his heritage and the spiritual guidance he provides are cornerstones of his practice

Karina Garcia Rios portrait

Maestra

Karina Garcia Rios

Karina

Master Healer

Her philosophy of healing is deeply rooted in the traditions of her people.

Soi Ochavano Lopez portrait

Maestro

Soi Ochavano Lopez

Soi

Master Healer

He wants to serve those who look to find peace and harmony within themselves.

Moises Vasquez Nunta portrait

Maestro

Moises Vasquez Nunta

Moises

Master Healer

His mission is to guide the medicine into the guests to support their healing and bring light into their lives.

Mary Julliana Vasquez Rios portrait

Maestra

Mary Julliana Vasquez Rios

Mary

Master Healer

She believes in life, in peace, harmony, tranquility when one heals and in connection with mother earth through plants and the spirit of the jungle.

Rober Vasquez Rios portrait

Maestro

Rober Vasquez Rios

Rober

Master Healer

the master plants have shown him that his purpose as a man and as a maestro is to continually work on having a good heart, and that a good heart will always be his guide for his healing knowledge and capacity.

Advisors

The Voices Who Help Shape our Vision

They offer perspective, wisdom, and direction that continually strengthen our mission.

Gabor Mate, M.D portrait

Dr

Gabor Mate, M.D

Gabor

Advisor

Gabor Maté is a Canadian physician, speaker, and bestselling author known for his work on trauma, addiction, stress, child development, and the mind-body connection

Dennis McKenna portrait

Dr

Dennis McKenna

Dennis

Ecopharmacologist, Author, Executive Director, Lecturer

Dennis McKenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer and author - with deep passion and lifelong devotion to plant teachers and the study of ecosystems and the cultures within them.

Bia Labate, PhD portrait

Dr

Bia Labate, PhD

Bia

Anthropologist, Educator, Author, Speaker, Activist

Anthropologist, educator, author, speaker, and activist, committed to the protection of sacred plants while amplifying the voices of marginalized communities in the psychedelic science field.

Clancy Cavnar, PsyD portrait

Dr

Clancy Cavnar, PsyD

Clancy

Clinical Psychologist

Clancy Cavnar has a doctorate in clinical psychology (Psy.D.) and is Co-Founder and a member of the Board of Directors of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines.

Dan Engle, MD portrait

Dr

Dan Engle, MD

Dan

Integrative Psychiatrist, Regenerative Medicine

Integrative psychiatrist with a clinical practice that combines aspects of regenerative medicine, psychedelic research, spiritual mysticism, and peak performance.

Facilitators

Here to Support, Guide, and Hold Space

Devoted to your thriving. Holding space with presence, experience, and compassion.

Tatiana Caravaca portrait

Tatiana Caravaca

Tatiana

Yoga Teacher/Guest Pick-Ups

I continue on the deep path, honoring from my soul what I have learned and sharing it with Love, devotion humility and confidence.

Gemma White portrait

Gemma White

Gemma

Facilitator/Coach

My intention is to guide and empower others as they tend the inner garden of their healing and growth with presence, compassion, and care for their unfolding journey.

Nicholas Boyea portrait

Nicholas Boyea

Nicholas

Facilitator/Coach

I take a less ethereal approach, focusing instead on practical and effective preparation and integration practices that people can truly apply in their daily lives.

Frida Stavenow portrait

Frida Stavenow

Frida

Facilitator/Coach

One ceremony didn’t take away my anxiety for all time, but it gave me a glimpse of what life could be; a North Star of connectedness that’s been guiding me ever since

Mbalia portrait

Mbalia

Mbalia

Facilitator

I came to understand healing as a return to the body, to presence, and to a more authentic relationship with oneself.

Robert Yexley portrait

Robert Yexley

Robert

Facilitator/Coach

My path with Ayahuasca has been a deep journey of self-discovery, healing, and learning to live with greater authenticity and self-acceptance.

Christina Klassen portrait

Christina Klassen

Christina

Facilitator/Coach

Preparing for your Ayahuasca retreat is not simply a checklist; it is an invitation into self-awareness, self-love, and a deepening presence with yourself.

Leah Light portrait

Leah Light

Leah

Facilitator

I believe that every person has a purpose and innate gifts to share as well as the courage to face their own challenges and find their own solutions.

Vivana Vignola portrait

Vivana Vignola

Vivana

Facilitator/Coach

For me, plant medicine is a tool to return to the heart’s core, clearing away the noise that disconnects us from our true essence. I see it as a way to clean the mirror through which we view ourselves and the world.

Isabelle portrait

Isabelle

Isabelle

Facilitator

In reality, I feel that the Plant herself brought me into this alliance, to work together.

Nathan James portrait

Nathan James

Nathan

Faciltator

With a belief that healing is an innate human capability, my intention is to help provide support to others as they remember the wisdom, strength and wholeness that already exists within them

Jessica Francis portrait

Jessica Francis

Jessica

Facilitator/Coach

The path is not easy, but my hope is that together we can find a way through, and that you will come to discover that tending to your own wellbeing is the most generous, compassionate, and important work there is.

Camelia Jitaru portrait

Camelia Jitaru

Camelia

Facilitator

I began my journey on the Path of Service, with the guidance of wonderful mentors I met along the way.

Erin Langley portrait

Erin Langley

Erin

Facilitator/Coach

My journey eventually led me to where I am now, fully devoted to these plant medicines and being in service to others who come to these ways.

Paola Evelina Gallarato portrait

Paola Evelina Gallarato

Paola

Facilitator/Coach

I consider it a great honor to walk hand in hand with all who choose to embark on this path

Guest Journey Support

The Team Behind the Experience

Tending to every detail behind the scenes, ensuring safety, clarity, and easeful logistics.

Nicole Bartzak portrait

Nicole Bartzak

Nicole

Guest Experience Coordinator

I find healing through movement, expression, presence, breath and connection and have dedicated my path to help guide others seeking the same.

Omi portrait

Omi

Omi

Guest Experience Coordinator

I am still walking my own healing path, and I meet guests with the understanding that comes from being on that journey myself

Richard Willis portrait

Richard Willis

Richard

Intake Coordinator

My experiential knowing has been well-earned throughout my own journey of healing and awakening.

Management

The Team Behind the Experience

Caring for the people who care for you

Melissa Stangl portrait

Melissa Stangl

Melissa

Founding Partner
COO
Co-Steward

Her mission is to integrate healing paradigms, in service to our collective thriving.

Kali Slate portrait

Kali Slate

Kali

Director of Intake, Preparation, & Integration

I believe there are beautiful connections between the work of traditional therapy, the healing potential of plant medicines, as well as human’s innate capacity to heal themselves.

Ilan Goldenblatt portrait

Ilan Goldenblatt

Ilan

Retreat Director

I believe that humanity is at the stage of “Transformation of Consciousness or Bust”, and it was time for me to focus on human transformation of consciousness.

Ezio Cabalceta portrait

Ezio Cabalceta

Ezio

Local Operations Manager

I love working at Soltara because I feel it is the type of work that really represents who I am, and that is making the people around me feel happy and well cared.

Sylvia Bringas portrait

Sylvia Bringas

Sylvia

Director of Outreach & Community Building

My interests, connection, and natural aptitude in nature, art, and myths captivated me. They imprinted within me perception and felt understanding that there is more to life than what we perceive with our mind.

Massiel Obando Garcia portrait

Massiel Obando Garcia

Massiel

Chef - Playa Blanca

I pour my heart into each dish and have helped our kitchen become a space for gathering, nourishment, community, and delicious, ayahuasca-friendly food which complements the medicine work

Jesse Radford portrait

Jesse Radford

Jesse

Chef - Scarlet Valley

Without even realizing it, my culinary passion began at a very young age in my Grandfather’s kitchen baking homemade bread and discovering how putting time and love into my food can make all the difference in the flavor.

Mayela Nunez Matarrita portrait

Mayela Nunez Matarrita

Mayela

Head of Housekeeping

I bring a warm smile and dedication to my job, and take pride in ensuring that our beautiful rooms and grounds are sparkling clean for our beloved guests!