On behalf of the Gloucester County NAACP and its membership, I want to extend my deepest gratitude for your presence here today at our Haven of Healing Women's Conference. This year we partnered with Peaceful Mind Haven to bring this conference to another level. Your participation has made this gathering truly special, and your engagement, insights, and passion is a testament to the strength and resilience of women dedicated to justice, equality, and empowerment.
This conference is a celebration of leadership, advocacy, community, and unity, and your contributions will help create an atmosphere of inspiration and progress. Whether through thought-provoking discussions, meaningful networking, or simply sharing space with one another, your presence reinforced the importance of collective action and support.
We hope the conversations and connections made during this event will continue to inspire and drive change in our communities. Your commitment to uplifting voices and shaping a brighter future does not go unnoticed, and we look forward to seeing all the incredible strides you will take in the days ahead.
Thank you again for joining us and for being a vital part of this movement. We appreciate you and cannot wait to see you at future gatherings!
Haven of Healing x Heels in the Battlefield: Parent Wellness Summit – Healing Beyond the First Year with Peaceful Mind Haven
A
Message from Jasmine Winters, Executive Director & Founding President of Peaceful Minds Haven
Welcome to our Haven of Healing x Heels in the Battlefield: Parent Wellness Summit – Healing Beyond the First Year. It is an absolute honor to share this powerful space with you during Mother’s Day weekend, as we come together in the spirit of healing, support, and community.
At Peaceful Minds Haven, we believe in the importance of showing up for our communities especially those who need it most. Supporting mothers and helping families thrive is at the heart of our mission, and this event is a reflection of that commitment.
Your presence here means the world to us. Without your continued support, we could not do this work pouring back into our communities through healing-centered care, wellness resources, and advocacy.
Thank you for standing with us and for allowing Peaceful Minds Haven to advocate for a healthier, more supported you. Together, we are creating lasting change one family, one heart, and one healing space at a time.
With gratitude,
Jasmine Winters Executive Director & Founding President Peaceful Minds Haven
Troi Lauren is a healing artist, birth coach, and postpartum wellness advocate whose voice and vision bridge ancestral wisdom with modern soul. As the founder of Mama Tree Doula, Troi Lauren supports women in all four trimesters pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and identity rebirth through culturally rooted care and sound healing practices. With a background in R&B performance and traditional postpartum healing, she creates sacred spaces for Black and Brown mothers to feel seen, nurtured, and empowered.
Whether she’s leading a womb-centered workshop, singing affirmations, or closing the bones of a new mother, Troi Lauren infuses each moment with intention and authenticity. Her work reminds women that healing after birth isn’t a luxury it’s a birthright. At the Haven of Healing Brunch, she brings her soulful presence and knowledge to help every guest reconnect with the wisdom of their body, voice, and spirit
Troi Lauren
Suzann Christine
Multi-award winning Recording Artist hailing from the City of Philadelphia most known for her R&B/Pop/ Soul sound and wide range has shared stages with legends such as Baby Face, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Musiq Soulchild, Fantasia, Miki Howard, Keyshia Cole, T.I and more. Suzann sang background for the legendary Patti Lablelle at the 50th Essence Music Festival and was selected by Black Thought to perform at the 2022 Roots Picnic Festival. Suzann nationally and internationally broke her way into the music industry as an independent solo artist with her song Falling Tears landing number 3 on the Italy R&B charts, heard on Sirius XM Heart & Soul, Hot 97 fm, 107.5 WBLS fm, WRNB 100.3 fm, Shade 45 and more. A big heart for the community, Suzann founded a nonprofit for youth interested in the arts called SCH Creative & Performing Arts, sits on the Board as Chair for Influence Action Movement, started an online educational resource center for music artist called Music Artist Universe and has been awarded 4 citations from the City of Philadelphia and The State of Pennsylvania for Community Service and Civic Engagement.
She has been a member of the Philadelphia Grammys Recording Academy Chapter for 10 years, a voting member for five years and is currently serving her second term on the Philadelphia Chapter Board as a Governor At- Large. She is Spiritual Unique Divine Artistic and Thankful aka #SuDat.
CONFERENCE AGENDA
Saturday, May 10, 2025
11:00 AM Continental Breakfast
Seasonal Fresh Fruit Platter, Mini Bagels with Cream Cheese and Butter, Assorted Muffins (Blueberry, Banana Nut), Croissants, Apple Juice, Orange Juice, Freshly Brewed Coffee and Hot Tea
11:20 AM Mistress of Ceremonies: ................................ Tiffany B. Walker
Welcome: .................................................... Mayor John Wallace
Opening Prayer: ................................................. Dr. Irene Mintz
Suzann Christine: ........................... “Lift Every Voice & Sing:”, & “A Change is Gonna Come”
Acknowledgements of Sponsors: ................... Jasmine Winters
"Burnout is Real": How to Prevent and Recover identifying resources to help busy parents and working moms manage overwhelming schedules
12:15 PM Miesha Stokely, MSN, FNPBC, PMHNP "When to Seek Help: Identifying Postpartum Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore" Postpartum and Self-Advocacy, Recognizing the tipping point, Resources
12:40 PM Bianca & Paul Gause
Mental Health and Marriage": Navigating Parenthood as a Team How to maintain emotional intimacy and shared responsibility in parenting.
Musical Selection by Tori Lauren
1:00 PM Brunch Is Served
Fluffy Scrambled Eggs served with Cheese on the Side, Turkey
Sausage, Vegan Breakfast Sausage, French Toast served with Syrup, and Breakfast Potatoes,
1:30 PM The Healing Playbook
The Importance of Male Friendships in Fatherhood" How isolation impacts men's mental health. Creating a safe space for men to share and support each other.
Born and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, Miesha Sarah Stokely embodies the powerful intersection of healing, leadership, and creativity. A proud graduate of Mount Vernon High School, where she graduated 9th in her class, Miesha ment
She pursued her passion for healthcare at the University of Miami, earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2011. While excelling academically, she also served as President of the Black Nursing Student Association, organizing impactful service events and bake sales that hinted at the entrepreneurial spark she carried within. Her love for baking, a legacy passed down from her great-grandmother, Sarah Day, was both a creative outlet and a means of fundraising a blend of purpose and passion that would soon become a business.
Returning to Mount Vernon after graduation, Miesha balanced her nursing career with building what would become Cupcake Cutie Boutique, officially opened in 2015 alongside her mother, Monika Jones. One year later, she founded Black Girls Bake Inc., a nonprofit designed to empower minority women and girls by offering mentorship, baking classes, and business development support.
Miesha’s dedication to healthcare deepened as she advanced her education, earning her Master of Science in Nursing from Pace University as a Family Nurse Practitioner in 2019, followed by a second master’s in 2024 as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Currently, she serves as the Medical Director at the Greenburgh-Graham School District, where she provides care for students with special education and mental health needs. She also works in Labor & Delivery and Postpartum, and her experience spans over 13 years in maternal health, as she is certified in inpatient obstetrics, lactation counseling, and electronic fetal monitoring.
Miesha is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated – Zeta Nu Omega Chapter, where she co-chairs several committees focused on uplifting the community and advancing mental health initiatives. She is also a member of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., where she her goal is to empower and uplift African American children. Her advocacy for Black maternal health and women’s mental wellness is central to her Doctor of Nursing Practice studies and the upcoming launch of her own private practice for women’s Mental Health.
Through it all, her most cherished role remains being a mother to her four-year-old daughter, Maisarah. Whether she’s mentoring young women, advocating for equitable healthcare, baking with love, or leading change in her community, Miesha Sarah Stokely is the embodiment of Black excellence resilient, passionate, and deeply committed to healing hearts and inspiring
The Healing Playbook: Subcommittee ofPeacefulMinds Haven
The Healing Playbook is a collective of dynamic fathers who come from diverse walks of life but are united by a shared purpose: to give back to their communities and stand alongside Peaceful Minds Haven in advocating for healing, hope, and holistic wellness. Our members represent a wide range of life experiences from former professional athletes, to celebrated film directors, to leaders in finance and successful entrepreneurs. They are fathers at different stages of life, each bringing a powerful perspective shaped by their unique journeys. Together, they offer unwavering support to our mission by amplifying the voices of fathers and men in spaces that have traditionally centered only on women’s experiences. Their involvement helps ensure that healing is a collective effort not just for mothers and children, but for families as a whole.
Meet the Healing Playbook members: Follow their journeys and community work here: Kyle Ingram, Paul Gause, Eric Loper, Boxx Brileyv www.peacefulmindshaven.com/thehealingplaybook
Bianca and Paul Gause are a dynamic husband-and-wife duo committed to open conversations around mental health, marriage, and parenthood. Their journey as parents was tested early on when Bianca faced a life-threatening emergency C-section during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a complicated diagnosis of placenta previa and accreta with their second child resulting in a c-section hysterectomy. In the midst of uncertainty and fear, they leaned into each other navigating trauma, healing, and the mental toll that often goes unspoken in Black families.
Together, they’re passionate about helping other couples build emotionally safe partnerships and find strength in vulnerability, especially while parenting through highstress experiences.
Bianca&Paul Gause
Ametra D. Burton
Ametra D. Burton is a seasoned nonprofit leader with over 20 years of experience in fundraising and community engagement, having successfully raised more than $5 million to support critical missions. As Community Services Manager, Ametra is known for her boots-on- the-ground leadership style, rolling up her sleeves and working alongside her team to ensure that every effort makes a real impact.
Passionate about expanding healthcare access in underserved communities, particularly communities of color, Ametra dedicates her voice and energy to causes that matter. Her natural ability to connect with people has become her professional superpower, allowing her to inspire trust, mobilize resources, and drive meaningful change.
Outside of work, Ametra is a proud wife, devoted football mom, and an active member of the Order of Eastern Star, PHA. She believes deeply that her voice is a force in this world and deserves to be heard—a belief that guides her work and life every day.
Honoring: Toshira Maldonado
Janye Ingram
Isis Williams
Milan Whetstone
Toshira is fueled with passion for Black Maternal Health and Social Change. She is an international Birthworker, community organizer and educator invested in Black Birth liberation and Family Justice.
Justice In Action Award
Her Maternal Health advocacy work began in 1999, while serving as a temporary file clerk at the Institute for Human Development, now, John Brooks Recovery Center. In the Methadone clinic while meeting countless women who were mothers to young children and pregnant, she embraced a calling to serve and uplift them. Simultaneously, she worked In her community, in connection to her church women's mission supporting many of the same women from the clinic who were we challenged with being unhoused and living with multiple traumas and disparities. Before birth workers and Community Doulas became as common as they are today, she assisted many women she met in these spaces as their birth companion in their the hospital, often being a bridge to them, their families, and a system that separated them from their children. From there she embarked on a career in the Family Regulation System in hopes of being the change that she believed was needed. She co-founded a Maternal Wellness and Empowerment group in 2004. Today it is known as Most Beautiful W.O.M.B. Inc., a grassroots community led organization, focused on improving Black Maternal Mental Health, ending recidivism, improving BIPOC family functioning and uplifting the well-being, and positive birth outcomes for every birthing person Her professional experience in the Family Regulation System in Philadelphia over the past nine years added purpose and definition to what she describes as her life mission to help women and their families overcome major barriers As family trauma prevention strategist, community organizer, Doula and mentor, Toshira centers the voices of the most vulnerable women in her community. She engages the community led mission in projects and gatherings that are centered around collective care, safety, building up Black families and strengthening the community. She began a community healing sister circle following immersion trip to an indigenous community where she learned models of healing justice and community care from a holistic perspective. Toshira has continued the work in her community, honoring the holistic and unique way that Black women live their lives. Along with 26 years as a community birth worker she holds four generations of holistic healing and birth keeping close to her heart. Toshira is passionate about community education that acknowledges and addresses the intersectionality and injustices Black Women face in the healthcare system. As an advocate, her voice is centered around addressing public policy and issues related to Black Maternal Health, restoring the culture of Black Breastfeeding, cooperative economics and she amplifies the need for culturally competent Community Doula care and accessibility that can improve the quality of life for entire families and uplift the stabilization of mothers and parents while improving family functioning.
She holds a Master’s of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a minor in Trauma and resilience in vulnerable populations and educational settings, from Concordia University and an undergraduate in Psychology from Thomas Edison State University. Toshira is a Certified Outreach Perinatal Educator, Doula, and Lactation Educator from Commonsense Childbirth Institute. Toshira has traveled extensively to several countries in Africa serving countless mothers in their native villages in both Tanzania and Zimbabwe and is an accomplished speaker and presenter. She serves as a member of the Atlantic County Commission on Women. Toshira has also been featured in impressive articles in The Grio and The Bold Mavern magazine publications. She is a third year Birth Justice Institute fellow and among the greatest assignments in life she is a wife of 26 years and is the mother of 5 children.
Toshira Maldonado
Community Leadership Award
individuals can flourish from organizing the township’s inaugural Pride Parade to spearheading equity initiatives across schools and civic organizations.
An accountant by trade and Executive Director for a Philadelphia-based minority-owned CPA firm, Isis believes that representation is a critical catalyst for long-term change. Her leadership extends across multiple boards, including the Haddon Township Board of Education, and the Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union.
Known for breaking barriers and building bridges, Isis combines her professional expertise with her passion for community empowerment, making a lasting impact on women’s health, education, and social justice all while balancing being an amazing mother.
Strength In Motherhood Award
Milan Whetstone
Milan is a devoted wife mother, sister, daughter, friend, and the Assistant Director of Admissions for Pathway Programs at Rowan University. In her professional role, she has been instrumental in supporting firstgeneration college students as well as economically and educationally disadvantaged students and families as they navigate the journey of higher education.
A proud alumna of Rowan University, Milan is honored to give back to the very institution that has poured so much into her own life. Her work allows her to directly impact students who, like herself, are striving to create brighter futures through education. Passionate about education and deeply committed to helping others thrive, she serves as a role model, leader, and tireless advocate for change in both her community and professional life. Twenty-three months ago, Milan gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Nola. A moment of joy for her and her husband, Dawaine. Nola’s arrival was especially meaningful, as Milan had long struggled with infertility. She is their miracle baby, conceived during their third round of IVF with their only remaining embryo. However, just four days after Nola's birth, Milan was diagnosed with a word no one ever wants to hear. Faced with a life-altering diagnosis, Milan has shown extraordinary strength, resilience, and determination. Despite the immense hardship, she has remained a steadfast presence in the lives of her family, friends, and colleagues. Her journey is one of grace, courage, and unwavering hope an inspiring reminder of the power of perseverance. Milan continues to be a beacon of strength for others facing their own battles. Her vulnerability and strength have made her a role model for many women balancing motherhood and professional aspirations while facing personal adversity.
She currently resides in Sicklerville, New Jersey, with her husband Dawaine, their son DaSean, and their daughter Nola.
