Catalina Rotary Club Member Bio
Audrey Tolouian
Nursing Education
My Rotary Story
“During my first visit to Catalina Rotary I met Sharyn Chesser. I literally bumped into her while entering the dining room at the Viscount Suites Hotel. We talked about nursing and that led to talking about Holistic Nursing and that led to talking about Capacitar.”
Capacitar’s mission is to heal ourselves and heal our world. We teach body-based practices that empower people to use their inner wisdom to heal and transform themselves to heal injustice and build peace in their families and communities. Capacitar is an international network of empowerment and solidarity connecting people across borders, ethnicities and beliefs. Our name “Capacitar” means to awaken, to encourage, to bring each other to life.
“I got involved with Capacitar just before COVID hit. When COVID grew to full force, my nursing students would call me crying and asking for help. They were very nervous about classes going online, getting their families sick, and how to study … all the things all of us were struggling with at the time. I started a virtual Coffee Shop for the students where I taught them about some of the self-care skills that I learned from Capacitar. The classes were not academic in focus; they learned the skill and then practiced it and then met in small groups so that they could meet with and support their peers.
In the past two years, I have been very involved in Capacitar. I have had the opportunity to share it in Egypt and Jordan. This past summer I presented Capacitar research all over the United States and then in Scotland at a nursing conference.”
Full Name
Audrey Cooper Tolouian
Partner Name
Ramin
Place of Birth/Hometown
Derby, Connecticut
How long in Tucson
3.5 years
Family
3 daughters, 1 in El Paso at University of Texas at El Paso; 1 in Salt Lake City working at the VA hospital; 1 in Tucson, a Junior in High School
Education
Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSW)
Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
Masters Degree in Education (MA)
Doctorate in Education (EDD)
Major Career Milestones
• Worked in med-surge and cardiac drug research
• Quality Management
• Bariatric Surgery (Treatment for obesity)
• Board-certified Holistic Nurse, Nurse Educator, and a Plane Tree Fellow.
• Inducted into the Global Academy of Holistic Nursing
• Areas of interest include chronic illnesses, mindfulness and stress, renal, and currently COVID-19.
• Certified as a Mindfulness Life Coach, Meditation Guide, Reiki Master, Yoga Instructor, and Capacitar.
• Current Position / Employer: University of Texas at El Paso College of Nursing
Rotary Milestones
• Chair, New Generations Committee
• Just passed 2-1/2 years in Rotary!
Rotary Sponsors
Sharyn Chesser & Bob Grady
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