Meet Nicole

Nicole Churchill, MA, MT-BC

Head of School • Senior Teacher • Curriculum Architect

Nicole Churchill is the Head of School at Planetary Dharma, where she holds the full mandala of the organization, directing day-to-day operations, faculty and staff, community wellbeing, organizational health, outreach, and, most centrally, the design and evolution of the school’s curriculum. As a senior teacher, she helps guide the learning journeys of students across all levels of training.

A Transpersonal board-certified Music Therapist and creator of Medicine Dharma, Nicole also founded One Big Band, a global music therapy initiative. She is trained as a Psychedelic Therapist with advanced certification in Mindfulness-Based Psychedelic Therapy from the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness, where she served on staff for several years.

Nicole’s work is rooted in her long-time specialization in human development. This is complemented by RYT-200 Kundalini Yoga certification and training in expressive movement, attachment therapy, hypnosis, gestalt, addictions, anxiety and depression treatment, conflict resolution, positive psychology, CCRT, and the Pointing Out style of Mahamudra meditation.

She is a founding member of Ken Wilber’s Integral Institute and spent 15 years under the mentorship of clinical psychologist and author Dr. Daniel P. Brown. Nicole earned her BA in Voice & Songwriting from Berklee College of Music and a dual Masters in Transpersonal Psychology & Music Therapy from Naropa University.

Alongside her work at Planetary Dharma, she serves as Executive Director of the Karuna Mandala Initiative, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to nurturing projects that foster wisdom culture and support a more compassionate and sustainable future.

Nicole lives in Boulder with her husband, John, their two teenagers, Trinity and Bodhi, and three beloved dogs: Leo, Harper, and Moose!