Deana Zabaldo

Deana has lived and worked in Nepal for more than 23 years and has explored across Asia, includ­ing Tibet, Bhutan, and Mon­go­lia. Orig­i­nal­ly a Peace Corps Vol­un­teer in a remote moun­tain vil­lage of Nepal, she has gone on to be a pro­fes­sion­al trekking guide in Nepal and Bhutan since 2005 and the Founder and Direc­tor of Chang­ing Lives Nepal, a non­prof­it which sup­ports sus­tain­able, grass­roots devel­op­ment includ­ing a women’s safe house, a children’s home, and organ­ic cof­fee and nut farms for pover­ty alle­vi­a­tion. Win­ner of the World Guide Awards in 2013 for her exper­tise and client ser­vice, she’s full of sto­ries about Tantric god­dess­es, roy­al mas­sacres, arranged mar­riages, rein­car­na­tion, pol­i­tics, eco­nom­ics, and the real­i­ties of Shangri-La. Deana calls Marin Coun­try home, works as a Somat­ic Coach in the San Fran­cis­co Bay Area, and has a 30-year med­i­ta­tion and yoga prac­tice. She is also a cer­ti­fied Wilder­ness First Responder.