Teachers & Event Staff

Jef Szilagyi

Jef has an extensive background in the healing arts, wisdom traditions, youth mentoring, and men’s work.

For over three and a half decades, Jef has held space for people from all walks and stages of life. In his acupuncture and coaching practice, 25 years of youth mentoring work, and men’s circles, Jef has learned the art of deep listening. He brings an open, honest, and welcoming invitation for people to connect with subtle and profound truths.

Men’s work and men’s retreats entered Jef’s life in 1992. Working on himself and supporting other men have been an essential part of his path since. Jef was called to initiate the Ancestral Futures Men’s Retreat project, offering annual retreats in Mendocino through 2030.

Jef will bring his passion for facilitating healing spaces, the power of Internal Family Systems, and a deep love for poetry, music, and rituals to foster a timeless spirit.

For the past six years, Jef has increasingly embraced his creative voice. He produces and hosts the How Humans Work Podcast, writes poetry with a small collective of local poets, and shares his reflections on human nature and current events through his Substack page.

Eliyahu Sills

Eliyahu is a psychotherapist and men’s group facilitator with over 30 years of dedicated involvement in men’s work. His life’s work is rooted in creating spaces where men can engage with authenticity, emotional depth, and meaningful personal transformation. Through steady guidance and mentorship, he supports men in exploring their inner worlds, uncovering their strengths and purpose, and cultivating a deeper capacity for connection—with themselves, their emotions, and their communities.

Parallel to his therapy and men’s facilitation, Eliyahu is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist whose musical path reflects the same ethos as his therapeutic practice: attunement, presence, and a devotion to wholeness.

A student of sacred and folkloric music from around the world, Eliyahu has devoted decades to the study of instruments including the Middle Eastern ney, Indian bansuri flute, oud, and upright bass.This deep immersion in global traditions informs both his artistry and his therapeutic presence, enriching his work with nuance, humility, and reverence for lived experience across cultures.

Eliyahu is a husband and father of two, and he brings warmth, humility, and groundedness to all aspects of his work.

Amir Etemadzadeh

Amir is a Middle Eastern musician, instructor, performer, and composer. Born and raised in Iran, he received extensive musical education throughout his youth. During his time at Tehran Music University, he focused on Tombak and Tar performance, while also learning vocal techniques and radif theory. After arriving in the U.S. in 2003, he expanded his instrumental repertoire, learning a variety of percussion traditions from around the world.

As a musician, Amir has collaborated in numerous performances and recordings with several acclaimed artists and groups, such as the Ethel String Quartet, Hafez Modirzadeh, Ramin Zoufonoun, Miriam Peretz, the Qadim Ensemble, the Silk Road Festival, and the Cal Poly Middle Eastern Music Orchestra to name a few. He has also produced two solo albums, “Torreh” and “One Truth.”

As he has discovered throughout his own musical practice, Amir believes in the healing and expressive power of music for students and masters alike. He has facilitated workshops on many topics in music theory, as well as “Music and Emotion.” Many of his students have gone on in as little as a few sessions to compose and perform solo pieces, as well as blend musical performance with other forms of art, such as poetry and dance. Through this dedication to the holistic power of musical education, Amir strives and continues to build a loving community of innovative and empowered artists.