About.
OAKLAND MIND & BODY (OM&B) began as the simple idea to provide mind-body and mental health services to our town, to grow a happier, healthier community…
In 2020, my husband and I decided to move our growing family back to Oakland. Having spent our childhoods here, “returning to our roots” as we plant new ones has been a surreal and sentimental experience. What’s cool - and telling - about our small town, is how often others do the same; how often others “come home”. Whether at preschool drop off or on a coffee run, I’m bound to bump into friends and former classmates, most times with their own little growing families in tow.
Oakland is named after the abundance of oaks found in the area. Growing slowly, the tree has become a symbol of strength, stability, wisdom and resilience. It offers peace, beauty, and calm.
Our community, our home, should continue to be just that - strong, stable, wise, resilient, peaceful, beautiful and calm. Admirable, inspiring qualities I’d like to both instill in my children and ensure they’re surrounded by.
And it begins within each of us…
OM&B offers yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and psychotherapy for all ages as tools to improve our mental and emotional well-being. Little Oaks Yoga is a children’s yoga program specifically created for kids to nurture their growing bodies, minds, and hearts in creative ways that are exciting and relatable.
It’s with hope that in offering support for our families (OUR KIDS! ) as we care for our mental and emotional wellness, we can all become strong, wise, and resilient. We can embody peace, beauty and calm. We can improve our health. We can live happier. And we can grow a future community of many more firmly-rooted family trees to come - one little oak at a time.
Laura Donovan
I’m a licensed social worker and registered yoga teacher. I’m also a mom. I’ve coached basketball teams, trained at soccer clinics, and spent my summers as a local camp counselor…
I grew up however with the intent on becoming a writer. Having a bachelor’s degree in business management from Providence College, with a focus in writing, I started my career in public relations. My job was to help companies understand their identity, shape their story, and connect with their world.
I advanced to positions along this path that furthered my business skillset; yet challenged me to better understand myself and my purpose..
I realized it was important to me to pursue a career that resonated with my beliefs and core values. Simply put, I value connecting with others to help them feel supported - and for me, that translated to the field of mental health and wellness.
I have long believed in the importance of self-reflection and tending to my mental/emotional health needs; following this path professionally felt natural, so I decided to head back to school just before my son was born.
I graduated from Fordham University with a master’s in social work, and shortly after, I trained to become a registered yoga teacher, recognizing how the two intertwine. I took advanced trainings in yoga for mental health, trauma and addiction, as well as yoga and mindfulness for children. As a former athlete, I wanted to learn how mind-body practices could translate to the world of sports and took specialized trainings in mindfulness for student athletes, as well as Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement.
And there was always a pull to get back to working with kids…
Every job, every role, I’ve had in my life has played a part in getting me to where I’m at professionally today. Making the switch to this field has allowed me to continue to utilize the skills I honed along the journey, but in a way that I now connect with more deeply. With compassion, enthusiasm and a sense of humor, I’m excited to start this new chapter. Here. Home. With you.