About Us.
BMS Celebration started in Ashland Oregon in 1986. The events have always maintained an equal emphasis on natural health, personal growth, metaphysics and entertainment. Our festivals balance local participation with the inclusion of a selection of the finest regional and national names in the holistic arena. Rapidly expanding in the late 1980s to all of the largest markets in the pacific northwest, the early 1990s saw BMSE create events throughout the southeast of the USA. Our 2012 purchase of the Legendary Metaphysical Celebration in Colorado and subsequent launch of our Whole Life Festival saw an increased blending of entertainment elements into our production. Interactive entertainment at events includes yoga domes, kirtan & ambiant music stages, meditation spaces, live sand mandalas and even a holistic circus. 2020 saw the acquisition of the highly successful Victory of Light Festival in Cincinnati.
AWAKEN YOUR SIXTH SENSE
Steve Strickland founded BMSE over 35 years ago. Merging his background in political campaign management with his experience as an exhibitor at gem and jewelry shows during the early 1980s, he strives to produce stellar celebrations where attendees leave exhausted but enriched by a multi sensory festival experience. Timothy Leary, a star performer at our early 1990s gatherings was the first to imbue multimedia content into previously static presentations. Steve evolved this vision of delivering inspirational holistic transformational content through entertainment.
BMSE has continuously honed our events to cater to the metaphysical and alternative health communities. Keeping abreast of the latest performers, products, speakers, and overall trends in the holistic movement has allowed our festivals to remain relevent and well attended over the past three decades.
THE PEOPLE OF BODY MIND SPIRIT
Steve Strickland
Founder and Promotor
Steve was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Beloit College with a BA degree in Philosophy. A lifelong love of the metaphysical led him to create Body Mind Spirit Expos in the mid 1980's. These days he plans out the overall direction of the company and often manages individual expos. Away from work you will find him researching "new science topics" or playing yet another computer role playing game.
Megan Mitchell
Box Office Manager
Megan received her Ph.D in Anglo Irish Literature from University College Dublin in 1993. She works countless hours on every aspect of BMSE. You will see her managing many expos around the country. When away from work she lives as a "book monster" and consumes nearly every fantasy and sci-fi novel in sight.
Virginia Lentz
Event Manager
Virginia has been a Yoga Instructor and Energy Healer for the past 5 years. When she isn’t out in the woods hiking or rock climbing she’s either dancing, taking care of her plants, or snuggling with her cats. She’s also a lover of music and sci-fi and psychological thriller movies. Virginia is excited to combine her passion for holistic living with her skills in event management to help create magic at every BMSE event!
Alexandra Amaya
Vendor Village Sales
Born and raised in Oregon, Ali has a strong passion for travel, culture and cuisine. She enjoys spending her time hiking, camping and scuba diving around the world. You will always find her with snacks in her purse and a hunger to learn more. These days she oversees all sales to exhibitors and maintains the quality and diversity of the village that has grown to be the standard for holistic events.
Alyssa Sidwell
Vendor Support
Alyssa is a passionate traveler, who loves to paint, crochet, & practice Reiki Healing! With a Bachelor's of Business degree from Kent State University, she is very grateful to be able to help our Holistic Wellness exhibitors & customers find success. When she's not working, Alyssa loves exploring in nature & new places!
Abe no Seimei
Enlightened Master
Shih Tzu Extraordinaire
Naomi Forkash
Customer Engagement
An avid gardener, Naomi enjoys keeping up with her backyard chickens and growing organic veggies. A typical day off will find her hiking, biking or running amok with her husband and 2 adorable dogs.
Arvind Purohit
System Technical Support
Arvind leads the website development team.
Katie Wright
Event Manager
Katie Wright a native of Central Florida adds sunshine and sparkling good humor to our event team. She's been rocking the event management world for over a decade, and if that's not cool enough, she's also got a mystical side as a tarot reader for the past three years. When Katie's not orchestrating epic events or peering into the future, you can find her chilling with her purrfect cats, indulging in some delicious takeout, or tending to her lush jungle of houseplants. Katie loves the outdoors. Give her a trail, and she'll be off hiking and exploring nature whenever she gets the chance.
Want to become part of BMSE? Visit our careers page.
