Our Founder

While raising her daughter, Mariola Strahlberg witnessed the struggles many children had at school. 

Their challenges prompted Mariola to begin looking for natural modalities that could help. She dreamed of starting a center where helping children achieve their unique potential would be implemented in a loving and constructive way.

Leaving her successful 25-year corporate career at Bell Laboratories and Telecom Italia behind, Mariola earned a Master of Science in Acupuncture with honors, and became a Certified Enzyme Nutritional Therapist, licensed Brain Gym® Consultant/Instructor and is certified in Color Acu-Light Therapy (Colorpuncture). She also has extensive training in the application of therapeutic-grade essential oils and tuning forks in Oriental Medicine.

Mariola has been in private family practice, Shining Mountain Acupuncture since 1999. She founded the Shining Mountain Center for Peaceful Childhood, Inc. in 2007. Her not-for-profit company provides scholarships to children who could otherwise not attend the program.

When Mariola works with children and their families, she takes her time observing and processing until she understands not only with her head but with her heart. At Shining Mountain, each child is approached individually. Deficits and difficulties are noted while strengths are encouraged and developed.

Mariola is grateful to her key teachers: Kiiko Matsumoto (Japanese Acupuncture), Manohar Croke and Dr. Akhila Bourne (Dr. Peter Mandel’s Colorpuncture), Dr. Paul Dennison and Gail Dennison (Brain Gym®), Dr. Svetlana Masgutova (MNRI®-Reflex Integration), Dr. Donna Carey (Acutonics®), Dr. Gary Young (Young Living Essential Oils) and many other wonderful teachers.

Over the years, she has met many children and their parents. She has listened, observed, wondered and played. What has manifested in her work is guided by the spirit of Drs. Janusz Korczak, Rudolf Steiner and Georg Kuhlewind.