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Jesse and Natasha Berkowitz met while working at MIU ten years ago. Jesse grew up in Fairfield and holds an MBA degree from MIU. Natasha came to the US from Latvia to pursue an academic career, earning a master’s in religious studies from the University of Iowa before discovering MIU and obtaining a second master’s in Maharishi Vedic ScienceSM.
MIU graduates Natasha and Jesse Berkowitz
After they both completed the Transcendental Meditation® Teacher Training Course, Jesse and Natasha married and opened a Transcendental Meditation Center in Los Angeles in 2012. With the help of teaching partner Erin Skipper, their center became one of the top three in the country, having taught the TM® technique to more than 5,300 people. They are now the longest-running active center in Los Angeles.
Jesse and Natasha with their daughters
Natasha had always envisioned a career in teaching, yet she finds her departure from academia provides a more fulfilling path. “We have had the opportunity of teaching so many people,” she said. “Instead of just giving them a philosophical understanding of life, we give them a tool to transform their lives.”
Jesse had always wanted to be a teacher of the TM technique, just like his parents, and is grateful for being able to pursue it full time. “Teaching is such an uplifting experience and you see the results right away,” he said. He attributes a lot of their success to the reputation of the TM technique and the branding and advertising efforts of the TM organization.
With their teaching partner, MIU alumna Erin Skipper, outside their center
They also discovered that celebrity endorsements from the likes of David Lynch and Jerry Seinfeld weigh a lot in Los Angeles. Many of their clients are in the film industry and see the TM technique as a tool for tapping into their creativity.
Jesse and Natasha are also raising two daughters, ages two and five, making them one of the few full-time TM teachers with young families. In the future, Jesse hopes to bring the TM program into more businesses. A few years ago he instructed the executive team at Marvel Studios and he sees great potential in teaching at organizations.