Meet the Honorees

Our Honorees reflect the incredible community that comes together every day to help us empower survivors of sexual and domestic violence through trauma informed yoga, while providing communities with tools to support them.


  • DEEPAK CHOPRA MD, MD, FACP, FRCP founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a modern-day health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. He is also an Honorary Fellow in Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. He is the author of over 90 books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. For the last thirty years, Chopra has been at the forefront of the meditation revolution and his 93rd book, Living in the Light (Harmony Books) taps into the ancient Indian practice of Royal Yoga and offers an illuminating program for self-realization, bliss, and wholeness. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as “one of their top 100 most influential people.”

    Dr. Chopra is being recognized with the 2023 Hope in Action Award for being a champion for healing and exceeding expectations to ensure that self care and wellness are accessible to all. Exhale to Inhale uplifts Dr. Chopra’s commitment to creating a peaceful, just, sustainable and healthy world. We recognize Dr. Chopra’s commitment to supporting individuals impacted by gender based violence- from the Chopra Foundation’s efforts to eradicate Gender-Based Violence including Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in African countries to the inclusion of Exhale to Inhale’s mission and trauma informed yoga methodology in the 200-hour Chopra Teacher Training Program. Most recently, Dr. Chopra along with Sarah Platt- Finger, yoga director at Chopra Global, co-founder of Ishta Yoga and also, founding board member of Exhale to Inhale, co-authored a book, Living in the Light: Yoga for Self-Realization.

  • Zoë believes deeply in the healing power of yoga and Exhale to Inhale was born out of this belief in 2013. Someone she loved deeply was a long-ago survivor of domestic violence and in college several of her close friends were sexually assaulted. Witnessing the trauma her loved ones struggled with long after the physical effects of violence had faded, Zoë felt compelled to do something. Since yoga had served as a therapeutic tool for her both physically and emotionally, she hypothesized that it would also be helpful for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Created to honor her loved ones, what started as a senior project at Barnard College has grown to be the organization it is today, based on the idea that we have to let go—exhale—that which is no longer serving us, in order to take up—inhale—new possibilities.


  • Aditi Shah is a multi-hyphenate living in New York City. She teaches live on-camera classes for Peloton, and is a speaker, an actor, and a global Puma ambassador. Aditi is passionate about empowering women, and is honored to help promote representation and cultural exchange through her platforms and the organization of cultural events globally.

    As a South Asian and as a woman, Aditi is deeply supportive of her community and takes joy in celebrating her culture on and off the mat. She is equally committed to supporting women- as a leader, friend, investor, and educator. Exhale to Inhale uplifts Aditi’s work through the 2023 Voice of Courage honor, with gratitude for ongoing support of our mission.