Dr. Bloodine Barthelus is the Founder and CEO of Wellness Embodied, dedicated to the health, wellbeing, and transformation of adults by prioritizing their full humanity through self-awareness, compassionate care, and empowered action. Formerly, Dr. Barthelus served as the Senior Director of Practice at the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), where she oversaw multiple key practice initiatives designed to support and scale SEL work across school districts, regional offices of education, and other collaborators in the field. In this role, she used her experience of integrating social and emotional learning (SEL) and equity to help codify and map out aligned language, approach, and technical assistance to CASEL partners supporting the implementation of SEL in service of equity.
Dr. Barthelus began her career in education as a school counselor and went on to become a district department lead in the District of Columbia Public Schools as a Director of School Climate and Social-Emotional Learning before joining CASEL. She specializes in program development and professional learning that elevates adult SEL through a heightened focus on the inner work needed to shift practice, create change, and construct equitable learning spaces for young people. She holds a master’s degree in human relations from the University of Oklahoma and earned a doctorate in education from the College of William and Mary. Dr. Barthelus is also a Certified Health and Wellness Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and the Health Coach Institute, leveraging her understanding and passion for holistic wellness to bring programming and opportunities to adults to prioritize their wellbeing.
Outside of work, Dr. Barthelus is a proud mom to one son, a daughter of Haitian immigrants to the US, and a sister in a family of seven girls, among many other roles. She strongly believes that community, connection, and a tended sense of belonging are critical for our collective thriving and sees herself as a contributor to creating this reality for adults, particularly educators who are called to serve young people.
