Mary Tolena

Mary Tolena

Mary helps teams and groups find new ways to unite around their common goals with smooth and productive working relationships. Mary offers rhythm-based experiential team building programs in her company, RhythmLift.

In RhythmLift programs, Mary guides participants on a learning journey where they gain new insights into team dynamics, and how individuals can influence them for the better. Through humor, empathy, and rhythm activities, participants learn how to melt layers of stress and irritation, appreciate their collective power as a team, and see new avenues of individual effectiveness.

Mary also serves the drum circle facilitator community by teaching, coaching and consulting about program design and business development for adult and corporate groups.

Mary’s experience includes 25 years as an owner and executive in her family’s industrial equipment manufacturing business. She taught college-level courses in leadership and communications, and holds masters degrees in Management and in Leadership & Organizational Development. She taught in Arthur's Hawaii Drum Circle Facilitators Playshop (2005-2008), and completed facilitation training in HealthRHYTHMS and the TaKeTiNa Rhythm Process.

Mary was a long-time leader in the Seattle World Percussion Society, the non-profit that produces the annual World Rhythm Festival. Mary has been a frequent organizer and/or presenter for Drum Circle Facilitators Guild annual conferences.