MORE WRITTEN WORKS AVAILABLE AT:
  VERBAL VANDALISM



April Dawn Ricchuito, D.D., MSW was a MAC makeup artist who used to be the kind of girl who thought "soul searching" meant shoe shopping.  She had love affairs with many men at once- Jimmy (Choo) and Christian (Dior) being two of the more well known ones.  After moving from FL to NYC and undergoing diagnostics for cancer and a botched surgery, she learned that being a material girl in a material world...well, quite frankly, it sucked; as did the healthcare professionals she was dealing with.

Relying on her body's intuition and wisdom, which she realized we'd been long conditioned to ignore, she pushed for better healthcare, and started voicing her story to anyone who would listen, in hopes of helping others.  (Fran Drescher, aka "The Nanny", called April's story "a great lesson for all about following the intuition and wisdom of the body.")

Today, she is a writer, speaker, and consultant who brings a unique voice to the field of health and wellness by combining traditional evidence-based techniques with ancient practices such as yoga and newer findings in contemplative sciences. She is extremely interested in the psychology of mythology, Egypt, the origins of Christianity, and the impact of this information on the Western world.  Also of importance to her is advocating for healthcare, especially for women.

Ms. Ricchuito has been recognized as a part of "Generation Inspiration" and is named as one of 20 Young Champions for Women by the White Ribbon Alliance and WIE Symposium, presented by Donna Karan and Arianna Huffington.

She is a member of several organizations, including the Association of Healthcare Journalists (AHCJ), International Association for Yoga Therapists (IAYT), the Women's Inspiration & Enterprise (WIE) Network, and the National Association for Social Workers (NASW). Ms. Ricchuito was inducted into the International Honor Society in Psychology (Psi Chi, ΨΧ), joining the likes of B.F. Skinner, Phillip Zimbardo, and Dr. Phil.  She is also a Reiki practitioner and Koga Fitness instructor.  

Currently, April is an editorial apprentice for elephant journal, which has been voted #1 in the United States for green content, and boasts 1,200,000 readers monthly.  Her written works have been featured in print in Social Work Today and Brain World Magazine, which is published by the International Brain Education Association, an NGO to the United Nations.  She has been recognized as an expert in her field by Yahoo! and is a featured correspondent for Yahoo! Health & Wellness.   Her contributions can be found in popular online publications as well, including Hello Giggles, MindBodyGreen, and of course, elephant journal.  

April has also been invited to appear on the speaking circuit, and will be giving a talk at the TEDx Hell's Kitchen conference on June 14, 2012 in New York City.  She will also appear at "Get Inspired!" Las Vegas on July 20 & 21, 2012.

In her spare time, April volunteers with She's the First, a nonprofit that works to support girls' education in third world countries.  She also volunteers with Street Yoga, another nonprofit that helps bring yoga and mindfulness training to underserved populations.  

For more information, please visit
 beingandwellness.com, or check out her written works at
 Verbal Vandalism