Nikko Takaku
Founder of Breathe to Lead
Nikko Takaku is a lifelong martial artist and former Junior World Champion Karate fighter with over 20 years of teaching experience. Dedicated to the study and practice of meditation, Nikko has trained across the globe, from living as a Zen monk in Hawaii to practicing with the Yamabushi in the mountains of Japan, and earning a Tantra Yoga Teacher certification in India. Seamlessly integrating martial arts and meditation, Nikko explores the balance of Yin and Yang within martial arts, where self-defense meets self-expression. Through breath and movement, Nikko guides others in discovering their True Self, embracing the beauty of stillness in motion, and experiencing universal connection.
Mahala Willard
Co-Founder of Breathe to Lead
Mahala Willard is a devoted Mental Health Advocate with over a decade of experience in yoga and meditation. Mahala is a certified Tantra Yoga teacher, who integrates personal experiences with Tantra to facilitate spiritual healing experiences, and is pursuing a profession as a therapist. She envisions weaving the profound practices of Tantra with western therapy to aid others in their healing process, guiding them towards a deep understanding of their true selves and empowering them to lead authentic lives. Mahala's diverse background and commitment to mental well-being make her a valuable leader in Breathe to Lead developing somatic-centered mental health programs.
The Full Story
Rooted in Ritual. Grown Through Lineage. Remembered in the Body.
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Breathe to Lead was born from a dream—one that stretched across generations, cultures, and lifetimes. It began with land passed down through family, held sacred by towering cedars and the sound of running mountain water. We now live and build here—on 5 acres in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains—where we are raising a multigenerational home and sanctuary for practice, healing, and remembrance.
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This land once belonged to my uncle. When he passed it on to us, it wasn’t just an act of generosity—it was the passing of a torch. That opportunity was made possible, in part, by the foresight of my Japanese grandmother, who made one of the earliest private investments in Microsoft. Her quiet wisdom and belief in our future helped lay the foundation for this retreat space—and the family we are becoming.
My own path has been shaped by a lifetime in martial arts and Zen practice. After the death of my grandfather, I traveled to Japan, where I spent time with the Yamabushi—mountain ascetics who walk the boundary between nature and spirit. That experience awakened something in me: a desire to bring this kind of embodied, spiritual discipline back home. Not as a performance, but as a practice. A way of life. A way of remembering who we are.
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Mahala’s path has been equally grounded and expansive. Through deep personal healing work and her spiritual training in a West African lineage, she has developed a powerful relationship with ritual and ancestral wisdom. Her practice is rooted in connection—between body, land, spirit, and lineage—and she brings that sensitivity and soul into every ceremony, every fire, every breath.
Together, we are building more than a retreat center. We are building a family, a community, and a living ecosystem of transformation. Our vision is to offer nature-based, ritual-led training that doesn’t separate spiritual growth from physical practice—but weaves them together. Waterfall purification. Silent meditation. Martial movement. Ancestral ritual. Earth-based stillness.
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This is not just our work—it is our way of life. And we invite you to walk it with us.
Mission
Our mission is to guide individuals back into authentic connection with themselves, each other, and the Earth. Through immersive, nature-based rituals and somatic healing practices, we help people release stress, remember their wholeness, and lead from a place of clarity, compassion, and embodied presence.
Vision
We envision a world where leadership begins with inner alignment and service to the Earth. By guiding people through transformative, nature-based practices, we are cultivating a culture where wholeness, presence, and purpose ripple outward—into workplaces, communities, and the world at large.
