Our Team
Founder & Facilitator
Molly Buccola
In 2005, Molly Buccola suffered a stroke due to venous sinus thrombosis. A clot the size of a whole pinky forced blood into both hemispheres of her brain. When she woke from the coma, her left side was paralyzed. Molly’s family served as carepartners as she relearned to walk, eat, bathe, on and on. Once she regained enough abilities to hide the effects, she tried to “move on” with her life. Now she knows, stroke survivors never fully “move on.” They move beyond. Molly believes that stroke offers a powerful, life-changing, shift in perspective. She founded Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke to honor pause for storytelling and reflection. Ultimately, Beyond Stillness is a welcoming environment that reveres the movement beyond stroke’s paralysis. Still moments unite humanity and divinity.
Molly shows that reclaiming and reframing one’s story can be a transformative source of healing, empowerment, and connection. In an interview, she shared, “I’m inspired by each stroke survivor I meet. I have found a stroke community and our conversations and connections are purposeful. Every story is unique yet there are beautiful threads of insight and growth that tie our community together. Together we cultivate hope. Together we thrive beyond stillness. We are more than supportive. We are inspirational.”
Board of Directors
Chris Wilder
Chris brings over 40 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, grounded in a commitment to social impact, collaboration, and community. For two decades, he led the Valley Medical Foundation, raising millions to expand access to high-quality care across Santa Clara County. His leadership launched innovative programs that continue to serve the region. Throughout his career, Chris has advanced missions in health, youth development, and public advocacy—including roles at the Vanished Children’s Alliance and City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley. After surviving a stroke in 2021, Chris embraces a new chapter of service as a dedicated stroke advocate. He now serves on the boards of Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke and the Stroke Awareness Foundation. His story, “Part of Something Greater,” reflects a lifelong dedication to purpose, perspective, and meaningful connection. Chris lives in Los Gatos with his wife Kate and their ever-growing family of beloved animals.
Caitlin Meloy
Caitlin has spent more than a decade in philanthropic advising, supporting foundations, donor-advised funds, and public charities. She partners closely with nonprofit leadership, boards, and investment committees to strengthen governance, clarify strategy, and guide long-term financial stewardship. She also advises families on values-based philanthropy and helps translate their vision into impact. Caitlin earned her Bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University, her M.B.A. from University College Dublin, and her Master’s in Advanced Management from the Yale School of Management. She currently serves as a Senior Vice President and Endowment and Foundation Specialist with Bank of America Private Bank in Boston.The mission of Beyond Stillness is deeply personal to Caitlin. In college, she witnessed her close friend—now the organization’s founder—experience a stroke and navigate recovery with extraordinary resilience. Since then, she has seen other young, healthy friends face similar events, opening her eyes to how common strokes are and how profoundly they impact individuals and their communities.
Danny Schultz
Danny grew up in Santa Cruz, CA, with a deep love for the ocean, mountains, and all living beings. His curiosity and sense of wonder draw him to nature and drive his passion for problem-solving. He studied psychology and computer science and now works as a System Architect at UC Santa Cruz, where he enjoys uncovering how things work and finding creative solutions to complex challenges. As an integral part of Beyond Stillness from the start, Danny provides sound engineering, tech support, and innovative solutions for the online platform. His keen attention to detail, combined with his visionary thinking, helps shape Beyond Stillness into a platform that amplifies diverse voices of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.
Cat holds a BA in International Political Economy and Business Administration from the University of Puget Sound and a Masters in Education in school counseling from Lewis & Clark College. With eight years of experience as a high school counselor and certifications in Youth Leadership Coaching and Youth Mentor Coaching, she helps people set and achieve educational, career, and personal goals while fostering self-discovery. As a Board Certified Coach, Cat utilizes evidence-based approaches to illuminate individual strengths and empower individuals to overcome challenges. She believes in the inherent resilience of individuals and creates a supportive environment for growth. Dedicated to youth development, she has served as a high school counselor and youth life coach in Portland, where she lives with her husband and three children. Outside of her professional life, Cat enjoys outdoor activities like running, biking, and snowboarding, finding great joy spending time with loved ones in nature.
Catherine Smith
Story Stewards
Abbe Simon
Abbe Simon, M.A., CCC-SLP is a speech language pathologist, integrative health coach, and yoga teacher with over 27 years of experience helping individuals impacted by stroke regain communication and connection. Through her private practice, iCommunicare, Abbe empowers clients to rediscover new possibilities and live fulfilling lives after stroke. She believes that language goes beyond words, with connection and storytelling playing pivotal roles in healing. As a Story Steward for Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke, Abbe guides stroke survivors through the transformative process of reflective narrative framing. She recognizes storytelling as a powerful tool, especially for those with aphasia, offering them a platform to express their experiences and connect with others. Abbe is deeply committed to helping individuals reclaim their voices, find strength in their journey, and share their resilience with the world.
Tania Saiz
Tania is a mindset facilitator, advocate, and neurodivergent artist who celebrates the beauty of showing up just as you are. After surviving an ischemic stroke in 2020, she began a journey of reconnection—with herself, her community, and her sense of purpose. As a facilitator, she creates supportive spaces where honesty, reflection, and shared humanity are always welcome. Living with a brain injury means navigating each day with patience and grace, and she brings that same energy into her work with others. Tania crafted and shared her story “Facing the Mirror: Finding Myself” with Beyond Stillness and found it to be a transformative experience. She now serves as a Story Steward with Beyond Stillness, accompanying fellow survivors through their own story crafting journeys with care, presence, and a deep belief in the power of authenticity and connection.
Elizabeth Lin
Elizabeth Lin, B.S., is currently a research technician at the University of Chicago as she takes a gap year between college and medical school. She is the founder of Living With Aphasia: An Anthology, which she began as a Yale student in May 2024 after a year of volunteering in Yale New Haven Hospital's General Neuroscience unit. In her time at the hospital, she interacted with many stroke patients with aphasia. Like Beyond Stillness, Living With Aphasia seeks to support stroke survivors – in particular, those living with aphasia – in sharing their stories in their own words. By offering a space to record individuals' journeys, Elizabeth hopes to support and empower those with aphasia to reclaim their voice. Her work has also imparted to her a deep fascination in the new and unique ways aphasic individuals craft sentences and present their stories. In addition to serving as a Story Steward, Elizabeth connects individuals she works with to Beyond Stillness, while also offering Beyond Stillness storytellers the opportunity to share their story in a written format including photos and videos.
Stacey Salz
Stacey is currently an undergraduate Communication Sciences and Disorders student at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. An aspiring Speech Language Pathologist, she is both involved in Pitt’s NSHLAA club and Audiology club and has past volunteering experience at Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh. Equally passionate about writing and storytelling, she has joined the Beyond Stillness team to work closely with those who have experienced strokes and help them shape their journeys into meaningful pieces to honor their voices. Through this, she hopes to create strong relationships and create a space where survivors are heard, supported, and empowered to share their story. Stacey is grateful to be a part of Beyond Stillness, and is excited to continue her contributions to such a meaningful community.
Maia Thielen
Creative Design Partner
Maia is a creative engagement specialist with a dynamic background of nonprofit management experience in education and the arts. She currently serves as the Associate Director of Admissions at Pinewood School in Los Altos, CA, and has managed communications and marketing, advancement initiatives, and service learning programs at schools in the Bay Area and Monterey Peninsula. Prior to her work in independent schools, Maia enjoyed a career in symphonic management and music performance after obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a concentration in Voice from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a Master of Music in Voice Performance from the University of Washington. She is passionate about authentic and effective visual storytelling, and is proud to contribute her design work to Beyond Stillness’ mission of empowering stroke survivors through reflective storytelling.