Valentia Valentine (Piccinini) is a highly successful and accomplished professional. A native of California, Valentia began her career in the commercial real estate industry where she served businesses throughout the Central Valley for over 25 years. Valentia has spent a lifetime giving back to the many charities and she has become synonymous with philanthropy on the Monterey Peninsula. Valentia has raised over $14.5M for Make-A-Wish and other local non-profits on the Monterey Peninsula including: Multiple Sclerosis (CCQLP), Parkinson’s, Hospice Giving, Kinship Center, Monterey County Food Bank, Women’s Gathering, CASA, Transitional Veterans, Boys & Girls  Club,  Rancho  Cielo, California  Partnership  for  Youth  (CPY), AIM, Meals on Wheels, and  many  other  local organizations... Read More

David graduated from Idaho State University College of Pharmacy in 1983.  He has been a community pharmacist on the Monterey Peninsula for more over 35 years.  David has gained the respect of the medical community and his patients by his high standards of taking care of each patient with dignity and respect.  He recognizes the need to extend this same standard in the cannabis community and intends to continue with the same professionalism. He can help bring individuals a better understanding that cannabis is a viable, safe and effective alternative/adjunct to conventional medicine enhancing therapeutic outcomes through education.

Jennifer was born in Lansing, Michigan. Her formative years were spent in Winter Park, Florida. She has been a resident of the Monterey Peninsula for 25 years. The first 13 years were spent working in DUI law, being instrumental in implementing a driver safety program in Monterey county. Then to go on to becoming her most important and favorite job of being a mom and wife .Jennifer has two children and after her kids began attending school, she became anxious to start serving her community once again.
Jennifer became a Nursing Assistant, Restorative NA, and reignited her fulfilling passion to serve and help others. There after, she worked in the Home Health industry, caring for people who were suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Dementia, Epilepsy, Anxiety , Cancer and Hospice care.
That’s where Jennifer met Valentia Valentine (owner of Synchronicity Holistic). Valentia was using Cannabis and I saw it’s positive results in treating her debilitating symptoms of MS. MS has been close to me. I have two sisters who suffer from this disease. Valentia was Inspiring and enthusiastic, eager to share her knowledge and experience, trickling it down to any and all.
Seeing Cannabis in its application and being what she calls “Boots on the ground”, watching the patient’s quality of life begin to improve as well as seeing adverse effects from this beautiful plant made me want to have a better understanding on how Cannabis works in the body, and the science behind it. More importantly how to better serve her patients as a caregiver and advocate. Jennifer became certified in Cannabis and is humbled to its potential and knowing we have lots to continue to learn. I am excited for this wonderful opportunity Synchronicity Holistic has provided, and look forward to making a positive impact on our patient population, as well as supporting our Cannabis consumers as a whole.

Ksenija is a registered nurse of 30 years. Her career in intensive care nursing (PACU) demonstrates her expertise in various patient disease states.

Nurse Ksenija utilizes her broad knowledge of medical conditions to provide exceptional counseling to patients and caregivers.

She is a patient listener and strives to find the best match of cannabis products for each individual. Ksenija maintains strict patient confidentiality.

When not working, Ksenija enjoys time with her family and volunteering for a local Foundation.

Kendra Collins has been working on the Monterey Peninsula in a Management capacity for over two decades. She has come to Synchronicity with a corporate retail background where she was a public speaking educator for a large local grocery chain. However, her passion for the Cannabis industry started just five years ago when she walked into Higher Level in Castroville as a medical patient. She was blown away by the amount of knowledge and education the budtenders wanted to share. This inspired her to self educate and learn everything she could about this amazing plant. Kendra eventually started working as a receptionist for Higher Level before becoming a budtender, and finally she was promoted to Purchasing Manager. Kendra then went on to work for OZ distribution and there, she obtained the knowledge that pertained to the distribution side of the cannabis industry. Kendra, has since then, also been involved in the opening one of the newer dispensaries on the peninsula, The Reef. There, she was the inventory manager starting opening day; that was until she came to Synchronicity Holistic, the premiere Cannabis Wellness Center. Here, she is able to continue to share her knowledge and passion for cannabis education nearly every day.

Stephen Cefalu is a proud native of the Monterey Peninsula.  Stephen has gained the respect of the community through his many years in Monterey’s vital Hospitality Industry.  Those years of experience have developed his higher level of customer service and can-do attitude.  Empathizing with family and friends struggling with health concerns coupled with learning the benefits of cannabis developed his passion for cannabis and budtending.  Ultimately, this inspiration nudged him to make the career move to the cannabis industry where he immersed and educated himself.  He absorbed all the literature he could locate, toured farms and spoke with local growers.

Stephen now has over 5 years of experience in the Cannabis Industry in cultivation, retail and management.  His charm and charismatic personality enable him to share his knowledge, and the benefits of alternative and holistic practices.  He enjoys engaging with the customers and making awesome recommendations.  From flower to oils to edibles and vapes, he truly knows a wide variety of products and brands.  He believes and understands the quality of life and positive natural effects this plant has on the body is truly one of the worlds natural wonders. 

Stephen has a large family and enjoys spending all of his downtime with them.  He also enjoys golf, tennis and basketball but mostly running along the area’s beautiful beaches with his dog, Dash.  He is proud to share his excellent customer service and knowledge to the patients of his new home, Synchronicity Holistic.

Karen Mankins earned her associate degree in nursing from Maurine Church Coburn School of Nursing in 1995 and has been a registered nurse living and working in Monterey County for the last forty years.  Karen has worked in many different settings from acute care to Hospice home health. A born caregiver, Karen found her nursing niche early on in Geriatrics, and has managed an assisted living center for the last eight years.
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Three years ago, Karen’s career changed forever when she was approached by a patient’s daughter who had a special request: she wanted her mother to drop narcotics in favor of a natural pain relieving alternative– medical cannabis. After witnessing her patients relief (and lack of side effects), Karen’s
experience with medicinal cannabis treatment marked a turning point in her career.
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A member of the American Cannabis Nursing Association since 2014, Karen has become a dedicated medical cannabis advocate. A distinguished leader in her field, Karen has given lectures on Cannabis use amongst Seniors at the Stanford School of Medicine, Dominican University, the Carmel Foundation, the San Francisco Bay Area Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, Carmel Valley Manor, The Parklane, Maurine Church Coburn School of Nursing, Monterey Rotary, and many other organizations.

Kevin is a New Jersey native and when he became of age he enlisted in the
military. He wanted to travel the world and experience adventure and other
cultures. He served well over a decade and left honorably as a military veteran.  He returned to New Jersey and served in law enforcement for several years.  Needing to be closer to his parents, he relocated to California in 1997. Using his past skills, he worked for Northridge Mall, in Salinas, as a security officer and working his way up to management as Security Manager. From there, he went to Tiffany & Co, in Carmel, for 15 years. He was responsible for providing a secure environment for customers and employees.  He prides himself on excellent customer service by making each customer feel special and have a pleasant shopping experience no matter what industry he is working in. His bottom line is security, safety and customer service.