From the Founder
"Fleeing the COVID pandemic toxic environment found across big cities in both the US and Europe, in 2020 I acquired eight acres of completely virgin land on a cliff on the southern tip of the Italian Amalfi Coast, in Calabria, and rescued six dogs.
I was sheltered from the virus, healed of a lifetime of urban toxicity and corporate pressure, and found an unexpected, endless life force emanating from mountains, forrest, and sea.
As the land healed me, I began to write—a manuscript tracing my journey of aligning body, heart, and spirit with the rhythms of nature and a higher source of energy. In that process, I realized that healing is not meant to be kept, but shared. From this understanding, Vere Vitae was born: through opening a yoga retreat, publishing the manuscript, and reimagining an adjacent abandoned school as a summer academy to nurture balance and harmony early in life.
Together, these three paths form a single mission—to heal, educate, guide, and nurture. The retreats create sacred spaces for renewal, the manuscript shares a lived journey of transformation, and the academy empowers young mind and hearts with tools to honor themselves, embrace nature, and grow into individuals who embody peace and drive positive change.
More than a place, Vere Vitae is an energetic calling—an invitation to live in harmony with self, spirit, and the world."
~Giadha
Our Essence
The Mission
The Mission
The Mission
To educate and heal by bridging the physical and non-physical.
The Values
The Mission
The Mission
Sincerity
Gratitude
Humility
The Vision
The Mission
The Vision
To be an energetic catalyst to collective healing and growth.
The Vere Vitae Family
Giadha Aguirre de Carcer
Giadha A. DeCarcer is an accomplished entrepreneur, strategist, and multilingual leader with over three decades of experience across banking, intelligence, technology, and emerging global markets. She is best known as the founder of New Frontier Data, the first and premier big data and analytics technology firm in the global cannabis industry, which she grew from a one-person startup into a $150 million enterprise with a presence across three continents. Over the course of her career, Giadha has launched, built, and operated six data-centric businesses, introduced disruptive technologies—including Progressive’s Snapshot and Verizon’s Hum—and help pioneer the first AI-driven business credit score.
Her thought leadership has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, CNN, CNBC, Fox News, Bloomberg, and The Wall Street Journal, as well as in books and documentaries such as The Great Green Gold Rush and Breaking the Grass Ceiling. She has been named one of the 20 Most Influential Women in Cannabis by Greendorphin, one of Washingtonian Magazine’s Most Influential People in the DC-Area Weed Business, and a recipient of the 2019 Women Who Mean Business Award by the Washington Business Journal. She is also a two-time Stevie Awards “Maverick of the Year” winner and an Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” finalist.
Fluent in five languages, Giadha was born in Italy and raised in France, Spain, and the United States. She holds an AA from Miami Dade Community College in Business Administration, a BA in International Relations & Trade from the University of Pennsylvania, a MA in International Security from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, and completed executive training at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Today, alongside her board and advisory roles in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, Giadha brings this vision, global experience, and commitment to growth into the creation of Vere Vitae—a sanctuary dedicated to healing, renewal, and the awakening of human potential.
Faith Scimecca
Faith Scimecca is a Level 2 Authorized Ashtanga Yoga teacher and the founder of Woodley Park Yoga in Washington, D.C. She studied for decades under Shri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Jois in Mysore, India, who have taught renowned students such as Madonna, Sting and Gwyneth Paltrow. With humility and reverence, Faith carries forward this sacred lineage through her own devoted practice and instruction.
For over fifteen years, she led Washington’s longest-running Mysore-style Ashtanga program, teaching with presence, patience, and precision. Her approach honors the core Ashtanga tradition: individual instruction within a group setting, making it equally accessible to lifelong practitioners and complete beginners.
For more than twenty years, Faith has been one Giadha's dearest friends, her soul sister, and a constant presence in her journey of healing. Together and apart, they have shared profound experiences of growth, balance, and transformation. While Giadha has often been a driving force, Faith has always been the yin to her yang—a calming presence whose life mission is to heal others and guide souls toward peace and balance.
When her beloved teachers passed, the Universe opened a new door. For the first time in decades, Faith found herself free to explore a new summer path. That opening led her here—to this land, this vision, and this sacred mission.
In addition to her yogic path, Faith is a board-certified hospital chaplain, originally trained in a Level 1 trauma center and now specializing in palliative and end-of-life care. She brings the same compassion, groundedness, and spiritual integrity to her yoga students as she does to her patients—offering guidance, support, and holistic care with deep respect for both tradition and the human spirit.
Together, they welcome you into a practice that unites body, mind, and spirit—a space of remembering, renewal, and radiant becoming.