About Dr. Jai

Dr. Jaimis “Jai” Ulrich-Lopez, is an educator, certified hypnotherapist, author, artists, and advocate for individual and collective liberation. Her work lives at the intersection of healing, critical consciousness, inner child work, and decolonization. Grounded in both academic research and lived experience, Jai creates spaces where people can reconnect with themselves, challenge limiting beliefs, and move toward emotional authenticity, empowerment, and wholeness.  

With a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership, training in Anthropology, Sociology, and Religious Studies, and certification in hypnotherapy, Jai brings a rare blend of scholarly depth, cultural awareness, and heart-centered practice to everything she does. Her doctoral research explored hypnotherapy as a liberatory praxis for Women of Color in education, and that work continues to shape her approach today. She believes healing should not be reduced to “fixing” individuals in isolation, but understood in relationship to community, culture, identity, and the systems people are surviving within.  

Jai’s practice is rooted in love, respect, inclusion, and mutual empowerment. Drawing inspiration from Paulo Freire’s critical consciousness, bell hooks’ radical feminism, and Robert Greenleaf’s servant leadership, she supports clients in exploring the deeper “whys” behind emotional patterns, internalized oppression, and inherited survival strategies. Her work invites people to remember that they are not broken, and that healing can be both personal and collective.  

As the founder of Pathway to Empowerment with Jai, she specializes in guided meditation, inner child work, and decolonizing approaches to hypnosis that are culturally aware, affirming, and accessible. Her mission is to help others feel seen, heard, and valued as they reclaim their voice, rewrite their story, and step more fully into their humanity.  

Jai is also the author of Decolonizing and Demystifying Hypnosis,  A Cup of Noodles, and Healing Forward, works that reflect her commitment to emotional authenticity, community healing, and transformation. Across her writing, workshops, and one-on-one work, she remains devoted to helping people move beyond survival and toward a life rooted in self-trust, liberation, and love.