Who We Are: Our Story
One Heartbeat is a women-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to respond to the urgent and essential needs of underserved communities globally.
We work in partnership with local grassroots leaders and community-based organizations to support initiatives that restore dignity, build resilience, and empower communities to thrive. By combining direct aid (when appropriate) with mentorship, training, and infrastructure support, One Heartbeat amplifies what communities are already doing on the ground.
We don’t impose solutions. We listen first.
Our approach is rooted in cultural humility, ancestral wisdom, and community-centered development. Whether it’s building wells, distributing medical supplies, or launching leadership and healing-based educational programs, we aim to plant seeds of long-term change rather than short-term relief.
We begin with small, focused projects to ensure deep impact. Each initiative is designed to move from survival to sustainability, equipping families, youth, and grassroots organizations with what they need to thrive — and pass it forward. At One Heartbeat, every action is a ripple of hope. Every heartbeat counts.
Our Mission
We strive to meet requested basic needs such as: water, food, clothing, shelter, medical supplies, education, creating community/self-development, material resources, sustainable solutions, building infrastructure (wells, tool library, community gardens, food forests, etc.), cultural exchange, and awareness.
Support can take the shape of physical goods, money, education, and collaboration with local organizations, and will be provided on a case by case basis depending on the needs of the community we are partnering with.
Once a project is complete we will maintain an ongoing relationship with the community to ensure they maintain stability and to ease reconnection should assistance be needed in the future.
The ONE Heartbeat Team
Journei Bimwala
Board Chair
Journei Bimwala is a Congolese-born, Bronx-raised Clinical Herbalist, Foraging Practitioner, and educator whose work bridges ancestral wisdom and community healing. As the founder of Each One Carry One and a co-founder of One Heartbeat, she leads initiatives that uplift environmental justice, herbal education, and wellness rooted in African traditions.
Her deep love for her homeland, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, fuels her volunteer work—raising
funds to build wells, support orphanages, and ensure communities have access to essentials like water, food, and education.
Whether guiding foraging walks in the Bronx or creating wellness programs inspired by the Congo’s rich traditions, Journei moves with purpose: to restore dignity, deepen connection, and carry forward the healing power of the land.
Isaura “Isa” Guzmán
Board Treasurer
Isaura “Isa” Guzmán is a basketball coach and certified skills trainer based in Union City, New Jersey. With a strong commitment to youth development, she has mentored and supported hundreds of inner-city youth through sport and education.
Isa earned her Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, where she also competed as a Division III collegiate basketball player. Following graduation, she served for two years in Rwanda as a volunteer with Shooting Touch, a nonprofit organization that leverages basketball to promote health education among Rwandan youth and women.
Driven by a passion for global youth empowerment and cultural exchange, Isa went on to play a key role in the international expansion of the Jr. NBA program, helping to launch initiatives in India, China, and South Africa. Her work continues to reflect a deep belief in the power of sport to inspire, educate, and transform communities worldwide.
Lucia Victoria Diaz
Board Secretary
I’m Lucia Victoria Diaz — a proud Dominicana and Boricua raised in the heart of the Lower East Side, where culture, resilience, spirit and community rhythm pulse through every part of me and shaped me in who I am.
Rooted in the wisdom of my ancestors, I’ve dedicated my life to guiding others through their healing and transformation journeys — mind, body, spirit, and lifestyle.
With degrees in both Criminal Justice and Occupational Therapy, I bring a unique lens to my work — I offer a grounded yet intuitive approach that honors both science and soul, blending structure and intuition. As a holistic lifestyle coach, therapist, Reiki practitioner, and movement advocate, I help people reconnect with their power, purpose, and inner peace.
Whether in a one-on-one session, a community circle, or a fitness class, I create safe, nonjudgmental spaces where people feel seen, supported, and inspired to grow. I believe healing is a lifestyle — a path of returning to self, reclaiming joy, and rising into who you were always meant to be.
Let’s walk that path together — one breath, one movement, one heartbeat at a time.
Holly Cohen
Board Member
Holly Cohen is a dedicated wellness practitioner with over a decade of experience in physical therapy, bodywork, and holistic healing. As the founder of Be Well With Holly and one of the co-founders of One Heart Beat, Holly brings a deeply personal and compassionate approach to healing, rooted in her own journey of overcoming chronic health challenges.
Her work integrates detoxification, essential oils, and therapeutic bodywork to support individuals in reconnecting with their bodies, reducing toxic load, and restoring balance. Holly is passionate about creating spaces — both within and around us — where healing, clarity, and vitality can thrive.
At One Heartbeat, she is committed to empowering individuals and communities to reclaim their
wellness, live with intention, and thrive in body, mind, and spirit.
Denise Scott
Board Member
As a STEM instructor, I live and breathe technology, robotics, and computers — tools that have shaped my career and my daily life. In 2023, I learned something that shook me to my core: many of the resources powering our modern world are mined under conditions that cost millions of lives, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The realization that such suffering was happening to supply the very tools I use every day — and that I had been unaware for so long — sparked a deep question: Where else are people suffering unnecessarily, and what can I do to help?
That question led me to co-found One Heartbeat — an organization committed to providing essential humanitarian aid wherever it is needed most. While my awakening began with the DRC, our mission extends far beyond any one place. From supporting vulnerable communities in Brooklyn to offering relief and sustainable solutions worldwide, I am driven by a belief that every individual deserves dignity, safety, and the chance to thrive.
Through One Heartbeat, I work alongside a dedicated team and compassionate partners to connect resources with those who need them most — one heartbeat at a time.