Meet the Team

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Founder & Instructor

Sara Linden

Sara founded Mahj Club in 2009 with one goal: to create belonging through play. With more than 30 years of play experience and 16 years of teaching, she is an expert in mahjong styles, strategy, and history. Through years of hands-on teaching, Sara developed the Mahj Club Method, a modern and welcoming approach that blends the game’s timeless traditions with engaging, accessible instruction.

Today, Sara and the Mahj Club team lead lessons, private parties, corporate events, retreats, and private club partnerships designed to help people learn something new, foster human connection, and exercise mindfulness, all while building community one tile at a time.

Sara is a Certified Oh My Mahjong Instructor.

A woman with curly blond hair smiling, wearing a white textured top, a mahjong necklace, and earrings. The background shows a greenhouse with potted plants and a bright, sunny atmosphere. 
Instructor

Carol Weinfeld

Carol brings decades of educational experience and a genuine love of mahjong to her work at Mahj Club. With a background in curriculum development, arts education, and religious studies, she has taught across public schools, private institutions, and nonprofit organizations, creating thoughtful, learner-centered experiences for her students.

Drawing on her extensive classroom experience and training in the Mahj Club Method, Carol teaches mahjong as a welcoming, social, and intellectually engaging practice. Today, she leads lessons, private parties, corporate events, and social play experiences that help players build confidence and connection through play.

A woman with brown hair, glasses, and wearing a light blue blouse smiling outdoors with trees and string lights in the background. 
Instructor

Amy Ballen

Amy began playing mahjong over 20 years ago when her daughter was in preschool, and it quickly became a weekly ritual with friends — a connection that never failed her. After moving to OC and struggling to build new community, she knew exactly what to do: find her way back to a Mahj table.

Her first Mahj Club event at Bowers Museum felt like coming home. Drawing on her background as an art teacher and her love of strategy, she's since built a thriving community of her own. She's honored to be part of the Mahj Club team and hopes to help others find their community too.

A woman with short brown hair and blue eyes standing indoors in front of green plants, wearing a light green blouse and dark pants, with a soft smile. 
Instructor

Nicole Burik

Nicole has been a lifelong lover of all games, especially those that bring people together. After learning mahjong in 2023 from Sara and Mahj Club, she was immediately hooked! With a professional career as a psychotherapist, Nicole has a unique appreciation for the many ways mahjong can support connection, play, and quality self-care.

Nicole is thrilled to be a member of the Mahj Club team and to share her love of the game with all new players. Her goal is to make every mahjong event welcoming, supportive – and most importantly – fun!