Yoga has been part of my life and my soul for over four decades and I can’t imagine what my life would have been without it.

It all began with a book from Iyengar. I studied the poses and learned about alignment in those pages. It helped me to focus, to relieve my anxiety, and feel my strength.

Several decades later I began formal training. First with my mentor, Sue Hopkins, the founder of Etowah Valley Yoga. I not only completed her 200 YTT but then went on to complete my 500 YTT and furthered my education by becoming a fully-certified 800-hour yoga therapist, registered through the International Association of Yoga Therapists.

I have the utmost respect for Sue. Her guidance, mentorship and friendship through the years has taught me what it is to be a true Yogi.

I was still hungry for more learning (as many of you fully understand!) and found Gina Minyard, a local and phenomenal teacher in Atlanta. I felt so intimidated because her knowledge base and advanced poses were far beyond what I could imagine. The first day I met her I said “I wish I knew all that you knew” and she responded, “Then you would miss out on the fun of learning!” I’ve never forgotten that!

Yet even before training with Sue and Gina began, I was blessed to find my way through the doors of Plum Tree Yoga and met Terri O’Connor. To know her is truly to fall in love with her, as so many of you completely understand. I practiced there and then after I was certified I taught there for nine years. Without these amazing women who guided and mentored me, I would never have opened Lift Yoga on Main Street. When your teachers and mentors also become your terrific friends, you are living a blessed life, as I know.

The ongoing certifications and workshops never seemed to stop, and I loved each and every one of them! From Bryan Kest, Sean Corn, Nikolai Bachman, Matthew Sanford, Baron Baptiste and so many more.

I feel that I have come full circle to bring the teachings of these bright and genuine souls who have touched and shaped me into a new and collaborative YTT Collective.

My Bachelor’s degree is in Finance, and I worked for Bank of America as a Private Banker and later I was a National Account Manager for American Express. I learned so much about working with people and with money. The seeds had been planted for how to run a business and it grew into a passionate desire.

My interest in mind-body healing began in the 90’s. It took me on a mission to learn more and more about yoga and the mind-body-soul connection. I went to school to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and have always found myself interested in integrative psychotherapy.

I took my first steps practicing yoga when I was 14 years old and have now been teaching for almost 20 years. When I met Deepak Chopra at a conference, I asked him if he knew somebody that had a Yoga and Counseling Center together and he replied that I was going to be one of the first ones to do so. I was blown away!

The idea of Lift Yoga came to me in 2011 and for a time I was practicing at various places with a banner, taking the Lift brand with me as I went. In 2014, I opened on Main Street in Alpharetta and the studio - the first in its area - absolutely took off!

I felt that every teacher I brought in was genuine and had such a passion for supporting our students and guests. There are too many people to mention here but some of my early teachers that I absolutely adore are Leila (Jankowski) Taylor, Paige Dunford, Katie Bush, Sejal Shah, Sarah Rose Buckley, Gail Connell, Jason Anderson and Claudi Pena.

Teacher trainers that I invited to Lift because of their reputation and passion are also numerous but included Rachel Goldman Friedman, Cybele Stein, Jessie Fletcher and Jody Struminger. Again, the list goes on and on and on and I have too many to thank…

Katie Bush designed and painted the beautiful sun and moon logo as well as the Rumi quote in my Lift Studio. I hung the ‘clouds’ in the sunroom and everyone walking in from the main street parking lot was blown away by all the beauty! There were always fresh flowers, a bowl of oranges, dark chocolates, a warm embrace and a greeting of “Welcome Home!”

Teachers were treated with the upmost dignity and respect as was every guest that walked in the door. They didn’t have to ask me permission for anything. They knew that I trusted them with all my heart. With this kind of love and respect we just kept growing and growing.

While I sold Lift in 2019, I stayed on as a contractor to run my teacher training program for two more years before I made the tough decision to leave.

It was tough to be away from it because yoga teacher training is a complete passion of mine. I feel honored to guide and support people through the soul growth that comes as an ancillary benefit of YTT.

Then my void was filled in the most spectacular of ways. In June 2022 an idea literally came to me in a dream. Upon waking I considered the challenges many boutique studios face and I became convinced I could help them. The support in all conversations has been conveyed at the highest level, and thus, our YTT Collective was born!

I could not be prouder of our local studios and the authentic women who alongside me gave birth and created these sacred spaces. It now seems that this idea has been long overdue, but it is overdue no more. It is real, and now future students can gain from all the accumulated knowledge of the leaders of this unique program.

Today I feel lucky to serve in unique and beautiful ways. I am honored to support my counseling clients as a licensed psychotherapist, specializing in traumatic stress through Bessel van der Kolk with training and EMDR, IFS, clinical hypnotherapy, and more. I'm lucky to be a Fitbodies ambassador and teach in beautiful and tropical locations. And I get to lead students on a YTT journey that will change their lives forever.

It will be an honor to see you in our YTT collective training and watch you also blossom and find your joy, growth, and freedom!

E-RYT 200, RYT 500, YACEP

Jody dedicates his life to the betterment of others. Always taking the road less traveled brought him to the yoga mat over a decade ago. Being the natural born leader that he is, Jody quickly took to teaching yoga. He is always looking for ways to expand and grow and in doing so found his true passion in passing along his knowledge and experience. Jody specializes in teaching teachers how to teach by empowering them to find their unique voice and authentic style. It has become a mission of his to pass on the knowledge of how to build your inner strength while maintaining true north alignment on and off the mat. When Jody is off the yoga mat you can find him designing and building beautiful homes and kitchens and soaking up as much time with his family as possible.

Mom, wife, daughter, serial entrepreneur, possibility dealer,life coach and yogi! I have spent the last two decades as a student of psychology, yoga, fitness, nutrition, and mindful meditation. I am a believer in possibility, conquering your goals and then transcending past them. Rachel believes we can do anything we put our minds to. My journey into the wellness industry began as I studied Social Work at Syracuse University. From a young age I had a deep desire to help others. This desire led me to pursue a Masters in Social Work at NYU. After working as an adolescent therapist in a high stress environment I became burnt out. Desperate for a break, I dove into the only other thing I knew. Fitness. The fitness world introduced me to yoga, yoga is where the true doors of my own awareness opened. The practice swept me off my feet. Made me feel strong and confident. I fell so hard I devoted myself to studying the practice, the philosophy, and opening a yoga studio to serve my community for over 15 years. II am a E-RTY 500 hour Master Certified Yoga instructor and Certified Life Coach with the Life Coach School. Completed yoga certifications with Baron Baptiste and School Yoga Institute and a firm believer healing happens when we integrate mind and body.

eRYT 500 | YACEP | Certified Svaroopa® Yoga | Certified Prenatal Yoga | Energetic Practitioner - Whitewinds

Yoga is freedom of movement, mind, breath and awareness. Yoga greets each practitioner with potential growth, healing, vitality and consciousness. As a studio owner and space holder for many instructors and events for 20 years, Terri finds joy in witnessing the peace, balance and deep self connection that yoga provides. Terri gently guides her students with a sense of ease, compassion and alignment and is grateful to share the holistic benefits of yoga.

Cassie, the owner of Joiful Yoga in Sandy Springs, is dedicated to fostering environments that nurture personal development and well-being. Holding a 200-hour certification in Kundalini Yoga, she extends her expertise as a meditation instructor, Reiki master, and facilitator of diverse workshops.

Gina Minyard weaves yoga’s wisdom and with life’s ever-unfolding process, bringing it alive and experientially embodied through breath, muscle, and bone, creating a rich and magically alchemical experience through her teaching. Dynamic alignment principles, intelligent sequencing, and thematic metaphor infuse her engaging instruction, with a presence that is weighty, compassionate, and inviting. A “pillar of Grace” in the Atlanta yoga community, she is sought out for her charisma and passion, breadth of knowledge, and mastery of alignment-based methodology. For Gina, yoga is a radical practice to bring our truest Self – its steadiness, freedom, truth, and love – into full manifestation. Practicing and teaching yoga since 1999, she is committed to disciplined work infused with laughter and light-heartedness. Gina is an E-RYT 500 and YACEP with Yoga Alliance, an Authorized Teacher of Neelakantha Meditation as taught in Blue Throat Yoga, and leads workshops and trainings in Atlanta and beyond

E RYT200, RYT 500, YACEP, Certified Breath Coach & Writer

Stephanie Rivera is the founder of Oceanflow yoga and has created hundreds of videos on creative transitions for sequencing. She is a paid yoga influencer on Instagram and has helped people all over the world get back in touch with their bodies and ultimately fall in love with the way they move. She has worked with both lululemon and Athleta to bring yoga to communities through paid sponsorships. As a teacher she strives to give back to the community what her own practice has given to her. She believes our bodies are always speaking to us and yoga facilitates that communication. With over 1400 hours of teaching experience she is known for her cuing that fosters confidence in each student. She infuses the idea of moving like water with music to entice students to move fluidly through life on and off the mat. She holds space for every student to dive deeper, tune in and to ultimately listen to and observe themselves. She often includes her own poetry and writing in her classes to deepen the experience. Stephanie travels and teaches a wide range of creative workshops. Her specialties are in breathwork, creative vinyasas, Bhakti yoga, sound meditation, and yoga Nidra. When she is not teaching yoga classes you can find her creating CE master classes for new yoga teachers to help facilitate them in owning their power and voice. You can follow her on Instagram @oceanflow_yoga

Tommasina is a Yoga Alliance registered 500 E-RYT who trained extensively with Andrey Lappa, one of the most influential yoga masters to have emerged from the post-Soviet era. She creatively weaves in elements of Universal Yoga into the flow of her classes. She also has trained in Meditation, Yin Yoga , Ashtanga and Yogaworks method. Tommasina is passionate about yoga to say the least. She enjoys connecting with new people and sharing the ways yoga has transformed her life and her overall health.

Tommasina's classes reflect that dance between discovering a deeper practice in the most unexpected places during moments of stillness and yet still challenging you to find your edge and test your endurance with deep asana and vigorous vinyasa. Her classes engage the physical body fully as a gateway into diving deeper into the energetic body where true transformation takes place

Having studied in the Kripalu yoga lineage, I embrace Swami Kripalu’s guiding statement, “the highest form of spiritual practice is self observation without judgement.” I kept that statement in mind as I explored temples in India, learned from healers in Thailand, met earth medicine in Peru and more. My mission became stewarding compassionate self-observation; inviting mindful connection to our inner landscape, while positively affecting our community at large.

In addition to operating Santosha Studio in Atlanta, I have been a director in the Pranakriya School of Yoga. I have led workshops and retreats locally, nationally and in Costa Rica, Greece and Nepal.

My training stems from the guidance of Yoganand Michael Carroll, founder of Pranakriya and a master teacher of the Kripalu lineage and philosophy. Other significant teachers include the late Don Stapleton, PhD and Josh Summers. I consider the yogic journey a path of inquiry, self-discovery and endless unlearning.

Alex Ballew is on a mission to use vibrational sound therapy to help people find connection with themselves and others. He wants to bring joy, authenticity, unity and hope into everything he does. Secret River Sounds is spreading healing vibrations in the name of wellness, empowerment and love.

Alex founded Secret River Sounds in 2020. He is a certified in gong therapy through Mehtab Benton and has sound healing certifications through the Vibrational Sound Association as well as the Musical Mystics Sound Healing Academy.

Dr. Sarah Druckman is a proud resident of Milton, GA, is highly involved in the community, and has been a practicing chiropractor for over 5 years. She brings a one of a kind level attention for every client. She brings a one of a kind level of attention to every client.

Practicing concierge chiropractic care allows her to spend quality one-on-one time with her clients to address their health and wellness at the highest level of care. Along with chiropractic adjustments, Dr. Sarah incorporates her extensive nutrition and lifestyle training into each session. This all systems approach allows the body to heal and thrive on multiple levels.

In her spare time she enjoys traveling, riding horses, spending time in nature, and practicing yoga.

Jackie is a Yoga Alliance Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT) and Continuing Education Provider (YACEP) with over 6500 hours and 19 years experience teaching Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Yin, Therapeutic, Aerial Yin, Flexibility, and Special Needs Yoga. She started in the fitness industry in 1992 teaching aerobics and spinning and discovered yoga after the birth of her 3rd child who was born with a neurological disorder. It gave her a peace that no other exercise could and taught her how to go through life one breath at a time. Moving towards yoga was a natural progression in her journey, at first learning Iyengar Yoga and eventually she found Ashtanga. Through her teaching Jackie inspires her students to deepen their awareness of their self, their connection with their bodies, and helps to enrich their experiences on and off the mat. She firmly believes that yoga is for every body at any stage of their life.

E-RYT 200, E-RYT 500 + YACEP
ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor
AFAA Certified Personal Trainer
exhale Certified Barre Instructor

Leila has been a part of the yoga and fitness industry as a teacher, teacher trainer, workshop provider, group fitness director, and studio manager since 2001 for some of the best health clubs and boutique studios in the industry. She is known for her accessibility, authenticity, humor, and ability to empower her students to activate their inner warriors.

Leila teaches and provides continuing education for a variety of yoga and fitness formats, including vinyasa, power, yin, restorative, yoga sculpt, barre, cycling, muscle conditioning, boot camp, kickboxing, and circuit-style classes. She also leads workshops on various topics including advanced teaching techniques, dynamic languaging, theming, and visioning/manifestation.

When not teaching, Leila thoroughly enjoys her newfound freedom as an "empty nester" (after raising five great children) to write, craft, travel, and plan exciting adventures with the love of her life!

Jaya’s Ayurvedic roots began during her Indian childhood, in her mother and grandmother’s kitchens - being around food and remedies made with regard to season and well-being left an indelible mark.

In a quest to understand the deep connection between food and health, Jaya studied at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. This experience led her back to her roots, wanting to study classical Ayurveda. As a clinical practitioner trained at the state-accredited California College of Ayurveda, Jaya has over 2500 hours of training.

Jaya is in private practice, sharing her love of Ayurveda with clients and students alike. Jaya's experience has been enriched by working with clients from various backgrounds, guiding people through their own Ayurvedic journeys towards whole-body health and well-being. In addition, Jaya has a year-round robust teaching schedule whether it be Ayurveda training classes or workshops for yoga studios in the southeast.