Joanne Sato

Instructor

San Francisco State University, Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology (Emphasis in Human Movement Studies) (2007)

ACE Fitness (American Council on Exercise), Certified Group Fitness Instructor (2013 to present)

ACE Fitness (American Council on Exercise), Certified Personal Trainer (2021 to present)

Zumba Fitness, Zumba Level 1 Instructor (2009)

U-Jam  Fitness, U-Jam Fitness Instructor (2013)

POP Pilates, Instructor (2016)

Certified BollyX Instructor (2015)

PIIT28®, PIIT28® Official Trainer (2019)

HealthFitness, HealthFitness Movement Specialist (2023)

Contact

keoana64@gmail.com

Facebook: joannesatodanceandfitness

@joannesatodanceandfitness

Joanne has been teaching Group Exercise and Dance Classes for over 10 years. After receiving her B.S. Degrees in Kinesiology & Business Management in 2007, she has continued her career as a Fitness Professional while also pursuing Personal Training, Group Exercise Instruction and Staff Management. It is the perfect blend of her degrees while also keeping her love of dance and fitness alive.

A lover of all movement, Joanne started dancing at a young age and even started choreographing her own routines at the age of nine. Joanne had a very active childhood and also participated in activities such as: swimming, karate, track and field, musicals, and her favorite, dance, where she learned a little bit of everything: jazz, hip hop, ballet, latin dance, hula, Tahitian, and modern dance to name a few. ​

Currently, she is certified to teach Zumba, World of Dance U-Jam Fitness, Bolly-X, POP Pilates, PIIT28, and Balletone, while also teaching other classes such as kickboxing, cycling, yoga, barre and more.

A mom of two girls, she wants her girls and everyone to know that they should feel confident in their bodies and to let go of any inhibitions when it comes to dancing. It should be fun and freeing and she wants everyone to experience the happiness and joy dance has brought into my life!

Krystle Shield

Instructor

Yoga Blue Fitness, RYS 200 Hatha Yoga Teacher (January 2021)

Traditional Yoga, Yogi Training (December 2021)

Contact

kryskrystle@yahoo.com

IG: @radiant_rising_krys

Krystle is a 200-Hour Certified Yoga Instructor. She has been practicing yoga for over twenty years and earned her teaching certificate in 2021. Krystle’s teaching style is slower paced  to connect deeper with the breath and really feel what’s happening inside the body. She encourages others to try slowing down in this fast paced world. 

Krystle recommitted to herself and health in 2017 after struggling with dis-ease most of her life. She found healing through holistic health, music, joyous body movement, sunshine, staying hydrated, proper nutrition, journaling and community. 


Jessica Neideffer

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Instructor

Lineage of Hawayo Takata, Reiki Master (2016)

Women’s Conservancy Bali, Sound Healing Facilitator (2012)

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Contact

AgadaEnergyHealing.com

@agadaenergyhealing

Jessica became aware that there was more to her than just a physical body at a very young age. She experienced many health issues during childhood and almost died when she was fifteen from complications of Crohn’s dis-ease. After many years of doctors treating the symptoms with western medicine, she knew there had to be another way of being healed and healthy. After a profound experience at the age of 31, she realized there was a different way and that she was meant to support herself and others in healing on a deeper level.

Since this moment in 2007, Jessica began studying and practicing energy work and sound healing. She became more conscious of what her body was asking for and began working with Naturopaths, Nutritionists, and other Mentors to assist her in the healing process. Through her own research and life experience, she found that a combination of diet, exercise, and emotional healing practices was the key.

Carmen Carrasco - Arevalo

Instructor

Cal State University of East Bay, Kinesiology with emphasis in Athletic Training (2014)

National Academy of Sports Medicine, Certified Personal Trainer (2022)

Athletics and Fitness Association of America, Certified Group Exercise Instructor (2023)

The AB LAB, Ab Foundations (2023)

Circuit Training AFAA, Group Resistance Training (2023)

Contact

Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor

 2sambapassion@gmail.com

Carmen has been teaching Group Exercises and Dance Classes for over 15 years. After receiving her B.S. Degree in Kinesiology with Emphasis on Athletic Training, she advanced her career in Personal Training. It’s the perfect career path for someone who LOVES body movement.

Her love for movement has led her to study different dance disciplines such as: Tahitian, Hula, Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Haitian, Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, and her current love … SAMBA! With Samba, she has competed and won the title as “Queen of Carnaval” for San Francisco in 2010 and for Santa Barbara in 2013. 

Since then she has been teaching classes at different studios, schools, and private companies.


Madaly Love

Instructor

Soul Lift Cacao,Certified Cacao Ceremonialist (2020)

Mexican Curanderas in the Bay, Ongoing training + mentorship

Brazilian Plant Medicine mentorship, (2020)

Certified Reiki Master Teacher, level 1, 2, 3 in Usui lineage

Certified Quantum Energy Healer by Erin Lyons

Addiction Recovery Coach - Trained by Being True To You (2021)

Psychedelic Integration Coach - Trained by Being True To You in 2021

UC Berkeley - B.S. Society and Environment, with an emphasis on Environmental Justice

Contact

madaly@madaly.love

Madaly Love (they/them) is a curanderx, entheogenic guide, addiction recovery coach, quantum energy healer, community leader, ancestral alchemist, environmental justice advocate, and all around chingonx! They are a humble student of the land and a lover of all things sacred. Madaly's mission is to support you to open your heart to the universe, tap into your intuitive gifts, and heal across generations and timelines. They are committed to trauma-informed facilitation and believe that you are your own best healer. 


Madaly has been in a deep study with cacao for 6 years. They have shared cacao circles with thousands of people across the US. Cacao found Madaly when they first got sober. Cacao was and is a big part of their recovery journey. Madaly is in deep devotion and service to the medicine, to the cacao spirit, the land, and the original keepers of this medicine: the Mayans. Madaly has had the privilege of studying with Mayan elders, Mexican curanderas, and other incredible healers. 


Madaly's roots are from Mexico, with their  ancestors descending of the Chichimec, Nahua-Otomi, & Purepecha people (as well as Spanish ancestry). Madaly is on a deep journey of self-love through decolonization work.


Maxine Garcia

Instructor

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Maxine is a Chicago-based Leadership and Business Coach focused on empowering women as they navigate pivotal moments in life, career and entrepreneurship. Her background encompasses 15+ years in the HR space managing leaders, talent and programs across a variety of industries. She has served on advisory boards for youth-based organizations focused on workforce development and music education, mentors HR professionals, and consults with non-profit leaders in human capital management, operations strategy and board development. 

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Marketing from Marymount Manhattan College and a Master’s degree in Organizational Development from The Evelyn T. Stone College of Professional Studies, Roosevelt University. She is certified through WELCOA in Workplace Wellness Management, is a certified Life Coach and working toward her ACC credential with the International Coaching Federation. 

Maxine is creative at heart and believes in the value that diverse ideas and perspectives bring to both individual and organizational growth. Her purpose is informed by her experiences as a minority, female leader in business and her unwavering belief in the untapped potential of the empowered individual. 

When she’s not coaching or consulting, she immerses herself in the arts and music; has trained in latin dance, muay thai and is a self-taught photographer.

Kristin Christophersen, Ed.D.

Practitioner

BA Psychology (1995)

Certificate Women’s Studies (1996)

MA Sociology (1998)

Ed.D. Educational Leadership (2023)

 
 
 
 
 

Kristin is a life coach and community college instructor based in Portland, Oregon. She holds degrees in psychology, sociology, and a doctorate in educational leadership with a focus on postsecondary education and adult learning. In addition, she has completed certificates in women’s studies and mindfulness. Her teaching focuses on the social construction of identities and structural oppression.

After more than a decade of struggling with poor health and receiving inadequate support from the medical community, Kristin was diagnosed with the rare disease acromegaly in 2010. Following a significant surgery and recovery, she made the decision to radically transform her relationship with her body, work, and family as part of her healing journey. She is grateful to be a part of the Banyan Tree Women’s Collective. 

Kristin has extensive experience working with women at various stages of life, empowering them with the tools to explore and uncover their next chapters. She is particularly grateful for her ten years as a volunteer mentor in a program dedicated to supporting women transitioning out of Oregon’s prisons.

When Kristin is not busy making soups or walking her dogs in the forests surrounding the Portland-area, she is actively volunteering for organizations in her community that support women and children.

Efstratia Mantzouranis

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Instructor

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Contact

Email: inthisbody2020@gmail.com

IG: @inthisbody

Effie is a lifelong dancer, and dance instructor currently teaching classes and workshops in the bay area. Effie primarily teaches heels and twerk  and uses these empowering, feminine movement styles as a tool for sensual expression, body reclamation, and embodied transformation and healing. Effie is currently training to become a somatic practitioner and coach and uses her knowledge of the body through the lens of somatics to create a deeper embodied experience in her offerings. 

Diya Raheja

Instructor

Contact

Email: divyanshu.raheja@gmail.com

 Instagram: @diya_raheja22

Diya is a Raqs Sharqi and Fusion Belly Dancer. Diya has several years of training from India and the US. She is passionate about dancing and loves sharing this art form with others.  



Angie Mercado

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Instructor

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Angie is always moving…. a self-proclaimed hummingbird. If her body is not in motion, her mind is. Even as a kid you couldn’t get her to sit down, especially if music was playing. She got hooked on group exercise at 17 and has been teaching classes ever since. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in Exercise Sport Science, expanding her passion for fitness into the areas of personal training and nutrition. 

Angie’s love of music and obsession with choreography inspired the creation of Groove, a high-energy, cardio-dance class with a saucy vibe. HIIT workouts (high-intensity-interval-training) are Angie’s specialty. She delivers a whole-body workout in 40-minutes. The workouts are challenging, fun and addictive. Every class is different, but the result is always the same. Students leave feeling strong, sweaty and inspired. With every class experience Angie’s goal is to help people find joy in movement. 

Angie carries professional certifications with The American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). In addition to personal training, she teaches both virtual and in-person classes. 




Laurie Hang

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Instructor

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Contact

hanghealthyyoga@gmail.com

www.HangHealthyYoga.com

Laurie is a Certified Yoga Therapist who personalizes the practice of yoga to her private clients and small groups. She enjoys the creative approach to her work, from making yoga FUN, to using her favorite yoga prop, the chair! Laurie is also the Founder of Hike to Yoga LA, with the mission to increase community wellness through nature and yoga.


Lucibel Nunez

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Instructor

Contact

lucibeln@hotmail.com

LucibelNunez.com

Lucibel is a Mom, Wife, fitness instructor, health coach and QHHT practitioner. She was born to help people and the best way she is able to do that is through movement and love. She had a group fitness studio for nine years before Covid and has since had to close and pivot everything online. It has been a journey but a journey with many silver linings. Always up for a challenge, Lucibel has enjoyed the process of teaching and working online and is so excited to connect and work with people she would have otherwise not been able to work with due to physical distance.