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When Laura, Move Therapy and Wellness founder and clinical director, began her career in clinical therapy, she quickly saw that talk therapy didn’t get to the root of her clients’ issues. Trauma, she learned, is rooted in the body, and addressing trauma and other mental health related symptoms like anxiety, grief, and chronic stress for example, required a body-based modality. She realized that by creating a treatment plan that integrated talk therapy with movement and meditation, her clients were able to move in ways that helped activate the nervous system for emotional regulation, self compassion and self-discovery. In 2013, with that holistic approach as a foundation, Laura built Move Therapy and Wellness around whole-body mental healthcare and a reflective, intentional approach to movement.
Today, Move Therapy and Wellness features a team of diverse, compassionate mental health experts, each with experience and training in a body-based modality. With therapy services, group yoga classes, and personal development workshops, Move Therapy and Wellness supports their clients in their journey towards physical, emotional, spiritual, social and environmental balance.
Therapy Team
Laura M.I. Dziekiewicz, LCSW, TIYT, RYT 200
Chronic Stress
Depression
Anxiety
Relationships
Emotional Distress related to Chronic Illness
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Perinatal mood disorders including postpartum depression and anxiety
founder, clinical director
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Registered Yoga Teacher
Trauma Informed Yoga Therapy
EMDR Trained Therapist (Certification In Progress)
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Level 1, Trauma)
Additional Languages Spoken: Spanish
States: Illinois and Michigan
Laura is the founder and clinical director of Move Therapy and Wellness with 19 years of combined academic, professional and clinical training and counseling experience. Laura uses a variety of therapeutic techniques including EMDR, trauma-informed, strengths-based, Cognitive Behavioral, Sensorimotor, Acceptance and Commitment and mindfulness based interventions. She is successful in helping people feel better about themselves, set and achieve goals, build or rebuild healthy relationships, work through challenges and design a path that will get them to where they want to be.
Megan Schnell, LCSW, CCTP, RYT 200
Anxiety
Depression
Mood disorders
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Traumatic birth, perinatal loss, postpartum depression
Clinical Supervisor
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional
Registered Yoga Teacher
Meditation Facilitator
States: Illinois
Megan is a staff therapist and yoga teacher with 10 years of combined academic, professional, and counseling experience. Megan believes that no one is born knowing how to deal with unexpected trauma, especially sexual violence. Megan brings an empathetic, intuitive approach to therapy. She creates a safe and open space for exploration while giving you the tools for self-regulation. Through a variety of therapeutic strategies, including trauma-informed, strengths-based, acceptance commitment and mindfulness interventions, she helps her clients gain insight and understanding into their mind-body connection, personal struggles, thought and behavior, and relationship patterns.
Sarah Buividas, LCPC, CYT 200
Anxiety
Depression
Mood disorders
Life Transitions
Relationships
Job challenges
Addictions
Assistant Director of Clinical Services
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
Certified Yoga Teacher
States: Illinois
Sarah is the Assistant Director of Clinical Services at Move Therapy and Wellness with 12 years of combined academic, professional and wellness industry experience. She has 4 years of experience teaching vinyasa yoga and is currently the program director of an Opioid Treatment Program in Chicago. Sarah believes that the foundation of mental health begins with balancing the fundamentals of nutrition, sleep, and stress management. She is passionate about helping clients to approach therapy from a holistic perspective in order to guide them in embracing the joys and struggles of their journey and to find value in their successes. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys working out, skiing, cooking, connecting with nature, and spending time with her family.
Ashley Lewis, LPC, PhDc, NCC
Athletic Performance Psychology and Enhancement
Addictions
Chronic stress
Mood disorders
Relationships
Anxiety
Trauma
Licensed Professional Counselor
National Certified Counselor
Brainspotting Practitioner
States: Illinois
Ashley is a staff therapist and is currently a PhD candidate in Counselor Education & Supervision at Adler University. Additionally, Ashely has extensive cultural and mental health training from the countries of France and Costa Rica. Ashley's work and relationships with clients is authentic and collaborative, with the client's best interest at heart. Her passion and knowledge of holistic approaches to mental health and her understanding of culture, social justice, and athletics allows her to advocate for those in need of support, services or education. Ashley’s athletic and performance background is rooted in the sports of Basketball, Soccer, and Classical Vocal Performance. She is a fitness and nutritional enthusiast, living over 10 years as a vegetarian and plant-based consumer.
Lauren Jaimovich, LCPC
Anxiety
Depression
Chronic illness
Medical trauma
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Chronic pain
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
Advanced EFT Practitioner
States: Illinois
Lauren is a staff therapist with over 10 years of combined academic and professional counseling experience. She is passionate about holding space for clients to express and experience emotions and thoughts just as they are, while supporting them in developing self-compassion and self-acceptance. She enjoys helping clients to gain insight into the roots of their patterns to better understand how they interact with others and the world. Her empathetic and relaxed nature helps to create a safe therapeutic space for clients to process their experiences and facilitate personal growth. Lauren is also trained in Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) which is a gentle, yet powerful method used to release triggers and find more balance within the mind and body.
Macauley Cliffe, LCSW, CYT, CCPT
Anxiety
Depression
Relationship struggles
Mood disorders
Stress-related symptoms
Trauma-related symptoms
Substance use disorders
Mental Health and Yoga Liaison, Clinical Supervisior
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Registered Yoga Teacher
Gottman Couples Therapist, Level 1 & Level 2
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional
States: Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts
Macauley is a staff therapist and yoga teacher with 8 years combined academic, professional, and clinical experience. Macauley believes that the mind-body connection is one of the most essential paths to healing and seeks to use this as her guiding principle in working with clients. She works with individuals, couples, and groups and works alongside her clients to support their journey. She employs breath work, yoga, mindfulness, and other therapeutic techniques to get clients in touch with their most important values, develop a deeper mind-body connection and relationship with themselves, and identify their innermost strengths and emotions to define and create a fulfilling life.
Nicole L. Townsend, M.A. LPC
Anxiety
Depression
Life transitions
Grief and Loss
General life stressors
Unresolved Trauma
Women's Issues
Licensed Professional Counselor (in progress)
Certified Meditation Teacher
States: Illinois
Nicole is a staff psychotherapist and Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher at Move Therapy and Wellness. Nicole has a special interest in the integration of spirituality into therapeutic practice.
Nicole views mental health and wellness from a holistic lens, paired with Psychodynamic and mindfulness-based theories. She believes that effective counseling addresses the mind, body, and spirit. While Nicole has a preferred therapeutic modality to work and research from, she knows that each person and their experience in the world is unique and that effective therapy is not one size fits all, rather, it is customized based on individual needs and personal experiences.
With Nicole as your therapist, you will explore some of the many elements that may hold you back from living a life that you are truly deserving and worthy of. She believes blending talk therapy and mediation will serve as a powerful foundation for your healing journey ahead.
It takes tremendous courage to seek help, and you can assure that your time with Nicole will be honored in a safe space and judgment-free zone. As a culturally competent psychotherapist, Nicole is dedicated and most passionate about treating BIPOC communities, adults and families who are challenged by grief/bereavement, anxiety, depression, unresolved trauma, women-related issues, and life transitions.
Radina Cheleva, LSW, CYT
Anxiety
Depression
Life transitions
Self esteem
General life stressors
Emotion dysregulation
Relationship struggles
Licensed Social Worker
Certified Yoga Teacher
Certified Holistic Health Coach
Additional Languages Spoken: Bulgarian
States: Illinois
Radina has a passion for holistic health and wellness. She navigates different approaches to her sessions with clients in providing the proper education around the scope of mental, physical, and social well-being. She is a firm believer that as a whole, an individual includes the mind, body, and soul, and the key to a successful therapeutic experience is to work on healing all three. Radina possesses a warm, action-oriented style to increase motivation to better serve individuals in need. Working with Radina, you will discover and implement new and helpful coping mechanisms while releasing any unmatched behaviors that no longer serve you.
Stephanie Torres LCPC, CYT-200
Anxiety
Depression
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Complex Trauma History
Mood Disorders
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
Certified Yoga Teacher
States: Illinois and Indiana
Stephanie is a staff therapist with 7 years combined academic, professional, and counseling experience. She believes that clarity and ease can come from connecting the mind, body and spirit. She utilizes various mindfulness techniques such as gentle yoga, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation to help clients gain insight in the mind-body connection, regulate emotions, manage challenges, and better understand themselves. Stephanie's approach is warm, supportive, and insightful. She meets client where they are and provides a safe space to explore struggles, discover strengths, and guide in self-discovery and personal growth.
Anna Coco LSW, CADC
Anxiety
Self Esteem
Addictions
Eating Disorders
Life transitions
Trauma Related Stressors
Relationship Concerns
Licensed Social Worker
Certified Yoga Teacher (in process)
Trauma Informed Yoga Therapist (in process)
Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor
States: Illinois
Anna is a staff therapist and yoga teacher with 4 years combined academic, professional, and counseling experience. Anna has experience working in a variety of settings specializing in self esteem, trauma, addiction, and eating disorders. With a background in biology, Anna offers a holistic approach to therapy that prioritizes helping clients connect and understand the link between mind and body. Anna believes that real and lasting change comes from giving someone a space where they feel safe to authentically explore who they are and the world around them. Anna’s approach is warm, empathetic, and insightful to facilitate self exploration and personal growth.
Katherine (Gracie) Fernandez LSW, CYT
Anxiety
Depression
Relationships
Life transitions
Stress management
Outreach and Partnerships Coordinator
Licensed Social Worker
Certified Yoga Teacher
Meditation Facilitator
States: Illinois and Michigan
Gracie is a staff therapist and yoga teacher with 7 years combined academic, professional, and counseling experience. In addition to her work in private practice, Gracie has experience in case management and crisis counseling in both hospital and outpatient settings. Gracie is a warm, empathetic and compassionate therapist with a passion for holistic health and wellness practices. She works with clients to help them access feelings and emotions, to further and better understand themselves, and to discover existing personal strengths and values.
Rickie Kostiner LPC, CCTP II, CYT
Anxiety
Depression
Post trauma and complex trauma symptoms
Perinatal Anxiety and Mood Disorders
Mood disorders
Parenting
Life transitions
Head of clinical workshops, group education and yoga programming
Licensed Psychotherapist
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (II)
Registered Yoga Teacher
States: Illinois and Michigan
Rickie is a staff therapist, group therapy facilitator, and yoga instructor at Move. Rickie has 10 years of combined academic, professional, clinical, and wellness industry experience including almost a decade of yoga practice and teaching. Rickie utilizes trauma informed mindfulness and somatic based techniques to support clients through present day challenges while offering hope for their future and healing from their past. Her sessions focus on combining breath based mindfulness philosophy, neurobiological education, and a warm and grounded client/counselor relationship. Rickie is rooted in her ability to hold dynamic space for every individual while providing specific services tailored to unique needs. Her goal as a clinician is to support clients to recognize that by gaining compassion, awareness, and acceptance, everything they need to heal is already within.
Johanna Hayes LCPC, BC-DMT
Sexual trauma
Depression
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Couples Counseling
Anxiety
Sex Therapy
Kink and BDSM-Affirming
LGBTQIA+
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist
Reiki Master
States: Illinois
Johanna is a staff therapist and current PhD student in Clinical Sexology at Modern Sex Therapy Institute. She has 6 years of combined academic, professional, and clinical experience. She utilizes a strengths-based and trauma informed approach rooted in pleasure activism. Johanna takes a holistic approach to therapy - mind, body, and spirit - that emphasizes the integration of mental, emotional, physical, and sexual health. She strives to create a therapeutic experience tailored to the needs of each individual. She believes every person has the right to a safe, non-judgmental, and compassionate therapeutic space. Johanna hopes to continue fostering healing through the use of psychoeducation, mindfulness, somatic, and cognitive behavioral interventions.
Briana Ryan LCSW, CYT
Addiction
Anxiety
Mood disorders
Perinatal Anxiety
Depression
Grief and Loss
Chronic Stress
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Certified Yoga Teacher
Reiki Practitioner
States: Illinois
Bri is a staff therapist, yoga teacher, and therapeutic group facilitator with 9 years of combined academic, professional, and yoga experience. She utilizes the power of the therapeutic relationship to empower her clients to become self-actualized as she works to reduce shame and increase self-compassion. Utilizing an accessible, client-centered, strengths-based approach, Bri believes that clients are the experts in their own lives and utilizes a humanistic approach in aiding clients to recognize they have the capacity to grow and change. She guides clients to identify not only their thoughts and emotions but also how their internal dialogue affects their physicality; utilizing a holistic approach so clients can make their own connections between where they hold tension and what is going on in their lives. Bri approaches client care from a systems-based approach that recognizes human behavior is influenced by a variety of factors that work together including family, friends, culture, economic freedom, and the environment.
Melissa Sakleh, Pre-Licensed Professional
Trauma
Anxiety
Relationships
life Transitions
Depression
multicultural Counseling
Melissa is a Move Therapy and Wellness Master's Level Intern. Her training has equipped her in the areas of trauma-informed counseling, multicultural counseling, sexuality, and family systems counseling across the lifespan. Her holistic, person-centered approach channels her mission to meet clients as individuals to support healing, understanding, and growth. Melissa brings warmth and a compassionate style into sessions - creating a safe and nurturing space for clients to feel seen and heard, a space that honors each individual's story, unique background, perspective, and experience in the world.
Madison Max, LCPC, RYT
Eating disorders
Anxiety
Body image distress
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Depression
Trauma
Family conflict
Life transitions
Relationships
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
Registered Yoga Teacher
States: Illinois
Madison is a staff therapist and yoga teacher with experience working in a variety of higher levels of mental health treatment including inpatient hospitalization, residential treatment, and partial hospitalization. Madison strives to guide, support, and empower her clients to recognize their own, unique strengths and resilience. She believes in a collaborative and trusting relationship between client and therapist. Madison helps her clients identify their fused or distorted thought patterns/beliefs about themselves and incorporates evidence-based skills to create distance from these self-created narratives. Madison is passionate about supporting her clients to find some relief and begin to see the world through a more self-compassionate and psychologically flexible lens/perspective.
Ximena Valencia Pérez, LCPC
Depression
Anxiety
Eating disorders
Trauma-related stressors
Family conflict
Relationships
Chronic Stress
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
Sound Meditation Practitioner
Additional Languages Spoken: Spanish
States: Illinois
Ximena is staff therapist and sound meditation instructor with 14 years of combined academic, professional and clinical training. Ximena is bilingual and has experience in working with a large, community-based organization in clinical and leadership roles, children’s education and individual and group psychotherapy. Ximena believes that engaging in a therapeutic process requires vulnerability and courage; she feels admiration and respect for whoever makes the decision of going through this inner world journey. Ximena’s practice is based on radical acceptance. As a clinician, it is important to Ximena that she provide a safe therapeutic space to walk along others in building awareness of their emotional, cognitive and behavior patterns, to create a more regulated and healthier version of themselves.
Lauren McKinney, MA, LPC
Anxiety
Trauma
Eating disorders
Mood Disorders
Body Image
Maladaptive Perfectionism
Relationship Struggles
Life Transitions
Licensed Professional Counselor (in progress)
State: Illinois
Lauren is a Move Therapy and Wellness staff therapist with vast experience working as a mental health counselor in settings specializing in treating eating disorders, anxiety, mood disorders, and trauma. She offers an integrative approach to therapy and is passionate about providing individualized, warm, collaborative care to every client. Relying on her values of authenticity and vulnerability, Lauren is dedicated to meeting clients where they're at while helping them move toward the life they deserve and desire.
Geri Helfand, LCSW
Depression
Anxiety
Relationships
Trauma-related stressors
Women’s Issues
Chronic Stress
Clinical Supervisor, Field Instructor
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
EMDR Trained Therapist (Certification in Progress)
States: Illinois
Geri has over 35 years of combined academic, professional and clinical training and counseling experience. Geri specializes in treating women who are experiencing anxiety, depression, difficult life transitions, relationship struggles, trauma related symptoms, including complex trauma and those looking to explore their relationship with alcohol. Geri’s approach is warm, compassionate and direct. She believes that each individual is an expert in their own experience and that every person already has the capacity to change, heal and grow. Geri helps her clients to become curious about habits, patterns of behavior and thought, to better understand themselves, to create space to feel and to take steps to make meaningful change.
Kelsey Kozlowski, LPC, RYT-200
Depression
Anxiety
Self-Esteem
Trauma-related stressors
Life Transitions
Cultural Issues
Licensed Professional Counselor
Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200)
EMDR Trained Therapist (Certification in Progress)
Additional Languages Spoken: Spanish
States: Illinois
Kelsey is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Yoga Teacher at Move Therapy and Wellness. She believes healing begins with building a trusting, authentic therapeutic relationship and affirming clients’ unique strengths and life experiences given their cultural background. Kelsey utilizes Polyvagal Theory as a cornerstone for mind-body techniques to help heal one’s nervous system and past traumas, using ACT, CBT, Inner Child work, and Intersectional Feminist theory. Kelsey is warm, encouraging, and believes in the power of individuals to heal themselves through aligning with their values, cultivating more self-love, and taking realistic actions towards their goals. Outside of work, Kelsey enjoys traveling, dancing, cooking, practicing yoga/meditation, and spending time with loved ones including her dog.
Cristina Candel, LPC, RYT-200
Depression
Anxiety
Self-Esteem
Trauma-related stressors
Life Transitions
Relationship Struggles
Licensed Professional Counselor (Pending)
Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200)
Reiki Master
Additional Languages Spoken: Spanish
States: Illinois
Cristina is a staff therapist, yoga teacher, and reiki master. She has been trained to understand
how our past affects our present, creating limiting beliefs or strong emotional reactions that
reside in the body. Cristina uses a holistic approach to address how the mind and body interact with each other by incorporating somatic tools along with meditation, visualization, and
breathwork in sessions. Guided by her values of accountability and authenticity, Cristina is
dedicated to gently supporting her clients to shed the stories that no longer work for them in
order to live with a deeper sense of freedom and peace.
Dani Sernett, BA
client services specialist
Yoga Team
Rickie Kostiner, RYT-200
From her first yoga class, Rickie was captivated by not only its physical challenge, but also its spiritual and soulful connectivity. Rickie completed her first 200-hour Hot yoga teacher training in Boulder, Colorado in 2015. She quickly supplemented this with additional trainings in Vinyasa, Yin, Yoga Sculpt, and an ‘off the mat and into the world’ training.
Rickie has designed, led, and curated many yoga trainings and workshops in studio spaces, corporate spaces, and even in the home environment. She is passionate and inspired by the many healing and health benefits behind all forms of yoga, and she takes a trauma informed and neurobiological approach to her yoga teachings both in and out of the studio. Her classes are grounding and upbeat with emphasis on breath to movement flow. When not in the studio, Rickie practices as a mindfulness-based psychotherapist at Move Therapy and Wellness.
Macauley Cliffe, RYT-200
Macauley believes that yoga is a tool that can deepen our connection with ourselves. Macauley's own personal practice of yoga allowed her to experience the mental health benefits that the practice has to offer, and she makes this a top priority for students.
Integrating her knowledge of mental health as a practicing psychotherapist, she uses her classes to support students learning about themselves and integrating the lessons that yoga has to offer both on and off of their mats. Creating a warm, nurturing, and exploratory environment is something she is passionate about and seeks to provide for all students. She likes to incorporate these qualities into vinyasa and hatha style classes and offers a lesson to integrate during each class.
Shadee Shahsavarani, RYT-200
Shadee believes by cultivating mindfulness through the practice of yoga, we can identify and acknowledge habitual thought patterns that may be contributing to feelings of unease. She began practicing yoga in 2017 and obtained her 200hr Yoga Teacher Training at Samma Karuna Awakening and Healing in Koh Phangan, Thailand to deepen her practice. She is currently working towards an additional 300hr Trauma Informed Certification and a Doctorate of Traditional East Asian Medicine and Acupuncture. She is passionate about providing a safe, yet functional approach to her yoga classes that combine modern neurodynamics with traditional Eastern philosophies for integrated healing. In her classes you can expect a unique activating vinyasa flow that builds strength and shifts perspective, followed by a meditation, restorative yin or Yoga Nidra to ground into gratitude - helping you find balance and ease both on and off the mat.
Claire Rayburn, RYT-200
Claire is a registered 200-hr yoga teacher with Move Therapy. After practicing for nearly 10 years and noticing the huge positive impact yoga had on her life’s outlook, she decided to become certified to teach others. To Claire, yoga is the perfect way to practice pausing within life's sweet and crazy moments. She loves to guide students through a flow practice that is calming and joyful, letting breath and music set the tone for the space. Off the mat, Claire is a pediatric speech therapist. You can also find her reading on her porch and spending time by the lake.
Lily Luna, RYT-200
Lily´s path in yoga started in 2015, when she attended by first time to a Hatha Vinyasa Yoga class at Mukti Shala in Nayarit, Mexico, seeking for different ways to continue exploring movement, after many years of her life dedicated to dance and movement education. She started attending these classes with more frequency, realizing, and experiencing all the benefits of yoga practice in herself, increasing her curiosity to explore and expand more about the practices of yoga beyond the physical aspects. In 2018 she moved to Chicago to work as a mental health therapist mainly with the local Latino community, also finding a supportive community to continue learning and practicing at Mysore Chicago Yoga and The Lab Yoga.
Lily continues to focus on the benefits of yoga as a tool for mental health through continuing education and teaching and her own practice. Currently, she still practicing and learning under the guidance of her teacher Todd Boman at Mysore Chicago Yoga and is working as a therapist with the Latino community, providing Yoga for women in Spanish, focused on the tools of this practice to cope with anxiety and trauma at Outlook Counseling Services.
Briana Ryan, RYT-200
Bri’s classes focus on connecting to the breath, identifying areas of tension in the body, and directing energy to those spaces in an effort to alleviate stress. Yoga inspires Bri to look inward and reflect, and she uses that to curate creative themes for classes that include thoughtful sequencing and plenty of space to explore. In addition to teaching yoga classes and working with individual clients, she leads a variety of movement based specialty workshops for group topics like grief and loss, anxiety, chronic pain, etc. Bri’s classes are challenging, yet balanced, and are often playful. Om shanti!
April Falcon, RYT-200
Devoting her life to dance from the age of 4, April has always valued movement, health and wellness. She started a regular yoga practice in college while pursuing her degree in dance. Following college, April completed her 200hr YTT in Fiji from Yogaworks. After spending several years teaching yoga, boxing, and fitness classes, April now devotes her time to teaching yoga and practicing crystal therapy with her crystal practitioner certification from Hibiscus Moon Crystal Academy. April leads a variety of crystal education and crystal healing workshops at Move Therapy and Wellness.
Madison Max, RYT-200
Madison is a 200 hour registered yoga teacher who completed her training in 2016. Madison utilizes a Power Vinyasa Flow style of teaching that is light hearted, yet challenging, with a focus on creating a moving meditation by bringing awareness to each movement and transition. Madison is passionate about helping her students connect their breath to each movement, exploring what it is like to be intentional with each movement and transition, and exploring ways to move towards certain sensations and experiences that seem uncomfortable yet helpful to bringing one closer to reconnecting with their mind and body. Madison enjoys incorporating intentions/themes for each class in hopes to bring a deeper connection and focus to her classes.
Daniel Gibson, RYT-200
Daniel Gibson has had a dedicated yoga practice for 6 years. He found yoga by way of dance and the creative arts, longing for a way to move his body in a way that was not only performative but also restorative. Having taught creative movement and dance for well over a decade, it seemed like a natural progression to explore yogic traditions and the myriad of benefits they bring to the mind and body. To Daniel, yoga is an intersection; a nexus of our physical, emotional, and mental bodies. Every practice he leads seeks to engage all three with a sense of challenging, playful curiosity.
Molly Bramlet, RYT-200
Molly was introduced to yoga almost 20 years ago when her junior high track coach suggested pranayama techniques to integrate mindfulness into conditioning work. It wasn’t until 2013, while Molly was living in New York, that yoga became an outlet to quiet the noise of the city and find peace on her mat. A lifelong student, Molly completed her 200 HR Yoga Alliance Registered Teacher Training in 2019 and has taken additional trainings in mindfulness and trauma informed yoga. She is currently working towards her 200 HR Katonah Yoga Certification. Molly’s teachings emphasize the mind, body, and how we weave them together through imagination. She believes options make us powerful and provides dynamic sequences that allow students to personalize their practice. Through the lens of yoga, Molly provides techniques for cultivating joy and creativity on and off the mat.
Gracie Fernandez, RYT-200
Gracie has been practicing yoga for the past 10 years as a way to manage her anxiety and connect to her body. She gained her teaching certificate in 2020 with the desire to deepen her practice. After learning about herself and recognizing the many benefits that yoga offered her, she knew that she wanted to support students in growing their own yoga journey. As a yoga instructor, she deeply values the safety of the space she is able to create together with her students. She believes in using yoga to connect the mind and body through movement and meditation. Gracie helps her students to feel safe, supported, and seen in her classes.
Melissa Koontz, RYT-200
Melissa obtained her 200 hour RYT while studying to become a Mental Health Counselor. She experienced the profound effects that yoga had on her own life, and wanted to help clients by integrating yoga and mental health work. She began teaching yoga in a wide range of settings including corporate classes, residential facilities, and partial hospitalization programs. She also completed her Yoga-Informed Psychotherapy training to further integrate these two modalities. Melissa's goal is to support students in reconnecting to their mind and body in a way that feels safe and empowering. Melissa believes that practicing movement that is compassionate and self-reflective can be transformative for physical and mental health. She incorporates a vinyasa style format, with emphasis on alignment and breath-to-movement sequencing. Melissa aims to create a space where people of all backgrounds and physical abilities are able to practice safe and joyful movement and experience a greater sense of peace within themselves.
Riv McCollum, RYT-250
Riv is a 250+ hour Registered Yoga Teacher and wellness blogger. Her goal is to conceptualize and curate a sacred space for all things healing by using her own perspective and journey as a foundation for sharing. She finished her 250-hour yoga teacher training in April 2018 and has since fallen in love with inspiring her students through dharma and intentional movement. She seeks to hold space for exploration through her own trials and tribulations of redefining her relationships with her physical body and her mental state.
Ali Armacost, RYT-200
Ali grew up as a runner and soccer player and was surprised to find yoga in college when she joined to navigate the stressors of college and life transitions. Ali took the leap of faith and completed her Teacher Training at CorePower Yoga when she moved from Boulder to Chicago in 2019. Through teaching, Ali is inspired to share her light with others while creating a safe and open community for all students to practice regardless of their experience. Ali's classes are smooth and uplifting vinyasa classes that help students find a deeper mind-body connection through breath.
Charlotte Waldmeir, RYT-200
Charlotte (she/her/hers) is a 200+ Hour Registered Yoga Teacher, who has been practicing and teaching yoga for over 10 years. After teaching yoga, facilitating yoga teacher training and developing training programs in Chicago from 2013 to 2016, Charlotte moved to Latin America where she started her own yoga business, teaching to locals and expats in Santiago, Chile and Mexico City, Mexico. Charlotte’s yoga classes are designed for all bodies and all backgrounds, making the practice accessible so every student feels supported and empowered. Her authentic and soulful approach to the practice can be felt on a cellular level as she guides you through asana (postures), pranayama (breathing techniques), and meditation, threading in eclectic music and themes that inspire and ignite the mind, body and spirit.
Anngela Leone RYT-200, L.Ac. Dipl.Om
Anngela has been teaching yoga and meditation for over 10 years. She completed her 200 hour yoga training in 2008 with Laughing Lotus NYC and 500 hour training with Yoga Medicine. She loves creating a space for students to move, breathe, find stillness, and heal. She enjoys infusing her yoga practice and teaching with Chinese Medicine theory, including meridian theory, acupressure and five phases, and moving in alignment with the seasons. Anngela is a board certified acupuncturist and herbalist, licensed by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). She treats a wide range of issues, including digestive health, women’s health, allergies, pain, stress, anxiety, and poor sleep.
Megan Xidas ERYT, PRYT, YACEP, CLC, Doula & Ayurvedic Wellness Coach
With over 10 years of experience and 10000+ hours of training, Megan has supported hundreds of women as a teacher, doula & coach. She specializes in creating a safe and empowering space - encouraging students to ease into the present moment and meet themselves where they are. Megan developed a passion for helping women, serving as a crisis counselor, while receiving her degree in psychological sciences back in 2011. With a deep respect for nature, Ayurveda, meditation, Yoga and birth-work, she weaves her expertise and loving presence into every class she teaches. She is humbled to offer her time and energy to the community at Move Therapy and Wellness.
Eric Shainock RYT-200
Eric stumbled upon yoga 8 years ago when he moved to Memphis, and used it as a way to wind down and compose his thoughts. It quickly became a ritual in his life - one that connected mind and body as he navigated a new city, job and life. In 2022, he completed his 200-hour YTT with Sersano Consulting. Eric's goal is to create a safe space on the mat and a comforting place for his students to connect breath to movement. All of his classes work to incorporate aspects of mindfulness - either moving or seated - so that the balanced energy can be brought into everyday life. Outside of the studio, Eric works in sports / brand marketing for JPMorgan Chase and enjoys spending time with Cap, his mini goldendoodle.
Erin K. Harner RYT-200
Erin’s study of yoga has transformed the way in which she connects with her body. The physical practice boasts possibilities that are perpetually accessible and empowering and serves to acknowledge that the body greets each day differently. The principles weaved within the fabric of yogic practice and philosophy apply to all facets of one’s life. As a yoga instructor, Erin delights in the prospect of illuminating such principles and fostering the possibility to carry them beyond one's mat. She aims to incorporate both luxurious and heat-building sequences that promote strength-building and dynamic mobility. As she continues to uncover and integrate new pathways herself, Erin hopes to offer fertile ground for ease through awareness, noticing without the hues of judgment and practices driven by investment in the present moment, rather than attainment.
As a yoga instructor, aerial instructor, freelance artist, dance educator and dance administrator, Erin has passionately pursued and studied movement, and firmly believes that her own investigation never ends. In order to best serve her community and thrive as a freelance artist and facilitator, she must continually seek new perspectives, remain absorbent and pliable and welcome spontaneity in an effort to address the specific needs of those she encounters.
Natalie McGreal RYT-500
Natalie McGreal is a licensed massage therapist and 500hr certified yoga teacher. In each of her classes, she supports students as they strengthen personal agency over their body and practice. As a teacher she believes her main responsibility is to act as a guide for students to connect with their own inherent wisdom. In 2012, Natalie was certified to teach yoga; in 2013 she started the journey of learning about trauma and the role yoga and massage can play in recovery. Natalie shares restorative and gentle yoga, thoughtfully sequenced vinyasa classes, meditation and yoga nidra. Regardless of the style, Natalie’s classes are welcoming, engaging and vibrant. She brings trauma informed and psych sensitive perspective into all of her work and classes.
Helena Baron RYT-200
Helena began practicing yoga with her parents in high school as a simple way to bond, and loved that it soon became a constant in her life to anchor into as she navigated life changes with growing up. In 2020, she completed her 200-hour YTT with Big Shoulders Yoga in Chicago. Helena combines her passion for hatha and vinyasa yoga to create mindful flows connecting breath to movement, while also building strength to ease into peak poses. The goal for her students is to cultivate calmness and confidence on the mat they can carry with them in their everyday life. Helena has completed additional training in Yoga Oncology, Yoga & The Pelvic Floor, and Restorative Yoga. When not teaching yoga, Helena works as clinic manager for West Town Physical Therapy and is pursuing a Masters in Clinical Exercise Science.
Sonya Avendano RYT-200
Sonya has been teaching yoga professionally for 7 years. She was trained at CorePower Yoga and is certified to teach vinyasa and yoga sculpt classes. Sonya chose to become an instructor because she felt the most empowered on her mat. Today she teaches and practices yoga for the same reason - she feels grounded and strong each time. Sonya has a M.Ed. in Community Counseling and looks forward to sharing the holistic benefits of yoga and meditation with our community.
Lauren Bellagamba, TIYT, RYT-200
Lauren is a Registered Yoga Teacher and Trauma Informed Yoga Therapist with over 10 years of experience in teaching yoga, developing training programs for yoga teachers and engaging in her own yoga training and education. Lauren also has training in Trauma Informed Yoga Therapy and continues to learn the many ways that yoga can be used to treat anxiety, depression and PTSD. She is currently in the process of completing her 500 YTT with Yoga Medicine to become a registered Therapeutic Specialist. Lauren's classes focus on alignment, strengthening, and relaxation.
Director of Yoga and Yoga Therapy Services
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I have been seeing Laura for a few years and cannot express how much it has changed my life.
My confidence, energy, motivation, and sense of self have all improved tenfold since beginning my sessions, leading to growth in my career path, relationships, and overall health that just make me a generally happier person. She pays attention and listens carefully, remembering details I've told her years ago. She is always accommodating and welcoming, and the space is really pretty. I feel incredibly grateful to have found Laura and Move Therapy.”
