2026 Conference Facilitators
ALISA BRIGHTMAN
Alisa's yoga journey began in 2015 when a friend convinced her to try a hot vinyasa yoga class. Three months later she was signed up for a 200 hour RYT at Flow Yoga Studio in Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ. After completing her teacher training, Alisa dove right into teaching, starting with community classes and teaching women at a homeless shelter. Since moving to Wilmington, she has continued to teach throughout the community volunteering her time teaching at a homeless shelter, teaching Y12SR yoga to students in recovery and teaching yoga to survivors of sex-trafficking. Alisa hopes to slowly change the world one yoga class at a time. She passes along her lifetime experiences with her students in hopes that she can make the world a better place.
WALTER THOMAS
After being sidelined with a torn Achilles’ tendon in the spring of 2011, a friend recommended to Walter Thomas that he take yoga to help with his recovery. It didn’t take long for Walter to develop a passion that continues to burn to this day. After growing up playing competitive sports like basketball, football, track & field, and boxing, he’s always up for challenges. Yoga, in a few ways, provided a different challenge though for Walter which kept him coming back for more. In fall of 2013, Walter completed his 200 RYT training at Yoga Six located in San Diego. Walter also had the honor of being a former lululemon ambassador which was also a great platform used to give back and share everything that yoga has done for him.
JACKIE DECONTI & BRIAN LUCE
Jackie DeConti is a music educator, yoga teacher, and ceremonial guide with over 15 years of experience in weaving together movement, sound, and creative expression as pathways to presence. She is the founder of Madre & the Muse and creator of The Bloom Method, supporting yoga teachers in designing and launching their own trainings. With a heart for community and a passion for the healing power of rhythm and ritual, Jackie holds spaces where participants are invited to connect deeply with themselves and with one another through music, movement, and mindfulness. Jackie will be accompanied by her partner, Brian, who will lead a live DJ set during the session.
J’VANETE SKIBA
J'vaneté helps propel the vision of creating a more compassionate and resilient community where everyone can thrive by partnering with community leaders and organizations to offer thought leadership, facilitation and collaboration, and training in trauma-informed/resilience-focused practices. She is passionate about working for the Resiliency Task Force and strives to bring resilience skills to the community while making connections across sectors from educators to first responders to businesses. J'vanete has a BA in Communication Studies from UNC Wilmington (’03) with a minor degree in English and a M. Ed in Neuroscience and Trauma. She is a certified Community Resiliency Model teacher, a certified Reconnect for Resilience Educator, and a Youth Mental Health First Aider. She leads the work of the task force’s subcommittees, and coordinates all in person and virtual movie screenings as well as workshops for the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) and Reconnect for Resilience (Reconnect). J’vaneté joined the staff of the Resiliency Task Force in January 2020 and was promoted to director in September of 2023.
MADDY MCPHERSON
Maddy discovered yoga as a teenager and quickly found mental and physical benefit in the calming, strength-building nature of asana. After years of imperfect practice, her interest in seeking a deeper understanding of yoga led her to India where she completed her 200hr training. Initially, Maddy had no intention of teaching, but she soon found joy in leading an imperfect, exploratory practice that honors the layered experience of mind, body and spirit. Her teaching is rooted in accessibility and inclusivity, often incorporating Qigong to illuminate the flow of energy within and around us. As both student and teacher, she is passionate to learn and share practices that awaken energy, build resilience, and invite presence.
JENNA LITTLE
Jenna Little is a Somatic Therapist (LCMHC), trauma informed Yoga Teacher, Sound healer, Master Holy Fire Reiki™ Ⅲ practitioner, and Registered Dietitian (RDN). Jenna has over a decade of experience in the wellness world and takes a body, soul, spirit approach to healing and thriving. She has a passion for integrative and holistic healing and is known for blending many modalities for a unique embodied healing experience. She runs her wellness practice, Jenna Little Wellness, in Raleigh, NC offering Telehealth and in person offerings. Her integrative practice supports and empowers clients to come home to their bodies, souls, spirit and story for healing, wholeness and freedom. She works with individuals as well as offers several groups and yoga classes including her signature Yoga For Healing intensive™.
DONNA DOWSON
Meet Donna - movement alchemist, embodiment guide, and creator of PrimalSoul Movement. After two decades of dancing through life, she discovered yoga wasn't just another way to move - it was a portal to profound transformation. Since completing her first teacher training in 2015, she's evolved beyond traditional yoga to craft a unique medicine that weaves together movement wisdom and transformative coaching. As an E-RYT200 and certified Feminine Freedom Method coach, Donna bridges the physical and spiritual realms, combining her dance background, yoga expertise, and deep understanding of feminine embodiment. Her approach is both playful and profound, guiding women to move with the grace of a dancer, the awareness of a yogi, and the freedom of their untamed spirit. Known for her intuitive teaching style and ability to hold sacred space for transformation, Donna creates experiences where healing happens naturally - like water finding its perfect path. Through PrimalSoul Movement and feminine embodiment coaching, she invites you to rediscover not just the joy of authentic movement, but the power of living from your most authentic feminine essence.
KELLY PURCELL
Kelly believes deeply in the power of reconnecting with the inner wisdom of our body and natural ability to heal and thrive by utilizing science-based practices and tools. She completed her 200-Hour Yoga and Social Justice Teacher Training in Portland, Oregon with Sarahjoy Marsh in 2018. She became a certified Community Resiliency Model teacher in 2019. Kelly also has an NC Certificate in Trauma and Resilience with an added focus on racial trauma, a certificate in Music Therapy and Sound Healing, a Trauma-Informed Outreach Certification and Crystal Singing Bowl Level 1 and Sound Healing Level 1 Certification. Kelly is in the process of completing her Level 2 Sound Healing Certification and Health and Well-Being Coaching Certification. Kelly’s passion is to provide a space for all who attend her workshops and sound baths to help people tap into their inherent inner wisdom and resilience.
SHANNON REILLY, E-RYT 500
Shannon Reilly is an E-RYT 500 yoga teacher, Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist, and Certified Professional Organizer (CPO®) who specializes in yoga for neurodiversity, nervous system regulation, and everyday resilience. With over a decade of teaching experience, Shannon blends the wisdom of yoga, the science of fascia, and evidence-based organizing and coaching tools to create supportive practices for focus, flow, and well-being. Her teaching emphasizes accessibility, body-based regulation, and practical integration—helping students and teachers alike apply yoga tools beyond the mat. Shannon is the founder of Simplify Space & Soul, where she offers classes, courses, and resources that bridge yoga, executive function coaching, and therapeutic support. She is especially passionate about equipping both practitioners and professionals with tools that honor diverse minds and bodies.
MICHELLE WALKER, MSW, LCSW
Over the past few years Michelle has devleoped ways to combine her love of nature with her professional passions. She owns and operates a Nature-Based Counseling practice in Wilmington NC. She hosts workshops and retreats that help guests discover a new and deeper relationship with themselves and with nature. In 2023, she completed training at the Somatic Nature Therapy Institute in Boulder, Colorado. This ignited a new apssion and she brought her expertise back to Wilmington. In the retreat setting Michelle teaches and facilitates mindfulness, meditative walks, sound baths, and forest bathing, reflective nature-based art, ceremony, and more.
Michelle believes that nature is one of our greatest resources for healing. This belief influences her work as a psychotherapist and retreat guide. She hopes to be able to share her knowledge with guests that they may continue their connection with nature on their own and throughout their lives.
JESSICA KING, LCSW, RYT200
Jessica came to yoga over 20 years ago as an alternative way to “work out”. Immediately she felt the mind-body connection, but it took her many years of exploring and practicing to understand yoga was more of a “working in” for her. Jessica’s training and style is in vinyasa yoga, linking breath to movement, and exploring the uniqueness of each practice day to day. Jessica has had further training in special populations including kids yoga, prenatal yoga, yoga for athletes, and trauma-informed yoga. Jessica leads workshops, yoga teacher training, and speaks to businesses/corporations on utilization of yoga, meditation, and mindfulness as a way to cope with chronic stress and burnout.
Jessica’s yoga teaching is heavily influenced by her career as a licensed clinical social worker. She looks at the whole person in their environment to incorporate support and resources that help people recognize their full potential. Jessica believes people are resilient and they can transform after challenges and that mindfulness practices help the transformation process. Jessica is certified in Somatic Experiencing and infuses mindful somatic language, as well as the inner child work of Internal Family Systems into her teaching. All these aspects will be part of the retreat experience in her yoga and meditation classes.
CANDACE VIVIAN, RYT 500
Candace Vivian is a wellness coach, OsteoStrong owner, and yoga teacher (RYT-500) with a passion for helping people discover balance, resilience, and inner strength. She is a graduate of the two-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher program with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield and a Veriditas-trained Labyrinth Facilitator. Candace integrates yoga, mindfulness, and labyrinth walking as accessible practices for anyone seeking greater well-being. Her approach is compassionate and grounded, inviting participants to explore their own journeys with curiosity and openness.
CARRINGTON JACKSON
BIO COMING SOON
DR. SARAH CAVRAK
Dr. Sarah Cavrak is a cognitive scientist, 500-hour certified yoga teacher, and Reiki master with over 25 years of experience exploring the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and spiritual practice. She brings a trauma-informed, science-backed approach to yoga that supports deep healing and personal transformation. Sarah’s classes and workshops weave together movement, breathwork, and nervous system education to help students move from survival to self-trust, and help teachers support their students skillfully and safely. With a background that bridges rigorous academic research and soulful embodiment practices, she creates spaces where learning, growth, and resilience can take root.
RACHEL LARSEN
Rachel Larsen is a yogi, professor of Anthropology, travel influencer, and author of Elevate. She has been teaching yoga for over 25 years. Her lifelong exploration of the world and the human spirit has taught her that true travel is a sacred journey of connection - forming bonds and relationships that nourish the soul. Guided by her deep wisdom and a vast global network, she creates experiences that awaken, inspire, and transform. Rachel brings acute knowledge of human anatomy and scholarly study of the foundational ancient yogic texts. This combination creates a practice where students can reconnect with these ancient traditions through their bodies their breath and their soul. Her offerings honor tradition while remaining attuned to the reality of the modern yogi. Rachel’s classes are invitations to explore the deeper dimensions of yoga, guiding students to live their yoga practice both on and off the mat. This approach encourages integration of yoga into daily life as a means to regulate the nervous system and achieve emotional, spiritual and physical balance.
RACHAEL CRAWFORD
Rachael Crawford has been teaching yoga & massage for 25+ years. Acro-yoga first came into her field in 2008, studied with Devon Sisler in 2014, and played in jams with the FlyLM community since 2018. She enjoys the nuances and the profound ways embodied practices can shape our minds, hearts, bodies and our lives. She is a dancer and a textile artist and draws from each tradition to inform her classes, workshops, retreats, trainings and events. You can find her at embodiedweaving.com
EMILY BURDETTE
Emily moved to Wilmington in 2012 to work in the film industry and music community. In 2013, she became a certified yoga teacher through Open Studio NC studying with Sheryl Light and Tom Slattery. As her practice and teaching evolved, her interest in anatomy and how the body works grew. She taught at Open Studio for 5 years and learned AcroYoga during this time with Deven Sisler in workshops at Wilmington Yoga Center and Longwave Yoga. Emily is also a musician who often sings and plays during savasana.
SAMANTHA SIMONS
She/Her/Hers
As a yoga professional, peer support specialist, and social psychologist, Samantha integrates mind-body wellness with evidence-based and trauma-informed approaches. Her background in peer support and psychology informs her practice of creating transformative learning experiences that foster both physical wellbeing and emotional resilience. She facilitates collaborative spaces where participants develop practical skills and sustainable wellness practices for real-world application and enhanced quality of life.
INGRID SADDLER-WALKER
Ingrid Saddler-Walker, owner of Wytha Balance Yoga – Counseling LLC, and Executive Director/Founder Bull City Yoga Festival. (E-RYT 500). She created the Annual Bull City Yoga Festival in Durham, NC with the intention to bring together the diverse yoga teachers in Durham and the surrounding area. “My goal is to develop healthy life skills with yoga, educate and empower others with health, wellness and the benefits of yoga”. Ingrid discovered yoga at her local gym in 2009. As an elementary Professional School Counselor, I was inspired to pursue my own yoga teacher training as a tool to share with students navigating mental health diagnosis. Ingrid completed her yoga teacher training with Radiant Child Family Yoga-Kundalini Yoga, Mind Body Centering-Advanced Yoga for Mental Health, Yoga Skills-Kemetic Yoga and Lifeologic-Psychotherapeutic Yoga. Ingrid is also a Master Level Reiki Practitioner and has several certifications in teaching yoga to children. (RCYT-95). In 2009 Ingrid opened Wytha Balance Yoga – Counseling LLC the only black yoga studio in Durham, NC, and founded the Bull City Yoga Festival in 2018. On June 9, 2024 she opened the Bull City Yoga Festival Studio in Durham, NC.
LEA ALSTON, E-RYT 500
For over 16 years, Lea Alston has been the visionary owner of Scentsuosity, where she has specialized in formulating and teaching natural body care products that inspire holistic wellness. Her passion for helping others connect with mind, body, and spirit also flows into her yoga practice. Since 2014, Lea has taught Hatha Yoga and now holds the distinction of being a 500-hour E-RYT, guiding students with wisdom, compassion, and depth. Lea is also a seasoned traveler with more than 25 years of experience curating transformative retreats and travel experiences, weaving together culture, self-care, and soulful exploration. Beyond yoga and wellness education, she is a Reiki II practitioner and sound bowl healer, offering clients powerful tools for energetic balance and inner healing. Currently, Lea expands her offerings through Thai Massage trainings, sharing the ancient art of mindful touch and movement to deepen her community’s healing journey. With a unique blend of creativity, holistic wisdom, and nurturing guidance, Lea continues to create spaces—whether in workshops, retreats, or trainings—where individuals can restore, grow, and align with their highest selves.
LESLIE DOUGLAS
With a decade of practice, Leslie blends mindfulness meditation, trauma-sensitive awareness, and respect for each body’s unique needs. She is currently completing a two-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, weaving this wisdom into restorative and yin practices.
Her connection to tea ceremony deepens her teaching, offering students a grounding, sensory experience. Through the ritual of tea in nature and the gentle flow of asanas, Leslie invites presence, honoring both the moment and the cultural traditions of tea.
KIM KESKITALO
My yoga journey began in the late 2000's with a class called When Pigs Fly Yoga. This class showed me that yoga really is for everyone. I walked into that class 220lbs full of self doubt but after that class I never looked back. For years the practice of yoga was enough to fill my cup. However, in 2021, I underwent cervical spine surgery. I am currently fused from C3-C7. Before I was put under for surgery I made sure my surgeon knew my comeback would be greater than the setback. I was determined to get back on the mat . anyway that I could. I completed my 200hr YTT training in 2024 at Wilmington Yoga Center. I currently teach at Amplifly, Porters Neck Yoga, & Figure Eight Island. My preferred styles of teaching are deep stretch, yin, restorative, and slow flow. I am also trained in the crystal sound bowls. I provide sound baths (both grounded & floating) throughout the Wilmington area.
Yoga is my passion, yoga is my journey, yoga is my way to heal.
HEATHER TILL, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500
Heather Till is a Certified Integrative Yoga Therapist, through the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She also holds certificates as a Gentle Somatic Yoga Practitioner, Bellicon Rebounding Instructor, and TTW Embodied Play Facilitator. As a long time mover and dancer, Heather has been studying the movement and healing arts for over 25 years. Her teaching is rooted in mindfulness and gentle yoga practices that encourage moving from an inner awareness to unravel chronic tension and pain patterns and reconnect with our body’s natural rhythms and ability for health and resilience. Heather has long been drawn to yoga as a healing path. Her playful personality infuses her teaching through these slow yoga practices and movement explorations that draw upon her studies in restorative yoga, yoga + neuroscience, breath work, meditation, self regulation and resiliency. Her intention is to create an experience for her students that leaves the nervous system feeling calm and nourished, and awakens new possibilities within each of us to experience deeper peace and well being.