RETREAT SPEAKERS

Sammy is a Colorado based yoga instructor + freelancer who is passionate about making yoga accessible for everyone. Sammy first discovered yoga in college alongside obtaining her degree in Graphic Design + Social Media/Digital Strategy, at Columbia College Chicago. She was immediately drawn to yoga’s forgiveness and mindfulness after growing up in the competitive dance world. She completed her 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training in college at Yoga Six in the South Loop of Chicago. She strives to remain a student at heart and has since completed a Trauma Informed Yoga Training through Prison Yoga Chicago + Yoga Behind Bars, and more recently completed her Full-Spectrum Doula Certification. Her Fertility and Pregnancy Loss Doula services now heavily incorporate yoga as a means of healing and self-love.  Sammy's favorite kinds of classes to teach are Vinyasa based yoga and powerful, challenging flows to challenge the body and build resiliency. She will forever be fascinated by the healing aspects of yoga, including the fact that the same sections of the brain that shut down after someone experiences grief or trauma, light back up and are reactivated by mindful movement. Sammy’s goal is to safely guide students in a way that allows them to explore their own practice more deeply and heal through the power of yoga. 

Jennifer began practicing yoga in the late 1990’s and was called to the path of teaching in 2012. She has studied under yogi masters that worked directly with B.K.S. Iyengar and Sharath Jois (two teachers that were/are part of bringing yoga to the United States), bringing her students a rich and traditional experience of practicing yoga with modern touches for sustainability to the individual student.  

In addition to her 1000+ hours of teaching and training in the field of yoga, Jennifer is also a Master Reiki Practitioner, and a mentor for survivors of childhood trauma.  

Jennifer has been a military spouse for over 20 years, has four children, and five grandchildren. She is from the Chicago suburbs, but she and her family now call Fountain, Colorado their permanent home. She holds a degree in business and leadership from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.  

Guiding others in transformation and healing is Jennifer’s true calling. She has felt pure joy being able to share her skills and intuitive guidance to the residents of El Paso County and online all over the world and is ecstatic to have a successful yoga studio to share with the community.  

You’re invited to visit us at 107 E. Ohio Avenue in Fountain, or explore our website for yoga & healing options at www.zenneryoga.com

Sylvia Philpy is a Masters prepared Nurse Practitioner with over 25 years of experience in nursing, including over 18 years of experience in complimentary/alternative healthcare and over 10 years of integrative oncology specialization. She is currently the co-owner and clinical director of Integrated Health Solutions in Colorado Springs.  She has background and certifications in Holistic Nursing from the University of Colorado, mind/body training from Harvard Medical School’s Mind/Body Institute, healing touch certification from Healing Touch International, and Ayurvedic medicine training from The Chopra Center in San Diego. Sylvia provides “foundational health” assessments, and clinically guided nutritional supplementation, to clients seeking an integrated approach to their healthcare concerns.  Integrative oncology is of special interest to Sylvia, and she works closely with Dr. Sean Devlin, a nationally recognized integrative medical specialist, to bring the most current, innovative cancer support program to Integrated Health Solutions. In addition, Sylvia is a Level III certified clinical thermographer providing non-radiation body scanning for breast cancer screening, and for general health assessment. She believes strongly in the Intelligence and Love that has created the opportunity for life and health in every person.

Rená Koesler    I am a former professor turned entrepreneur. I took the most favorite parts of being a professor and created a coaching and speaking practice. I often use my 40+ years of outdoor adventure and climbing mountains to speak and write about leadership, team development, and personal development. As a business coach, I help clients move to the next step in life and in business. I value the essence of desire and find that when people identify their desires and move toward them, their life demonstrates fullness and aliveness. I keep people from saying “I shoulda, coulda or woulda” and help them navigate toward their goals, summits and desires.   

Val Jones is a former professional figure skater turned speaker, author, peak performance coach. Her book "Sharpen Your Edge," was released in November of 2020. While her Olympic dream never materialized due to a knee injury, the concepts of achieving and maintaining peak performance is what Val is passionate about. She believes that everyone has a champion inside them and deserves to have that podium moment. Her goal is to help as many people realize their goals and dreams as possible.  

With education and over 28 years experience as a nutritionist and chef,  Stevie has worked with all age groups and a myriad of health issues and concerns. She believes food should be healthy and delicious at the same time,  and strongly believes in food as medicine. She can help you have a healthy relationship with food, while still enjoying life and achieving optimal health. Throughout her career, she has helped clients with other aspects of a healthy lifestyle, and includes this in her approach.  

Janice Ballard began writing poetry during the Pandemic.  The poems were inspired by a source outside of herself and simultaneously from deep within. Ten Degrees Each: Thirty -Six Poems For Life is her first poetry collection but not her last.   She is thriving from Breast Cancer and enjoys lots of creative space and time for writing and making collages.  She recently moved to Fort Collins, Colorado from Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Her poems touch on our day-to-day existence while elevating readers to a higher plane. 

Avital Miller, best-selling author of the books Healing Happens and Practice, inspires people to experience boundless energy, absolute happiness, and true success. For over fifteen years Avital has been serving thousands of people worldwide as an award-winning international keynote speaker, healing breakthrough facilitator, and global dancer. Her leadership background includes being a program manager at Microsoft, lead coach for Success Resources America, sales and marketing director for Crystal Clarity Publishers, yoga and fitness teacher trainer, and fitness director. Stages and shows where she has danced, sung, or spoken include The Kennedy Center, KTLA, Channel 7 News, KPCW, KCMJ, Miss South India Pageant, Global Workplace Wellness Summit, and Motivational Millennial. Her articles have been published in Nue fashion magazine, Toastmasters International Magazine, Fitness Professional Online, 30 Seconds, and Sacred Dance Guild Journal. She won the Exceptional Woman of Excellence award from the Women Economic Forum and her book Healing Happens won four awards including one from TopShelf! Avital has been trained as a Neuro-Linguistic Practitioner, and an energy healer in Pranic Healing and Ananda Level 2 Healing. She has performed and taught dance internationally since 1993. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and a major in dance, she is known for offering beyond-cutting-edge wisdom with authenticity, delightful energy, and infectious joy. How to pronounce Avital: Annunciation of "Avital" is "Ahveetahl" where the vowels are short and accent is on the end. Here is a video to hear how it sounds: https://youtu.be/HdhM0t0IwU0 

Heather Harris is an international speaker, physical therapist and certified coach with the John Maxwell Team. She lives by the motto, “when you fall off a horse, you get back on and ride again” and perseverance is one of her most significant character traits. Having invested 21 years of her career in the healthcare industry facilitating recovery mindsets in patients who were seeking to improve their health during challenging experiences, she never imagined the day would come when she would have to activate those same skills in preservation of her own health. She has battled difficulties in pregnancies and her daughter, Kendra, was born almost 4 months prematurely. That miraculous story of survival is shared in the book, Hold My Crown: Women of Grit Share Stories of Resilience. In recent years, as Heather has set her focus on speaking and coaching, she has experienced several other bouts of illness to overcome including severe complications from an autoimmune condition, stroke, brain & skull surgery and speech impairment. She is a thriver in every sense of the word and is committed to helping others achieve similar victories in their health.

Born without his right arm, only a partial left arm, and a shortened left leg, Kurt P. White made the choice early on in childhood to not let anything get in the way of pursuing his dreams. In spite of his disability, he was determined to live life just like any other person. Ironically, his strong conviction to be just like everyone else has led him to become a quite remarkable, unique individual. Kurt made the decision to live life on his own terms. Attending public school and obtaining a degree in Finance, securing a successful career, and raising a family are just a few of his most cherished accomplishments. Along the way he learned to drive, swim, fish, play pool, bowl, and even golf competitively. More recently, he has added skydiving and water skiing to the list. Today, he and his wife, Lisa, live in Denver, CO where Kurt is currently the Partnerships Coordinator for the First Tee-Colorado Rocky Mountains.