Instructors

The Family Garden has a fantastic team of instructors!

Our team includes child birth professionals, fitness instructors, dieticians, health care experts, mental health professionals and a wide variety of specialists on pregnancy and parenting. Get to know our instructors and their offerings today. And watch for a complete class schedule coming soon – programs will begin on June 4th.

Leslie Wibbeler
Leslie’s path to teaching yoga began 1997 when she was seeking diversity in her fitness routine. She quickly learned that the power and grace of yoga would be life changing. Leslie’s dedication intensified after leaving her full-time career and giving birth to her two sons. Yoga became the main source of strengthening her body and centering her mind. She completed her 200-hour power yoga certification through CorePower and 85-hour Prenatal Yoga Training through Yo Mama Yoga and Family Center. Leslie connects her life experiences to create classes that are known to be challenging, playful and refreshing. She strives to inspire others to explore their bodies and develop a content mind and healthy spirit. While not on the yoga mat, Leslie enjoys organic, vegetarian cooking and playing in nature with her husband and two young sons.

Karyn Sullivan
Karyn is a Boulder native. She began practicing yoga at the age of 12. She received her BA in psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has a passion for working with and helping children. As a mother of two young sons, Karyn began developing her Chillaxed Kids program. She integrated her knowledge of psychology, yoga and early childhood development into a program that teaches children how to relax their bodies and minds. She has been teaching Chillaxed Kids at the Longmont Recreation Center, St. Vrain Valley School District, as well as at private lessons. Karyn’s goal is to teach children tools that will last them a lifetime.

Jayashri
Jayashri has been studying and practicing meditation, mindfulness living, and exploring various styles of yoga for almost 8 years. She began her healing process with her beloved teacher, healer and husband Felix Lopez creator of Prajnic Healing who has had a profound effect on shaping her goals towards a healthy lifestyle.She is a certified yoga teacher from the Hatha-Sivananda Yoga tradition and completed the teacher training for yoga for cancer with Tari Prinster, developer of Y4C. Receiving her training with the intention to share the happiness and and joy of her own healing process with others.Jayashri believes in the benefits of a healthy mind, body and spirit by incorporating yoga and meditation in our daily routine.”We can change the world by healing ourselves.”

Deborah Cooper is a certified yoga instructor and psychotherapist at Head Start. Deborah completed her training for pre-natal yoga at Yo Mama and is honored to create a sacred space for all mommas who enter the Family Garden. Deborah recently received her “Certification for Calming Kids Yoga” and is continually exploring trainings and workshops that teach the pure essence of yoga. Deborah has lived in Longmont for the past ten years and resides in Longmont with her husband Dave, children Kira and Kade and her dog Bodhi.

Jennifer Franz, MSW, LSW, RYT-200
Jennifer is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) and has been practicing yoga for over 7 years. Jennifer also completed the Prenatal Yoga Certification with Yo Mama Yoga and Family Center in Boulder and is a birth doula. Jennifer grew up hearing her mother talk about birth-related topics as a lactation consultant and Lamaze instructor. This experience inspired her to begin working with women and young children. Jennifer believes that during the journey of pregnancy a woman needs a space to be able to address her fears, share her excitements and connect with her baby. As a prenatal yoga instructor, Jennifer takes care to provide a warm, caring and held womb space for the pregnant woman to give birth to her new identity as a mother. For 12 years, Jennifer has had the honor of empowering children, youth, adults and families toward greater satisfaction and investment in their lives. Jennifer is a Licensed Social Worker and has experience doing this therapeutic work locally, throughout the United States and internationally. Currently, Jennifer teaches yoga and provides therapeutic care to young men ages 18-26 and their families in a residential program in the Colorado mountains.

Julia McGarey
Julia began practicing yoga when she was eight years old, though she didn’t take her first “real class” until 2004, at age 23. She knows from personal experience that, even though there is a very real difference in the way kids and adults approach it, yoga can be powerful and beneficial for people of all ages.
Julia completed her 200 hour teacher training at the Nosara Yoga Institute in July 2011, and trained to teach kids with Yoga for Young Warriors in May 2012. She is passionate about making yoga accessible to people of all ages, and she strives to tailor each of her classes to the students she sees on the mats in front of her. Whether working with kids or adults, she aims to take my students deeper into their own practice and begin the process of translating what they learn about themselves through yoga into their life off the mat.

Shannon Harriman
Shannon is a certified yoga instructor who has been exploring the tradition and her personal practice for 20 years. Originally from Maine, Shannon’s interest in eastern philosophy brought her to Nepal in 1997. Although she called Nepal home for nearly 14 years, Shannon also spent a great amount of time in India, Bali and Thailand studying with different teachers and learning a variety of styles. She believes passionately in inviting people into the present moment, connecting them to their breath and creating the space for them to move with grace and awareness in their bodies. Shannon’s recent pregnancy brought her back to the states and to settle in Colorado. Yoga has continued to provide an incredible support to her, not only in preparing her for birth, but in her new experience of motherhood.

Liz Daniels
Liz has a love for the outdoors and nature, enjoys snowboarding, hiking, taking her dogs for long walks and gardening. This helped her decide to move to Colorado from the East Coast 10 years ago. She graduated from UMass Amherst with a degree in hospitality management, working as an event & wedding planner for the last 15 years. Over these years an avid yoga practice has helped her find a sense of calm from the busy, stressful days & after suffering a leg injury found it was also an amazing way to heal the body. Our bodies have the ability to heal when we fuel them with good nutrition and allow our breath to deepen & our minds to slow down. Practicing prenatal yoga through her pregnancy, she found it also was a great way to connect with her baby. Health of her mind & body have always been very important to her and decided to embrace her passions. She completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training at Samadhi in Denver and is very excited to embark on this new path and share this with others.

Kristin Hawley
Kristin has been working with children and families for the past 8 years as a movement and music teacher and also as the manager of a large parent/child play center for the past 3. She and her husband and daughter moved to Longmont, CO from the Buffalo, NY area in 2009 and love the Colorado weather, scenery and the wonderful friends and neighbors they’ve met here. Kristin holds a B.S. in Biology but discovered her true passion was in working with children and families. She looks forward to serving many new families and hopefully seeing some familiar faces as well in her role as office manager of The Family Garden.

Lorene Nardell, MS, OTR, BCB-PMD
Lorene has a Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy from Boston University and is a Registered Occupational Therapist in the state of Colorado. Lorene also owns Rabbit Mountain Living, a Health and Wellness Coaching practice, and is a Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation Therapist. Lorene’s past professional experience includes counseling homeless and runaway teenagers, cognitive rehabilitation, teaching, and assisting in research at BU. Lorene has an extensive background in movement related arts in addition to her over 10 years of practice in mental health, counseling and therapy fields. She has been practicing Chinese and Indonesian Martial Arts since 2003 and has a Black Sash within this family system. She was a boxing trainer at Front Range Boxing Academy in Boulder and trained in amateur boxing. Her yoga practice also began over 10 years ago in Rochester, NY with international Iyengar yoga instructor François Raoult. Lorene started dancing at the age of 5 and has studied ballet, modern dance, Swing/Lindy, African, Latin, Improvisation, Authentic Movement, and participated in Dance Choir and Body Stories. She became a principle dance member of Calabash Dance Company, now Geomantics Dance Theater. Learn more about Lorene at www.RabbitMountainLiving.com and keep updated at “Longmont Movement for Mamas”on Facebook.

Stacey Donelson, L.Ac, MSOM
Stacey Donelson, L.Ac, MSOM, and Clinical Herbalist has studied with OB-GYN Chinese medicine professionals in both New York City and Colorado. She is a nationally and state licensed acupuncturist and clinical herbalist. She is certified in Mei Zen facial and abdominal cosmetic acupuncture. Family health is her passion. She looks forward to sharing her experience and knowledge with you on your parenthood journey.

Betsy Bush, RN, ND, IBCLC
Betsy Bush has worked in the area of maternal and child health for over 13 years, providing health care and advocating for the health of children and families in a variety of settings. She believes that the birth of a child offers a profound opportunity to positively impact the health and well-being of an entire family. Recently, she founded Touchstone Nursing Center, LLC, where she offers a wide range of lactation consulting services. She holds a Nursing Doctorate degree from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Psychology from The College of William and Mary. She has earned the “gold standard” in breastfeeding education becoming an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Betsy lives in Erie with her husband and their three energetic young sons. She is honored to guide and empower young families toward healthy futures. Learn more about Betsy at www.touchstonenursing.com.

Joanna Mandell
Born and raised on the East Coast, Joanna (JOYO) has always loved being active. In her younger years, it was volleyball, track, and making people smile. As a grown up, she fell in love with television publicity After 10 years at the NBC network as Director of Publicity for NBC Primetime East Coast television shows in New York, a stint at the Oxygen network, and time at home with the kids, phase two has arrived. Yoga! After moving to Boulder Joanna ( Jo) or (JOYO when she teaches,) was initially drawn to yoga for its physical benefits, but soon after, she fell in love with everything about it! The movement, the flow, the community, the moment. Jo enjoys bringing people together, making them feel alive, supported, healthy and smiling!
Courtney Greedy
Courtney is dedicated to radically improving the health of women and their families. She is equipped with extensive knowledge in holistic nutrition and preventative health. She works closely with her clients to come up with an enjoyable, delicious and nourishing strategy of eating and self-care that produces real and lasting results. A new mother herself, she understands the beauty and challenges in this special time. All her recipes are kid tested by her 3 1/2 year-old advisor.

Morgan Brungard
A Boulder County native, Morgan Brungard received her BA in Spanish and post-graduate degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Brigham Young University (BYU). During her time at BYU, Morgan danced with dancEnsemble, the student-choreography based modern dance company on campus. She has extensive foreign experience in the Dominican Republic, where she attended a local university, performed research in traditional Dominican folk dance, and taught English. In addition to her background in language acquisition and dance, Morgan has many years of experience in early childhood education and choral music as well. She taught with the Elementary Spanish Program in the Boulder Valley School District this past school year, and she plans to continue again next year. Morgan is also Elizabeth’s mommy, her favorite title of all! Morgan is excited to share the things she loves: Spanish language, culture, dance, and music, with the people she loves: young children (and their families) at the Family Garden!

Melanie Malaspina
Melanie has been at Parenting Place for the past three years and loves her job. Melanie graduated with a Masters in Social Work from the University of Denver and is a Licensed Social Worker. Previous to working at Parenting Place, Melanie worked in a number of different children’s advocacy and research positions (including adolescent depression research and working as a social worker at a middle school). When not at work, Melanie enjoys spending time with her family and her baby daughter, dancing, quilting, and playing Ultimate Frisbee.

Rachael Bonaiuto
Rachael has her MA in Somatic Counseling Psychology, is a registered Dance Movement Therapist, a Licensed Professional Counselor and teaches Authentic Movement at Naropa University. In 2004, Rachael began her study of Authentic Movement and has since trained with several reputable teachers, including pioneers of the form. Rachael is increasingly amazed by the ways Authentic Movement informs her life, brings her closer to her truth and allows for deeper connection with self, other, and the greater earth body. She has been profoundly grateful for her Authentic Movement practice during her pregnancy and birth, appreciating the trust in her body, the capacity to connect internally and the space to listen to what is needed.

Jenevieve S. Glemming MA, LPC, CD
Jenevieve is birth doula, a therapist, and a mama with 15+years of experience of supporting transitions, parents and wellness. She is passionate about empowering conscious birthing and parenting, deepening family bonds and supporting transitions. She has created Earth-Based ceremonies in a wide variety of settings, including 11 years as the associate dean at Naropa University and in her private practice, Nurturing Strategies. She has attended over 100 births as a doula and supported hundreds of families. Jenevieve delights in exploring her own personal, spiritual journey of motherhood and is ecstatic to support mamas through the Sacred Motherhood Ceremonies.

Lammert Bottema
Lammert is a husband, a father and a grandfather. He is also a parent educator and has worked in the field of education for 35 years. He is looking forward to using his wisdom and experience to facilitate a Dads Group here at the Family Garden to discuss issues important to fathers today. Originally from The Netherlands, Lammert is now a Longmont resident along with his wife Barbara.

Sarah Mills, AAHCC
Sarah is a Bradley Method® childbirth educator, science nerd, and eco-mama. She loves her role in helping couples achieve their birth day goals through education and support. After being a Bradley student herself and enjoying the natural birth of her son, Sarah felt passionate about helping other couples on their path to an intervention-free birth. When she’s not “teaching mommies about having babies” (to borrow a phrase from her son), she’s likely to be in the kitchen whipping up a homemade something, outside playing trucks, or blogging about natural childbirth and parenting at www.birthmojo.com.

Melissa Johnson
For Melissa, becoming a doula and childbirth educator was an unexpected surprise! Although, as the former owner of a Yoga & Wellness Center, it was a natural fit. “I had no idea that the path I was on was going to lead me here, but it did!” Taking the DONA Doula Training truly transformed what the birth experience “looked like”. It shed light on my own birth experience; an experience that I surely share with so many other moms around Boulder and the country. When I took the HypnoBirthing Practitioner course, it opened my eyes to the idea that birth doesn’t have to be painful! You read that right, birth *can be* comfortable, confident and enjoyable! Melissa is a Certified DONA Doula, HypnoBirthing Childbirth Educator, Certified Hypnotist and has several additional birth related trainings.

Judith Nowlin
Judith is a certified Bradley Method ® Childbirth Educator, DONA certified birth doula, and Co-Founder of the iBirth App. She has been teaching Natural Childbirth classes since 2004 and is honored to have worked with hundreds of families in CO as they prepare to welcome their babies.
Shortly after the birth of her first child she realized the immense positive impact that being supported and informed through the journey of childbirth had on her birth and postpartum experience. It became her passion to share this wealth with other couples. Her desire is to help empower pregnant women and their partners to experience birth for the amazing thing it was created to be — a beautiful and profound right of passage into motherhood, fatherhood and beyond. Her classes focus on the pregnancy and birth process as a state of wellness: centered on the knowledge that all aspects of pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum are delicately interwoven.

Johanna Quesenberry
Birthing a baby is one of the most profound and empowering moments of a woman’s life – it certainly was for Johanna, proud momma to Vesta(6) and James (5). Johanna is a Bradley Method Childbirth Educator and was called to assist births long before having her own. She feels it’s important to go into your birth in optimal health, with confidence and preparedness, as well as knowing how to work together with partner, baby, and birth team. In her classes, she has a calm, practical, laughter filled, and fun approach. Her goal is to hold space for couples in a way that is supportive and educational so that couples can tap into their inner knowing as they bring their baby peacefully into the world.
“I can’t imagine a more rewarding or important job to do with the short time we have on this earth than to assist the peaceful deliverance of new souls upon it.”

Tal Cohen
Tal is a certified personal trainer and wellness coach. She has 8 years experience working with individuals, groups and teaching classes. She transformed her life from being an overweight woman with low self-esteem, into a confident, healthy and fit professional woman. Tal also owns “WowYourself” a wellness practice where she is inspiring others to change their lives with her unique approach to create healthy and happy lives.Tal discovered yoga over 5 years ago and loves it. She combines her education and experience in traditional fitness methods with her understanding and knowledge of yoga.Tal was born in Israel and has lived in Longmont since 2000. She has two teen-age daughters and she loves hiking, dancing and healthy cooking. She believes that everything starts in our mind and our thoughts, so in order to be able to create the life we want we must start there. http://www.wowyourself.com

Debbie Lane, Founder and Executive Director
Debbie has a passion for helping bring forth new life and nurturing all life forms to realize their full potential. A former preschool teacher, she is the mother of two sons, step-mother of one and has 5 amazing grandchildren. Debbie is a believer in the power of women to give birth. Along with serving clients as a doula, teaching Birthing From Within classes, and working at The Family Garden, Debbie is an active volunteer in the community. She has adopted an “I Have a Dream” class, mentored students, been a Boy Scouts den mother and a Girl Scouts leader, and served on numerous Committees for local churches, schools and non-profits.
Interested in offering classes or programs at The Family Garden? Complete an application today.