Kelli Butler Ke-La Fitness General Partner Certified Personal and Group Fit Trainer
About Kelli: I am a certified and experienced Personal Trainer, Group Fit Expert, and Nutritional Coach with advanced training in program directing, management, teaching, counseling, and nutritional planning for diabetic clients and weight loss techniques. I thoroughly enjoy individual and group exercise, and utilize years of expertise that incorporates HIIT, bootcamp style exercise, and athletic conditioning. I have worked with numerous athletes in sport specific training and spent many years developing my skills while participating in competitive powerlifting.
I specialize in combined individual exercise sessions with comprehensive nutritional counseling to help clients achieve personal goals and promote activities and coping methods that transform unhealthy habits and fuel healthy minds and bodies.
I am skilled and equipped with the motivational skills and technical training necessary to engage clients and achieve fast, realistic, and lasting results with a compassionate approach, understanding correlative issues with weight and self-esteem.
Having health issues myself, I have developed an empathy and drive to help others achieve their personal fitness goals who struggle with physical and mental obstacles. I believe and have learned that it takes courage to start and maintain a healthy mind and body, and that taking the first step towards health isn’t having an absence of fear to do so, it’s learning how to triumph over it.
Laurence Gathy Ke-La Fitness General Partner Certified Group Fit Trainer
About Laurence: In late 2016, after working for over 25 years in the tech industry, I decided to retire from my job and was immediately hit by a number of serious health issues. My immune system had been running in high gear for such a long time, that once I took a break from the daily stress my body just fell apart. Additionally, I suffered from the typical Silicon Valley symptoms of high blood pressure, chronic neck and back pain, elevated cholesterol and was overweight. This was me; a culmination of 25 years of prioritizing work responsibilities over eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.
It was a wake up call, and so I began the slow process of changing my lifestyle to a healthier one. Most importantly, I re-discovered that walking, hiking and backpacking are my favorite activities in life, especially when sharing these with family and friends.
I have since spent a large amount of time hiking and backpacking in many places; the 500 mile Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage, 250 miles throughout Patagonia’s incredible park network, a few hundred miles on long weekend trips to Yosemite, Zion, Grand Staircase-Escalante desert, the Grand Canyon and a few hundred more closer to home in all my favorite local parks, including Henry Cowell, Fall Creek, Big Basin, Nisene Marks and Wilder Ranch. I have become an avid hiker and the best part of it is that hiking has improved my health significantly. It has contributed to lowering my blood pressure and helped control my weight. Best of all yet, it does not require a gym membership and can be done anywhere in the world!
Besides hiking experience, my previous work expertise is in project management. I spent 25 years of my life shipping products and setting up successful programs at Apple, inc. I spent the past few months working with Kelli on the class offerings, team, accommodations and food for the Ke-La Fitness Retreat and I am super excited about the program we’ve put together. Thanks for your support and I look forward to meeting you in September!
Madia Jamgochian Certified Nutrition Consultant My Healing Habits
About Madia: I graduated from Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition in 2013 after completing my BA in Environmental Studies and Exercise Sports Science at UCSB. Shortly after, I started my personal consulting business, My Healing Habits. My nutrition education journey began as a result of my own unresolved health issues that started just out of high school. Western Medicine offered no solutions besides a plethora of prescription medications, a route that I refused to go. This pushed me to look for the answer in nutrition, using a food-as-medicine approach to healing. I have seen so many positive results and success stories, (myself included) it moves me to keep sharing! I offer nutrition classes through New Leaf Community Markets educating on how to heal inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. Thank you for your support!
Sue Saso Certified Healh and Wellness Coach Certified Personal Trainer
About Sue: Sue has a Master’s in Public Health and as a wellness coach and health educator at Kaiser Permanente and BaySport, Inc., she’s passionate about promoting mind-body wellness. She uses her behavioral health, nutrition and fitness expertise to encourage people to implement lifestyle modifications tailored to their personal wellness goals and desires. Sue advocates for progress not perfection, and she believes that a healthy mindset is critical to emotional and physical wellbeing. When Sue is not working, she enjoys reading a good book, listening to live music, traveling, and a good glass of wine. Certified Personal Trainer (NASM #1170060687) Wellcoaches Certified Health and Wellness Coach (CHWC #237025)
Julie Murphy Certified Hakomi Therapist and Trainer
About Julie: Julie Murphy is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Certified Hakomi Therapist and Trainer, has 30 years of experience consulting, teaching and working in the Healing Arts. Julie served as a Co-Director of the Hakomi Institute of California for over ten years and leads trainings for health professionals in the Hakomi Method of Experiential Psychotherapy, Attachment Psychotherapy and other special topics in California, Canada, China, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Israel.
Bringing together years of study and professional experience in the fields of anthropology, contemplative psychology, somatics, Buddhist meditation practice and the arts, Julie developed an archetypal method--The Mythic Body; a somatic approach to creative writing-- Embodied Writing™; and co-developed Waking up from the Family Trance. Julie also created the highly praised professional training Attending to Attachment: A mindfulness based approach to working with attachment issues and relationship repair.
Along with trainings presented through the Hakomi Institute, Julie is adjunct Faculty at John F. Kennedy University. She taught in the California Institute of Integral Studies Certificate Program in Mindfulness and Compassion in Psychotherapy and has presented at numerous conferences including the American Massage Therapy Association, the Hakomi Institute International Conference, and the Unites States Association of Body Psychotherapy. In 2011, she published Loosening the Grip of Addiction: A Mindful Recovery in “The Therapist”.
Julie has been practicing meditation for over 35 years and combines a strong contemplative approach with the latest research in neuroscience and human relationship in her teaching. She has studied with many master poets. Her poems are published or forth coming in CALYX, Pennsylvania English, The Louisville Review, Common Ground Review, Green Hills Literary Lantern and other literary journals.
Julie integrates cutting edge research with creative, humanistic and contemplative approaches, teaching individuals, groups and professionals, including the Hakomi Method of Experiential Psychotherapy, mindfulness and meditation, contemplative and creative writing, Mindful Recovery, and embodiment. She maintains a private practice in Santa Cruz, practicing somatic psychotherapy and addictions counseling with individuals, couples, and adolescents. Julie Murphy, MA, LMFT #83806,
About Tamara: Yoga has been part of my life since childhood when I was fortunate that my father took me with him to yoga classes. Since then, I have studied different styles of yoga and immersed myself in understanding it's different lineages. I certified to teach in 2003 and have been teaching in the Bay area ever since. My teaching brings together what I consider to be the best and most effective methods while staying true to the essential, universal, and timeless teachings of Yoga. From both my own experience and my years of teaching, I know that Yoga offers a key to a lifetime of health and well-being for body, mind, and spirit. It's a system complete in itself while also being the ideal complement to other fitness, sports, and wellness endeavors. I am dedicated to sharing it's benefits with others and love encouraging people with all levels of experience and at all levels of fitness.
BIO
Cecilia Kelly Certified Zumba Instructor
About Cecilia: I am thrilled to get the chance to dance and play with all of you. After raising my children, I started taking Zumba classes in 2008, and was quickly addicted, I started teaching in 2012, and I am even more in love with this program. What motivates me everyday is seeing the joy in my student's faces as they move their bodies and lose their inhibitions to the beautiful latin beats.
About Emma: I am a senior studying Biology at Pitzer College and will be graduating this May. I am a certified Wilderness First Responder (including CPR/AED) and a Rescue SCUBA diver, and I plan to obtain my lifeguard certification before June 4th. I lead an active lifestyle and have experience kayaking, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, tide pooling and surfing. I love running, biking, and climbing, and feel great when I get my heart pumping during a HIIT class! I enjoy hiking, and when I get the chance I love to go on backpacking and camping trips.
