Norman Elizondo is a Family Wellness Counselor with Open Sky Wilderness Therapy, located outside of Durango, Colorado. Norman works with students and parents to develop the same basic skill sets of emotional regulation, assertive communication, and effective boundary holding. Meditation has been a cornerstone of Norman’s life, as he has studied and trained as a meditation instructor in the Tibetan tradition since 2001. As part of his commitment and ongoing training in meditation, Norman spends 4-6 weeks each year in retreat along with his daily practice. With most of his vacation time spent in retreat, he finds it important to make time in his daily life for exercise, playing music—DJing, singing, and drumming—and getting into the outdoors just for fun.
Enjoy this one-hour Living Well where Normans shares about how we can use Buddhist principles, mindfulness and meditation to live well!
Kimber Jones is the founder of Asheville-based Moksha Yoga & Wellness. She was introduced to yoga and ayurveda in 2011 after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Through her years of study and practice, she is now off of all medications and virtually symptom free. She hopes to share this knowledge with her students, connecting them to the ancient sciences in a modern and meaningful way and to something larger than themselves.
Enjoy this one-hour Living Well where Kimber shares about the many benefits of ayurveda and yoga to live well in our lives.
Life coach, mentor, author, podcaster, healer, workshop facilitator, father, Brian Piergrossi is a beacon of light who has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world over the past 13 years. Brian has written two books and founded The Big Glow Online Facebook Community with currently over 6.000 members. With his focus on mindfulness, meditation and self-inquiry as a pathway to greater self-awareness, fulfillment and success in the world, Brian travels the world sharing his unique insights into the human condition. He and his partner Annie are based in Asheville, North Carolina.
Enjoy this one-hour Living Well as Brian shares about how we can be the best version of ourselves.
Dr. Barnard is president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a faculty member of the George Washington University School of Medicine, and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. In 2016, he founded the Barnard Medical Center in Washington, D.C., to create a new model that integrates nutrition into conventional medical care. His federally funded diabetes research revolutionized the nutritional approaches to type 2 diabetes, and he now aims to empower readers with life-changing information on hormones and health. Having written 19 books on nutrition and health, his new book, Your Body in Balance: The New Science of Food, Hormones & Health, explores how nutrition can significantly help common health issues.
Enjoy this Living Well episode where Dr. Barnard shares the many benefits of a vegetarian diet in maintaining health and wellness.
Courtney is a Holistic Communication Coach. She developed a passion for holistic health thirty years ago, when she discovered the power of healing with nutrition, mind-body medicine, and intentional thought. Her path has led her through a holistic health degree, bodywork and coaching career, writing, speaking, teaching, yoga instruction, music, and her greatest job, motherhood. When Compassionate Communication saved her marriage, she was compelled to share the consciousness and process with others. After nine years of study, coaching, and teaching, she is honing an approach that incorporates body, mind, and spirit, for a deeply holistic understanding of how to get to the heart of compassionate conflict resolution and foster true connection with Self and others. she is the founder and host of the new podcast The Communication Evolution.
Enjoy this one-hour Living Well with Courtney as we talk about the inherent power of communication and how we can be more effective communicators in our lives.
Chris has lived in Asheville for 20 years and almost half his life in North Carolina. He’s current between jobs and is looking to grow his experience in new directions. An avid hiker and backpacker, he loves to get out on the mountain-to-sea trail or into any of the great wilderness areas we have at our disposal. Years ago Chris created his bamboo skeleton costume and with the naming of Bam Booey he created an alter ego whose reputation grew through Vermont Street Halloween and the Street Creature Puppet Collective’s activities.
All are invited to march in or attend the Mardi Gras parade, which will be held in Asheville’s South Slope neighborhood on February 23, 2020. This is the 13th year of bringing an official Mardi Gras parade to the streets of Asheville with the theme of “Superstition!.
Enjoy this one-hour Living Well as Chris shares about the upcoming Mardi Gras parade and the rich history and culture associated with it!
Yona FrenchHawk is a full-blooded Cherokee Wisdom Keeper and Ceremonialist. He was born and raised on the Qualla Indian Boundary in the Great Smoky Mountains in Cherokee, NC. This area is also known as the Eastern Band of Cherokees.
Yona grew up learning the songs and stories of his people. To keep his traditions alive, Yona is honored to bridge the ancient past to the ancient future which is in constant need of support. Yona is a well respected ceremonial and community leader and shares the meaning of traditional ceremonies as a way of life as it was shared with him by his Grandfather.
Enjoy this Living Well where Yona tells stories of his childhood where he learned about the ancient ways and the deep connection of the Circle of Life.
Kerrie and Michelle are part of the Advisory Board for GROW AVL, an all-local conference committed to strengthening our mental health ecosystem through collaboration, best practices, leadership, mentorship, and unceasing drive to grow as professionals. GROW AVL will take place from Friday, March 20 through Sunday, March 22, 2020, with a special, pre-conference social on Thursday, March 19. Over 200 local clinicians will come together at Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Asheville Campus on Montford Avenue. At least 12 CEUs will be available. Whether you’re a therapist, counselor, social worker, psychologist, psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse practitioner, or primary care physician, GROW AVL will give you the chance to learn new skills, broaden your knowledge base, and increase your awareness of resources for collaboration in the area.
Enjoy this special Living Well as Kerrie and Michelle share about their own lives and all the great things happening at the first annual GROW Conference AVL.
Dr. Kerrie Fuenfhausen is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Graduate Counseling Program at Lenoir-Rhyne University – Asheville Campus. She is committed to providing high-quality training and professional development opportunities for counseling students and licensed clinicians. She is the founder and coordinator of the Asheville-Area Counseling Professionals Association, which currently has over 800 members and is a source of networking, support, advocacy, referrals, and professional development opportunities in our counseling community. Kerrie maintains a small private practice (Five Houses Counseling, PLLC) for counseling and clinical supervision services.
When she was a little girl growing up in Puerto Rico, Dr. Michelle Álvarez decided she was going to be a psychologist. She went to New York University to learn how, and then to the University of Indianapolis on a fellowship to get even better at it. And she’s been doing it ever since. She’s gotten to work in a maximum security prison, the VA, large private hospitals, small clinics, community health centers, an advocacy center for abused children, nursing homes for the elderly, private practice, and trainings for immigration advocates. She also works hard to do her part in spreading cultural awareness and fostering social equity.
Tebbe Davis is celebrated for his landscapes and the emotional texture of his paintings, focusing primarily on the interaction of the viewer and their interaction with the environment. His use of color texture and composition in each scene conveys the intense beauty the artist perceives, inviting the viewer to explore a world not far from their everyday existence . . . as an inner journey of the soul.
Enjoy this special Living Well where Tebbe shares about his recent art inspired the Hubble Space Telescope as well as his Creative Seekers Tours that along with with his wife, Suzannah Tebbe Davis, provide an intimate and unique experience of Scotland.
Merina Ty-Kisera is an Acupuncturist and Aromatherapist. She has been passionate about health and healing for as long as she can remember. She is committed to the field of Chinese Medicine and more specifically Worsley Five element acupuncture which focuses on the emotional and spiritual nature of each person. Merina’s Acupressure with Essential Oils book explores the synergy between essential oils and acupoints and the numerous benefits one can have if they apply essential oils to specific pressure points.
Enjoy this Living Well with Merina who shares the ways we can care for ourselves and live well in our lives!
