Cyndi’s passion for supporting caregivers was ignited due to the deeply personal and overwhelming experience of watching her mom care for her dad. Years after his passing, Cyndi began caring for her mom through illness while simultaneously caring for her brother through a serious illness of his own.

Recognizing that she needed to care for herself during that time, Cyndi joined a walking group supporting caregivers through local health organizations. Seeing the potential for additional support services, Cyndi quickly found herself leading the program and building a robust, successful offering.

Upon her mom’s passing, Cyndi used her business and marketing background along with the wisdom gained through direct experience to develop Breathing Spaces as an ever-expanding resource for both family caregivers and professional caregivers alike.

“As a caregiver, the art of life balance is crucial. No one should ever go through this journey alone.” Mariner states. “Self-care begins with a breath.”

Mark has over 35 years of healthcare experience having served as both a senior level hospital and health care executive and well as a consultant and entrepreneur. In addition to working with Breathing Spaces, he is currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of SRHO – The National Association and as President/Co-Founder of Summit Senior Solutions. His past positions included President of Socius Health Solutions, Managing Director with PwC, Founder of AlphaHealth, and serving in numerous senior hospital leadership roles with Novant Health and Presbyterian Healthcare.

Mark has had the opportunity to guide a number of healthcare start-ups, lead the development and operations of two ground-breaking new hospitals, lead the operations of large physician practices and provide strategic direction to over 75 healthcare organizations. Mark earned his Bachelors degree in Business from Virginia Tech and a Masters degree in Healthcare Administration from Duke University, and is a Fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives (FACHE) as well as a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA).

Nurse Practitioner Tanya received her Bachelor’s in Nursing from the University of Rochester and Master’s in Nursing from Boston College. In addition to providing comprehensive healthcare for elderly, she has received recognition for training healthcare providers to provide quality palliative and hospice care. Tanya has been invited to speak at local, state, and national conferences and senior living retirement communities about advance care planning, decision making, dementia and more.

When Tanya is not working as an NP or caregiver coach, she invests time in understanding how conscious healing can improve people’s health and help them to have healthier relationships. Tanya has assisted many families, and caregivers to make sense of complex medical conditions, navigate challenging healthcare settings, and find some light through their pain, suffering, and grief through her website, www.EnlightenedAging.org. 

Since 2007, Catherine has worked as a board-certified art therapist, a master’s level mental health professional, engaging clients in their own art-making, creativity, and self-inquiry to help find ease among life’s many challenges. Catherine has long incorporated mindfulness practices in her sessions and, after completing a 200hr yoga teacher training in 2019, has most recently included mindful movement as well. For 8 years, Catherine worked in Nashville, TN with TriStar Centennial Medical Center, where she witnessed the profound benefits of art therapy and mindfulness practices on mental and physical health while working with individuals admitted to the hospital’s services in oncology, pediatrics, bariatric and orthopedic surgery, and intensive outpatient mental health. This came as no surprise, as Catherine has experienced first-hand the benefits of a regular yoga and mindfulness practice herself when facing moments of grief and loss, chronic pain from surgeries, and difficult life transitions.

Catherine continues to share these tools for healing with others through her private practice, HeartSpace Wellness Studio LLC. Through her practice, Catherine provides virtual art therapy sessions for individuals, classes and workshops for organizations, and clinical supervision for recent art therapy graduates. Her individual sessions focus primarily on adults facing distress from medical diagnoses and the healthcare workers and loved ones caring for them facing burnout and compassion fatigue. Throughout her work, Catherine utilizes mindfulness, yoga, and mindful self-compassion practices to help her clients relieve stress, cope with anxiety and depression, restore energy, and discover simple and practical ways to begin feeling more like themselves again. 

Liam has a broad background spanning the fields of both science and spirituality. He began his training in a decade long Shamanic/Buddhistic apprenticeship. He is a meditation guide with over 20 years’ experience incorporating multiple systems and modalities. He has a BA in Psychology, trained as a paraprofessional counselor, and became a trainer of other counselors for a crisis counseling hotline. He has an MS in Human Nutrition, is a licensed dietitian and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. He is a PhD level epidemiologist and published researcher in the field of critical care nutrition and study design. His robust scientific background provides a flavor to his spiritual teaching that is down to earth, and evidence-based wherever possible.

Liam demystifies ancient traditions to make their core Teachings absorbable regardless of other religious affiliations. We are all reaching for the same thing. We want to feel freedom from the shackles of what our life has become. Liam helps you operationalize the techniques that take you there. He does this through his web site www.BodyMindTapping.com where he posts articles and videos, holds weekly live meditation trainings and Clinical EFT Tapping Circles. As a collaboration with Breathing Spaces, Liam is is building tools specifically designed to diffuse the suffering and difficulties of those who devote their lives to taking care of others. He is very excited to share the skills that have helped so many people with this deeply worthy, but often underserved population.

Katie comes to Breathing Spaces with a background in education. After gaining additional certifications as a meditation and mindfulness instructor, mindfulness at work trainer, and kids mindfulness and yoga teacher, Katie left the elementary school classroom to pursue her dream of sharing these life changing practices with others.

While teaching elementary school, Katie began to experience burnout as a result of extensive mental and emotional stress. As a result, she committed to daily meditation and mindful living practices, and quickly experienced a transformation in her interactions with her students, co-workers, and, most importantly, with herself. Katie now experiences a state of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual balance. She is able to manage stress in a fresh and healthy way, which has inspired and empowered her to share the gifts of these practices.

In addition to her expertise on our team, she teaches tools and provides individuals, families, and organizations with simple everyday solutions that have tremendous benefits. She shares these offerings through her website www.inhaleexhaleconnect.com.

Tiffany provides a wide array of support to folks who are dying and the loving community that surrounds them. Her varied experience as a project manager, professional actress, yoga instructor, private chef, transition doula, voice-over artist, and others all get woven together in a loving end-of-life doula blanket of support unique to each individual and family. She came to this work following her mother’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s, preceded by the death of her father when she was a teenager.

Her mission is to invite folks to champion unencumbered love, face fear, and be open to togetherness and freedom as we all “walk each other home.” She does this through work with families and individuals facing terminal diagnoses, sudden deaths, or un-tended-to griefs.

Tiffany believes strongly that when we embrace the one thing that we all share when we integrate contemplations and conversations about death into our daily lives, we develop a spiritual and verbal vocabulary that buoys us when we most deeply need connection.

Christine Young is principal of CCY Consulting, specializing in professional development, career coaching, interpersonal communications, and human resources management. A compassionate, empathetic, and objective listener, Christine is a highly experienced facilitator, having conducted hundreds of workshops that deftly encourage participant engagement and sharing.

Christine is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and has been actively involved in multiple HR organizations in leadership positions. She has a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University and a B.A. in Sociology from Rutgers University.

www.CCYConsulting.com

Initially trained as a Marriage Family Therapist Intern, Anthony became an International TEDx and Keynote speaker, corporate trainer, and International Coach Federation Professional Certified Coach. He brings audiences, participants, and clients his vast knowledge born from rigorous introspection, bold vulnerability, and the experience of having helped thousands further enrich their lives. He believes that self-awareness is the gatekeeper of all things great in life. His methodology blends the tenets of psychology, career counseling, and real-world experience. 

Anthony has a MA in Counseling Psychology/Career Development. He engages individuals and audiences personally, connecting in a way that cultivates trust and safety. “Becoming who you truly are is the foundation of personal and professional success.” 

anthonymetten.com

Cindy Gum is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, with professional training in grief and loss, transitions, aging, and end of life. She was also a caregiver for her husband Stan for fifteen years. After her husband’s death in 2020, she began to realize how much her journaling practice had helped her hold on through the emotional challenges and difficulties she had faced. She began a program and training at Stanford University to examine how she might help caregivers, and now serves as a Stanford University Ambassador of Compassion through the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, emphasizing the importance of compassion to our health and humanity.

Gail L. Braverman is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with over 30 years of experience. She is an accomplished group facilitator and is certified as a facilitator in Art Therapy and SoulCollage. She is a certified facilitator for Sage-ing International and The Heart of Aging With Wisdom and Vitality programs. Gail also has certifications in the Amherst Writers & Artists Method and Writing Through Transitions program and facilitates writing groups. She has presented for the International Association of Journal Writers. She is a Yoga instructor and has taught meditation.

Gail has facilitated groups for over 35 years and has a passion for creating communities of engagement that support, and a nurture a sense of belonging. Her volunteer work includes doing groups for senior centers, cancer centers, synagogues, and drug rehabilitation programs.

gailbraverman.com