ABOUT OUR FACILITATORS

Michelle C. Johnson (she/her) Michelle Cassandra Johnson is an author, activist, spiritual teacher and practitioner, racial equity consultant and trainer, and intuitive healer. She approaches her life and work from a place of knowing we are, can, and must heal individually and collectively. Michelle teaches workshops and immersions and leads retreats and transformative experiences nationwide. As a dismantling racism educator, she has worked with large corporations, non-profits, and community groups. Michelle published the first edition of Skill in Action: Radicalizing Your Yoga Practice to Create a Just World in 2017; and the 2nd edition of Skill in Action in November 2021, published by Shambhala Publications. Her second book, Finding Refuge: Heart Work for Healing Collective Grief, was published by Shambhala Publications in 2021. Her newest book, We Heal Together: Rituals and Practice for Building Community and Connection, published by Shambhala Publications, explores the deep knowing and truth that we are interconnected; we belong to one another. We Heal Together offers rituals and practices meant to dream us into a new way of being to benefit the highest and fullest good. Her latest book, A Space For Us: A Guide For Leading Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Affinity Groups, was published by Beacon Press in August 2023. Michelle has a fifth book, Illuminating Our True Nature: Yogic Practices for Personal and Collective Healing, published by Shambhala Publications, coming out in June 2024.

Michelle was a Tedx speaker at Wake Forest University in 2019 and has been interviewed on several podcasts in which she explores the premise and foundation of Skill in Action, along with embodied approaches to racial equity work, creating ritual in justice spaces, our divine connection with nature and Spirit, and how we as a culture can heal. 

Michelle leads courageously from the heart with compassion and a commitment to address the heartbreak dominant culture causes for many because of the harm it creates. She inspires change that allows people to stand in their humanity and wholeness in a world that fragments most of us. 

https://www.michellecjohnson.com/.

Stephanie Ghoston Paul (she/her) is an internationally recognized speaker, racial justice facilitator, organizational development consultant, life coach, and recovering lawyer. She helps people, communities, and companies get in alignment with and fully embody their purpose, in service of a planet where all human beings are free, whole, and enough. Stephanie’s unique approach skillfully and wholeheartedly combines her sharp legal mind, problem-solving skills, and love of people to powerfully serve clients and challenge existing exclusive systems and organizational structures. Her consulting practice supports organizations ready to transform their core identity to one that fully embeds anti-oppression and liberatory principles into their organizational culture. Through her individual life coaching work, she is dedicated to helping high-achieving leaders embrace their brilliance so that they can stop second-guessing their greatness and activate their potential. Stephanie walks alongside her clients as they discover ways to stop hiding, prioritize themselves, and start living on purpose. Stephanie also explores what it means to be a living ancestor through her latest community offering called Take Nothing When I Die. She enjoys cooking spicy dishes with her partner, playing recreational flag football, and finding new flavors of delicious tea.

Kai Love (they/he) is dedicated to helping liberate hearts and minds free of biases and beliefs that inevitably hold us back from our true, authentic selves. They particularly focus on issues related to their 2SLGBTQIA+ family. They do this through facilitating spaces that focus on 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion and affirmation education with an intersectional lens as well as offering support sessions and groups for Queer, Trans, nonbinary, and questioning folks, all white remaining rooted in wellness. They believe that being well is inherent to our collective liberation and are always exploring and integrating where wellness and education intersect. Whether through their workshops, trainings, one on one sessions or other platforms that they have the honor of educating on, May is honored to guide wellness practitioners, movement professionals, businesses, entrepreneurs, and beyond into becoming a part of making this world a safer, better, more affirming place for Queer, Trans, gender nonconforming people everywhere.

Rebby Kern (they/them) is a wandering spirit shining light into the lives of others. Rebby’s personal mission is to operate from connection, seeking justice and empowering voices. Rebby generates space for connection, empowerment and self-discovery through their 10 years in LGBTQ activism drawing connections to the yoga world and uplifting experiences of marginalized identities. Their experience drives their passion to include diverse identities around race, gender identity, sexual orientation, body, ability and more. Rebby began their yoga practice in 2011 as a student, learning to find source within during their recovery journey. As a student, Rebby was curious about the ways trauma, recovery, yoga and social justice intersect together through experience and outreach. After moving to Charlotte, NC in 2013 to work for an LGBTQ non-profit, Rebby began practicing at Yoga One, a Baptiste affiliated studio, and developed a strong community of support. Rebby works full-time as a social justice warrior supporting LGBTQ youth across the state and region through education policy, youth programming, anti-racism work and leadership development. In 2018 an opportunity opened for Rebby to complete their first Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga One. After completing their training, they began assisting classes and soon arrived as a teacher in their first permanent class October 2018. Since then Rebby has been teaching in studios, yoga for queer youth, yoga with horses, head-start programming to introduce yoga to children and in many spaces in the city of Charlotte. In 2019 Rebby was selected as one of the first lululemon Ambassadors for the newest Charlotte store, Atherton Mill. As a lululemon Ambassador, Rebby is able to lead in power in the Charlotte community and beyond. Rebby is the first non-binary person of color to represent lululemon in the region and continues to uplift voices of LGBTQ and BIPOC people who often don’t find themselves represented within the lululemon brand. After completing their training, opportunities to lead social justice work within yoga spaces presented themselves and Rebby began working with Jasmine Hines and Amplify & Activate to teach yoga as a tool for self-care and social justice. This work stems from anti-racism work and challenges current practices and ethics present in yoga studios and fitness spaces. From that work stemmed Rebby’s Race, Gender & Bias workshops, facilitated for YTTs, studio staff and virtual workshops during COVID-19. To continue their education, Rebby explored Rocket Vinyasa under their teacher Jaimis Huff, completed a Rocket Vinyasa immersion weekend then their first 50 hour certification with David C. Kyle in 2019 and the final 50 hour with Jaimis Huff in 2020. In 2020 Rebby joined forces with SweatNET Charlotte to localize their work within yoga and fitness spaces and create a more equitable, accessible sweat experience for each person who seeks it. Rebby also completed Yoga 12-Step Recovery Training returning to the foundation of their own practice to explore an addiction recovery model that connects yoga, neuroscience, and the practical tools of 12-step programs.