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Josefin Wikström, TCTSY-F, E-RYT 500, YACEP founder and Executive Director Trauma Informed Yoga and Movement Sweden, Director of Programs PYP Europe and India, co-founder of the evidence-based Swedish prison yoga project - Krimyoga. Author, ”Yoga Therapy for Prisoners Mental Health”.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Josefin Wikström is the founder and CEO of Trauma-Informed Yoga Sweden, Norway, and Finland. She has employment relationships with Prison Yoga Project, University West (Sweden), Åbo University (Finland), SUNY Upstate Medical University, Kumla High-Security Prison, and Hinseberg Women’s Prison. Josefin Wikström receives royalties as a published author, and a speaking honorarium from С�����Ƶ. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Josefin Wikström has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Sarah Beranbaum, MA, is a clinical psychology PhD candidate at the New School for Social Research, interning at Bellevue Hospital, with an anticipatory graduation date of summer, 2024. Her research focuses on the biopsychosocial impact of trauma-informed, group interventions. Sarah enjoys partnering with community, mental health organizations to design respectful and collaborative research protocols in varying international contexts. Alongside research and clinical practice, she is trained to work as a trauma-informed yoga teacher and mindfulness counselor.

Dr. Nóra Kerekes is a medical sciences professor specializing in psychiatry. She has made significant contributions to the field through her pioneering research on the impact of non-pharmacological treatments on our behaviors, psychological well-being, and character. Dr. Kerekes is also the founder of the Centre of Holistic Psychiatry Research (ChoPy, , an international research platform that aims to explore a holistic perspective on psychiatric diagnosis and treatment.

Dr. Kerekes is a leader in several clinical trials investigating yoga’s effectiveness as a complementary treatment within psychiatric care Her studies have focused on diverse populations, including children and young adults, prison inmates, and forensic populations. As the leader of pioneer scientific research studies within ChoPy, she has conducted groundbreaking research, including the largest randomized controlled trial (RCT) yoga study within a prison environment. She is also spearheading ongoing research on yoga within forensic and child and adolescent psychiatry.

Additionally, Dr. Kerekes serves as the research leader of the European Prisons Yoga Project (PYP) program, further highlighting her commitment to exploring innovative and holistic approaches to psychiatric care. Overall, her work has been critical in advancing the field of psychiatry and promoting greater awareness of the benefits of non-pharmacological treatments.

Sam Williams, Co-chair, Community Advisory Board, Northeastern University’s Institute of Race and Justice, member Executive Office of Public Safety, Massachusetts Racial Profiling Task Force. Prison Yoga Project, Restorative Justice, Prison Rehabilitation and Re-entry (MCI-Norfolk and MCI-Framingham).
 

James Fox, MA, CYT, Founder of Prison Yoga Project. His years of experience as a facilitator of victim/offender education, violence prevention, and emotional literacy classes for incarcerated people informed his work of providing trauma-informed yoga embodiment practices.  James has trained thousands of teachers who have replicated PYP’s methodology in correctional facilities in more than 20 US states, Mexico, Canada, Norway, Sweden, The UK, France, The Netherlands, Australia, and India.

He is the author of Yoga: A Path for Healing and Recovery, co-author of Freedom from the Inside, A Woman’s Yoga Practice Guide, and a contributor for Best Practices for Yoga with Veterans. James has taught for Loyola Marymount University’s Yoga, Mindfulness, and Social Change Certification Program and has served as an advisor to the National Institute of Health-sponsored Chicago Urban Mindfulness Program. In 2015, Yoga Journal honored James with a Karma Yoga Award for their 40th Anniversary Issue.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: James Fox has an employment relationship with Prison Yoga Project. He receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from С�����Ƶ. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: James Fox has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Luisa started her yoga practice in 2006 and has been involved with TC-TSY since 2016. She is the mentor and co-coordinator for the Community in Spanish. She is also the director of Prison Yoga Project in Mexico and has worked in federal and local max security prisons; she also provides TCTSY private and group classes to women survivors of sexual abuse as well as to teach relatives of disappeared people in Mexico.

In 2019, the United Nations Office against Drugs and Crime (UNODC) published a yoga and meditation manual for people in prisons, co-authored by Luisa. Before entirely focusing her career on teaching yoga, she worked as a human rights lawyer for 15 years in several human rights NGOs and international organizations. Currently, she also facilitates peace circles in the framework of Restorative Justice.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Luisa Perez has employment relationships with the Prison Yoga Project and the Center for Trauma and Embodiment. She receives a speaking honorarium from С�����Ƶ. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Luisa Perez has no relevant non-financial relationships.

With more than 15 years dedicated to providing accessible mental wellness opportunities for survivors of trauma, Maggie LaRocca is the current executive director of Exhale to Inhale, a nonprofit empowering survivors through the healing power of trauma-informed yoga. Prior to that, LaRocca was instrumental in developing the Combat Stress Recovery Program for Wounded Warrior Project. LaRocca’s unique background in scaling accessible mental health-based programs along with her background in clinical psychology, strategy and research has supported her work. Hailing from a small, rural community and experiencing firsthand the impact of multi-generational trauma, she is passionate about innovative, community-based solutions that bring healing to marginalized communities. She received her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary speech from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Maggie LaRocca has an employment relationship with Exhale to Inhale. She receives a speaking honorarium from С�����Ƶ. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Maggie LaRocca has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Julie Fernandez is the lead trainer and director of curriculum development and mentorship and has been working at Exhale to Inhale since 2014. She is a Somatic Trauma Recovery Guide and is passionate about helping people reclaim their bodies and build trust in their innate wisdom while shedding the judgements, guilt and shame that arises from unresolved traumas. Julie has experience working in domestic violence shelters, rape-crisis centers, and foster care centers throughout New York City and Los Angeles, working with at-risk teens and disadvantaged youth in inner city schools, and working at eating disorder centers. In addition to leading her own private practice at Metta Healing Arts, Julie also serves as the lead Trauma Recovery Specialist on the multimodal team at Hope Integrative Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in Los Angeles. Julie is currently a candidate at Meridian University for a MA in psychology with concentration in expressive and movement arts.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Julie Fernandez has employment relationships with Metta Healing Arts and Exhale to Inhale. She receives a speaking honorarium from С�����Ƶ. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Julie Fernandez has no relevant non-financial relationships.