eWellness Center
Meet the Instructors
Victoria Alfonso
MPC, RSMT
Victoria Grace Alfonso has a degree in social work from Rhode Island College and works as a social worker. She has spent 8 years of deep exploration and studies of the existential existence of soul and ancient masters, which led to a spiritual journey. Through deep studies, research and guidance, she has come to know the angels and their meanings. She says she is an old inner child, divine guidance counselor, and “clair-whatever you want to name it.” Most of all, she is a light worker and wants to help others by sharing the light.
Melinda (Mindy) Allaire
PT, DPT, LSVT BIG
HOPEWORTH Physical Therapy has been practicing as a physical therapist since 2007, specializing in the treatment of all cancer-related impairments, including fatigue, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and lymphedema. She opened her own practice, at her home, in Bristol in September 2020. Mindy has worked with the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation in a variety of ways since 2011, and looks forward to helping you on your journey of wellness!
Dr. Elaine Biester
Elaine earned a medical degree specializing in ObGyn. She has practiced for the past 29 years with dedication to the care and well-being of women and with a particular expertise in helping her patients manage peri and post menopausal symptoms without hormones.
She became interested in holistic integrative medical therapies in 2003 when her best friend from ObGyn residency was diagnosed with Stage 3b lung cancer who wound up not only surviving but thriving for 8 enriched and fulfilling years. During that time they explored, researched and learned about the powerful role of complimentary healing methods that Elaine applies to this day in both her medical practice and in her own recovery and journey to balance her physical, mental, and spiritual health as a breast cancer survivor for the past 14 years.
Sage Brody
MPC, RSMT
Sage Brody, MPC, RSMT is a dynamic and inspirational dance teacher and movement therapist. Sage holds a Master’s in Pastoral Counseling and is a Registered Somatic Movement Therapist. She shares her passion for movement and healing in her classes at Kripalu and elsewhere as well as in her private client work. Sage is a faculty member for the Leven Institute for Expressive Movement and the Hartford Family Institute’s Professional Training Program in Body Centered Psychotherapy. She has a private practice in Lee, MA and online www.sagemovement.com.
Mimi Budnick
Restorative, Yin, Trauma Sensitive yoga
Mimi Budnick, 200ERYT received her initial certification in 2010 from Eyes of the World and has since completed in-depth training in Restorative, Yin, and Trauma Sensitive yoga. Mimi prioritizes accessibility in her classes and aims to create an environment where her students feel welcomed and supported. She has taught in yoga studios, health clinics, trauma centers, rehab facilities and offers both private yoga classes and retreats. For more information about Mimi and her work visit her website: www.mimibudnick.com
Gladys Ellen
LCMHC
Gladys Ellen is one of Southern New England's most credible and authentic Spiritual Intuitives. She has a full-time, private practice in East Providence, RI where she’s been working with individuals, couples, and families for over 13-years. She offers a variety of services to include Divine Guidance & Life Purpose Sessions, Mediumship, Past Life Regressions, and Spiritual Coaching. She believes in Empowering You to Say YES to Life!
Dr. Stephanie Fernandez
Dr. Stephanie Fernandez, with over 20 years in higher education, began her career at Johnson & Wales University and served 16 years at Miami Dade College. After returning to Rhode Island due to her husband's stage 4 colorectal cancer diagnosis, she focused on herbal holistic remedies, specializing in medicinal plants and cannabis medicine to support the cancer community. She holds multiple degrees and certifications. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, nature walks, and stargazing, believing in providing intentional healing to help others shine from within.
Morgan Huling
LMT
Morgan Huling discovered yoga as an anxious high school student, and quickly fell in love with its positive effects on her body, mind, and spirit. In 2010, as a young adult, she traveled to Costa Rica for a 200-hour yoga teacher training through the Marianne Wells Yoga School, and later returned in 2013 to complete her 500-hour certification with a focus on yoga therapy. Since then, Morgan has focused her studies on the gentler side of yoga—most notably with Amy Weintraub’s LifeForce Yoga® to Manage Anxiety and completing two levels of Restorative Yoga certification with Sudha Carolyn Lundeen. These practices have played a huge part in shaping Morgan’s work with The Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation, offering yoga classes to cancer survivors since 2013.
Lisa Furtado
LCSW
My name is Lisa Furtado Morin, LCSW and I have many years of experience working in our community. My roles include individual, group and hospital setting therapy. My goal is to support, encourage and guide clients through their healing process with compassion and empathy. I am a breast cancer survivor and a proud member of The Gloria Gemma Foundation.
Shakay J. Kizirian
MSW, LCSW
Shakay has dedicated her life to service, primarily focusing in the area of oncology and palliative care/hospice care. Shakay received her calling to work in this specialized field before her own cancer diagnosis. Shakay is a writer, motivational speaker and group facilitator.
While employed by the American Cancer Society she held a variety positions before the Director of Breast Cancer Detection was created specifically for her. Shakay was also the Director of Social Services at IN-SIGHT and during this time was a dedicated volunteer at Home and Hospice Care of Rhode Island.
When the opportunity presented itself, Shakay made the move to become a social worker at hospice and worked in private homes and long-term care facilities. Her next career move was to be an inpatient oncology social worker at Women’s and Infants Hospital which involved working with newly diagnosed patients, patients with recurrences and end of life care. Shakay worked extensively with family members and providers to assist in communication of needs, medical information and plan of care. Shakay also participated in collaborating with many community organizations.
Aruni Nan Futurosky
Kripalu Yoga Teacher and Life Coach
Aruni Nan Futuronsky has over 50 years teaching experience, spending the first two-decades of her career as an inner city high school teacher in Newark, New Jersey. For the past thirty-one years, she has been a senior faculty member at Kripalu Center, in western Massachusetts where she develops, directs, and facilitates workshops in mindfulness and behavior change. She believes that we can change our brain, our body, and our behavior, using mindfulness and the right use of our will. As a mindfulness coach, uses the ancient practices of Living Yoga, integrated with evidence-based data, which has supported her in creating this model of mindfulness plus right action as the doorway to sustainable change. She is also a writer, a lover of nature and she has found that humor and relaxed acceptance has helped carry her through this time of upheaval and unknowns.
John LaCross
Reiki Master
John LaCross is a Reiki Master/Teacher with a private stress reduction practice in East Providence, RI. He began in law enforcement, rising through the ranks to second in command at the Rhode Island State Police before becoming the Chief of the Barrington Police, where he retired in 2019. He holds a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice and a Master’s in Criminal Administration, and in 2014, he attended John Kabat Zinn’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Meditation program at UMass Medical School, in Worcester, Massachusetts. He is currently enrolled at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center in a Teacher level 1 Certificate Program.
Susan Lataille
Master Grief Coach
Susan is a Certified Master Grief Coach, Certified Integrative Health Coach, Reiki Master, Akashic Records Consultant and Full Wave Breath Facilitator.
Since the passing of her son Nathan in 2017, Susan has been guided to help others through the grieving process. In 2021, she was finally ready to take the step to become a Certified Master Grief Coach. She aspires to assist others along their own grieving journey by offering love, compassion, and understanding.
Susan has been self-employed for over 12 years producing events in her community. Since 2021, she has added grief coaching, compilation book series, and retreats to further that mission.
Debbee Radcliff
M.Ed., RMT, Creatigo LLC
Debbee Radcliff, M.Ed., RMT, is the owner of Creatigo, LLC. Accessing her knowledge and experience from the mainstream and holistic spheres, Debbee provides a creative, realistic approach to healing. She is a Reiki Master Teacher, Integrated Energy Therapy Master-Level Instructor, Theta Healer, Aromatherapist, and Shaman Practitioner.
Lauren Talbert
RD, CSO, LDN, CDCES
Lauren Talbert, RD, CSO, LDN, CDCES, is a registered dietitian. Lauren has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in both dietetics and food and nutritional science from the University of Vermont. She completed her dietetic internship at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Lauren has spent more than 12 years working in the Program in Women’s Oncology within Women and Infants Hospital and currently is one of four board certified specialists in oncology nutrition in Rhode Island. Lauren is also a certified diabetes educator and works as an outpatient dietitian in the Department of Medicine within Women & Infants Hospital. In addition to meeting with oncology patients, Lauren specializes in women’s health specifically women with diabetes, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and pregnant women. Lauren has been most recognized for her presentations to a wide array of audiences including medical professionals, patients and family as well as the community.
Jen Wishtischin
Child, Adolescent and Adult Nurse Psychiatric Nurse Practioner
Jen has over 25 years clinical work. Educated at Harvard's Institute for Mindfulness and Meditation. Jen combines her passions with her clinical work centered on grief, anxiety and illness. Jen will be a Fellow at the NY Zen Center for Contemplative Medicine Fellowship for Grief and Spiritual Care. Jen has a private psychotherapy practice in RI. Jen loves to eat, cook, write childrens books, travel and enjoy being cozy with her husband and daughter.
Karen has practiced yoga for 30 years and has taught The Yoga of Energy Flow since 2009. This gentle, all-levels practice blends yoga with the Five Seasons of Chinese Medicine, focusing each month on an organ and its related element to support energy (chi) flow. By stimulating or relaxing the body’s 12 meridians, this style promotes balance and healing. Upcoming classes highlight Late Summer (Earth/Spleen) for digestion and Autumn (Metal/Lungs) for emotional release. Modifications are provided for all levels.
Karen Besson
Instructor in The Yoga of Energy Flow
Dr. Kristin Gianelis
ANP-BC, WHNP-BC, MSCP, CNE, DNP, APRN
Dr. Kristin Gianelis has 20 years of clinical experience in women’s and gender-related health, with advanced training in menopause, sexual health, gender-affirming care, urogynecology, obesity, trauma-informed care, and perinatal mental health. Her background includes work in OB/GYN, primary care, oncology, surgery, urology, and emergency medicine. She holds degrees from Wheaton College, Simmons University, and Frontier Nursing University, where she now serves as faculty. Kristin is an active member of several national health organizations and remains committed to inclusive, expert care.
Sussy Santana
Poet
Sussy Santana is an arts and health practitioner who uses writing and interactive “llamados” to promote healing and collective participation. She leads community arts and health initiatives, creating public space interventions, including in health clinics. A poet and zine author, her work appears in various publications. Sussy is a 2025 Global Arts in Medicine Fellow and MacColl Johnson Fellowship recipient, blending creative expression with public health and culture. Instagram: @lapoetera, Website: [www.sussysantana.com](http://www.sussysantana.com)
Dr. Sandy Musial is a physician specializing in food as medicine, using whole, plant-based nutrition to prevent and reverse chronic disease. She holds an MD from UMass and a B.S. in Nutritional Sciences. Triple board-certified in Lifestyle, Obesity, and Pediatric Medicine, she’s also a certified Culinary and Health Coach. Sandy has worked at Hasbro Children's Hospital and founded Plant Docs, a nonprofit promoting plant-based health. She believes in combining conventional care with nutrition for true prevention and healing.
Dr. Sandra Musial
MD, FAAP, Diplomate ABOM, Diplomate ABLM
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Dr. Saira Hussain
MD
Dr. Saira Hussain is a board-certified physician with 25+ years of experience as a hospitalist and primary care provider, trained at Brown University and in Integrative Medicine at Arizona State. Certified in Lifestyle Medicine, she focuses on preventing chronic disease through evidence-based, holistic care. Founder of wellness workshops and webinars in Rhode Island, she educates communities on nutrition, stress management, and healthy living. Her mission is to shift healthcare toward proactive wellness and make Rhode Island a Blue Zone—a model for longevity and vibrant living.
Phyllis has always been passionate about handmade creativity, from cooking and gardening to sewing, soap-making, and jewelry design. In 2021, her life was forever changed by a breast cancer diagnosis that put everything on hold. During treatment, she turned to creativity as a form of therapy, finding healing and joy through sewing, crafting, and other hands-on projects. These activities gave her strength, purpose, and hope. Today, as a proud breast cancer survivor, Phyllis shares her talents with the community through embroidery workshops, cooking demonstrations, and family activities, inspiring others with warmth and showing how creativity supports recovery.
Phyllis Iacona
Breast Cancer Survivor, Instructor & Creative Spirit
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MaryAnne McGonnigle
Instructor & Creative Spirit
MaryAnne McGonnigle earned her 200- and 300-hour yoga teacher certifications through the Pranathon Yoga School at All That Matters Yoga + Wellness. With over 30 years of practice, she has explored many yoga modalities but feels most aligned with the compassionate, non-judgmental teachings of Swami Kripalu. MaryAnne creates classes for every body, offering students a personal experience that supports physical, mental, emotional, energetic, or spiritual well-being. Her approach blends the healing potential of yoga with a playful, welcoming atmosphere. She believes yoga is a gift that fosters personal freedom, inner peace, and a deeper sense of ease both on and off the mat.
Denise (Dino) Carrillo
Instructor & Creative Spirit
Denise Carrillo, known as Dino, discovered yoga during a difficult period in her life and found grounding through calm, conscious awareness. She completed her 200-hour Pranotthan Yoga School training in 2015 and later graduated from the 300-hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training at All That Matters yoga + wellness in 2025. Dino believes that mindful breathing paired with asana helps remove obstacles that block connection to our highest Self. Her gentle classes use breath as a tool for presence, release, and inner clarity. Outside the studio, she loves hiking, relaxing at the beach with her dog Sam, and spending time with her dear friend Natai.
Besenia (she/her) is a restorative yoga teacher who believes deeply in intentional rest as medicine for the body, mind, and spirit. Her classes create a nurturing space to slow down, release tension, and reconnect with breath and ease. Guided by trauma-informed and mindfulness-based principles, she weaves gentle movement and nourishing awareness to support the nervous system’s natural healing. Rooted in the Kripalu and All That Matters yoga traditions, she invites students to soften, listen inwardly, and remember their innate resilience and joy. Off the mat, she loves the sun, the sea, traveling, her two kids and dog, and singing with the windows down.
Restorative Yoga Teacher
Besenia Rodriguez
Sidy Maiga
Master Drummer: Djembe Drumming Circle
Experience the joy and healing power of rhythm in a djembe drumming circle led by master drummer Sidy Maiga. Born in Mali, Sidy trained as a teenager under renowned Master Drummers before bringing his talent to the international stage. He blends traditional Malian rhythms with Latin, Blues, and Brazilian influences, and founded Afrika Nyaga, a West African dance and drum festival in Rhode Island. A recipient of multiple arts fellowships, Sidy has performed worldwide and released two albums, with a third in progress. He is also a Berklee College of Music graduate. One of his longtime djembes is displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Join Clara, a professional trapeze artist and breast cancer survivor, for a playful 15-minute circus-inspired movement session. Participants will ground and warm up before exploring mobility, range of motion, and strength using fun circus props like hula hoops and juggling scarves. All ages and all bodies are welcome.
Clara LaFrance is a trained aerialist, coach, and NASM-CPT certified personal trainer who has performed professionally since 2010. After her breast cancer diagnosis, she was determined to return to the air, rebuilding strength and mobility through intentional movement. Now CETI-certified in Cancer Exercise Training, Clara uses empathy and experience to support cancer survivors on their fitness journeys.
NASM-CPT
Clara LaFrance
Mandalas: Dotting Your Path invites participants to experience mandala dot art, a calming and meditative painting practice using colorful dots arranged in symmetrical designs. Join Julie of Cottage Dots as you reflect on your personal journey of strength and resilience with each dot you place. Julie Cummings is a Somerset, Massachusetts–based project manager and mother of two grown sons. Her mandala journey began in early 2024 after a health scare. While her medical team focused on healing her body, mandala art helped heal her spirit. Teaching since August 2024, Julie loves encouraging students to step outside their comfort zone and create something meaningful they never imagined possible.
Julie Cummings
Mandala Artist
Mary Scannell
Guided Meditation offers a calming inward journey, helping participants release tension, quiet the mind, and cultivate inner peace. With soothing music and gentle instruction, each session supports mindfulness, stress reduction, and emotional balance. Whether you are new to meditation or experienced, this practice provides a supportive space for clarity and personal growth. Mary is a certified meditation facilitator whose interest began in 2016 after discovering the deep relaxation of group meditation. Since then, she has shared her passion at senior centers, libraries, and the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation. Her guiding motto is: “Happiness, Joy and Laughter — Today and Every Day!”