Maggie LaRocca
Executive Director

Maggie believes that non-profits can change the world. With more than a decade of work supporting various social causes, she has a unique background combining business, research, strategy, and clinical psychology. Prior to joining Exhale to Inhale, Maggie founded a consulting business, Purposeful Results, which supported various non-profits. She also served as the Program Director for the Combat Stress Recovery Program for Wounded Warrior Project. An active participant in her community, Maggie is a founding member and Advisory Council member of Impact 100 Jersey Coast, a women’s grantmaking organization. Maggie received her bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Speech from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Courtney Dastis-Galvin
Chief Program Officer

Courtney brings over a decade of experience in nonprofit management, strategy and operations, with a focus on driving equity in our public education system. Courtney also has a background teaching trauma-informed yoga and meditation in community centers and other nonprofits throughout NYC. She has a BA in Psychology and Educational Studies from the University of Delaware and has participated in the Nonprofit Leaders Program at Columbia University. Courtney believes that healing practices should be accessible and available to everyone and is grateful to be supporting Exhale to Inhale's work. She is inspired by the strength of survivors and the joy and creativity of her two children.

Sophia Holly
Director of Community Partnerships

Sophia Holly is the Director of Community Partnerships and has been practicing yoga for over 15 years. She is a 500-hour registered Yoga Instructor, with a specialty in trauma-informed yoga & pre-natal yoga. In addition to her yoga certifications, she has a Bachelor's in Health Promotion and Fitness from Keene State College and is a reiki master. She has taught in shelters, elementary and middle schools, privately, and in yoga studio settings. Sophia began teaching classes with ETI in 2017, became Program Manager in 2018, and is one of 5 yoga instructors in our 2020 Fellowship Program. Her overall mission is to help people connect to their bodies, and access the limitless wisdom within while helping to eliminate barriers to accessing healing practices.

Brianna Arduca
Development &
Communication Specialist

Lyssette Horne
Special Projects Coordinator

Prior to Exhale to Inhale, Brianna was a Field Service Navigator working with people experiencing homelessness for her local community action in Vermont. She worked directly with people experiencing multiple forms of trauma and witnessed the effects this had on the strength and well-being of their mind and bodies. Her own journey with understanding the powerful effects of yoga began during this time, playing a significant role in her response to stress in the body. Brianna became interested in development and communications while working on local and presidential campaigns since 2016. As the Development and Communications Specialist, Brianna believes she can translate her passion for yoga and its healing abilities for survivors through the eyes of others. She understands the power of claiming ownership of your body and the effects this plays in every aspect of a survivor's life.

Lyssette is a black queer, artist, activist, and filmmaker. As a former homeless youth and graduate of the Reciprocity Foundation, Lyssette developed a love for yoga and meditation. She credits her first acupuncture treatment as the first time she felt “at home in her body”.  Armed with new tools, Lyssette spoke out on the many ways trauma manifests in black and brown LGBTQ homeless youth. Acupuncture treatments, yoga and mental health services have been supportive in speaking and finding the courage to heal.  Inspired by the works of Audre Lorde, Lyssette strives to make self care and healing accessible to those in need and reduce barriers  to healing. Lyssette’s activism has led to many creative endeavors including an Emmy nominated short documentary about the myths and causes related to youth homelessness. They were also named one of the ‘Top Forty Under 40’ by The Advocate magazine and their work was featured on the cover of Gay City News.  Lyssette says, “By prioritizing my healing and my truth I give permission for others to commit to their healing  journey and show up authentically.

Julie Fernandez
Director of Curriculum Development
and Mentorship

Julie Fernandez is the Director of Curriculum Development and Mentorship and has been working at Exhale to Inhale since 2014. She is a Somatic Trauma Therapist and is passionate about helping people reclaim their bodies and build trust in their innate wisdom. Julie has deep experience from 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 in Los Angeles. Julie is currently a candidate at Meridian University for a M.A. in Psychology with concentration in Expressive and Movement Arts. Her credentials include Expressive Movement Therapies from Tamalpa Institute, Somatic Experiencing from Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute with Dave Berger, Trauma-Informed Yoga from The Trauma Center in Massachusetts, Yoga for Trauma with Lisa Danylchuk, Trauma-Informed Yoga with Hala Khouri and Kyra Haglund, Dynamic Mindfulness with Niroga Institute and Outreach Yoga with Connection Coalition.

Amy Apgar
Trainer & Wellness Instructor

Amy Apgar is the Project Coordinator and a New York City based 500 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher, YA Continuing Education Provider and ACE Certified Personal Trainer with over a decade of teaching experience, from studio to corporate classes, private sessions, and events large and small. With a B.A. in Modern Dance from Ohio University, Amy also holds specialties in yin yoga and trauma informed yoga. Through her career she has been a teacher-trainer, mentor, and manager, and has worked with professional athletes, dancers, and individuals of all abilities and backgrounds, always uplifting her belief that everyone deserves to feel at home in their body. Amy is inspired by the merging of artistry and science, and uses mindful somatic movement to empower clients to build better relationships with themselves in order to navigate the world with more ease. In addition to teaching she currently works for nonprofit Exhale to Inhale, bringing wellness to survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Jenna Conner
Trainer & Wellness Instructorr

Jenna first discovered yoga in college to ease stress and back pain, and never turned back. She comes from a dance background of 18 years, and has always had a passion for movement. Jenna fully lives and breathes yoga and tries to find some act of yoga in her everyday life. She offers vinyasa, hatha, restorative, prenatal, and trauma informed classes all throughout NYC. In her classes, you can expect to see pranayama, asana alignment, meditation, philosophy , creativity, and the invitation to come as you are. Jenna especially encourages others to see that yoga is more than a physical practice. Forever a student of yoga, there’s so much more she still aspires to learn. Jenna loves to travel and has learned and taught yoga in many parts of the world. In addition to yoga, Jenna is also a birth doula and Reiki Healer. She continues to work and spread her love of yoga and healing around NYC and the world, making it available to all types of people regardless of size, shape, color, culture, or ability.

Matty Espino
Trainer & Wellness Instructor

Matty is a 800-hour certified yoga instructor and teacher trainer with specialties in vinyasa, Lotus Flow™, chakras-based yoga, Ayurveda, and restorative yoga. He also holds certifications in Kids & Teens Yoga and Trauma-Informed Yoga. During a rather difficult time in Matty’s life, he was brought to his first NYC yoga class. Initially skeptical, he soon discovered the therapeutic benefits of consistently coming back onto the mat and, from then on, he began his journey towards healing. Matty believes that yoga has changed his life for the better and has made him stronger, healthier, and happier. He completed the initial 200-hour vinyasa training shortly after graduating his Masters program from Columbia University. Matty has become enamored with the art of teaching and has developed a strong passion for helping people to learn about their bodies and cultivate a deeper sense of peace within themselves. He hopes to inspire each of his students to feel comfortable, confident, and zero judgment. Matty can be found teaching yoga all across NYC. Off the mat, he is passionate about languages, cultures, cupcakes, and traveling all over the world.