Workshop Leaders

Many of our workshop leaders are available through-out the year and can be scheduled for events. If you would like to learn more about their availability please contact us.

Jaquline Saunders, Goddess Productions

After a series of visions in the 1980’s relating to the disempowerment of the Divine Feminine, Jacqueline began empowering women through her workshops and spiritual retreats. Since she was a child, Jaquline has been a psychic and spiritual channel. She specializes in energetic processes that unlock and activate the heart chakra and sacral chakra. This activation creates intense cleansing, healing inner conflict, and releasing what needs to be “let go of.” She teaches the “art” of Dream Weaving, an aspect of the Divine Feminine and the Great Grandmothers that uses the process of “dreaming” to bring the dream into reality. Jacqueline also teaches the 7 steps of creation and manifestation by connecting to one's heart and one's intuition.

Jerry Buie MSW, LCSW, Queer Spirit

Jerry Buie obtained his BS at Brigham Young University in 1992 and his Masters of Social Work from the University of Utah in 1994. Jerry has been an active therapist and social advocate for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Mental Health since his graduation. In 1999 he started Pride Counseling, a private practice working primarily with gays and lesbians providing a safe place to seek competent mental health services.

In 1996, Jerry met a Native American gentleman who taught him the ways of Native American spirituality using traditional rituals and ceremonies. He learned how this native path could profoundly transform ones life. Through the teachings of Native American Elders from several tribes, Jerry has gained a cross-cultural understandings of these concepts. Many of the rituals and concepts he was taught are used to facilitate his retreats. Jerry has also traveled to Peru and learning about Incan ceremony and traditions, playing with Radical Fairies in Tennessee and Oregon, and otherwise having a broad experience in working with the energies and ancestors of many lands and traditions. Honoring the sacred sensuality and medicine of our queer heritage is a daily priority in his practice and private life. He sees himself as learning and honoring the path of the “two spirited” and the “third gendered” and those who “walk between worlds."

Jerry has served on several boards including the Utah AIDS Foundation, Naraya Cultural Preservation Council (Serving the Native American Community) and the National Gay Men's Health Movement. Jerry is aware of the various issues at play on many levels in the lives of gay men and knows how to facilitate a process that will provoke interpersonal motivation, growth and change.

John Cottrell, PhD, Queer Spirit

Originally from Oakland, California, John developed a passion for working with people, music, and dance. He cultivated his skills and talents by attending Santa Clara University earning his Bachelors Degree in psychology. He attended Pacific Graduate School of Psychology in Palo Alto and earned his Masters Degree and PhD in clinical psychology.

While living in Utah, John has work as a psychotherapist, create and direct his own dance group, performed, modeled, and become a certified yoga instructor. For ten years, John worked for Project Reality, a substance abuse treatment agency, where he developed his skills as a therapist, administrator, consultant, teacher, and community liaison. John finished a tenure as the Director of Program Services with The Intermountain Harm Reduction Project providing services, education, advocacy, and counseling to active illicit substance users.

John has been a Power Yoga instructor for the past six years. He currently is the Life Studio Coordinator at Lifetime Fitness facilitating and coordinating the yoga and pilate's program. He also teaches at Centered City Yoga in Salt Lake where he provides yoga instruction to a variety of aspiring yogis including an all men's Power Yoga class where the focus is on self-awareness, self-appreciation, inner and outer strength development, flexibility, balance, and focus. John continues to nurture his passion for working with people by helping others to develop and express their personal strengths and talents. Through the power of mind, body, and spirit, a true sense of self can be achieved.

Tobya Negash, Open Heart Bodywork

Born and raised in Boulder Colorado, Tobya Negash has devoted her life to an intensive practice of self-discovery and opening her wings to embrace and support all beings who wish to uncover, discover and express their highest potential and personal medicine. She has practiced Zen and Tibetan Buddhist meditations for over ten years, mindfulness and visualization practices, cultivating love and compassion, self inquiry and Tantra to name a few.

Tobya has also found continuous inspiration from the Stanley Grof's work by utilizing the gifts of taping into the collective consciousness via Holotropic Breath work. From 2001 to 2007 she apprenticed with a Peruvian Shaman and is a Mesa carrier. Tobya has been baptised into the Native American Lakota church, Pejuta Wakan Cancu' Charter #4272. She has lead and participated in a number of ceremonies of the Daime Church of Brazil.

Today, Tobya is a teacher, healer, light worker, channel and psychic/Intuitive who is tuned into ancient ancestral wisdom. Tobya is also an artist, her works of art act as a bridge bringing in the light of higher denominational energies. It is her whole hearted wish to raise the consciousness and the vibration of the planet via self empowering individuals to live in the ever expanding now from a place of truth, integrity and infinite joy.

RonaLaFae & Heather Lynn, Whispering Winds Retreats

RonaLaFae and Heather Lynn are great spiritual teachers that know and understand energy and how it affects us. They each have their own and unique gift that they share with the group. Heather has studied Reiki and many other spiritual healing techniques. RonaLaFae is a gifted psychic who uses her abilities as a medium to bring healing energy to her workshops.

Together they take you on an exciting adventure of self-discovery. They are two spirits that truly love those they work with, and give 110% to help everyone reach their true potential as God's children.

Jocelyn Johnson, Heal Yourself

As a Vibrational Medicine Practitioner, Jocelyn has been directed to work with many healing modalities including sound healing. A powerful tool for transformation and healing, sound promotes energetic harmony and balance. This in turn creates a healthy energy environment around us and directly changes our systems.

By working with sound tools, we can hone in on our perception and interpretation of subtle energies and heighten our level of consciousness. We can also use sound to open and unify our lower and higher energy fields. Jocelyn will introduce you to the healing frequencies of the ancient Solfeggio scale. These sacred tones serve as a “vibrational bridge” to holistically re-integrate the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of a unified humanity.

Judy Becker

Judy has been deeply inspired and influenced by her yoga practice which combines an awareness of the chakras, a vigorous sequence of flowing poses along with uplifting music. There is always a focus on finding the connection between the mind, body and spirit.

Judy has had the opportunity to study with some of the most celebrated yoga instructors in the country: Seane Corn, Rodney Yee, Sharon Gannon, Shiva Rea, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa and Rod Stryker. Judy has also had the privilege of training with Anodea Judith, one of the foremost experts on the chakras.

The yoga practice is a holistic journey which connects the mind, body and spirit. By linking movements with breath in a moving meditation, we have an opportunity to release physical and emotional blocks, create space, ground our energy, gain insights, and open our hearts to love and light. As we create awareness, flexibility, balance, strength, connection and intuition in our yoga practice, we also create these qualities in our lives off of the yoga mat.

Janice Culley, founder of Pathways Education & Training Centers, Inc.

Janice was inspired to write and develop programs that transform lives after she underwent a life-changing experience when she was in her early thirties.

As Janice let go of her external resources and the need to find answers there, she received a very clear message that her situation was part of a huge, world-wide problem. "The world is awry," she was told. It seemed incomprehensible to her that the whole world was out of order, but she couldn't deny the reality of the communication she had received. Shortly after receiving that information, Janice began a quest to find happiness and peace. She began integrating spiritual practices into her life that eventually brought her to a space of pure joy and incredible power. She calls the process that led her to that event "accessing quantum energy." In this space, all the information, resources and gifts one needs at any moment are instantly available. She knew that she would share her journey with the world and teach others how to access quantum energy.

Janice spent the next 14 years gathering tools that would enable her to pass on her experience. She certified in Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Educational Kinesiology, Reiki, Reconnective Healing, and she took classes in meditation and various healing modalities. She wrote and taught curriculum for off-track youth for a school district, worked in private schools, and implemented her programs in youth treatment facilities. She also spoke at women's conferences and on television and radio.

As she taught her students how to align with universal laws, she incorporated exercises and processes that integrate the hemispheres of the brain and connect the mind and heart. Her programs were initially designed to help so-called "learning disabled" children achieve success, and have since expanded to raise consciousness and promote healing in people of all ages, skill levels and walks of life.

Barbara Pincombe

Barbra is a certified massage therapist that also use techniques of Cranio-Sacral, Deep Tissue, Effleurage, Friction, Myofascial Release, Petrissage (Kneading), Reflexology, Shiatsu/Accupressure, Sports Massage, Swedish Massage, Tapotement, Trigger Point, Reiki, Theta Healing, Hypnosis.

Laurie Hutchings

With a masters in education for grades K-12, Laurie takes the approach in her teachings of math, science, philosophy, and health to a higher consciousness. Originally from New York, Laurie brings to the table the fine skill of teaching and a passion for the great outdoors. She moves people by raising them to their higher consciousness through ceremony and heart felt connection to all that is.

Peggy Layton

Peggy D. Layton, the author, holds a bachelors of Science degree in Home Economics Education from Brigham Young University with a minor in Food Science and Nutrition. Peggy is married to Scott R. Layton and together they have seven children. With nine people to feed, Peggy uses bulk food storage products on a regular basis. She can write and speak about food storage from a hands on point of view. Peggy is also a massage therapist that integrates emotional release therapy in her massage practice.