Meet our practitioners

Meet our stellar wellness practitioners who create intentional, community-centered wellness spaces throughout the DC metro area and online.

  • Shakeelah is a physiologist, yoga instructor and the founder of the calm/cool collective.

    For the past 15 years she’s been teaching people all over the country how to relate to their bodies as a source of healing and ease.

    Inspired by her family's legacy of trauma, mental illness, and chronic disease, Shakeelah takes a holistic approach to well-being by incorporating yoga and mindfulness as tools to soothe nervous systems stuck in overdrive thanks to our stressful lives.

    Learn more about her work here.

  • Jessica Gray is a holistic wellness expert, meditation guide and reiki practitioner. In January 2018, Jessica founded Ascent Mind+Body Co. where she curates wellness experiences that inspire others to live a more balanced, focused and mindful life.

    Jessica's most popular offering is her sound bath meditations where she intuitively leads her clients through a relaxing full-body listening experience. She was recently featured on Washington DC radio station WPFW 89.3 FM to share more about sound healing and play a sound bath live on air. Jessica is excited to continue to align herself with opportunities that empower, heal and bring joy to her community.

  • Catherine Miller is an integrative wellness professional in the DMV who strives to make wellness accessible and empowering for others. By day, Catherine works in corporate wellness supporting efforts to increase engagement and help employees make small but lasting changes to improve their health and wellbeing.

    Catherine’s real passions, however, are Reiki, Yoga, mindfulness, and trauma-informed practices. She first experienced the benefits of Reiki as a brain tumor survivor and witnessed the benefits in others when she served as a Reiki volunteer at a local hospital. Catherine is a Reiki Master and provides services through Four Directions Wellness, a studio based in Alexandria, VA, providing Reiki services to community members as well as teaching Reiki Level 1 and 2 classes. Catherine is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher and is also trained in Divine Sleep® Yoga Nidra, focusing on classes that help students relax, unwind, and be more present. Catherine completed her M.S. in Nutrition, is a mindfulness teacher, a Certified Crystal Practitioner, and a Certified Health & Wellness Coach. For her work at Four Directions Wellness, she was named an honoree for the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce’s 40 Under 40 Awards for 2020. Overall, she loves how powerful each of these wellness practices are in building self-awareness and helping in one’s healing journey.

    Prior to these trainings, Catherine received her B.A. in History from Dartmouth College, and a minor in Anthropology, and participated in the Bridge Program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

  • For the past few years, Anameti Usoro has immersed herself in the world of breathwork, driven by a passion for wellness and a profound belief in the transformational power of this practice. As a seasoned physician and a sleep coach, Anameti brings a unique blend of medical knowledge and holistic insight to the realm of breathwork, striving to foster self-alignment and overall well-being in others.

    Anameti’s journey into breathwork began from a personal quest for balance and wellness. This exploration not only enriched her own life but also ignited a desire to share these benefits with others. She understands the critical impact of breathwork on one’s physical, mental, and emotional health and is dedicated to making this practice accessible to all.

    Recognizing that many in the community may be struggling with wellness imbalances, either knowingly or unknowingly, Anameti is committed to shedding light on the power of breathwork. The goal is not just to teach but to inspire a shift in the way we approach our health, emphasizing the importance of self-care and mindfulness. She invites everyone to discover the profound effects of breathwork on their journey to a harmonious and healthy life.

  • Bria Hamlet, MPH, CHES, RYT-500 (she/her), is a certified health educator and yoga instructor. She is the founder of JustBriFree Well-Being, which hosts workshops and yoga classes designed to inspire positive behavior change. As a member of both the Black and LGBTQ communities, Bria is invested in holding space for underserved and underrepresented identities on the mat. Bria leads yoga classes, well-being workshops, and meditation experiences. Her work has been featured by POPSUGAR, YogaJournal, GLAMOUR, and more.

    She completed a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2018 and a 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2022. She holds a BA in Health Policy from University of Maryland, Baltimore County and a Masters of Public Health from University of New England.

  • Nikki started her wellness journey when she fell in love with yoga while taking a class on a school trip to India in 2011 when she attended Temple University. During this class, she felt a sense of peace in her mind, body, and spirit that she had never experienced before. It was through yoga that she later found and began practicing meditation. Her dedication to both grew so much that she eventually received teaching certifications from Spiritual Essence and Sankofa Yoga & Wellness Centers. As a self-proclaimed "Naptivist," Nikki believes in the importance of rest and restoration. When she is not practicing yoga and meditating, Nikki loves relaxing, creating art, traveling, and exploring different cultures and cuisines.

  • A lawyer, social justice advocate, animal lover, and mom, Rashida has enjoyed the freedom found on a yoga mat since she was an adolescent. Practicing yoga in different stages of life has given her an appreciation for the way the practice can be adapted to fit a person’s life and circumstances. The grounding and support of her daily yoga practice during recent turbulent times inspired Rashida to become certified as a teacher in order to share this moving meditation with other members of her community who have not always found a space in the Westernized yoga industry. Rashida's experience undergoing a mastectomy and reconstruction have further grounded for her the importance of adapting asana to fit a person's body just the way it is. In addition to being a 200RYT, Rashida is also certified as a Yoga for All Teacher. Her classes offer a welcoming space for people of all backgrounds to explore breath, movement, and community. When she isn’t wrangling kids, cats, or clients, Rashida enjoys knitting, reading, and vegan cooking and baking.