Come for the yoga, Stay for the community.™
Meet Our Team
Jessica Hope - Yoga Teacher, Founder
My love of yoga started after a double cervical fusion in 2012. After trying just about everything, I was lucky to find pain relief through hot yoga. A few years into my practice I was in a life altering car accident that forced me to pause and reflect; ultimately leading to my decision to walk away from a corporate job to pursue yoga teacher training.
After receiving my certification, I began teaching at a hot studio. I quickly realized I needed to figure out a way to get my friends to come yoga. In 2016 I began teaching in local venues including a series of “Mind, Body + Mimosas” events at a local music hall… ultimately growing into the city’s first formalized yoga event business and the rest is history!
MKE Yoga Social is my passion. It allows us to share yoga with individuals who may be intimidated by a formal studio setting.
Outside of yoga, socializing is really my favorite thing to do! These events provide the opportunity to do just that; meet like-minded people, mingle and strengthen the local community. That's really the good stuff!
Baobi Noel - Yoga Teacher, Manager
I started practicing yoga in 2018 because it gave me the tools I needed to heal after having spine surgery due to Cauda Equina Syndrome. Yoga helps me breathe through tension and ease my physical pain, which gave me the purpose to teach yoga to others.
I teach yoga to help others find relief from their physical and emotional pain during their healing and wellness journey.
I am trained in Power Yoga, Ganja Yoga, Chair Yoga, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Kid Yoga, Trauma-informed Yoga and Yoga for Neurological Disorders.
My classes focus on the breath as well as core and spinal health. My classes are calming and focus on tuning into oneself, which help my students feel more relaxed and in tune with their body. All are welcome to my class and I highly encourage the use of props.
Anne Koller - Yoga Teacher, Water Healer
Anne was born and raised in inner-city Milwaukee. She has returned to the city that raised her after twenty years of living and working in Japan, Brazil, Argentina, New York, and California to promote peace, reconnect youth with the water, and serve her Milwaukee community.
An artist, author, and water healer, Anne believes that art bridges emotions, expression, and our truest way to happiness and freedom. The sudden loss of her father in 2011 spurred her to explore the intersection of emotional wellness and the creative arts, resulting in art projects such as The Ashes Project, TAPIN, Follow the Water, and her book of raw and unedited prose, Free to Feel.
Anne was teacher trained in Kundalini Yoga and Meditation under Hari Kaur Khalsa, named 10 Influential Yoga Teachers Who Have Shaped Yoga in America, in New York, and is certified in Art & Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and Fluid Presence, Watsu and Water dance.
Belle Dorn - Yoga Teacher
My yoga journey began in 2011 and has evolved throughout the years. My mat has become a sacred space of health, healing, growth, and exploration. As I deepen my practice, I have realized that our minds and bodies are more capable than we think. I fell in love with teaching yoga to others because I believe everybody deserves to find that safe space within themselves to explore and nurture their entire being: mind, body, and spirit.
Certified in Yoga Therapy For Neurological Conditions and Adaptive Yoga, my aim is to bring yoga to anybody and every body. Sharing the ideal that yoga will truly meet you wherever you are at.
Music is a key component to ALL of my classes. It helps us connect our breath with our movement creating a richer and deeper experience of the yoga practice. I enjoy closing my yin classes with a sound bath meditation to allow for relaxation, restoration, harmony, & inner peace. Join me soon for a fun, rejuvenating musical flow!
Margaret Teshner - Yoga Teacher
Margaret has been teaching yoga since 2020, and practicing since 2012. She received her 200 hour hatha certification from Inner Light Yoga Studios with an emphasis in Yoga Therapy in Milwaukee, WI. Margaret teaches at several studios and in an inpatient setting. She loves teaching beginner and mixed-level classes with an emphasis on proper alignment to reduce injury, and find more depth within the pose. She continues to come back to the practice due to the numerous benefits she’s discovered throughout the years including a total body, mind, and spirit reset. She hopes you leave class feeling lighter & with a sense of peace, love, joy, and purpose to guide you throughout your day!
Jamy McClain - Yoga Teacher
I am a fun, energetic, encouraging, and lively person who has a passion to help others feel good through the practice of yoga. I got my 200YTT certification in 2019 at Yogada in the Himalayas in Rishikesh, India. I am certified in traditional Ashtanga and Hatha. My goal with each class I teach is to integrate Eastern yogic philosophies into a fun, modern flow where everyone feels safe and welcome.
Outside of yoga, I am a student at Mount Mary University studying Nutrition and Dietetics. My passion lies within access to resources and food security for all. My dream is to promote heath and wellness through a community center of some sort where I can inspire people of all ages to move and eat mindfully.
Lisa Alonso - Yoga Teacher
My name is Lisa, and I'm so excited to be a part of MKE Yoga Social!
I first started yoga on the Wii Fit as a kid. It was a fun and engaging way to work out. I loved the balance and strength it built in me, all while playing around.
Since then, I've developed a passion for yoga! It transcends more than just physical training, challenging and shaping the way you go about the world mentally and spiritually. Linking breath to movement helps you to see the bigger picture with mindfulness and love.
I believe everyone should try yoga... There are so many styles and methods to help people live their best lives. From high intensity workouts to relaxing pain relief, there is a yoga style for anyone.
I'm thrilled to share this knowledge and practice with you!
Troy Moore - Yoga Teacher
I am a certified yogi registered with the Yoga Alliance and specializing in Hatha and Power Yoga. I enjoy bending and stretching bodies both near and far, spreading laughter and good vibes on the mat. Embracing body positivity, my classes are a judgment-free zone where every pose is a victory dance. Let's flow, laugh, and find our zen together!
Jade Bell - Yoga Teacher
With over 4 years of practice and a 200-hour certification from Empower Yoga in Milwaukee, WI, I specialize in Vinyasa and Yin yoga, blending elements of Hatha with an inclusive "come as you are" approach. My classes encourage self-discovery, personal growth, and a deep connection to the world and universe.
Yoga has been transformative for me, helping me navigate challenges like Crohn's disease and PCOS. I strive to create a space where students can explore their authenticity, feel empowered, and experience full-body bliss.
Join me to cultivate community through movement and mindfulness.
Nikki Tioni - Yoga Teacher
My yoga journey began at the local Bally's around 2010 when I was going through issues with weight and an impending surgery. Post surgery and a brief stint in the world of roller derby, my love and appreciation for not only the physical but also mental and emotional benefits grew. It was an integral part of thriving through some difficult times and I took the opportunity to experience the 200-hour yoga teacher training at Healium in Bay View, WI in 2020.
Despite having the intention of just deepening my personal practice and not teaching, I fell in love with the energy that is shared through teaching and impacting my students in a positive way. I love infusing both the physical practice and self-awareness to allow people the space to explore where they are each time they step on the mat - each session is a step towards balance, rejuvenation, and self-discovery.
Adriana Maldanado - Yoga Teacher
I was introduced to the practice of yoga back during my struggles with trauma, PTSD, and depression. I found myself with hip and back pain and was told to try yoga as a treatment plan. I found that the practice was a relief to my mind, body, and soul. On my journey to health and wellness, I realized that many people are going through their battles and wanted to help my community. This is now my passion. I have completed 200 hours of Yoga YTT training and am currently in Yoga Therapy Training 800 hours. I teach Vinyasa and Restorative Yoga.
My favorite practice to teach is the Vinyasa because of the slower flow and the breathwork. I aspire to teach a therapeutic class that is restorative, challenging, empowering, and accessible to all.
I am EFT trained in levels 1-2 at the Tapping Institute. I have also had the privilege of working at Sofia’s Wellness LLC, a retreat in Guatemala. While I am new to teaching, I am motivated, committed to my work, and excited to work with others who may need a little inspiration and healing.
Cat Ryder - Yoga Teacher
I initially came to yoga for its physical benefits, appreciating the union of movement and breath. My practice became especially valuable as I navigated my own mental health journey, and began to explore the dynamic tools of yoga for mental and emotional support. I found these tools especially unique in that as they offered connection and support to self, the connection began to extend outward. The yoga practice creating a unique opportunity to unify self with the collective.
As we gather in community class, I hope to help foster a safe space to explore these connections to self and the greater whole. In the safety to explore our unique offerings of support, we can authentically honor ourselves. As we share our uniqueness with the community, we extend our support outward, empowering one another. It is this union of individual resiliency and collective empowerment that I hope to nurture as we share our practice.
Cat is a 200-hour certified Yoga Instructor with three years of studio teaching experience here in Milwaukee. They also offer support through Milwaukee’s Behavioral Health Division, incorporating yogic teachings into individualized treatment goals. Passionate about mental health, queer and gender studies, and social and environmental justice, Cat honors yoga as a fundamental tool for personal and collective transformation.
Brittany Beckmann - Yoga Teacher
Yoga has always been something I could come back to throughout my life, mostly in my living room alongside Yoga with Adriene’s YouTube channel, searching through her playlists and asking myself “What do I need from my mat today?” At the beginning of my yoga explorations, I sought more physical benefits like exercise and increased flexibility. Over time, I identified vinyasa flows as one of the few sober activities that quieted my ever-busy brain. Without realizing it, yoga had been my first step to reconnecting to my body after years of neglect.
But no journey is linear. A car accident made vinyasa practices nearly impossible for my back, and I had to abandon my living room practices. Eventually, I sought in-person yoga teachers with a background in chronic back pain, and I learned through their compassion how to listen to my body and respond with loving kindness.
I completed my 200-hour teacher training through Empower Yoga while being diagnosed with C-PTSD, ADHD, anxiety, and depression. Deepening my yoga practice parallels my physical and emotional healing journeys, helping me to create and hold space for Big Feelings, to acknowledge them, to feel them, to breathe with them. My goal as a teacher is to facilitate a safe space for students to practice self-acceptance, gain confidence in pose alignment, and to explore their personal yoga journeys.
Eliana Reed - Yoga Teacher
My yoga journey began back in High School gym class! I always struggled with confidence in exercise and movement but I quickly fell in love with how I could shape my yoga practice and adapt each movement to fit the needs of my body.
In 2024 I completed my 200-hour teacher training so that I could deepen my own practice and teach others to use yoga as a tool to find their confidence and spark movement through mindfulness. My teaching style is very simple and interactive. Accessibility is important to me, and I want yogis of all levels, shapes, and sizes in my classes to feel that they have the freedom to make each sequence their own while still having fun!
Practicing yoga reminds me that I am strong and that I can continue to build strength in my physical body and spirit just as I am. I hope to share that with others in the Milwaukee community through my teaching!
Courtney Leahy - Yoga Teacher
I received my 200-hour yoga teacher training through Empower Yoga in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2024 after several years practicing on my own. Before I came to yoga, I wasn’t aware of how disconnected I was from my own body. I was seldom present in my day-to-day life, living almost entirely in my thoughts, and was experiencing health issues that doctors were unable to get to the bottom of. Upon cultivating a regular mindfulness practice which includes breathing techniques, meditation, asana practice, and spiritual study, I have begun to cultivate a greater sense of presence, wholeness, and health within my being.
My decision to become a yoga teacher comes from recognizing the power we all possess within ourselves to heal, transform, and grow, and I want to share that with others. I believe yoga is for everyone, and that it’s so much more than just physical practice- it is a journey of self-discovery that shines a light on our path to finding connection and purpose in our lives.
My practice is beginner friendly, blending many different styles of yoga, with a focus on body positivity, openness and vulnerability, and loving ourselves exactly as we come. Through my classes, I aim to cultivate a safe and nurturing environment for students to tune into their inner wisdom and find their authentic expression through movement and breath.
