Student Spotlight: Michelle Sommer
Hello! I’m Michelle Sommer and I live in Adel with my husband of 23 years. We have three adult children. My stepdaughter, her husband, and their two children live in West Des Moines. My stepson and his new bride live in the Boston area. My daughter, who is engaged to be married, lives in Minneapolis. […]
Student Spotlight: Sue Jansen
I am Sue Jansen and live in Des Moines with my husband of 40 years and a rescue pup. I retired from 39 years of teaching special education from preschool to high school. I have had the opportunity to teach and learn from kids on the spectrum, deaf, visually impaired, learning, and behaviorally challenged. To […]
Student Spotlight: Terrie Larsen
Hello friends. My name is Terrie Larsen, and I live in Windsor Heights with my husband of 41 years. We have three adult children and four grandchildren. I have a degree from Iowa State in Interior design and attended a one-year drafting program at DMACC. I started my career drafting commercial buildings in an architectural […]
Student Spotlight: Carol Miller
Hello Yogis! My name is Carol Miller. I work for a local insurance company where I support an amazing team of underwriters who write Surety Bonds. I enjoy riding horse, spending time with family, having lunch with friends, sitting outside and reading a good book, and taking walks. I began practicing yoga with Mary in 2013. […]
Student Spotlight: Mary Gillaspey
Greetings, fellow yogis! I’m Mary Gillaspey here. I live in Urbandale with my husband, Dean, and our golden retriever Luke. Our two adult sons are out in the world—Daniel in corporate America, Adam as a chef. Before I retired in 2001, I worked for 15 years at Metro Waste Authority, our local solid waste agency, […]
Student Spotlight: LJ Pollack and Nancy Crowfoot
Hello Yogis! We are John “LJ” Pollak and Nancy Crowfoot. We are retired in our 60s. LJ from 3 decades as a nonpartisan bill drafter and administrator for the Iowa Legislature. Nancy from nearly 40 years as a producer and director of presidential debates, Market to Market, Iowa Press, and other public affairs programming at […]
Student Spotlight: Rachel Regenold
I would have scoffed if you had told me I’d one day enjoy practicing yoga via on-demand video. For me, a big part of the practice of yoga was about going to the studio, setting up my mat and props, and lying back in constructive rest to settle in before a class. I first started […]
Kula Member Spotlight: Kathi Kruidenier
Hello. My name is Kathi Kruidenier and I have been a student of Mary’s since day one – almost 23 years. I have two great kids, a son and a daughter, and a wonderful daughter-in-law plus a married granddaughter and two grandsons. I also have four fabulous sisters, a brother, and their families. I have […]
Kula Member Spotlight: Robert Brammer
Greetings to you who are part of Mary’s community and to anyone thinking about joining Mary’s extraordinary work to foster their physical and mental well-being. My name is Robert Brammer (nickname Bram). I tune in and attend Mary’s livestreamed Strength & Balance class almost every Wednesday at noon and other times via recording. I live in Beaverdale with […]
Kula Member Spotlight: Judy McClure
Hello! My name is Judy McClure, and I’m a Midwesterner—born in St. Louis, lived in the four central states until we moved to Cedar Rapids when I was in 4th grade. I attended Iowa State and have been in Des Moines since the mid-1970s. I live in an 1895 late Victorian house in the Sherman […]
