Drum roll please: Announcing our inaugural 35 Under 35 to Watch in Wellness! This list was culled by our staff, in hopes of recognizing some unfamiliar faces in the community. We know there are some obvious choices missing (ahem, Jessamyn and Chelsey), but we wanted to highlight some folks you may not have heard of. Trust us. They’re the next big thing since gluten-free sliced bread.
Congratulations to them! Have someone you’d like to be considered for future lists or for us to highlight with a content feature? Reach out to editorial@wanderlust.com.
Please note that those marked with asterisks are 2019 Wanderlust talent (Jessamyn and Chelsey among them).
Allie Mason, 32
Allie is an entrepreneur, yoga educator, and producer of The Get Down, one of NYC’s top dance parties. Whether she’s in the studio, on the dance floor, or supporting socially-conscious, mission-based businesses through her company Something Greater Social, she believes that showing up authentically is the foundation of sustainable success. Follow Allie on Instagram here.
Alyia Cutler (30) and Meghan Conway (29)
Alyia and Meghan are the founders of Wyld Womyn, a space in Hudson Valley, NY to support, explore, and empower The Feminine in us all. As Community Doulas, they create an inclusive community to support birth and postpartum, physical and emotional healing, and bear witness to any life transitions from birth to end of life. Follow Wyld Womyn on Instagram here.
Amy Kurtz, 34
Amy is the author of the best selling book Kicking Sick: Your GO TO GUIDE for Thriving with Chronic Health Conditions, a health and wellness coach, patient advocate, and speaker. She has been a recurrent guest on Good Morning America. Kicking Sick was listed on Lena Dunham’s top ten desert island books of all time on Vulture. Follow Amy on Instagram here.
Ava Johanna, 26
Ava is a transformational mentor, meditation and yoga teacher, and breathwork facilitator on a mission to make wellness and mindfulness accessible to the masses through one-on-one mentorship, in-person workshops and events, and her podcast, The Alchemized Life. Follow Ava on Instagram here.
Bethany C. Meyers, 32
Bethany is founder of the be.come project, is a master instructor and entrepreneur with a message known for inclusivity and body-neutrality. Their unique approach to movement awakens clients in profound ways. Meyers voice stands apart in the fitness world as a leader in dismantling beauty standards. Follow the be.come project on Instagram here.
Bridget “Bee” Creel, 25
Bee is an NYC yoga teacher and co-founder the new wellness experience “Mood Room.” Bee spent the past year teaching at Wanderlust yoga festival and leading a yoga retreat in Costa Rica. When she’s not teaching, she is managing editorial production for Yoga Journal magazine. Follow Bee on Instagram here.
* Cara Kovacs, 28
Cara is a third-generation healer and Sex, Love, and Relationship Expert based in New York City. Combining cutting edge modern science with ancient healing modalities and spiritual wisdom, she acts as a guide to sacred sexuality and empowerment of the self. Follow Cara on Instagram here.
Chauncie Parchment, 24
Chauncie is an 800-hour certified hot and vinyasa yoga teacher with a background in dance and theatre, having studied with American Ballet Theatre and the Dance Theatre of Harlem, among others. He currently studies herbal medicine, jiu jitsu, and capoeira, and was a 2019 Battle Asana Champion. Follow Chauncie on Instagram here.
Chelsey Luger, 31
Chelsey is the co-founder of Well For Culture, an Indigenous wellness initiative founded in 2014 with her partner, Thosh Collins (36). Well For Culture uses social media, a beautiful website, and workshops to offer their unique, modern take on ancestral health. Their knowledge is useful to all people, as “holistic health” is a concept that has been a part of Indigenous culture since the beginning of time. Follow Chelsey on Instagram here.
Corinne Wainer (33) and Shauny Lamba (33)
In 2016 Corinne and Shauny founded SHAKTIBARRE to subvert exclusive fitness industry statistics with sliding-scale pricing, and to normalize community-building within typically divisive exercise modalities like barre. With two studios and one on the way (Spring 2019)—and LA pop-ups starting this summer—SHAKTIBARRE keeps growing in the name of wellness for everybody. Follow SHAKTIBARRE on Instagram here.
Cydney Tucker, 25
Cydney is a DC-based journalist, yoga instructor, and the founder of Colors of Ohm. Colors of Ohm is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between communities of color and wellness opportunities across the country. The organization offers regular mindfulness workshops at accessible prices consisting of yoga, meditation, reiki, and other forms of natural healing. Follow Colors of Ohm on Instagram here.
Danny Fluker, 34
Danny is a yoga teacher and founder of Black Boys OM, dedicated to inspiring wellness in youth by creating a connected community of Black leaders using mindfulness tools to exact lasting change. Danny was a Black Belt at age 13, and after 15 years in the IT-Infrastructure industry, volunteered as a mentor for underserved youth in the Atlanta Public School system before discovering the power of practice. Follow Black Boys OM on Instagram here.
Emily Schromm, 30
Whether teaching nutrition through online programming, showing how to make the world your gym with her EmPack weight training backpack, helping you mend with her Element Tea line and exemplifying the power of strength training at her gym, Platform Strength, Emily empowers you with inspiration and tools to change your life. Follow Emily on Instagram here.
* Jacy Cunningham, 30
Jacy is the founder and creator of The Jacy Method. The Jacy Method is a hybrid fitness/meditation experience where the Work Out is just as important as the Work In. Each experience is unique in its combination of primal movement, dance, and meditation. Follow Jacy on Instagram here.
Jenny Gaither, 31
Jenny is a body-positive health coach, a Master SoulCycle instructor and creator of the hip hop dance class, Notorious FIT. Jenny fosters communities through her private Facebook group, Movement Mindset Margaritas, for women to build confidence; and as the Founder of Movemeant Foundation—a nonprofit that uses fitness as a tool to help girls build-self worth. Follow Jenny on Instagram here.
Jessica Assaf, 28
Jessica is an entrepreneur and activist with a Harvard MBA who has spent the past decade advocating for health and sustainability. She is the founder of Cannabis Feminist, a female-led cannabis community empowering women to lead the industry, and the co-founder of Prima, a new CBD wellness platform launching soon. Follow Cannabis Feminist on Instagram here.
Jules Hunt, 27
Jules is a wellness entrepreneur and creator of the mindful lifestyle blog Om & The City. Through her platform, Jules shares actionable insight to help women simplify their lives and attain real, sustainable wellness from the inside out. She’s also a yoga teacher, major plant lady, and dog mama. Follow Jules on Instagram here.
* Kady Lafferty, 30
Big Booty Yoga is a brand and movement that aims to peacefully disrupt the yoga stereotype one chubby Chatarunga at a time. With a focus on inclusivity and body positivity, Founder Kady Lafferty hosts classes, workshops, activism events, retreats and teacher trainings in Denver and beyond. Follow Big Booty Yoga on Instagram here.
* Kathryn Kellogg, 28
Kathryn is the founder of Going Zero Waste, a lifestyle website dedicated to helping others reduce their trash and live a more holistic lifestyle for both themselves and the planet. She’s a spokesperson for plastic-free living for National Geographic and forthcoming author of 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste, which breaks eco-friendly, sustainable living down into an easy step by step process with lots of positivity and love—and is available for pre-order. Follow Kathryn on Instagram here.
Katzie Guy-Hamilton, 32
One of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America turned Certified Health Coach, Katzie is currently the Director of Food + Beverage for Equinox Fitness. Her debut cookbook Clean Enough emphasizes food freedom—eating whole foods with joy and elegance. When it’s time for a slice of perfect chocolate cake, you’ll want hers. Follow Katzie on Instagram here.
Ksenia Avdulova, 30
Ksenia is a public speaker, founder of the award-nominated digital platform Breakfast Criminals, and host of Woke & Wired podcast, focusing on expanded consciousness and entrepreneurship in the digital age. Named “One Of The Pioneers Of Conscious Social Media,” Ksenia impacts 100K+ people monthly as she shares about rituals, mindful nourishment, and intuitive entrepreneurship. Follow Ksenia on Instagram here.
* Lauren Ash, 31
Lauren is a wellness visionary, yoga and meditation guide, engaging speaker and creative writer, and founder and executive director of the culture-shifting lifestyle brand synonymous with black women’s wellness—Black Girl In Om. Lauren’s contributions to the world ultimately reflect what she once needed and didn’t see. Follow Black Girl in Om on Instagram here.
Maraliz Campos, 31
Maraliz is a sound practitioner and wellness guide who challenges widely-accepted industry narratives. She combines scientific and intuitive sound techniques to invite self-exploration. A Latina with disabilities, she promotes accessibility and inclusivity while teaching us to shift our unconscious reactions to chosen responses. Find Maraliz on Soundcloud, or follow her on Instagram here.
* Max (29) and Liz Lowenstein (29)
Max and Liz are AcroYoga teachers, yoga instructors, and Registered Dietitians. They travel all over the world teaching AcroYoga, yoga, and handstands at festivals, workshops, and mindfulness retreats. When they are not traveling, Max and Liz reside in Dallas, Texas with their puppy and plants. Follow Max and Liz on Instagram here.
* Mike Aidala, 29
Mike is a coach. He guides people on gaining strength, increasing mobility, and building a positive mindset. He believes if we can focus our mind on our bodies, on how and why we move, we can take that same attention outside of the gym to our everyday lives, where it really matters! Follow Mike on Instagram here.
Millana Snow, 31
Millana is an energy healer, radio host of #ThisIsWellness on Dash Radio, and the Founder of WellnessOfficial.co; an online marketplace of practitioners and brands from the global wellness community. The model winner of Project Runway, Millana now supports healing of thousands online and at NYU, Summit, Soho House, Lululemon, Alexander Wang, and more. Follow Millana on Instagram here.
Mona Lavinia Garcia, 33
Mona is an endurance athlete who found her passion through sport, specifically distance running. Through her work she has helped elevate running in her community, intertwining mindfulness and running. She brings the endurance and resiliency she builds on the road to the ring. Through boxing, Mona empowers and helps people release stress and build mental toughness while having fun. Follow Mona on Instagram here.
* Myrah Penaloza Mohar, 34
Myrah is an educator, clothing designer, festival co-founder and mother. She helps women realize their potential through the teachings of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. Her mission is to empower women, every single day. She leads retreats and sacred women’s circles through her project “La Luna Social” globally. Follow Myrah on Instagram here or here.
* Nicole Cardoza, 29
Nicole is the executive director of Yoga Foster, a national nonprofit that gives free and low-cost yoga training to educators, the co-founder of Mental Health League, a charitable retail company, and dahla, which fosters financial wellness for women. She’s currently nomadic. Follow Nicole on Instagram here.
Ryan LeMere, 28
Ryan is an artist and working creative director. He is the founder of Aligned, a wellness publication for the guru within. Ryan teaches weekly yoga and meditation to gay and trans people inside NYC’s prison system, and is currently launching a podcast honoring on the radical wellbeing of the trans, queer, and non-binary community. Follow Ryan on Instagram here.
Shannon Algeo, 32
Shannon is a speaker, writer, and coach—known for speaking openly and truthfully about his growth process and journey. He is the host of the iTunes Top Podcast SoulFeed (Spotify here + iTunes here) and works with clients to heal old patterns of trauma so they can powerfully show up in the world with purpose, presence, and truth. Follow Shannon on Instagram here.
Stevie Michelle Van Horn, 30
Stevie is a sustainability activist with a focus on conservation and the zero waste mindset. I want to bring accessibility, intention and self love to the zero waste movement. She’s also the owner of Yay for Earth, a waste-free lotion business sourcing from local beekeepers and healthy sustainable productions. Follow Stevie on Instagram here.
Victoria B. Wikler, 23
Victoria is an API Shamanic facilitator, transpersonal coach, and trauma specialist focused on psycho-spiritual health, sexuality, and integration. She’s trained in Celtic shamanism, certified in Holotropic breathwork, and family constellations, and teaches emotional liberation techniques for POC activists, safety and consent training for healers, and various forms of breathwork. Follow Victoria on Instagram here.
Zuzu Perkal, 32
Zuzu is a muralist, visual artist, and yoga teacher. It’s with profound passion and unconditional love that she creates artwork as a means of fostering human connection. For her, painting is meditation and offering, as each piece is designed to invoke positive emotions, alter limiting thoughts and beliefs, and illuminate a spark of inspiration within its observer. Follow Zuzu on Instagram here.