Meet the Instructors
Mary Jennings
Founder. Vivacious. Visionary.
Her classes are exploratory, light-hearted, and disciplined.
Mary is a dedicated student of movement and the body. She began her formal yoga practice in 2007, earned a 200-hour yoga teaching certification from Joanne VandenHengel at 3rd Street Yoga in 2011, and a Power Pilates Mat Level 1 certification in 2012. Mary has attended mindfulness trainings with Google’s Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute and with the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society at Smith College. She participated in a Yoga In Action training program in Pittsburgh through Off the Mat, Into the World. Mary trained in classical ballet schools and studied dance in college. Mary holds a Bachelor’s degree in dance from Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts, and a Masters in Business Administration from Michigan Technological University's School of Business and Economics.
Mary lives for time outside with her family. She works at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts and often has a coffee in hand.
Follow Mary on Instagram @fresh_coast_yoga
Brigitte Morin
Co-owner. Inclusive. Authentic.
Her classes are grounded, creative, and mind-body centric.
Brigitte is a teacher through and through. Her background in human biology and passion for yoga guided her to pursue her yoga teaching certification in 2015 through YogaWorks in New York City. Since then, she has furthered her education in trauma-informed, inclusive, yin-style yoga practices. Currently Brigitte is pursuing a 300-Hr Teacher Training through Citizen Yoga in Detroit, MI. Through this program, she has spent time exploring Katonah yoga, yogic philosophy, yoga for the LGBTQIA+ and non-binary crowd, and purposeful messaging. Brigitte recently joined the Fresh Coast team in a co-ownership role and is committed to help the studio and our community thrive.
Brigitte spends her free time teaching Biology at Michigan Tech, trying new foods, traveling and bringing her fur-babies (2 dogs, 2 cats) on adventures around the Midwest.
Follow Brigitte on Instagram @b.mor.in.yoga
Danielle Foertsch Newman
Intuitive. Inquisitive. Kinesthetic.
Her classes are inclusive, curious, and relaxing.
Danielle prefers to see herself as a student first and instructor second. As a child, Danielle was inquisitive and learned best by doing. Those qualities have resurfaced in her teaching style, which encourages students to be curious and experiment with how each pose or movement feels in their own body and mind. In 2018, Danielle completed the 200-hour yoga teacher training program at Yoga North in Duluth, Minnesota focusing on Hatha and soma yoga, modifications, breath work, and relaxation. She is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance (RYT-500) having completed her 300-hr training with My Vinyasa Practice. She is also a certified Reiki practitioner, and has additional training in adaptive yoga, restorative yoga, yin yoga, Yoga Nidra, chakra reading, sound healing, shamanic journeying, and Vedic astrology. She is currently completing her Yoga Therapy training through Yoga North in Duluth, MN.
Outside of the studio, Danielle is a licensed architect and construction field representative with the State of Michigan. She enjoys hiking the ancient mountain ranges in the Western UP and agate hunting along the shores of Lake Superior where she feels fully connected to the energy and history of the area.
Follow Danielle on Instagram @snowycedar
Audrey Grove
Joyful. Intentional. Heart-focused.
Her classes are relaxing, peaceful and accessible.
Audrey was drawn to yoga as a form of movement because it not only let her find flexibility and strength, but more importantly offered mental, emotional and spiritual benefits. Having been a yogi since college, Audrey was called to become certified as a teacher in the spring of 2020. She completed her training in Phoenix, AZ and has loved bringing compassionate and intentional movement to her clients ever since!
Audrey is the founder of Hesed Heart Wellness Coaching and Faith-Filled Yoga. When she isn’t in the studio or behind the scenes of her business, Audrey can be found spending time with her husband, Micah, playing board games, paddle-boarding, and adding to her already long list of travel destinations.
Connect with Audrey on Instagram @hesed.heart.
Katy Ellenich
Playful. Unique. Strong.
Her classes are invigorating, inviting, and empowering.
Originally from the Keweenaw, Katy started doing yoga with her Mom when it was on channel 13 but found her yoga while in graduate school in West Virginia. She pursued her 200-hr RYT in 2019 at Suncrest Yoga, now Empower Yoga and Fitness, and has taught ever since. Katy loves a good vinyasa flow and to build powerful sequences accessible to any yogi.
In class, Katy strives to bring a smile to strength, a giggle in a new shape, and breath in movement so that her students leave the studio positively glowing.
Katy spends her free time out hiking or enjoying a beach with her hounds, Moose & Chella, or if the weather isn't cooperating curled up on the couch with the rest of her menagerie, 3 cats, 10/4, Princess, and Fluffernutter.
Follow Katy on Instagram: @katyellenich
Alexis Pascaris
Devoted. Healing. Uplifting.
Her classes are meaningful, deep, and healing.Alexis is a spirited student, teacher, and devotee. Her teaching style is grounded in her vocation to serve, heal, and uplift her community. Integrating lessons from a profound lineage of yogic teachings with breath & movement, she sees her classes as an opportunity to cultivate holistic health. Alexis' service as a yoga teacher is an effort to kindle a fellowship of truth seekers who support & nurture one another on the spiritual path.
Alexis earned her 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher certification in 2018 from Empower Yoga Studio in Northville, Michigan and completed a Yoga Nidra teacher training with Yen Yoga in Traverse City in 2019. She is currently deepening her teaching with the Golden Lotus Yoga Teachers Association of Michigan.
Alexis finds the greatest joy in the simple things - backpacking & canoeing Michigan's northern forests, painting, singing, and gardening with her cat Shanti.
Follow Alexis on Instagram @autobiography_ofayogi
Allison Mills
Collaborator. Scientific. Hopeful.
Her classes are meditative, informative, and seasonal.Allison began practicing meditation as a young child and yoga as a young teenager to help heal from dance injuries. She has taught dance for more than 15 years and is an instructor at the Superior School of Dance. In grad school, she discovered mindfulness meditation, which helped get her through three major illnesses and two surgeries. Now as a science writer, she incorporates meditation and improv into media training for researchers. She has a bachelor’s degree in geoscience from Northland College and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Montana.
Allison loves fusing dance forms, growing flowers, snowshoeing with her puppies, and snuggling her favorite goat, Beast.
Follow Allison on Instagram @47northfusion
Cindy Taavola
Cindy is a Yoga Alliance® Certified Yoga Teacher (RYT-200). Cindy came to yoga in 2017 looking for a way to manage her stress. After her first class she was hooked and has been building on her practice ever seen. In 2020, Cindy became a Certified Yoga Teacher. In 2022 she completed a 50-Hour Yin Yoga Teacher Training with Bernie Clark, and a 40-hour Yoga Nidra Teacher Training from MVP Studio of Austin, TX. Her classes are based on yoga being functional and meeting yourself where you are. You will find her classes calming for both the body and the mind.
Off the mat, Cindy is an AVP/Credit Manager for Superior National Bank and enjoys amateur photography, golf, exploring the local area, and spending time with friends and family and her Alaskan Malamute.
You can find Cindy teaching Yin Yoga classes and collaborating with others to bring forward unique workshops at Fresh Coast.
Follow Cindy on Instagram: @CindyT-Yoga
Drew Cramer
Co-owner. Grounded. Goofy.
His classes are anatomy-focused, joyful, and rejuvenating.
Drew is a lifelong learner with keen interest for the bodies we live in. He began his formal yoga practice in 2011 and earned a 200-hour yoga teaching certification from Yoga Maya Center in 2019. He trained in martial arts since 2006 and his interest in anatomy and healing kicked off when he earned his first Wilderness First Responder certification. Drew holds a Bachelor’s degree in geoscience and a Bachelor’s degree in outdoor education from Northland College and a Master’s of Science in geology from the University of Montana.
Drew loves Dungeons and Dragons and drumming. He plays outside with his dogs and wife. He installs solar panels.
Follow Drew on Instagram @fresh_coast_yoga
Instructor Alumni
