Amy Pickett-Williams, MSW, LCSW, RYT
Amy Pickett-Williams, MSW, LCSW, RYT is a seasoned psychotherapist with over 25 years of expertise in grief and loss. Her career began in oncology and pediatric care, where she provided compassionate support to patients and families navigating the challenges of illness and death. As she transitioned into community mental health, Amy broadened her focus to address various forms of loss—ranging from death and illness to relationship breakdowns, identity shifts, financial struggles, loss of sense of safety/peace, and more. This holistic approach led her to open her private practice, where she integrates somatic tools and therapies inspired by her study of yoga and mind-body-spirit/soul healing.
In 2023, with her personal and professional experiences, Amy founded LIGHT Movement. This transformative non-profit has reached thousands of people through offerings of donation-based yoga, workshops, training, retreats, and community support. The mission is to make somatic healing accessible to all people, helping individuals integrate their grief, rediscover purpose, and grow through their experiences. Through her work, Amy continues to bridge the gap between therapeutic counseling, yoga, and other somatic-based tools to offer powerful education and support that empowers people to grow from their grief and thrive.
Katie Mattei, PsyD
Dr. Katie Mattei, a Clinical Psychologist with 30+ years of experience, specializes in trauma, child loss, burn injuries, and professional burnout. A Columbia and University of Denver alum, she consults for schools, speaks nationally, and integrates somatic healing to support resilience in healthcare providers, first responders, and trauma survivors.
Joann Lutz, LICSW, C-IAYT, E-RYT, YACEP
Joann Lutz, LICSW, C-IAYT, E-RYT, YACEP, author, psychotherapist, and yoga therapist/teacher, is a pioneer in the application of nervous-system informed, trauma-sensitive yoga to mental health care. Her book, Trauma Healing in the Yoga Zone, is being praised by international leaders in yoga therapy and trauma studies. She brings over forty years of yoga teaching experience to the program.
Jennifer Yarbro
Jennifer Yarbro, LPC has extensive experience facilitating groups, retreats and intensives for grieving people. A former hospice grief counselor, Jennifer currently works in private practice, where she enjoys incorporating polyvagal theory, gestalt, mindful self-compassion, somatic awareness and nature informed therapy into her work.
Dr. Alex Ament, PhD, BCBA, RYT-200
Dr. Alex Ament is a licensed psychologist who specializes in supporting neurodivergent youth experiencing mental health challenges, including grief and trauma. She has experience working in hospital, school, and private-practice settings, where she strongly believes in integrating movement and somatic tools. This extends into her love for teaching and practicing yoga as a way to strengthen the mind-body connection and build self-awareness.
Yve Harrold
After the death of my husband, Tim, in 2019, I began what I call a sacred journey. As part of my own grieving, I started writing a blog on grief, life and living called, My Heart is Riding Shotgun. Also, because I experienced a gap in support services, I formed a grief support group, and in 2022, became certified as a Grief Educator through grief expert, David Kessler. As a certified Yoga Teacher, I also began offering Yoga for Grief classes. In January 2025, I completed End of Life Doula training through the International End-of-Life Doula Association (INELDA).
In September 2024, I got involved with the Light Movement and am currently serving on the Board. I also lead the Hike for Healing events every month in the Denver area. I personally appreciate that the natural world provides us with great understanding about the cycle of life, it brings us into the present, and it grounds us. I love to support others in harnessing the power of nature in healing.
Samy Mattei
Samy Mattei is a people lover, soul stirrer, smile setter, community builder. She is a licensed Occupational Therapist who works in neurorehabilitation and a certified Yoga Instructor (500hr EYRT), with specialized qualifications in Adaptive and Children’s Yoga. She brings intentional, accessible, and collaborative experiences to her interactions with yoga students of all ages and abilities – to foster spaces of empowerment and possibility. A Social Justice educational background drives Samy to be at the forefront of deeper inclusion for both the disabled community and our upcoming generation of youth, blending a professional path that aims to lead us towards positive and meaningful change. At the core of her work, she aims to merge Eastern and Western modalities for personal healing and communal well-being.
Gitit Kaufman
Gitit Kaufman is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado, who specializes in grief and relationship issues and is the owner of Connecting Dots Counseling, LLC. Gitit has a deep passion to work with people in order to increase their self-awareness toward themselves to have a wider perspective of what is going on within themselves, while focusing on their mental, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects. Gitit obtained her master’s degree in counseling with emphasis in marriage and family therapy from California State University, Fullerton in 2013 and has a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Jerusalem University in Israel since 2001. Gitit has a wide experience working with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, including veterans, people struggling with addiction, anxiety, depression, and grief. In the last 2 years, Gitit is also facilitating groups in different issues, such as grief, raising antisemitism, and women’s issues. Gitit is helping her clients identify that they have a choice and the power to make a change in the cycle within them and experience a healthier lifestyle while moving forward to a fulfilled life.
Inga Vickers
Inga Vickers is an MSW Intern with a solid background in education and behavioral support. She has spent nine years working in education, including roles as a paraeducator for children with special needs, a special education teacher in an Affective Needs program, and a behavior technician. Inga has supported students at various grade levels, such as elementary (K–6) and middle school (7–8), offering tailored interventions and social-emotional assistance. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a focus on Applied Behavior Analysis, which guides her evidence-based approach to student development and success. Currently, Inga is working toward a Master of Social Work degree with the aim of becoming a school social worker. She is dedicated to creating inclusive learning environments and helping students build the skills needed to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally.
Pooja Mamadapalli, MSc, MA, RYT-500
Pooja Mamadapalli is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern in the state of Florida with a multidisciplinary background in psychology, movement, and contemplative practices. She holds an MSc in Industrial Psychology from Bangalore University and an MA in International Disaster Psychology: Trauma and Global Mental Health from the University of Denver. She is also a RYT 500 yoga teacher, trained in Hatha Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, and Yin Yoga in Bangalore, India.
Trained in the classical Indian dance forms Bharatanatyam and Kathak, Pooja integrates embodied wisdom, yogic philosophy, and psychological insight. Her work is grounded in decolonized, culturally rooted practices that honor indigenous knowledge systems and lived experience, supporting holistic wellbeing, resilience, and trauma-informed healing.
Taylor Rhodes
Taylor Rhodes is an intern with the LIGHT Movement and an MSW student at the University of Denver, pursuing a career in clinical social work. They are currently a volunteer with 3 Hopeful Hearts, a non-profit that provides family grief support after the loss of a child, and facilitates peer-listening sessions for sibling loss. She also has previous experience as a child grief support group facilitator with Edmarc, a pediatric hospice organization in Virginia, where she facilitated their biweekly children’s bereavement support group and facilitated family and youth breakout sessions at their annual family bereavement camp.
Jeni Rinner, PhD
Jeni Rinner (she/her) is an experienced educator, facilitator, and program designer who brings creativity, empathy, and scholarly depth to her work in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). With a passion for fostering communities of belonging, Jeni partners with leaders to create spaces where dialogue, reflection, and transformation can flourish. Currently, Jeni serves at the Iliff School of Theology, where she builds innovative programs at the intersections of theology, ethics, and community engagement. Her work includes developing an End-of-Life Doula Certificate program that equips caregivers with compassionate care using a frame of somatic awareness and social justice, as well as collaborating with organizations to foster the ethical development of artificial intelligence.
With a PhD in Literature and Poetry from the University of Oregon, Jeni understands the power of storytelling to shape identity and community. She integrates this narrative awareness into her facilitation, helping leaders reflect on their own stories and engage meaningfully with the stories of others. She also holds an MA in Digital Media Studies from the University of Denver, an MEd in Language Arts Education and a BA in Liberal Studies from the University of Notre Dame. Jeni is committed to designing learning experiences that are accessible, engaging, and transformative.
Jenny Robbins, LPC, CBC
Jenny Robbins, LPC, CBC, is a therapist who specializes in grief and trauma at South Platte Counseling in Englewood, Colorado. Because grief and trauma can take such a toll on the nervous system, she is passionate about mental wellness practices that facilitate healing such as mindfulness, self-compassion, and stress reduction.