Pause + Press Play: Centering Joy and Liberation for Black, Indigenous, Women of Color

Marla Teyolia & Crystal McCreary

Marla Teyolia: Marla Teyolia is a mother, partner, executive coach, facilitator, personal guide, and modern day medicine keeper who has been holding sacred space for individuals and groups to access their healing and liberation for over 20+ years. Her family lineage is Indigenous to this land by way of the Mexica people.

Marla had the privilege and honor to study with Elena Avila (RIP), Master Curandera and author of Women Who Glows in the Dark, as her apprentice for four years during her mid-20’s. This Mesoamerican, holistic healing system has deeply informed how she approaches transformational leadership development and sustainable growth… one that is connected to nature, community, lineage, and personal agency. She is deeply influenced by her 20+ years as a student of yoga, meditation, and mindfulness practices and brings all of these modalities to her work. She has studied under master yoga teachers Maya Breuer, Sherry Ryan, Mark Whitwell, Tracee Stanley, and Chanti Tacorante-Perez. Marla is also a student of mindfulness practices in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and has had a strong meditation practice since 1996.  She works one-on-one with individual women as well as with groups in the form of retreats, workshops, and sister circles to create safe, sacred spaces for Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color to heal at the deepest levels supporting them as they do the transformative lineage shifting work of reclaiming their power in order to heal, lead, and rise. Marla holds a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley where she graduated magna cum laude. She is a Certified Empowerment Workshop Facilitator and registered yoga teacher.  Over the years, Marla has partnered with and led trainings, retreats, and coaching programs with dozens of institutions, organizations, and individuals from Meta, Google, Pfizer, Toast, Newsela, Lionsgate Entertainment, McDermott Will & Emory, Columbia University, Bard College, Mount Holyoke College, Southern Methodist University, NYC Department of Education, C. Moore Media International Public Relations, and the Youth Development Institute, among many others.  Marla offers deep gratitude for all her sisters, teachers, colleagues, and beloved clients that have shown her the power of healing and personal growth as a catalyst for individual and systemic change. She is deeply indebted to the healing wisdom of her ancestors and to her mother, life partner, and children for deeply resourcing her with love and support as centers the healing and wellness of BIWOC in her life’s purpose. For more information please visit www.cultureshift.agency

Crystal McCreary: Crystal McCreary is a Coach, Health Educator & Yoga and Mindfulness Educator & Teacher Trainer. She partners with high-achieving individuals to uncover their gifts, lead with creativity and love, and source vitality and play while navigating demanding lives. Crystal’s facilitation philosophy emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and personal wellbeing as the gateway to social justice and collective thriving. She has a passion for implementing comprehensive wellness programs within organizations to foster compassionate and equitable communities and sustainable work environments. Crystal’s expertise is derived from a lifetime of harnessing embodied, contemplative resources necessary to navigate the challenges of living in an inequitable world.

Crystal has been featured in such publications as Yoga Bodies Book, Mantra Yoga + Health magazine, Elephant Journal, Yoga Journal, Wanderlust, 21Ninety, Blavity, Shondaland.com blog, academic journals such as Race & Yoga (UC Berkeley), and numerous other blogs and podcasts. She graduated from Stanford University with a BA in African and African American studies, completed The American Conservatory Theater’s Master of Fine Arts program in Acting and moonlights as an actor on film and television when the stars align. Crystal is the author of the Little Yogi Deck: Simple Practices to Help Kids Move Through Big Emotions On & Off the Mat (Shambhala Publications, of the Penguin Random House publishing group). She is on faculty at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, and currently works as a Health and Wellness Educator at a K-12 independent school in New York City. Learn more about Crystal at  crystalmccreary.com