CONNECTION COALITION, INC.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA

Yoga Gangsters is a Miami-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to empower youth by addressing the symptoms of trauma and poverty such as limited education, addiction, violence, incarceration, teen pregnancy, homelessness and more We provide 6 weeks of programming and visit the location one hour per week for 6 weeks! You see us same day, same time, same teachers, 6 weeks in a row. We provide the teachers you provide the space. This helps us build connection, teach integrity and maintain a sustainable commitment for programs, teachers and students. And we have learned…this leaves the students wanting more! KG: After years of struggling with trauma and its negative symptoms, I knew I wanted to help others with similar plights. I moved to Tempe, AZ in 2009 to enter a PhD program in child development….and I hated it. All alone in the desert, old issues and trauma symptoms that I thought I had long conquered re-surfaced and all of sudden for the first time in YEARS I had a strong desire to turn back to drugs and alcohol to cope. KG: I decided I wanted to teach yoga to populations who did not have the time or money to find themselves in a yoga studio … AND I wanted to do it for free. Crazy right?! I emailed Terri Cooper a snippet of my story, my current experience, and my gratefulness to her for starting such a mission. The next day, she called me on the phone and encouraged me to gather a group of people together to do the training, and she would come to Phoenix. I was overwhelmed and could not even believe what was happening. 6 mths later- YG AZ was in full effect! KG: Since 2012 we’ve held 3 training certification weekends, trained approximately 60 volunteers, and held many successful YG Programs in places like the Boys and Girls Clubs, 1-in-10 (an LGBTQ youth group), alternative high schools in Tempe, AZ, group homes and shelters for boys and girls, residential treatment centers for girls with substance dependency, and we are soon to start a program 3 years in the making at the Maricopa County Juvenile Justice Center. I cannot even describe in words how much Yoga Gangsters means to me. KG: I’m so honored to be given the opportunity to move into my new role as both AZ Program Coordinator and Southwest Trainer. My vision for Yoga Gangsters is to grow and by growing reach more and more kids. We have some amazingly talented and elective group of executive members and hundreds of volunteers nationwide. My vision for myself is more relaxed than in the past. Many of us, myself included, can be so detail- and goal-oriented that it takes away from the present. Right now, I’m just living in the present doing my YG thang, living the dream. Fourteen years ago after the birth of her second son, Daphne Sullivan discovered the transformative power of yoga. She became certified in 2011 and has been teaching students to discover the magic that body, breath and spirit produce. She was Marketing Manager for USA Today prior to being a full-time mom. Desiring a place to use her business skills she became a consultant to MorningCoach.com and Social Media Creator for Functional Fitness Bahamas. Daphne is the Marketing Director of The Yoga Joint studios in Fort Lauderdale, where she is also a Vinyasa and Restorative Teacher. She enjoys strength training at the gym, functional fitness, Muay Thai, paddleboarding, boxing and was a competitive swimmer in the Panamerican Games as a teenager. Being balanced physically, mentally and spiritually is her life philosophy. She believes that kids today need a place to connect to others at a tangible level, to expend their energy and find their strengths. Yoga Gangsters provides the perfect place to attain that through the right combination of physical movement through asana and nurturing of the soul. Yoga opened my eyes and made me a better person. It helps me grow and helps me heal, everyday. It allows me to learn about – and better understand – myself, which in turn allows me to better understand and serve others. When I teach Yoga, I humbly want to share and pass on the Beauty, the Love, the Strength and the sense of Peace one can really find in this blessed practice. The expression on people’s face when coming out of Savasana is a wonderful reward, each and every time. Gisele shares her love of Yoga in her studio on Brickell, where she also teaches the Power Plates, helping and coaching people towards a better way of Life, physically, mentally and spiritually. Learn more at After many years of looking for “something” that could make the shift in my life by helping myself and by helping others, Yoga came to me as a beautiful and powerful instrument and I knew right away that it was the right path. Yoga is the perfect companion for my spiritual practice. I want to share the light, the love, the compassion, the balance, the truth and teaching Yoga Outreach programs helps me accomplish that. “When I help others, I help myself. When I love others, I love myself. When I teach others, I learn” Laura has been practicing yoga for 8 years and just recently completed her RYT certification in 2011. Yoga was a light in the darkness for Laura. Her belief is that yoga truly changes lives, changes people, and shifts the perspective of those who practice regularly. Yoga has the power to heal, and should be shared with anyone that wants yoga in their life. Yoga is the best medicine you can get! She became inspired to teach and share the gift of yoga to others after yoga helped her find her inner peace, calm, happiness, strength, confidence, and really changed the course of her life! and is excited to help establish a presence for Yoga Gangsters in Palm Beach County. Laura enjoys working with teenagers and women & children’s shelters. Aside from yoga, Laura is passionate about helping people discover and assist in making the transition to a healthier lifestyle. She is a registered yoga teacher, chef, and is currently taking classes in life coaching and holistic nutrition at