Team

Anne is an attorney, Certified Autism Specialist, and trained yoga instructor (Kramas Yoga) with extensive experience supporting autistic, neurodivergent, and LGBTQ+ individuals and their families. She teaches neurodivergent-friendly yoga in Waunakee and Deforest, creating inclusive, strength-based programs that promote emotional regulation, confidence, and resilience.

Her professional background includes legal advocacy for parents of children with special needs, nonprofit clients, and LGBTQ+ families, as well as employment and HR guidance. Anne brings both personal insight and professional expertise to her work, designing programs that remove barriers and make wellness accessible to all.

In her free time, she writes fiction, volunteers on nonprofit boards, including her passion project Trans Law Help Wisconsin, Inc., and spends time with her husband, three kids, and five cats. 

Amanda brings over a decade of experience in nonprofit administration, program management, and outreach. She completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training and teaches yoga in the Madison area. She also has a background as a French translator and has worked and volunteered internationally, mostly in Haiti, which has deepened her cross-cultural understanding and compassion for diverse communities.

Before joining YogAutism, Amanda served in various administrative roles, managing programs, coordinating events, and fostering connections between organizations and the people they serve. She is passionate about creating supportive, well-organized environments that help teams thrive and programs succeed.

Outside of work, Amanda values mindfulness, nature, and simple living, and she brings these values into both her professional and personal life. She lives with her husband, two children, two dogs, and two cats, and enjoys time outdoors, making her own herbal teas, and exploring Wisconsin.

Jody has been a long-time advocate of YogAutism. She is a 200 and 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) and body work professional trained in Alignment Yoga. She is also a licensed massage therapist, a certified Zero Balancing practitioner, and a TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises) Provider for trauma prevention.  She has a long history of supporting individuals with autism through her volunteer service with such programs as Gi Gi's Playhouse and the Special Olympics, and has worked with MSCR, the MARC Center, and Madison Metropolitan School District.  

She has a lifetime of personal and professional experience with developmentally disabled people. From growing up with a sibling with a disability to working among diverse populations throughout her adulthood and participating in activities like meditation and yoga, Jody’s experiences have shaped her into a patient and compassionate person. She is full of creativity and playfulness and is committed to "thinking outside the box." 

Jody enjoys serving all ages and populations. In her spare time, you can find her cooking, reading, hiking, and enjoying other outdoor activities. 

Terri Buechner is a 200 hr and 500 Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) and Breath Coach, initially trained by Scott Anderson in the Alignment style of yoga.  Having done extensive training in Yin, Breathwork, Alignment yoga, and Adaptive Yoga, Terri is most fulfilled when she is bringing the healing benefits of yoga to communities that may not have experienced it before. She’s taught both chair yoga and adaptive yoga since 2016 and has been teaching group classes and private sessions since 2008.

Terri was certified in 2008 but has practiced yoga for much longer. Having been involved in two back-to-back car accidents in her twenties, by her 30s, she was living with daily pain.  Yoga was the answer for her, helping to heal both physically and emotionally.  

Terri is also the Director of Special Needs Planning for a Madison-based financial planning firm and is currently working on her ChSnc certification to more fully understand and serve those with special needs.

Jessica is a lifelong learner passionate about health and wellbeing. She has a doctorate degree in nutritional sciences and over 20 years of experience in nutrition research in addition to being an ayurvedic nutritionist and former dietitian. 

After several health challenges left her feeling exhausted and in pain throughout 2016, Jessica found the gentle practice of Yin yoga restored her body, mind, and spirit. This inspired her to do her first teacher training in Yin yoga in 2018. Since then, Jessica has completed 800 hours in yoga teacher training programs and she has done ~100 hours of Subtle Yoga® ‘brain yoga’ trainings with a strong emphasis on slow, mindful yoga to enhance nervous system regulation. Jessica has shared the gift of yoga though teaching over 1500 group yoga classes in gyms, yoga studios, and community centers in the Madison area. In 2024 she began teaching adaptive yoga classes with the non-profit Yoga Accessible for All (YAFA) and working 1:1 with YogAutism clients, combining her creativity and experience to create flexible sessions suited to individual needs.

Jessica is also actively involved with youth programs at her church and through 4-H. She loves camping with her family and snuggling with her two dogs and two cats.

Ronda is a special education teacher, who has worked in Madison and Sun Prairie public schools since 2006. She is a long-time movement enthusiast who discovered yoga while searching for movement to complement her running and martial arts training. Ronda quickly learned that the movements that felt good in her body and calmed her mind were also helpful for her students.  

Ronda is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) who teaches yoga classes that focus on strength and mobility. She's passionate about promoting accessibility and inclusion for all, and volunteers with the Sun Prairie Area School District Adaptive Sports Team and with The Penguin Project, a musical theater program for teens and young adults with disabilities.  

Bruce has been practicing yoga since 1997, first studying with Madison’s pioneering yoga master, Roger Eischens, and becoming an Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) certified instructor in 2011. He turned to yoga in his 40’s when back and knee pain announced that he had arrived at midlife. 

His joy is to find movement that feels good and helps improve each student’s physical state. His “no dogma” focus on individual students brings curiosity, fun, and knowledge to each session.

Jordann is a trauma-informed 200-Hour CYT, an Internal Family Systems Practitioner, and Health Coach here in Madison.

Her approach is rooted in the belief that health and fitness aren’t one-size-fits-all, and she’s passionate about making movement and wellness accessible for every person, no matter their background, ability, or previous experience. She hopes everyone who steps onto the mat feels empowered to move their body in a way that feels best to them (even if that doesn’t look like a "typical" yoga pose).

When she’s not working, Jordann can be found hiking around Madison with her pup Mabel, teaching big lifts at a local gym, or curling up with a good book.

Kelly Petrie is the founder of the Maitri Center for Mindful Living, located in downtown Oregon WI, where she is dedicated to cultivating a sense of wellbeing, impassioned learning, and interconnectivity through the development of innovative programs that employ contemplative pedagogies and creative modalities for optimal human flourishing. 

She holds a MA in contemplative education from Naropa University where she dedicated her graduate studies applying contemplative wisdom to the cultivation of meaningful relationships between autistic and non-autistic people. She received 500 hours of yoga teacher training from Scott Anderson’s Alignment Yoga and holds the following Yoga Alliance designations: E-RYT® 200, RYT® 500, YACEP®. Kelly is a professional mindfulness teacher, with a specialty in teaching mindfulness-based social emotional learning skills to youth. She is also a practice leader with Tergar International meditation community under the guidance of meditation master, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. 

Kelly has had a lifelong passion for people with autism and a wealth of experience supporting autistic individuals through her many years working in public schools, serving on an autism support team, and her involvement with autism research at UW-Madison. Kelly’s longtime personal practice in meditation, yoga, and contemplative arts and 25+ years of experience educating adults and children of all ages and diverse needs serves as the inspirational ground for her teaching.

Julia is the owner of the Julia Rymut Embodied Movement studio. She teaches movement with an emphasis on groundedness and being present in your body. One of her heartfelt passions is helping people with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and other hypermobility spectrum disorders, chronic pain and fatigue, and other invisible diseases. By working with mindfulness, strength, and stability, she helps you cultivate fluid, stable movement and a calm, relaxed mind.

Julia began studying yoga over 35 years ago with some of the founding yoga teachers including Janet MacLeod, Kathy Alef, Judith Lasater, and others. She has a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) certification. In addition to yoga, she has been teaching Pilates since 2017. She has 6 CME credits on Ehlers Danlos Syndrome from the Medical College of Wisconsin. She is trained in meditation and mindfulness, contemplative journaling, embodied presence, and Thai massage.

Julia loves working with people, movement, and our complicated relationships to our bodies. She is light-hearted and can do a killer impression of a tree. 

Teri Sisulak lived in Arizona for over a decade, earning a Master's Degree in Counseling from Northern Arizona University. Her passion for movement included aerial dance and yoga, which she integrated into her training for flexibility. 

While Teri has served in a variety of capacities throughout education and mental health, she circles back to connect with people with learning disabilities. During Teri’s time as an undergraduate, she served as a mentor to students with learning differences using art to connect with others. 

In 2018, after gaining experience in mental health, she pursued yoga teacher training to expand her mindfulness and meditation expertise, aiming to teach clients yoga skills like breathing, meditation, and movement off the mat. Her training centered on Vinyasa and drew from the Baptiste style and yin yoga. She conducted a successful children's yoga class at the Flagstaff Arboretum's camp. She is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT), and enjoys continuing her education, most notably by attending the Sedona Yoga Festival in 2022 and meditating with howler monkeys during a retreat in Costa Rica.

Teri's primary mission is to provide a safe and enjoyable space for individuals to connect with their bodies, emphasizing playfulness and self-discovery in their yoga practice.

Mary Kate earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Chemistry from Western Carolina University. After graduation, she relocated to Sandusky, Ohio, and later to Madison, WI. Mary Kate is currently living in Louisville, KY.

Passionate about community involvement and continuous learning, Mary Kate has a strong background in volunteer work and engagement with local organizations. She joined YogAutism as a Board Member in 2024 and became President in 2025.

Mary Kate has practiced yoga and mindfulness since 2018, marking the beginning of her health and wellness journey, which continues to grow and evolve each year. 

As a proud and loving aunt to an young nephew on the autism spectrum, Mary Kate brings both personal and professional experiences to her role on the board, offering a unique perspective and strong commitment to the nonprofit's mission. She envisions enhancing YogAutism through ambitious fundraising efforts and strengthening the Board's capabilities, ensuring the organization continues to grow and make a meaningful impact.

Diane is a meditation and yoga practitioner and instructor and is the owner of  8-3-1 Yoga. She is also the founder of Madison Outdoor Yoga and believes yoga should be accessible to all. Specifically, she is passionate about making yoga accessible and available to people of color and those with disabilities. 

David Cunningham serves as the Assistant Director of Academic Services for the University of Wisconsin athletic department. He currently works with the football, golf, and tennis teams. Cunningham specializes in teaching learning strategies and organizational skills while providing comprehensive academic support to students on his caseload. 

Additionally, Cunningham is the Athletic Department’s liaison to the McBurney Disability Resource Center, on campus. In this role, he administers assessments and assists student-athletes in attaining or utilizing academic accommodations.

Before arriving in Wisconsin in 2018, Cunningham spent over twenty years as a varsity football and basketball Coach, Special Olympics coach, Paraprofessional, and Special Education teacher in the Milwaukee and Mequon-Thiensville (Wis.) school districts. During his career, he has taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

David Cunningham serves as the Assistant Director of Academic Services for the University of Wisconsin athletic department. He currently works with the football, golf, and tennis teams. Cunningham specializes in teaching learning strategies and organizational skills while providing comprehensive academic support to students on his caseload. 

Additionally, Cunningham is the Athletic Department’s liaison to the McBurney Disability Resource Center, on campus. In this role, he administers assessments and assists student-athletes in attaining or utilizing academic accommodations.

Before arriving in Wisconsin in 2018, Cunningham spent over twenty years as a varsity football and basketball Coach, Special Olympics coach, Paraprofessional, and Special Education teacher in the Milwaukee and Mequon-Thiensville (Wis.) school districts. During his career, he has taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Info coming soon!