Debra is the Founder & President of the 501(c)3 Breaking The Chains Foundation (BTCF), a National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) Network Co-Vice Chair, as well as an American Council on Exercise (ACE) Certified Health Coach and Behavior Change Specialist.
Jillian is most recognized and beloved as Tamara in MTV’s “Awkward” and Simone on “Weeds.” She has appeared on several TV shows such as “Jessie,” “Hung”, “Lucifer”, “The Middle,” and much more. She was recently brought on to host “Present Tense with Jillian Rose Reed”, a web series by Maker Studios and Morgan Spurlock’s company, Warrior Poets. Every episode dives in head first to a different social issued facing Millennials. Presently, Jillian can be heard as the voice of Naomi on Disney’s animated TV series, Elena of Avalor.
On television, Emmy Award winning actress, Carolyn Hennesy has dazzled as the deliciously vicious “Penelope Ellis” on ABC’s critically acclaimed series REVENGE. She also joined the cast for the fifth season of the sleek vampires-meet-world saga, TRUE BLOOD, and fast became a fan favorite as Rosalyn, the ageless vamp with a Texas twang. Prior to REVNEGE and TRUE BLOOD, Hennesy was best known for her memorable work as “Barb” on ABC’s COUGAR TOWN and for her Emmy nominated work as “Diane Miller” on ABC’s GENERAL HOSPITAL.
A native of Seattle, Alex is a Professional Choreographer, Director, Master Teacher and Performer. She has choreographed for clients & companies such as Nike, Nike NFL, Audi, Genentech, Thunderhead.com, Tarbell Realtors, and The Young Americans; She has also contributed choreography to Knott’s Berry Farm (figure skating shows), the opening production for America’s Got Talent (NBC) and Alex was a Jazz coach to Karina Smirnoff & Apollo Ohno on Dancing With The Stars (ABC).
Courtney Hope is an actress, model, fitness enthusiast, and philanthropist. She believes in the power of human connection and empathetic healing through honesty, broadening perspective and artistry. She stars as ‘Sally Spectra’ on the long-running CBS Series The Bold And The Beautiful, having been part of the cast the last two years.
Krista Stryker is is an NSCA-CPT and a leading expert on high intensity interval training (HIIT) and bodyweight fitness. Krista is the author of the new book, The 12-Minute Athlete: Get Fitter, Faster, and Stronger Using HIIT and Your Own Bodyweight from Tiller Press/Simon & Schuster. She is the founder of 12 Minute Athlete and the 12 Minute Athlete app as well as a writer, TV guest/host, and motivational speaker.
Chef Gason is a two-time James Beard scholar and private chef in New Orleans. He’s competed on Food Network’s ‘Chopped’, been featured in Readers Digest, Sports Illustrated, New Orleans’ morning shows and magazines.
Danielle Kelmar, LCSW, joined Breaking the Chains Foundation in 2014 and currently has a private practice in Menlo Park, CA treating teens and young adults who are struggling with an eating disorder, anxiety and depression. She works with an individual client as well as their families using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and applies mindfulness tools and techniques.
Raja B. Marhaba is the Founder and President of The Jonathan Foundation for Learning Disabilities, Inc. The motivation for establishing it was driven by her personal struggles with having two children with disabilities and multiple battles she endured to obtain appropriate special education and related services from their school district over a period of eight years. Since its inception in 2001, The Jonathan Foundation has provided families of children and adolescents with various types of disabilities with information, resources, referrals, and direct advocacy services by Raja in both special education and regional center matters. Moreover, Raja has developed a strong relationship with the non-profit, Children of the Night. Driven by her personal experience and the outcomes of some of the cases in which she had been involved, Raja decided to launch the “Assessment Scholarship Program” in 2014 to lessen the financial burden families are faced with when obtaining private evaluations.
Dr. Cook is the Vice President of Movement, Research, and Outcomes at Alsana. He has developed an original line of research examining the etiological role, management, and therapeutic potential of exercise in eating disorders. His education at the Universities of Rhode Island and Florida and a NIMH post-doctoral fellowship at the Neuropsychiatric Research Institute in Fargo, ND allowed him to train under experts in the eating disorder field. This has resulted in presenting research at international conferences (e.g., Eating Disorders Research Society, the Academy for Eating Disorders), chairing conference paper sessions, publications in leading journals (e.g., International Journal of Eating Disorders) and book chapters, and a keynote address at the IAEPD 2017 Symposium.
Tammy Baghdassarian is the Executive Director and co-founder of Keystone Treatment in Los Angeles. Keystone specializes in treating eating disorders, disordered eating, and mental health utilizing an intuitive eating philosophy and evidence based approaches including dialectical behavioral therapy. Keystone is recognized for being a highly individualized program that can work with clients to stop the cycle of going in and out of treatment.
Ellen Spencer is a well known artist and longtime environmental activist. Her work reflects her passion in the celebration of life and its connection to our environment. Ellen is originally from the Boston area, but has been residing in the San Francisco bay area for the past fifteen years. She excited to announce she is back in New England! She currently has her studios in Oakland, California and now also in Boston, MA.
