Debra Hopkins
Debra is the Founder and President of the 501(c)3 Breaking The Chains Foundation (BTCF) as well as an American Council on Exercise (ACE) Certified Health Coach. She holds several ACE certifications, such as Behavioral Change Specialist, Corrective Exercise Program Design, Coaching Behavior Change, Special Olympics Inclusive Fitness Training, Mental and Physical Exercises for Long-Term Stress Management, among many others.
Courtney Hope
Courtney Hope is an Emmy winning 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 soaps Young And Restless and Bold And Beautiful since 2017. Outside of show, Courtney currently voices the lead character ‘Jesse’ in recently released video game CONTROL, by Remedy Entertainment.
Amy Hart
Amy Hart is that girl who can’t believe it when people tell her she’s pretty. After multiple surgeries for Thyroid cancer and the after-effects of radiation therapy left her with scars on her face and neck, she fell into a dark depression.
Rick Borquez
Rick Borquez is a talented and driven individual with a passion for technology. As the CTO of PARRIS Law Firm, Rick has made a significant impact in the legal tech industry with his innovative ideas and leadership skills. Combining his extensive experience and knowledge in related fields, Rick has led teams on a myriad of leading-edge projects, earning recognition and respect from peers and colleagues alike.
Jillian Rose Reed
Best known for her roles as Tamara Kaplan on MTV’s hit comedy Awkward and the voice of Naomi on Disney Channel’s Emmy-winning series Elena of Avalor, Jillian Rose Reed has also appeared in popular shows like Jessie, Hung, Lucifer, Weeds, The Middle, Raven’s Home, and many more!
Alex Little
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).
Krista Stryker
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.
Nola Chef Gason
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.
Karen Kelly, DMT, CEP, CPT, CES
For over 35 years, Karen Kelly has instructed and led thousands of people in dance, fitness classes, healing movement, and corrective exercise. She has taught a wide array of fitness class formats in fitness facilities, colleges, and universities from coast to coast, owned a fitness studio for many years specializing in small group and one on one training, and was a nutritionist and wellness coordinator at Canyon Ranch Resort in Tucson, Arizona.
Niyati Kadakia
Niyati Kadakia is a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology, researcher, mental health and creative arts practitioner based between the USA and India. Her work lies at the intersection of psychology, trauma recovery, and the creative arts, with a focus on how creativity catalyzes post-traumatic growth in women.
FOUNDERS COUNCIL
Danielle Kelmar, LCSW TEAM-CBT Therapist
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.
ADVISORY BOARD
Krysia St. Cyr
Krysia St. Cyr is a holistic coach for the creative community. As the Director of Student Wellbeing at The CLI Conservatory, she daily uses her certifications as a life-coach, holistic nutritionist, and soon-to-be yoga instructor to help dancers nourish their whole being. She is passionate about helping dancers break through the mental and emotional barriers they face as performing artists to pursue and live out their dreams.
Marissa Hentis PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS
Dr. Marisa Hentis is a physical therapist who specializes in the performing arts. She sees patients clinically at USC Physical Therapy at UPC- Student Health Center. She is board-certified by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties as an Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).
Katherine Leist
Katherine Leist, a passionate and dedicated dancer, master teacher and choreographer whose journey through the world of dance has been a testament to perseverance, creativity, and an unwavering love for the art form. Originally from Worcester, MA, Katherine honed in on formal dance training at a young age focusing on styles such as jazz, lyrical, contemporary, tap, modern, hip hop and musical theater under the guidance of her accomplished teachers at Charlotte Klein Dance Centers. She continued to embrace the discipline and technique of dance as she trained and earned her BA in Dance and a minor in Marketing from Hofstra University.
Karen Zarsky
Karen is an experienced senior leader in Human Resources, celebrated for her strategic insight and visionary initiatives. Throughout her extensive career, she has been responsible for fostering purpose-driven workplaces and spearheading award-winning organizational cultures, learning environments, and leadership development programs.
Eric Hart
Eric has been a professional actor for over 40 years. He has traveled the world with the international tours of Les Misérables and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, as well as originated roles -not only on the Broadway stage- but world premieres across the USA. In the past 20 years, he has taken up directing and is enjoying that immensely.
Raja B. Marhaba
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.
Kathy Moufarrege
Kathy Moufarrege is an artist, certified art therapist, muralist, and art instructor with over two decades of experience in the creative industry. She is the owner and creator of Mobile Mozart, whose mission is to simplify art and teach step-by-step instruction to create your own masterpiece. Since 1999, she has been sharing her passion for art with others through teaching and therapeutic practices which she started in 2022.
CLINICAL ADVISORS
Dr. Gia Marson
Dr. Gia Marson is a psychologist, clinician, author and lecturer in private practice in Santa Monica, CA. She is the psychologist consultant for UCLA’s Medical Outpatient Feeding and Eating Disorders Program & was the Founder/Director of the UCLA CAPS Eating Disorder Program and a psychologist-member of the UCLA Athletic Care Committee.
Dr. Kelli Rugless, PsyD
Dr. Rugless is a licensed clinical psychological who knows that every woman has the potential and power to be a positive force of change in her personal life, workplace, and community. Helping women achieve this potential and power is Dr. Rugless’ passion.
