Meet our SoulCare Team

Dr. Michelle Bean

Boot Camp & Strength Instructor

Dr. Michelle Bean brings her expertise in chiropractic care, functional medicine, and movement science to her high-energy Boot Camp & Strength classes. With a deep understanding of biomechanics and injury prevention, she designs workouts that enhance strength, endurance, and mobility while promoting longevity and resilience. Whether you’re looking to build power, improve functional movement, or just break a sweat, Dr. Bean’s classes provide a dynamic and supportive environment to challenge your body and elevate your fitness.

Cindy Hill-Ford, MA

Express Lunch Yoga & Slow Flow

Cindy Hill-Ford blends trauma-informed care with movement and mindfulness in her Express Lunch Yoga & Slow Flow classes. The Express Lunch Yoga class is designed for busy professionals looking for a quick yet effective reset, while Slow Flow focuses on gentle, mindful movement to support nervous system regulation, flexibility, and inner balance. With a grounding presence, Cindy creates a space where students can reconnect with their breath, release tension, and cultivate self-awareness through yoga and embodied practice.

Dr. Katie Milano, DPT

Sweaty Flow Yoga & Specialty Trainer

A sports and orthopedic physical therapist with 20+ years of experience, Katie Milano combines her expertise in movement, alignment, and rehabilitation with yoga. Her Sweaty Flow Yoga classes build strength, mobility, and endurance, while her Specialty Training sessions focus on injury prevention and recovery. With a background in competitive gymnastics and manual therapy, Katie bridges science and mindfulness to help students move with power, precision, and ease.

Dr. Milano also provides a comprehensive, non-surgical solution to pelvic floor health, empowering women—especially those over 40—to overcome urinary incontinence and regain confidence in their bodies. Committed to transforming the way women approach their health, Katie blends clinical expertise with mindful movement, helping her clients achieve lasting strength, stability, and freedom. 

Ann Peruzzi

Qigong & Mindfulness Meditation

Ann Bolger Peruzzi, PhD, is a certified advanced-level Qigong instructor with over 14 years of study under Lee Holden. Other masters she has had the privilege to study with are Teja Bell, and Daisy Lee. She began practicing Qigong to manage stress and chronic pain and has since evolved into a source of joy, peace, and resilience. Qigong practice was elemental in her recovery from cancer a few years ago. Ann has taught Qigong in various settings, including rehabilitation centers and local businesses, both in-person and online. Currently, she teaches through Dignity Health’s PEP wellness program.

A longtime Buddhist practitioner and founding member of the Buddhist Recovery Network, Ann previously practiced as a psychologist specializing in addiction. Ann is a graduate of Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program and facilitates a Buddhism and recovery group at Insight Santa Cruz. She and her husband raised twins in Aptos and are grateful to live here, among redwoods and by the sea. She is thrilled to teach and share these ancient practices that have such profound relevance for our modern lives.

Jessica McCord, RYT-200, Reiki Master

Yoga Instructor & Reiki Practitioner

Jessica McCord is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200), Reiki Master in the Usui-Tibetan lineage, and Embodied Breathwork Facilitator. With over 30 years of personal yoga experience, she brings a grounded, heart-centered approach to her teaching. Jessica blends Vinyasa-style movement with Reiki energy healing to help students reconnect with their bodies, calm the nervous system, and cultivate inner peace. Off the mat, she enjoys family adventures in nature, traveling, and sharing nourishing meals.

Reiki-Infused Yoga Class

Join Jessica for a heart-centered Vinyasa flow infused with Reiki energy healing. This unique class blends breath, movement, and subtle energy to support grounding, embodiment, and inner peace.

Reiki Sessions

Reiki is a gentle, hands-on energy healing practice that calms the nervous system and restores balance. Jessica offers 60-minute sessions ($100) to support deep relaxation, stress relief, and energetic alignment.

Melissa Mikolitch

Yoga Instructor & Massage Therapist (Yin Yoga, Core & Stretch)

My mission is very simple: As a teacher, I want to create a class environment where each and every student feels welcome and safe.  Since I taught my very first class, I have stayed true to a very simple philosophy of teaching authentically, mindfully, and with an open heart.  Moving your body should not be a cookie cutter experience. Each body is different, and each one of us should be encouraged to use our own intuition when it comes to the asanas of yoga.  My hope is that when I teach, my students feel the connection of mind, body, and soul.

I particularly love teaching slower and more restorative classes and developed the Core/Restore class as a way of incorporating core toning, muscle stretching, and restorative yoga poses. 

I am very excited to be a part of the SoulCare family and share my love of yoga, self & soul care.  I have been teaching yoga for over a decade and continue to expand my repertoire with travel & training.  I am committed to my own growth and to helping my body and mind be in balance.  

When I am not teaching you may find me in my massage studio or teaching aquatic fitness.  I live with my wonderful fiancé, John, by the ocean, and as I enter my sixth decade, I am enjoying the beauty of finding balance in the art of aging peacefully.

Autym Helzer

Mixed Flow Yoga Instructor

Autym is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) specializing in trauma-informed yoga, with a deep commitment to making healing practices accessible to all. Currently pursuing a Master’s in Counseling Psychology at Sofia University (graduation pending December 2025), Autym integrates a therapeutic lens into their yoga teachings, blending mindfulness, somatic awareness, and breathwork to support holistic well-being.

With a compassionate and inclusive approach, Autym fosters a safe space for students to connect with their bodies, cultivate resilience, and deepen their relationship with Self. Her teaching is informed by an understanding of the nervous system, trauma-sensitive practices, and the power of choice in movement.

When not teaching, Autym continues to deepen their knowledge of somatics, mindfulness, and therapeutic movement to better serve their students. She is currently enrolled in the Foundational training: yoga through the lens of trauma and incarceration training, through the Prison Yoga Project

Offerings: Slow-flow Yoga, Gentle & Restorative Yoga, Breathwork, Meditation

Vaza Racinet

Vaza Racinet is a certified yoga instructor, occupational therapist, Reiki practitioner, and Women’s Empowerment Coach based in Santa Cruz, California. As the founder of Vaza Yoga, she is dedicated to helping women transition from survival mode to a vibrant, healthy, and empowered life. Her holistic approach integrates yoga, meditation, and mindful living practices, creating a nurturing environment for personal transformation. Vaza’s journey into wellness coaching began after the birth of her daughter, when she experienced a profound disconnection from her body. Through extensive mentorship and self-discovery, she reclaimed her vitality and now guides other women to do the same. In addition to her studio offerings, Vaza leads retreats and provides coaching sessions focused on women’s empowerment and holistic health. She is also the founder of Sacred Owl Land, a space dedicated to fostering community and personal growth. Vaza’s mission is to empower women to thrive, embrace their inner strength, and lead lives filled with joy and purpose.

Michelle Dixon

Certified Buteyko Breathing Educator | Chair Yoga Instructor

Michelle Dixon is a dedicated educator and facilitator with a lifelong passion for psychology, wellness, and mindful movement. She has spent over four decades studying psychology, nutrition, and yoga, always prioritizing meaningful connections and ensuring that those in her presence feel truly seen and appreciated.

Michelle earned a B.A. in Psychology from Whittier College and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Rider University. Her early career was rooted in mental health, where she specialized in adolescent psychology and family systems, facilitating individual, group, and family therapy in private psychiatric hospitals in New Jersey.

After relocating to California and starting a family, Michelle sought a new way to guide and support others. She became a certified Montessori Guide, dedicating over 25 years to working with children aged 3–6. It was during this time that she introduced yoga into the classroom, helping children cultivate self-awareness, connection, and emotional balance. She also expanded her practice, offering private yoga sessions for adults and families.

Today, Michelle brings her wealth of experience to SoulCare Studios in Aptos Station, where she offers Chair Yoga classes—a gentle, accessible practice designed to enhance flexibility, strength, balance, and relaxation for people of all abilities. She also provides individual breathwork sessions by appointment, drawing from her expertise as a Certified Buteyko Breathing Educator to support respiratory health and overall well-being.

Roxanne Harrison

Certified Enneagram and Qigong Teacher

In 2014 I had a physical injury that sidelined me from doing what I loved and believe me, I wasn’t happy about it! I had resistance in my mind, heart, and body around the injury and it turned out resistance was a theme for me. The resistance was exhausting me. Unaware of it then, this was often called a wake-up call and fortunately, I decided to listen. 

I started practicing Qigong in 2014 with Lee Holden who luckily lived in Santa Cruz. I attended a weekend retreat and I was immediately hooked! I came to Qigong to relieve physical pain and what I discovered were all these beautiful unintended consequences through the practice. Qigong revealed to me ways to relax instead of resisting my body, my heart, and my head, and to cultivate a new relationship with my body, one where I could meet myself in a more friendly way. Over the past 11 years, I have focused my training on Qigong and the Enneagram.  I am currently an Advanced Level 2 Holden Qigong teacher and an IEA-accredited Enneagram professional.  As a certified Qigong teacher and certified Enneagram teacher, I can draw on the wisdom of these two ancient systems. I am so grateful to have trained with incredible leaders and teachers within the Enneagram community and the Qigong community.  I look forward to sharing these tools and practices with the SoulCare community through weekly classes, workshops, and special events. 

Asyl Bauyrzhanuly

Meditation Teacher

Asyl’s journey spans over a decade, beginning with the Kriya and Tantra yoga traditions and later deepening through Theravada Buddhism. After many retreats and years of personal practice, he underwent monastic training in the Rinzai Zen tradition at Korinji. He continues to practice within the Zen tradition today, enriching it with training in the mystical tradition of Sufism and nondual teacher training programs.

His work centers on the psycho-spiritual domain, where he practices and teaches direct methods for engaging the whole being—body, mind, subtle energy system, and heart—to help individuals awaken to their innate resources and expansive states of being.

He is the co-founder of Innercraft, an online platform offering in-depth meditation teachings. He also leads meditation retreats in the U.S. and internationally.

Asyl’s approach is integrative, weaving together the rigor of disciplined practice with a deep sensitivity to the unfolding of inner experience. He invites students into a living path of transformation—one that embraces paradox, honors the wisdom of the body, and cultivates presence as a gateway to the sacred.

Catherine Anderson

Catherine Anderson teaches Authentic Connecting Games and is a graduate of the Authentic Relating Games and Circling Facilitator Training at the Integral Center in Boulder, CO. She has been leading connection-focused playshops for many years. With a lifelong passion for personal growth, she creates an upbeat and welcoming atmosphere where curiosity, presence, and openness naturally lead to meaningful connection and shared joy.

Her Feel Good Aerobic Dance classes draw from 15 years of jazz dance study and 15 years of Ecstatic Dance. Catherine blends mindful awareness with low-impact aerobic movement, offering a holistic, energizing, playful experience that nourishes both body and spirit.

Catherine is also a graduate of the SoundMind Institute, a leading training center for psychedelic facilitation. As part of the SoulCare group session team, she offers ketamine support services and brings over three years of coaching experience – guiding individuals and groups through safe, intentional ketamine journeys. She is inspired by the profound insights and breakthroughs that can emerge through this therapeutic work.

Meghan Kemp

Grounded in ancient practices + modern life, I blend accessible movement, soulful ritual, and planetary wisdom so you can tap into your own vitality, courage, and discipline. I believe real transformation happens when we meet ourselves—body, mind, and spirit—with lightheartedness + intention. Expect practical guidance, relatable stories (often from my own messy‑and‑magical days as a new mom), and plenty of reminders to pause for the simple joys.

Coco Pastizzo

Coco Pastizzo is a dedicated yoga teacher who blends mindful movement with real-world balance. With years of experience teaching yoga to major tech companies in Silicon Valley, she has guided engineers and professionals in finding calm, focus, and resilience through practice. Her classes emphasize breath, alignment, and presence—helping students release stress, build strength, and carry mindfulness into their daily lives. Coco’s approach is welcoming, practical, and empowering, making yoga accessible to beginners and seasoned practitioners alike.