We are a group of researchers, athletes, & educators.
Our Values
All of our work is born from our core values that drive both why and how we do what we do.
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Care reflects the innate human capacity to care about what happens to the world and our fellow human beings. It is the overarching value behind everything we do. Because we care, we are driven to improve the health and well-being of the people close to us and in the greater world. Because we care, we work with integrity and rigor and with the ultimate goal of providing information that will be helpful to others.
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Our curiosity leads us to wonder how breathing practices can help more people. It leads us to read studies on the topic and create new studies to answer this question for specific populations. Because we are curious, we continually explore ways to improve the health and well-being of our own bodies and minds, and those of the larger world.
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Humans need each other to survive. We also need each other to achieve great things. To do rigorous, quality research, we connect and collaborate with scientific researchers and other individuals and groups who are passionate about this topic. Together, we can achieve more. This is how we do our work.
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We started HHPF because we want to not only learn these things for ourselves but most importantly to use this knowledge to contribute to the greater good. Everything we do revolves around contributing in this way.
Meet the team
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Co-Founder, CEO
Tanya is an experienced health services researcher with a demonstrated history of health economics and outcomes research in the health policy and life sciences industries. In addition to her role at HHPF, she also conducts health economic analyses for the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. Tanya is skilled in business development, study design and implementation, health economic analyses, decision sciences, scientific writing and presentation, and team leadership. She earned her Bachelor’s of Science from Cornell University, and a Master's and PhD in Health Policy/Decision Sciences from Harvard University. Having recently transitioned into mind-body medicine research, Tanya has a specific interest in the effectiveness of active, voluntary breathing practices on health and human performance outcomes.
She resides in Los Angeles with her husband, two kids, and the family dog.
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Co-Founder, President
Brian is a human performance expert, educator, author and public speaker. Brian is a coach with more than two decades experience of innovating new protocols for training Olympians, professional athletes, entrepreneurs and high performers in numerous realms on the use of mechanical and breathing tools to achieve maximum output in training, competition and recovery. He is the author of the New York Times Best Seller Unbreakable Runner, founder of The Art of Breath, a division of Power, Speed Endurance, and co-founder of 3Fu3l and XPT Life. His clients include: Ari Emanuel, Kelly Starrett, Tim Ferriss, US Military Units (Navy, Army, Marines), Tia Clair der, PresidentToomey and many others.
He lives in Los Angeles.
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Chief Operating Officer
Terra is a software executive with a wealth of experience leading business growth across all aspects of the go-to-market and business lifecycle. She has expertise in marketing, business development, strategy, sales, and operations, and has worked at large multinationals such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Akamai Technologies as well as a business-to-consumer video start-up. Earlier in her career she worked as a statistics professor at Endicott College and a business strategy consultant at Accenture. Currently, she advises nonprofits and municipal government.
Terra has a BA from Cornell University and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. She is based in the Boston area. She loves outdoor activities where she can breathe deeply in the fresh air.
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Director, Eduction & Outreach
Robert Fortune researches and creates content for HHPF outreach via social media, webinars, lectures, and other educational platforms. With a longtime meditation and physical training background, Robert is deeply interested in human physiology and performance. He is the founder of Elevate Breath, where he works one-on-one with people to help integrate breath practices into their lives.
He lives in Santa Barbara, CA.
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Research Assistant, Consultant
Rachel Berman is a researcher and consultant to nonprofit organizations, with a focus on strategic planning and program evaluation. She previously worked in state and local governments as an administrator in social services agencies. She received her Master's Degree at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and her Bachelor's Degree at Wesleyan University.
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Research Assistant
Nick Arce is a music & performing arts educator in Southern California working with high school and college aged students. He is a recent graduate from Cal State LA with a BA in Psychology. Nick’s performance and education background has led to a pursuit in further understanding how breathwork affects our psychophysiology. At HHPF, Nick is involved with summary writing, and data extraction and organization.
He resides in Alhambra, CA, with his wife and dog.
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Research Assistant
Gina is a neuroscientist, fitness coach, and health writer. She earned her B.A. in neuroscience from Dartmouth College and is completing her Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of California San Diego. Through her research, coaching, and writing she aims to investigate and educate others about the impact of lifestyle choices and chronic stress on the mind, brain, and body.
She resides in San Diego, CA.
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Curriculum Development
Emily Hightower is an educator and coach specializing in the neurophysiology of trauma and resilience to help clients master their stress response and improve their quality of life. She combines over 25 years of experience as a breathing expert, yoga teacher, river guide, and wilderness EMT to empower high performers to disrupt limits, align with nature, and heal their bodies and minds. In addition to her role at HHPF, Emily develops, runs, and teaches stress resilience courses at SH//FT.
She lives in Colorado with her husband, son, and dogs.
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Research Associate
Marina is a bioinformatics analyst with a Bachelor’s of Engineering from University College London, and Masters' of Science and Philosophy in neuroimaging from King’s College London. Her research interests lie at the intersection of neuroscience and data science, where she leverages computational tools to explore the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases. Passionate about integrating scientific research with practical behavioral protocols, she is also a certified personal trainer and pilates/yoga instructor.
She lives in Peachtree City, GA.
Meet our Ambassadors
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Justin Ternes, DPT
Justin is a Physiotherapist and Breathwork Specialist with over 7 years’ experience in physical therapy. As founder of True Self Health & Human Performance, he uses breath as a tool to help athletes, corporate businesses, and individuals enhance their physical and mental well-being. His workshops and coaching programs empower others to reach their full potential by fostering mind-body connection and optimizing mindset, movement, and performance.
Justin resides in the Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas and enjoys family, nature, and community.
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Kristina Centenari
Kristina is a Nike running coach, Tonal strength coach, and health entrepreneur. She coaches in both the rehabilitation and performance settings, ranging from professional athlete to active aging populations. Kristina’s holistic approach bridges the gap between physiology and psychology, using breathwork as a through-line to attain resilient performance states. Her curricula help her athletes enhance their performance and recovery, navigate mental and emotional landscapes, and achieve optimal states of body and mind.
Kristina lives in New York, NY.
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Lana Power, MS
Lana is a neuroscientist, educator, and conscious connected breathwork facilitator, with a focus on altered states of consciousness and hormetic stressors as novel therapeutics for trauma, stress and resiliency. The mission of her educational work is making neuroscience accessible and relevant to the human experience. She has a Master’s of Science in Neuroscience from King’s College and a Bachelor of Science in Women and Gender Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.
Lana lives in London, UK.
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Luke Greenberg, PT, DPT
Luke is a physical therapist with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Syracuse University and a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Columbia University. Luke filters and combines the fields of exercise, wellness, and lifestyle to help clients and his community make the best choices for their lives. His integrative approach leans on manual therapy, objective technological testing, breathwork and mobility training to help athletes push themselves forward effectively and efficiently.
Luke lives in New York, NY.
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Taylor Somerville
Taylor is a breath and performance coach and founder of Symmetry, which he started in 2018 after 15 years in the investment business. At Symmetry, he coaches busy professionals to help them regain control of their lives and have more time, more energy, and less stress. He also works with professional athletes to help them manage their stress and boost performance. He has worked with numerous companies such as Nike, Faherty, Vistage, and others. He is one of a select group of XPT master coaches and holds numerous other breath and performance certifications.
Taylor lives in Memphis, TN, with his wife, daughter, and two dogs.
Meet our Board of Directors
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Tanya GK Bentley, PhD
Chairperson
Co-Founder, CEO, HHPF -
Brian MacKenzie
President
Co-Founder, President, HHPF -
Dr. Andrew Galpin, PhD, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Director
Executive Director, Human Performance Center, Parker University -
Michael Juergens
Chief Financial Officer
Principal, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory -
Terra Samuels
Chief Operating Officer, Secretary
SaaS Executive, Formerly Akamai Technologies & Hewlett Packard Enterprise -
Sandy Abrams
Director
Founder, TheCEOm.com
Chair, Global Wellness Institute Breathe Initiative