Jo-Ann Bance's yoga journey began with her first yoga class in 1999 during which she felt an instant knowing that there was so much more to learn. In 2013, Jo-Ann completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training program, leaving with an even greater knowing of what was still left to discover. Having graduated from a 300-hour training, she has been teaching ever since, finding opportunities to practice, teach, and grow via a student of yoga.
Jo-Ann has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s in Human Resource Management. She has worked in various senior management roles for both government and post-secondary institutions. Jo-Ann has over 20 years of experience as an administrator, which is combined with her solid financial and human resources background.
Kristoffer Carter (“KC”) is passionate about applying timeless yogic teachings to the demands of modern leadership. As the CEO and Founder of Epic Leadership, a coaching and training organization for conscious leadership, Kristoffer’s teachings have helped thousands create a daily meditation practice. Kristoffer has coached executive leaders and taught meditation professionally since leaving his career in learning and development in 2015. His first book, Permission to Glow—A Spiritual Guide to Epic Leadership has been featured in Men’s Health, Success Magazine, Good Morning Washington, and on numerous news programs for NBC, ABC, and CBS.
KC has been a disciple of the teachings of Paramhamsa Yogananda through Self-Realization Fellowship and their lineage of masters since first reading Autobiography of a Yogi in 2011. Kristoffer is also a professional songwriter, kirtan artist, TEDx speaker, and international retreat leader. He is currently writing his second book (Permission to Chill, Spring 2024) and preparing to make his teaching debut at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in 2023.
Siddharth Kulkarni is an economist and researcher with more than a decade of experience in the economic development and technology sectors. Yoga has been a presence in his life from a young age through instruction and guidance from his mother, a dedicated yoga practitioner and teacher. Her influence started Siddharth on his own journey to explore the physical and spiritual traditions of yoga, which he has rediscovered as an adult and continues today.
In addition to yoga, Siddharth is also a passionate student of martial arts, training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Siddharth completed his undergraduate studies in Economics and Politics at UC San Diego and holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University. Siddharth lives in San Diego, California with two of his favorite yoga partners, his wife Avani and his dog Twix.
Chandana Achanta is a kids yoga teacher and mental health advocate. She holds a deep commitment to expanding the accessibility of yoga, conducting free workshops in the United States and in India for young children, teens, and adults. Her writing is published in the Baltimore Sun and OM Yoga Magazine. She served on Loudoun County Public Schools’ Equity Committee for two years and was a speaker at several mental health conferences. As a civil servant for the U.S. government, Chandana has been solving public policy problems for seventeen years. She holds a Master of Public Policy Analysis from the University of California, Berkeley.