Wellness Program Professional Staff

Every health and wellness professional at the Cordelia Knott Center for Wellness is either an employee or a private contractor. They all meet our stringent Cordelia Knott Center for Wellness standards for training, certification, experience and excellence.


Director of Programs - Judy Grant


Judy joined the Wellness Center in January 2007.  Prior to that she was Associate Director of the Nonprofit Resource Center at the Volunteer Center Orange County where she was in charge of developing curriculum and overseeing the resource library.  In her position at the Center, she is responsible for program and staff development as well as community outreach.  She has a Bachelors Degree in Liberal Arts from California State University, Fullerton and a background in community volunteerism.  Judy serves on the Board of Directors of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic as well as a volunteer career counselor at UCI's Womens Opportunity Center. 

Wellness Retreat Director - Glennda Adair

 

 

 

 

The Wellness Retreats associated with the Cordelia Knott Center for Wellness were designed and directed by John Martelli, previous Director of Programs.. Glennda has been assisting John since 1999 with these retreats and has agreed to take over the responsibility for directing them. Glennda has a deep and lasting commitment to health and healing and the Center is pleased and lucky to have her in this role.

Exercise and Movement Classes  

Angelika Eckert-Scott - YOGA

Angelika has been teaching yoga at the Yoga Center of California in Costa Mesa since 2003 where she received her training.  She is a lifelong athlete with a passion for nature, health and fitness and is a certified outdoor fitness instructor.


Dixie Dexter & Darcia Dexter-Negrin - Feldenkrais and Bones for Life

Dixie Dexter & Darcia Dexter-Negrin are a mother and daughter team.
Darcie (the daughter) was first introduced to the Feldenkrais Method® of exercise and movement in 1988.  This method of exercise uses gentle movement directed to increase your ease and range of motion, improve your flexibility and coordination, and rediscover your innate capacity for graceful, efficient movement.  Darcie continued to utilize the Feldenkrais method for relief of neck and back pain and eventually became a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner completing the four-year training along with her mother Dixie in 1996.  She is also certified in Pilates, Neuro-Linguistics with Hemispheric Intergration and Bones for Life®. 

Dixie Dexter was a stay at home mom who came to Feldenkrais after chronic pain from a series of car accidents. After a series of Feldenkrais lessons, she began to feel like herself again and continued to thrive in her business. She started training she was 50 years old. At 64 years young, she really enjoys working with anyone who wants to keep up with her!

Brett Gunderson - Strength Training
Brett has a degree from California State University, Fullerton in Kinesiology and operates his own fitness training center in Placentia.  He has spent over 15 years creating and presenting training programs in the fitness and health field.  He has a special interest in gerentology.  Brett brings his background and experise to the Center with a new workshop entitled "Stay Stronger, Live Longer" easy fitness to enhance muscle tone.

Dr. Rick Ho   - Tai Chi
Rick Ho learned Tai Chi in his native Taiwan and has practiced a varity of forms of this art for almost 30 years.  He is a firm believer in the value of this practice for health and balance.  He feels strongly that it is important for people to take a proactive attitude in managing their own health and wellness and enjoys the opportunity to share his knowledge in this area.

 Bodywork

Gilda Bruce, SSND, NCTMB


Gilda has been a massage therapist for 12 years and has recently completed her Reiki mastership. In addition to the Cordelia Knott Center for Wellness, Gilda is associated with the Heartland Hospice program. She does work with retreats and days of prayer. She is a School Sister of Notre Dame.  Prior to her ministry of massage, she was a primary school educator for 21 years. Gilda believes in many levels of healing, and believes massage modalities as well as Reiki and other forms of energy work, assist with healing.

Glennda Adair - Trager massage



Glennda has been studying and practicing The Trager Approach to massage therapy since 1990. She spent many hours studying with Dr. Trager during the latter years of his life as he fine-tuned his work. She is active in the Southern California region of The Trager Approach and adapted The Trager Approach for breast cancer survivors.  Glennda has found that The Trager Approach can be easily adapted to people with many different health-related issues. She enjoys listening to the needs of the body and working with people to help them find that deep sense of inner peace where healing takes place. She has also volunteered her time and been on the staff of the Wellness Retreat Weekend since 1999. 

 
Guided Imagery and Hypnosis

Christine Master, RN, MSN, NP


Chris, a Certified Adult Nurse Practitioner and operating room nurse, brings over 30 years of nursing experience to her holistic practice at the Center.  She has a postgraduate certification in Interactive Guided Imagery and is certified in clinical hypnosis by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.  Chris' practice is guided by a holistic philosophy and she is committed to the ongoing study and integration of traditional and mind, body and spirit medicine.

Workshop Presenters

  

Christine Engels Taylor (Meditation)
is a certified Master Instructor of Shaktipat meditation taught by the Self Awareness Institute located in Laguna Beach, California. Christine has been dedicated to practicing meditation and yoga for over ten years. She often leads classes, teleconference calls, and workshops. In the last several years her travels have included meditation retreats to Machu Pichu and Tibet to further deepen her understanding and practice of meditation.
 

 
David Van Dorn (Healing Rhythms Drum Circle)

David is guided by his work with Dr. Bernie Siegel, author and surgeon, Dr. Barry Bittman, neurologist and research scientist and Insights for Living Beyond Cancer, a workshop for cancer patients and their primary support person. He is spiritually guided to share his knowledge and philosophy of 'living in the moment" to promote healing and inner peace with all who face life's challenges. A caregiver, who helped his wife find peace and harmony on her journey with breast cancer, has developed interactive workshops using drumming to help boost the immune system, decrease stress and increase joy.


Regina Leeds - The Zen Organizer

Regina has brought order to home and work environments across the country since 1988. Her clientele run the gamut from studio executives and artists to business people and housewives. She has taught classes to diverse groups and is the author of serveral best-selling books, among them: “The Zen of Organizing: Creating Order and Peace in Your Home, Career and Life” and “Creating a Place without Losing Space: A Couples Guide to Blending Homes, Lives, and Clutter”. Her television special called “The Zen of Organizing” has appeared many times on Fine Living Cable Network and Los Angeles Magazine named her Best Organizer in LA. Her workshops here at the Cener are always a sellout.

Mimi Dorsey - Image and Self-Esteem

Mimi Dorsey is a Certified Image Consultant based in Southern California. Her company Unique Image Design Consulting helps women and men define their personal style to support their own distinctive attributes and goals.   Mimi has provided seminars and workshops to a range of organizational sectors, from women's groups to insurance, health care to real estate. Mimi holds a Masters of Business Administration from Cal State University Bakersfield, as well as a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature and Theater Performance. She is a certified member of the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI).

Laurie Seligman, M.A.

Laurie has been a wellness educator and motivational speaker for over 20 years, with ongoing study in the fields of energy medicine, mind-body research and stress reduction.  She has a masters degree in Spiritual Psychology and has authored many articles for various wellness publications. She runs her own consulting firm and shares her knowledge and passion with many organizations throughout So. Calif. Her facination with human behavior has led her to do ongoing research with dolphins and whales which she incorporates into some of her many workshops.  She believes strongly in transforming your life so that you are at your best in body, mind and spirit.

Glenn Stevenson, LCSW

Glenn is an LCSW and a Personal Coach and teaches workshops on Self-Esteem  - the Mental and Spiritual Door to Self-Esteem. He specializes in self-esteem enhancement, career transitions and personal relationships.  He also holds a Ph.D in natural resource economics and has lived and worked in Europe, Asia and Africa doing environmental economic research.  He is a graduate of Stanford University, the University of Wisconsin and Smith College.

Cynthia Niermann (Art Therapy)

Cynthia holds a Master's degree in Holistic Health Education having attended University of California San Diego and University of Colorado. Cynthia is an Artist and Healing Arts Practitioner. Having studied with Energy Medicine pioneers, Dr. Brugh Joy and Dr. Rosalind Bruyere; Cynthia is also a graduate of The Foundation for Shamanic Studies three year program in Advanced Healing Methods with Michael Harner, Ph.D. She has been working and teaching alternative healing techniques since 1978. A meditation practice of thirty-five plus years provides another solid foundation for combining art, meditation and healing, opening to personal creativity in body, mind, heart, and soul.

Carol Edmonston (Wisdom and Art of Doodling)

Carol is a two-time breast cancer survivor, inspirational speaker and author. She has created a unique program “Create While You Wait”, a doodle program to help patients while they wait for treatment as well as doctor’s appointments. She has been profiled in the New York Times and shares her message of hope and inspiration with children and adults both here and in the United Kingdom.

Community Education and Support Groups

Deborah Ryan, LCSW
Deborah is a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice located in Irvine.  Deborah's passion in her career is the management of the emotional, psychological and spiritual issues associated with a cancer diagnosis. She is also certified in hypnotherapy and uses guided imagery to assist patients in calming anxiety often associated with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. She can be reached at (949) 474-7447

Barbara Scott
Barbara, a breast cancer survivor, is the facilitator for the Breast Cancer Educational Support Group, which she developed in 1989. She went on to develop Partners in Recovery, in 1992, for spouses and significant others of breast cancer patients. Barbara is an educator with over 30 years experience at the elementary school level. She was selected Volunteer of the Year Award in 2001, representing the foundation at both the Bloomingdale's shopping event and Orange County Spirit of Volunteerism. She is a founding member of the Cordelia Knott Wellness Foundation.

Jan West, RN, BHNS
Jan is a survivor of cancer and knows the feelings of helplessness and the need for an educated ear. Her role at the Cordelia Knott Center for Wellness includes the development of Early Detection programs and the expansion of Lymphedema education, which now includes a program for Women at Risk. Through her interaction with patients she is able to answer questions, clarify information, reduce anxiety and help motivate women to make educated decisions about health care.