Our Instructors

Jill Turanski, MA, YT500

Owner

HeartBreath Movement & Art Studio is the result of a lifetime of exploration and growth. From a young age, Jill knew she was a dancer and that she needed to make beautiful things. This innate drive carried her through her schooling and influenced all her major life decisions, even when the decisions made were unpopular. To live authentically true to herself has always been an undisputed necessity for Jill.

Jill attended Goucher College where she pursued a double major in Dance and Psychology. After moving to Philadelphia, Jill completed Drexel’s Creative Arts Therapy program where she specialized in Dance Therapy. After grad school, Jill continued her dance performance career with Sharp Dance Company and spent time completing her yoga certifications. For the next 18 years, Jill called upon her passions of dance, art and yoga to help others reconnect with their bodies in a healthy, safe way. Jill has experience adapting her skills to a range of professional settings including, inpatient mental health hospitals, 5-diamond resort spas, in-home therapy, yoga studios and trauma treatment centers.

In 2014, HeartBreathDesigns was born. HeartBreathDesigns is home to all the beautiful things that Jill creates of her own inspiration or by collaborating with others to birth original pieces of art.

In 2022, Jill decided to take everything she loves to do and loves to share with others and open HeartBreath Studio where ANYONE can come and explore their own creativity, whether that means moving the body or the paintbrush - where the only requirement for participation is an open heart and an open mind.

Melissa DeJoseph

Guest Instructor, Certified Trauma Informed Breathwork Facilitator

Melissa DeJoseph is a certified trauma informed Breathwork facilitator. She has been creating Breathwork programs and leading both groups and individuals for the past 4 years. It is her mission to help individuals create balance between their body, mind and heart through the use of their breath.

She is also a mom of two energetic, playful boys and has been working with children the last 10 years as a speech language pathologist. She is an expert at creating language rich learning environments and has a passion for helping parents create strong and loving connections with their children.

Her professional and personal interests include stress reduction techniques, somatics, child and brain development, spirituality, psychology, ecology, plant medicines, the nervous system and health and wellness.

She has been studying spiritual arts the last 15 years and loves exploring consciousness through breathwork and spiritual tools. Melissa also studies Source Code, a quantum healing practice of naming and healing of 12 possible coping styles created from birth through age 5, to find greater love, joy and freedom. 

Melissa is also a two time cancer survivor and expert in reducing fear, worry and stress related to cancer diagnosis and treatment. She brings all of her interests, studies, passions and experiences together when she lovingly and intuitively guides her breathwork classes. 

Please join Melissa in her weekly class at 10:15 on Saturday mornings.

Tireca Bright

Guest Instructor, Owner at Koncrete Candle Co.

Tireca is a proud first time mom and Ardmore native. Tireca is also the owner of Koncrete Rose Candle Company, a small local business that offers a constantly growing variety of beautifully hand poured, environmentally safe European Soy Wax Candles.

Apart from chasing her toddler around the house, Tireca comes to us with a background in trauma treatment. She has worked for 12 years helping children heal. And while this work is tiresome and taxing on the mind, body and spirit, TIreca says the reward comes when a client returns as an adult to thank her for making a positive impact on their life.

Tireca attributes the success of Koncrete Rose to her Perseverance, Drive and Passion. “These hands will build my son’s future.” Each candle Tireca creates is imbued with positive affirmations, gratitude and peace.

Nathalie Burns, MA, R-DMT

Guest Instructor, Owner at Stella Rose Creations

Nathalie Burns is a Dance/movement therapist and visual artist. Nathalie has a playful, attentive interaction style and approaches her work with empathy and an open mind. Nathalie’s therapeutic style is person-centered and relationship based. She works from a holistic paradigm that upholds the mind/body/spirit connection. Her work often focuses on sensory integration and the use of props toward body and physical awareness. Nathalie’s experience with children of all needs and abilities includes classes that encourage creative movement exploration and self expression.

When not dancing, Nathalie loves creating art and doing crafts at her home in Paoli. A few years ago, Nathalie started working with polymer clay to create designs on vases and jars and then moved on to making jewelry. Creating earrings and necklace pendants using polymer clay has been Nathalie's hobby and new business venture. You can find Nathalie’s art for sale at a local Ardmore art store.

We are so excited to have Nathalie on board at HeartBreath Studio. Nathalie will be teaching regularly scheduled creative movement classes for children and limited time Polymer Clay workshops for adults and teens.

Joanna Beth Williams

Guest Instructor, owner at RoseDrops & Wishes

RoseDrops & Wishes has been a vision and concept since its creation in 2013. Founder Joanna Beth Williams has 20 years of experience in the floral industry. She has worked in flower shops, flower farms and for some of the most prestigious event and wedding florists in Philadelphia. Recently, Joanna decided it was time to make her vision a reality and opened RoseDrops & Wishes in 2021.

Joanna's work has been featured in Florist's Review Magazine and Philly Current Magazine as well as on Wedding Chicks, a popular online blog.

Joanna also holds a certificate in Floral Therapy Healing and hopes to help people struggling with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression find healing through floral design workshops.

RoseDrops & Wishes promotes working closely with local flower growers and farmers, using sustainable material and mechanics and giving back to the community as well as the environment with our flowers and designs. In the future, RoseDrops & Wishes plans to create programs where flowers, floral design workshops, flower bars, design-your-own, floral education, flower farm tours, floral jobs, floral careers, floral internships and floral therapy is accessible to ALL groups of people.

Marlie Krickus, MA, ATR-BC, LPC

Guest Instructor

Marlie Krickus is a Philadelphia based visual artist both self and academically taught in a variety of mediums, from photography to pyrography, painting to resin art. Marlie enjoys the process of artmaking perhaps more than the product, and believes a hands on, learning in the moment approach is one of the greatest ways to both create and grow.

Marlie received her Associates in Photography from the Delaware College of Art and Design, and worked as an event and lifestyle photographer in Philadelphia before discovering the field of art therapy. Despite focusing primarily on her work as a child and adolescent art therapist for the past 6 years, Marlie has continued to artistically create for herself and as a freelance artist. In addition to commissioned work, jewelry and illustrations have been sold in local Philly shops and makers markets. Marlie invites individuals to find creativity in their everyday lives, embrace and learn from mistakes, and create without judgment.

HeartBreath Studio looks forward to hosting Marlie’s Resin Workshops for teens and for adults. Keep your eyes peeled for the date announcement for these amazing workshops!