Our Awesome Team!
Practitioners with a Regular Schedule
Sarah-Anne Ragon
Pronouns: She/They
NC LMBT #22526
Sarah-Anne brings a diverse background to her practice and is personally familiar with navigating different needs of the body through seasons of life. She teaches and performs circus arts and gymnastics, has worked years in the food service industry, and spent a few years with a corporate desk job. Her own diverse experiences led her to massage where she is able to synthesize her skills in support of others. She enjoys treating each body with the individualized care it deserves and weaves her years of working with body mechanics and movement practices into her massage and client recommendations. She believes that everyone deserves to feel at home within their body and loves working with active bodies as well as those looking to support more activity in their life. Her approach focuses on helping clients meet their goals - whether it's getting back to activities they love, maintenance treatments, relaxation, or other specified outcomes.
Sarah Gay
Pronouns: She/Her
NC LMBT #20000
Certified Manual Lymph Drainage Therapist (CMLDT)
Sarah came to massage out of desperation, looking for a solution to chronic migraines. It provided one of the first experiences of relief from years of pain that she thought could possibly never be overcome. After realizing what a powerful resource massage is, she went on to study at the Center for Massage and Natural health in Asheville. While attending school she was able to fulfill her deep curiosity about the function of the human body and when it goes awry. Her goal in practicing massage is to be part of a network of health resources for her community. She believes that when a community network is strong, healthy, and supported it will thrive-- much in the same way the network of the human body thrives when it is given the resources it needs. Sarah's massage approach is to create an environment of deep relaxation and healing through slow, intentional, integrated massage, and deep breathing. She enjoys working on shoulder and upper back tension and always works to keep her clients direct goals and needs a highlight of the session.
Mary Shamburger
Pronouns: She/Her
NC LMBT #21202
After years of raising her four children and working in the world of corporate America, Mary was ready for a change. She followed her belief in the healing power of touch to massage school. Her greatest desire is to make a positive impact on the overall mind, body, and spirit of people in need. She loves customizing sessions and meeting people where they are. Upon graduation from the Center for Massage & Natural Health, she gained additional experience in Neuromuscular Therapy and Trigger Point Release techniques which she enjoys integrating into her sessions. She comes to BMMW offering her knowledge and skills to help provide healing.
Lizzy Turner
Pronouns: She/Her
NC LMBT #20692
Lizzy was drawn to the healing arts as a teenager, setting her on a path of self discovery that landed her at the Center for Massage and Natural Health to study massage. She believes in whole body health and going within to heal. Her own experiences of receiving relief from physical discomfort and pain inform her practice and are part of what drew her to supporting others on their journey for answers and a better understanding of their body. In her sessions, she enjoys offering a space for all her clients to let go and receive. She loves incorporating deeper therapeutic work with Swedish massage foundations and is always looking to bring new tools and techniques to her practice.
Christina Cunningham
Pronouns: She/Her
NC LMBT #19869
As a trauma-sensitive bodyworker with 24+ years of experience in the field, Christina assists her clients in feeling more comfortable in their own bodies & empowered to take deep care of themselves. Christina had her first episode of deep burnout at 18 & experienced being deeply disconnected from her body. Receiving regular bodywork & cultivating personalized self-care was instrumental in helping her feel safe and heal this disconnection, which allowed her to respond to the stress of life with more energy, courage, self-compassion and wisdom, which is the healing she strives to offer her clients now. In her integrated sessions, she uses an embodied and customized approach that may include Swedish massage, deep tissue, joint mobility, facilitated stretching, myofascial release, trigger point therapy and BodyMind awareness techniques. Additionally, she uses her advanced training in Bioenergetic Shen Touch, (a trauma sensitive bodywork designed to reset your nervous system, restore your energy & revive your hope) as the foundational piece for her Reconnection Sessions - a blend of coaching & massage designed to reconnect mind/body.
Amanda Bedard
Pronouns: She/Her
Certified Reiki Master & Coach
With a background in the corporate world, Amanda first started exploring energy work as a way to help alleviate stress, manage chronic pain and heal unwanted patterns stemming from trauma. The healing she encountered was life changing and opened up a deep calling inside her to change careers and help others in the same way. She is a certified Reiki Master Teacher, Psychic Medium, and Professional Life Coach with multiple sub-set certifications in coaching and psychology. Amanda uses her training in a multitude of modalities to help her clients with stress, anxiety, pain management and challenges related to trauma. Her goal is to facilitate a safe space where she is able to support her clients healing from the inside out.
Katie Walters
Pronouns: She/Her
NC LMBT #22555
Katie was born and raised here in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains and feels a deep connection with this land and its natural rhythms. The mountains have and will continue to shape her path. A graduate of the Center for Massage and Natural Health, her work is rooted in the belief that healing happens through presence, intention, and a deep respect for the body’s wisdom. In addition to more traditional full-body treatments, she also enjoys helping clients with a specific focal issue, injury or problem area. Before becoming a licensed massage therapist, Katie spent years in the service industry, nurturing others through food and hospitality. This experience shaped her understanding of how we connect, comfort, and nourish each other in both subtle and powerful ways. She is committed to offering a safe, inclusive space for everybody, where clients can reconnect with themselves and the wisdom of their own bodies.
Rachel Lynes
Pronouns: She/Her
NCLMBT #22612
As an avid over-thinker, Rachel fell in love with massage for its ability to help her get out of her head, relaxed and into her body. She graduated from the Center for Massage and Natural Health and enjoys mixing and matching techniques from Swedish massage, neuromuscular trigger point therapy, deep tissue, and sports for a customized client experience. She brings these techniques together with an embodied flow that she borrows from her passion and practice of creative movement like yoga and dancing (which you'll often find her doing when she's not working). As a second generation massage therapist, she is honored to follow in the footsteps of her mother and is grateful to be working in such a fulfilling environment. She looks forward to being part of your massage story and learning from every client she meets!
Kiber Selig
Pronouns: She/Her
NCLMBT #22613
In 2017, Kiber was pulled out of the corporate, office life and into the world of deep spiritual and energy connection through a personal awakening via healing with nutrition and other alternative approaches to health. Through this transformation, Kiber found herself seeking a career purpose in the healing arts and was drawn to massage school. She is a graduate of Center for Massage & Natural Health and desires to share with others the experience of trust and comfort that alternative healthcare has offered to her own wellness journey. Massage has - and will continue to - help Kiber heal her own body and she loves working with others in a holistic, integrated way to improve their quality of life. She enjoys incorporating deep work into her integrated sessions as well as long connected strokes and a fully integrated approach. Some of her favorite modalities to mix into a session are deep tissue, NMT and mysofascial stretching. Kiber lives in Black Mountain with her partner and child and fills her free time up with a variety of passions ranging from screen printing, upcycling old clothes, music, singing, connecting deeply with others, being outside, truth seeking, being barefoot, and sinking her feet into wet grass. She looks forward to working with you!
Kara Streit
Pronouns: She/Her
NCLMBT #22634
Certified Reiki Master Teacher
Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner
Use code BODY before 11/30/25 to receive $20 credit
towards a Somatic Experiencing® Session with Kara
Karallyn (Kara) Streit, LMBT, SEP has been working in the healing arts since 2001, when she graduated from the World School of Massage & Holistic Healing Arts in San Francisco. She practiced massage and other healing modalities for 16 years in California before moving to North Carolina in 2017. When licensing differences temporarily prevented her from practicing massage, Kara continued her work as a hypnotherapist, Reiki Master, trauma recovery coach, and energy healer, supporting clients through emotional, energetic, and spiritual transformation. Her dedication to integrative care eventually led her back to massage school, where she earned her North Carolina license as a graduate of the Center for Massage & Natural Health in Asheville. Kara is a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner (SEP) and has trained extensively with the Upledger Institute in CranioSacral Therapy. Her work is deeply trauma-informed and holistic, grounded in the understanding that much of the body’s tension and pain arise from chronic stress and unresolved trauma. Her integrative bodywork restores harmony in the nervous system and subtle energy bodies, fostering ease, resilience, and flow throughout the body. Each session is intuitively guided and tailored to the client, weaving together Swedish and deep tissue massage, CranioSacral therapy, Vibrational Healing Massage Therapy, Reiki, and somatic bodywork.
Kara’s approach is rooted in compassion, presence, and deep respect for each person’s inner healing intelligence. Through gentle, mindful touch and nervous system regulation, she helps the body release long-held patterns and return to its natural state of balance and wholeness.
Bryce Flora
Pronouns: He/Him
NCLMBT #22652
From the plains of the heart of America, Bryce is a sunny, windy character who loves a good pocket-motto, especially if it's corny. A graduate of the Center for Massage & Natural Health, he was drawn to the art and science of massage by a desire for change within himself, and within the community around him. Bryce wants nothing less than to help you discover the changes in your body that you want to find. His favorite massage style is therapeutically oriented with a focus on the body's anatomy. He enjoys working with specific issues - whether that be pain, mobility, or capability - and uses his scientific mind to bring real results to your specific muscles, joints, and other fascia. On or off the table, he's happy to ‘nerd out’ with you about nearly any topic regarding physical, emotional, and psychological wellness and looks forward to supporting you and your body!
Alanna Shivone
Pronouns: She/Her
NCLMBT #20099
Use code FALL before 11/30/25 to receive $20 credit towards any session w/her
Alanna was drawn to massage as a way to cultivate meaningful connection and a deeper understanding of the body. A graduate of the Center for Massage & Natural Health, Alanna’s massage style blends deep, focused therapeutic work for pain relief with gentle, restorative relaxation, always meeting you exactly where you are. She believes massage is experienced uniquely by every person, and she creates a safe, open space for you to feel comfortable and supported. When she’s not in the studio, you might find her working in home care at a retirement community, walking in the woods, or making up silly songs with friends. And yes, you may remember her as one of the original members of our massage team! After time spent traveling, living in new places, practicing massage across different settings, and completing a yoga teacher training in Peru… she’s back and looks forward to working with you.
Tori Theisen
Pronouns: She/Her
NCLMBT #22899
Use code FALL before 11/30/25 to receive $20 credit towards any session w/her
Tori found her passion for massage therapy while working in healthcare, where she witnessed how true healing comes from caring for both the body and the mind. This experience inspired her to create a massage practice that encourages deep relaxation and helps clients feel more connected to themselves. She is a graduate of Bodymechanics School of Myotherapy and Massage, where she trained in a wide range of therapeutic techniques. Tori’s style is nurturing and intuitive, blending soothing Swedish-inspired massage with injury treatment work when needed. Her goal is to provide a calming space where each client can let go of stress, restore balance, and leave feeling renewed.
Dr. Gena Cohen DAHM, L.Ac
Pronouns: She/Her
LAC-2290
Dr. Cohen, DAHM, L.Ac is a Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine, and nationally certified Diplomate of Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). She earned her Master’s and Doctorate from Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts, where she also studied with Master Jeffrey Yuen, an 88th-generation Daoist priest. Gena’s path into East Asian Medicine began when her mother finally found lasting relief through acupuncture for chronic migraines that no doctor or medication had been able to relieve. Later, through her own healing, she personally experienced the transformative power of acupuncture and felt called to walk the path of a healer. Dr. Cohen blends the ancient wisdom of East Asian Medicine with her intuitive abilities as a psychic medium. For over 17 years she has cultivated her gifts of spirit connection - channeling guidance from ancestors, loved ones, and angels and weaves this intuitive side into clinical practice. Her practice is rooted in a heart-centered approach that honors the physical, emotional, energetic, and spiritual dimensions of wellness. She believes true healing begins within and unfolds across all levels—body, mind, spirit, and energy—guiding each person toward deeper alignment and transformation. Each session is uniquely guided, blending acupuncture, crystals, and essential oils to support harmony on every level.
Use code ACU before 11/30/25 to receive $20 credit
towards your New Patient Appointment
Our Awesome Team!
Practitioners who fill in or work with us intermittently
Dawn Zielger
Pronouns: She/They
NC LMBT #20730
Dawn graduated from the Center for Massage & Natural Health in Asheville, NC. She specializes in a blend of therapeutic and integrative massage therapy. Her goal is to discover the root cause of chronic issues & help people feel better in their bodies by creating a customized therapeutic experience with each session. Her style of massage may include modalities such as Thai yoga, therapeutic Swedish, deep tissue and myofascial massage. When she is not massaging you will find her creating art, writing, playing in the woods, contemplating life’s meaning and taking short travel adventures of all sorts