Be Kind to Your Mind: Inside Careers in Health and Wellness

Alejandra Torreo

Post-doctoral fellow |CAPS UCLA

Dr. Alejandra Torrero (pronouns: they/them) is a post-doctoral fellow at CAPS this year. They graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2013 with a double major in History and Psychology. They pursed their first job as an Assistant English Teacher in Japan, through the JET Program. After living a few years abroad they returned to Southern California to pursue teaching before considering a career in Clinical Psychology. What drew them to the field of psychology was their desire to connect with clients, learn their history, accompany them through hardship, and to offer care, support, and wellness. They earned their doctoral degree with an emphasis in Multiculturalism, and conduct therapy with a social justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility focus.

Vanessa Garcia

Owner of We One Wellness

Vanessa Garcia, the owner and founder of  We One Wellness, is a native Angeleno. She is a certified holistic practitioner body worker for chronic pain and stress management, and helps to treat many pathologies. She holds two certifications in IPATH (Integral Postural Alignment Technique) and is a Master Teacher Trainer and ERYT International Yoga & Meditation teacher specializing in breath work. She has been training/coaching for over 20 years, teaching yoga for over 13 years, and has additional certifications in accessible yoga, yin/meridian health, TRX, and IPATH pilates. Vanessa received her BA in Performing Arts in dance and is currently helping others with MFR (myofascial release) and skeletal and joint alignment. She is currently working on clinical certification in Aroma Therapy with the New York Aroma Therapy Institute. She also teaches Yoga, Chair Yoga, Yin Yoga, Meditation, and Breath Technique classes. She believes in the power of mind-body connection through mindfulness. “Creating space” is powerful, and she believes in the art of pausing, rest, and mindful living. Vanessa aims to make these practices accessible to everyone and anyone regardless of any demographic, especially to people of color and those that have been marginalized. Her heart is in building community and helping people align back to their true expansive selves.

Corine Tan

Corine is co-founder of Kona, the wellbeing and burnout platform for people-first teams. Kona has helped over 200 of the best tech teams in the world build empathy and psychological safety. Corine writes regularly on people-first leadership. Their work has been featured by Yahoo, Fortune, TechCrunch, Harvard Business School, Forbes, BuiltIn, and more.

Christina Tanios

Holistic Health and Integrative Nutrition Practitioner and Diabetes Prevention Program Instructor

Christina Tanios is a Certified Holistic Health Practitioner who believes in the healing power of food. She takes a holistic approach to health, which means that in addition to talking about nutrition, she also believes in all of the other aspects of our lives that keep us healthy: mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. 

Christina has been working with clients one-on-one and in group settings since 2012. With over 10 years of experience working with people from a myriad of backgrounds, she has learned that health is a combination of healthy eating, exercise, good sleep, self-love, and self-care. She loves reminding those she works with that eating healthily is not about starvation or deprivation. Instead, it’s about discovering healthy foods that are nourishing, enjoyable, satisfying, and right for us. 

Christina has been teaching the Diabetes Prevention Program since 2014. She is passionate about diabetes prevention and has been grateful that she’s been able to teach the program at UCLA, UC Berkeley, UCSD, and UCSF. The pandemic has allowed her to connect with people from multiple universities, virtually, so that she can continue to work with others as they eat healthily, exercise, and prevent type 2 diabetes. 

Christina believes in practicing true self-care, which includes creating time and space each day to check in with yourself, breathe deeply, relax, recharge, and show yourself some love.