Find out why our groups are #1 for women in Austin to build the relationships they want.
Spots are limited so reach out today! We'd love to see you there.
Who Teaches the Classes?
Who Are These Classes For?
Adult women living in Austin, Texas who are looking for more authenticity and community.
What should I expect in each class?
These classes are designed to repair the rifts within ourselves and with other people. Each session includes evidence-based information presented by experts to heal those rifts. Some classes will be more experiential than others, some are more informationally based. You will get the chance to learn and practice these new tools during each session.
When do we meet?
Our class meets every Tuesday at 6:30pm, for ten weeks, beginning September 10th, 2024. Each class is 1.5 hours long.
Where are classes located?
Cafe Creme
1834 E Oltorf St, Austin, TX 78741
*opportunities to purchase Cafe food and drink will be provided
Whether you're ready to enroll or curious about enrolling, I'd love to chat. Reach out below for a free, no commitment necessary, 15 minute call.
Life has many ways of disconnecting us from ourselves and from others, making it necessary to understand what has happened to us and learn how to repair these rifts and ruptures.
Jennifer Jo Dahle Merrill MA, LPC, NCC is a licensed professional counselor and currently owns and operates a private practice in Austin, Texas.
Her previous experience working as a teacher in Nigeria and as an English editor in South Korea gave her knowledge of various languages, cultures, and religions. Through her volunteer work and working as a sports coach, she has also developed an understanding of various socioeconomic groups as well as various ages and stages of life.
She values being inclusive and creating a warm accepting environment for clients from all walks of life. She believes we are all looking for love, connection and community, and many of us are missing these connections..
Britta Jensen’s debut novel, Eloia Born, won the 2019 Writer’s League of Texas YA Discovery Prize and was long-listed for the Exeter Novel Prize. Subsequent publications include Hirana’s War, Ghosts of Yokosuka, her subversive retelling of Hamlet and Ophelia’s story, “Why Not Ophelia” in the Castle Anthology of Horror- Femme Fatales, and “Noise in the Woods” in Mixed Bag of Tricks. Her stories explore themes of persevering through disability, found family, and the intersection of love and various cultures on new worlds. For the past twenty years she has taught creative writing and edited books with a special focus on writers using metacognitive processes in how they construct story or construct their personal story to finding healing and connection with others. She has her MA from Columbia University and a BA from Fordham University. She previously was a drama therapist at the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health in New York City. Friends often refer to her as a polyglot—which is a product of living twenty-two years overseas in Japan, South Korea, and Germany before settling in Austin, Texas with her husband. She enjoys mentoring writers and editing books with The Writing Consultancy and Yellowbird Editors.
Erin Ortbals is a dedicated breathwork instructor, certified personal trainer, avid meditator, and cold exposure expert based in Austin, Texas. With a passion for helping others achieve healthier and more joyful lives, Erin uses a multi-disciplinary approach to facilitate self-awareness, self-compassion and authentic human connection in both one-on-one mentorships and group settings.
Erin is known for her *Plunge into Calm* events, which are immersive experiences combining breathwork, meditation, and cold plunging. These events, held in Austin, bring people together to enjoy a few hours of time connecting with themselves and community. She also offers individual coaching and personal training guidance, tailoring her approach to meet the unique needs of each client.
Erin’s journey into holistic wellness began many years ago with meditation, eventually expanding into breathwork. Her dedication led her to complete the professional training program through Our Breath Collective (OBC), which became a significant part of her ongoing journey.
In addition to her individual and group coaching, Erin hosts corporate and team events, bringing the benefits of breathwork to a wider audience. Her weekly newsletter is a source of inspiration for many, where she shares her current practices and insights on breath, meditation, movement, and the human experience.
Erin lives in Austin with her husband and three children. Before her career in wellness, she was a practicing engineer and holds a B.S. in Engineering from The University of Texas. This background enriches her approach, blending science with holistic approaches as she guides her clients towards personal growth and well-being.
Passionate about sharing the life-changing power of dance–– CEO and founder of Melody DanceFit, Melody Afkami pioneered a new class experience that transcends traditional fitness and dance. With an emphasis on empowerment and mental health, her company is dedicated to helping people feel less alone in their struggles.
She’s been hired by companies such as Lululemon, Facebook, Bumble, and Google and has recently presented on the TEDx stage. Melody’s life mission is to take the intimidation out of dance to help people access it as a transformative tool in their lives, and her viral YouTube video ‘Havana‘ boasting over 40 million views certainly proves that.
Maggie Stenson, MCN, RD, LD, CEDS-C is a registered dietitian specializing in eating disorders. Maggie graduated from Dallas Baptist University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in business management. Maggie went on to complete her master’s degree in clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. During her time in graduate school, Maggie interned in a variety of eating disorder settings including Remuda Ranch in Arizona and focused her graduate research on analyzing the role of the RD in the treatment of eating disorders.
After graduating from UT Southwestern in 2016, Maggie began working at the Renfrew Center of Texas in the partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) settings. In June 2017, she joined the team at Eating Recovery Center of Texas and worked in the inpatient, residential, PHP, and IOP levels of care. In 2020, Maggie began working in the outpatient setting at Dallas Nutritional Counseling. In 2023, she founded ATX Nutritional Counseling to provide service and care to the greater Austin area.
Maggie has experience with clients of all ages and a variety of diagnoses including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). She has a special interest in working with children and adolescents and ARFID.
Maggie is a member of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (Iaedp) DFW Chapter and has served as the membership co-chair for the 2019 to 2020 term. She also completed the requirements through Iaedp to become a Certified Eating Disordered Specialist and Consultant. Maggie is an active member of the Central Texas Eating Disorder Specialists (CTEDS).
Maggie provides both individual and family nutritional counseling and is passionate about helping her clients heal their relationship with food and their bodies. She tailors her interventions to each client based on what their needs are and uses a collaborative approach. She works closely with other team members such as therapists or psychiatrists to ensure that her clients are getting well rounded, quality care. Maggie’s food philosophy is that all foods fit, and balance and variety are key to living a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life.
