Teachers
All content found on Well of Mercy's website is intended as suggestions for independent spiritual exploration and is not meant to be prescriptive. Before beginning a practice, or engaging in an activity that may affect mental and/or physical health, please discuss any concerns with an appropriate medical or mental health provider.
Angelina Corbet
Angelina Corbet, Founder of The Mobius Company serves as a teacher, coach, storyteller and facilitator in service to those who wish to live intentional lives. Angelina has been facilitating Enneagram programs in corporations, nonprofits, trade association, educational settings, and spiritual communities for more than 25 years. In addition, the Enneagram is one of her mindfulness practices. Prior to founding The Mobius Company, Angelina served in a variety of executive roles. Angelina has an MS in Business Policy from Columbia University and an MS and BA in Education from Brooklyn College. Angelina’s first book, The Little Pink Book of Feminine Leadership…
Barbara Presnell
Barbara Presnell’s books include Otherwise, I’m Fine: A Memoir (USC Press, 2025), Piece Work (CSU Poetry Center, 2007), and Blue Star (Press 53, 2016). She recently retired as Senior Lecturer Emerita from UNC-Charlotte but continues to teach and mentor writers of all ages. Learn more at www.barbarapresnell.com.
Becky Hambrick
Becky Hambrick, M. Ed. offers Spiritual Direction, SoulCollage® workshops/retreats, dream groups, and Enneagram coaching in Cary, NC and online. Becky completed her Spiritual Direction training in 2016 at the Haden Institute for Spiritual Direction and Dream Leader Training. She trained as a SoulCollage® facilitator in 2017 under Catherine Anderson. In 2020, she completed the Enneagram Approach certification training. Becky can be reached at BeckyHambricksd@gmail.com
Brenda Wallace
Brenda brings years of experience by training in health, well being and self care through massage therapy continuing education, serving at her church’s sponsored Minister retreats, and participating in retreats offered at Well. In 1998, Brenda began at Well of Mercy as a massage therapist with her role expanding in recent years to certified aromatherapist and Director of Operations. Brenda is an excellent problem-solver and shares faithful encouragement with our guests. Her many passions include cooking, singing, laughing, and playing the piano. She is a Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist, certified aromatherapist and also makes sure your stay at Well…
Carmen San Juan
Carmen is a graduate of Loyola University New Orleans with a degree in Religious Education as well as the Charlotte Spirituality Center. A Spiritual Director who honors all faith traditions creating a calm, accepting space in which people can sit and explore the movements of their life. Carmen is grounded in Ignatian Spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. Carmen enjoys offering Spiritual Direction and leading spiritual retreats at Well of Mercy.
Catherine Wandell
Catherine has always loved being in nature. In 2018, she had the opportunity to learn more about birding through her local (Forsyth) Audubon and a class from an experienced birder. This really got her excited about birding. Now Catherine birds whenever she can and has participated in numerous birding outings. She has been coming to Well of Mercy for about 15 years, volunteers on a regular basis, and loves birding at Well!
Chantal McKinney
Chantal McKinney is a life-long seeker of the Divine. She is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur, coach, consultant, practitioner of community development, and former church planter who walks among the two worlds of faith and spirituality. She is passionate about making connections between how followers of Jesus are deconstructing and living out their faith in reimagined ways and what this means for our future understanding of church. She awaits the publication of her first book, Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls. After serving within the Episcopal Church as a parish priest for twenty years, she founded Root Thrive Soar and now accompanies…
Cheryl Wilder
Cheryl Wilder is the author of Singing Riptide (2025), its companion Anything That Happens (2021), and the chapbook What Binds Us (2017). As a leader in the For Alamance initiative, she works to support and strengthen arts and culture in her community. Cheryl is a coach and speaker at BornWilder.
Colette Lafia
Colette Lafia is an award-winning author, spiritual director, and retreat leader. As a graduate of the Living School, through the Center for Action and Contemplation, Colette has a passion for the contemplative path. She has worked in the spiritual formation programs at Mercy Center Burlingame and is a certified Centering Prayer presenter. She is the author of Comfort and Joy, Seeking Surrender, The Divine Heart and Leaving the Shore: Experiencing Poetry as Prayer. Her book The Divine Heart: Seven Ways to Live in God’s Love, which received a 2022 Nautilus Book Award. Her most recent book is Leaving the Shore: Experiencing…
Connie Hoffner
With over four decades as a holistic nurse healer and educator, Connie is not only a nurse but she is also a certified Healing Touch practitioner, Divine Sleep yoga Nidra instructor and Veridas trained Labyrinth facilitator . She has practiced Healing Touch in a variety of settings throughout the life spectrum and offers this service at Well. Connie is a life longer learner and is currently studying Celtic Spirituality with The School of Earth and Soul. Connie has a sacred connection to the groups she leads and is the Program Director at Well of Mercy, bringing many healing programs to…
Edgar McCall
Pastor Edgar McCall has been a frequent guest at Well of Mercy since 2010. He has found healing, renewal and rest at Well over the years. Edgar retired in February, after serving for 35 years in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He loves the power and presence of the Holy Spirit and draws on that power for daily living and ministry. His hobbies include walking, reading, ballroom dancing with his wife Noel, and volunteering.
Esther Mfonyam
Esther Mfonyam is an author, licensed marriage and family therapist, and retreat facilitator based in North Carolina. For more than a decade, she has walked alongside individuals, couples, families, and communities in a wide range of settings, including schools, shelters, clinics, community centers, and faith-based organizations. Esther is the author of Rising, Beyond the Clouds and the creator of the Conversations on Becoming retreat series and Words and Spaces for Becoming, reflective spaces centered on healing, spiritual renewal, and meaningful connection. Drawing from both her therapeutic background and personal journey, Esther’s work gently weaves together emotional awareness, contemplative practice, reflection,…
Gayle Williams
Gayle is a Courage and Renewal ® Facilitator. She has led retreats informed by the Courage and Renewal ® approach, which was developed by Parker J. Palmer and the Center for Courage and Renewal ®, informed by centuries of wisdom traditions from around the world. She volunteers at Well of Mercy and other nonprofits. She enjoys time in nature with her dog, precious time with friends and family, yoga and Tai chi classes, time with fellow spiritual pilgrims, reading, and quilting.
Heidi Gessner
Heidi Gessner is an ordained United Church of Christ minister, spiritual counselor, grief coach, and former palliative care chaplain. For years, Heidi has comforted those facing the end of life and their loved ones. Her book, Pockets of Grace: Lessons from Darkness, Lessons from Light, is both a memoir and a guide to help people navigate grief. Heidi’s program, Indigo Flow: Path to a New Beginning, shows a fresh way to grow through grief. It helps you find a balance between loss and hope, guiding you to live through life’s challenges with resilience and peace.
Jane Motsinger
Jane Motsinger is a Spiritual Director at Well of Mercy and is a graduate of the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction. Jane has been a licensed lay preacher at Galloway Memorial Episcopal Church in Elkin, NC for the past 7 years. She is an avid bird watcher, a lover of and advocate for God’s creation, and enjoys leading retreats at Well of Mercy.
Jordan Marvin
Jordan is a multifaceted naturalist, horticulturist and plant whisperer with a strong passion for helping people connect with the natural environment. She believes that learning is one of life’s greatest purposes and is currently deepening her understanding of Herbalism through the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine with hopes to someday become a Holistic Health Practitioner. Intertwining her knowledge of ethnobotany and spiritual practices from around the world, Jordan aims to provide individuals with the tools to create harmony within themselves and with the Earth. Jordan serves as the landscape coordinator at Well of Mercy.
Julie Sczerbinski
Julie Sczerbinski is a guide, retreat facilitator, and steward of Magic Tree Sanctuary, a 42-acre forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Since 2016, she has been guiding individuals and groups on journeys of deep nature connection. Her approach blends nature immersion, mindfulness, and earth-based spirituality, grounded in the belief that nature is our wisest teacher. As the former co-founder of The Forest Therapy School, Julie has trained hundreds of aspiring forest therapy guides in the art of forest bathing as part of a movement to bring people back home to nature. Her greatest joy is witnessing the transformation…
Katerina Katsarka Whitley
Katerina Katsarka Whitley holds a deep and enduring connection to her Greek heritage, shaped by her homeland’s language, culture, and Orthodox Christian faith. Though she has lived most of her life in the United States, her identity remains firmly tied to these origins. Raised during the Nazi occupation of Greece and having lost her mother at a young age, Katerina’s early experiences shaped her thirst for learning and her hunger for the Divine. At just 16, she left Greece on a scholarship to study in North Carolina, where she nurtured her passions for music, language, and later, theology. She eventually…
Kevin Campbell
Kevin Campbell is a nurseryman, outdoorsman, grows native plants, and works to save our pollinators. Kevin, native plant expert, is owner of Campbell Family Nursery and is the former landscape coordinator at Well of Mercy.
Kristi Leonard
Kristi Leonard has facilitated thousands of groups throughout her career on topics such as discovering purpose, cultivating empathy, fostering racial unity, and her personal favorite: Silence and Solitude—a 12-week course she has led for over six years. Known for her calm, attentive presence, Kristi supports both individuals and groups through her coaching practice based in Davidson, NC. Whether guiding others through meaningful conversations or reflective practices, Kristi brings depth, insight, and heart to her work. Kristi is also a wife, mother, and dog lover who enjoys hiking, rowing on Lake Davidson, and spending time outdoors. If you would like to…
Laura Koniver
Laura Koniver MD is a holistic physician, grounding advocate, speaker and author of the book The Earth Prescription, beloved around the world and translated into multiple languages and foreign editions. Dr. Koniver has been featured in many news and media outlets, writes a regular health column for the national organic lifestyle magazine MaryJanes Farm, and is featured as an expert protagonist in several motion pictures including: The Grounded, Heal For Free, Down To Earth, and The Earthing Movie.
Lea Slaton
Lea is the Executive Director for Well of Mercy. Prior to coming to Well, Lea served as a pastor for almost 20 years. She loves learning and exploring ways to connect with God and to connect faith to everyday living. Lea loves dogs and cats, music, writing, art and coffee. When she’s not at Well of Mercy, you will find her humming a happy tune in her craft room or watching a British mystery.
Maureen Ryan Griffin
MAUREEN RYAN GRIFFIN has taught the art and craft of writing for over thirty years through a wide variety of venues, including Chautauqua Institution, the John C. Campbell Folk School, and Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina. An award-winning poetry and nonfiction writer, she’s published in Calyx, Chelsea, Cincinnati Poetry Review, The Texas Review, and The Chautauquan Daily, among others. Her books include Spinning Words into Gold, a Hands-On Guide to the Craft of Writing; How Do I Say Goodbye, a Companion in Grieving, Healing, and Gratitude; THE TAG, I’M IT! Daily Journal and Practice; and her latest collection of…
Meg Robertson
Meg Robertson is a coach, connector, entrepreneur, Ironman finisher and recently added cancer survivor to her list of descriptive words. However, the most important roles she holds are wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. Meg has channeled her creative, adventurous spirit and a life-long passion for serving others into a career and calling, Executive and Life Coaching and Non-Profit Consulting work.
Meredith Doster
Meredith Doster is an interdisciplinary educator, writer, and convener whose birthright gifts of here, there, anywhere, and nowhere keep her attuned to the sacred everywhere. With her heart in ancestral homeplaces and hands in the garden, Meredith revels in growing and giving and grace. With a masters degree in Appalachian Studies and PhD in Religious Studies, Meredith honors tender truths gleaned in the trading of one kind of learning for another. Meredith’s questions dig deep, inviting words and worlds to collide and collapse into something bold and beautiful. Hers is a practice gifted and grafted in community and care. On…
Patty Donoghue
Patty began using art as a therapeutic tool in her early years to overcome trying youth situations. She later became an Occupational Therapist, because of the profession’s history of art and purpose in its mission. Patty continues to use art in her own wellness journey as a professional artist. She has had the honor to sell artwork internationally and to display paintings in galleries, juried exhibitions, public spaces, and solo shows. To discover more about Patty and her artwork, you can connect with her website here.
Peter Strafaci
After teaching pottery at the senior high school level and in adult education for a number of years, Peter entered school administration and retired In 1998 after thirty-four years as Assistant Superintendent. Peter now incorporates his pottery into spiritual retreats, lectures, and group demonstrations. He and his wife, Carolyn, lovingly cooked for our guests at Well of Mercy for many years, and his handcrafted pottery is still available in our gift shop.
Robin Garner
Dr. Robin Garner joined Charlotte Country Day School in 2021 as the Director of Choirs in the Upper School. In addition to serving as the Director of Choirs, she teaches AP Music Theory, Piano, and World Music. Dr. Garner holds a BM in Piano Performance from Mars Hill University, Mars Hill, NC, a Master of Music in Pedagogy and Performance from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, and an Ed.D. in Music Education from Columbia University in NYC. In addition to her love of music, Robin is passionate about traveling. She lived and studied in Ireland for a time and…
Russ Keeney
Russ Keeney is a licensed counselor and has experience with individuals, couples, adolescents and family therapy. He is committed to helping individuals discover their true selves in a safe and nurturing environment. He invites others to integrate their own faith/spirituality and in turn become whole in body, mind and spirit. Russ also offers clinical hypnosis and A.R.T.-Accelerated Resolution Therapy. Russ was certified recently in Sound Healing and facilitates sound baths for groups.
Sandra O’Brien
Sandra O’Brien first came to Well of Mercy in 2007 and immediately felt the gentle healing presence that lives in this sacred place. The quiet she discovered during that season—the year her mother passed away—touched her deeply and inspired a lifelong commitment to helping others find the same stillness and peace. From 2018–2024, Sandra served as Executive Director of Well of Mercy, blending her gifts for sacred listening, organization, creativity, and hospitality. Today, she continues to nurture the ministry as Programming & Operations Associate, supporting the ongoing rhythm of retreats and renewal that make Well so special. Sandra previously served…
Sheryl Wells
Sheryl Wells is a Spiritual Director, certified SoulCollage ® Facilitator, Veriditas-trained Labyrinth Facilitator, ordained minister, and Reiki Master. She is the founder of The Salem Center for Spirituality in Winston Salem, NC, a place for finding and connecting with your deeper soul self, and inner wisdom. An avid hiker, reader, pet lover, and bridge player, Sheryl is a contemplative who dreams of wholeness for herself and the world. You can learn more at https://salemspirituality.com/
Stacey Bell
Stacey is a North Carolina Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist and has been practicing since 2012. She enjoys continuing her education, learning new techniques to help release tension and alleviate pain for her clients. Stacey is trained in various modalities such as hot stones, massage cupping and aromatherapy. Stacey loves customizing each session to the individual recipient in order to give the best experience possible. Stacey is the mother to 3 beautiful children and wife to her husband of 10 years. Her passion is helping people through massage therapy. For more information, please visit her website here.
Susan Bednarick
Susan Bednarick is a passionate facilitator and student of creating spiritual space to nurture, strengthen and celebrate the unique Light in each of us. Susan is a certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, Sounds True and the Awareness Training Institute, certified Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance and currently studying with National Academy of Sports Medicine as a Wellness Coach. She enjoys volunteering at Well of Mercy offering programs.
Tiffany Compton
After 20 years in various roles of healthcare, Tiffany Compton felt the need for something different. An answer to a prayer led her to Well of Mercy. She currently serves as the Program Assistant. She has a passion for photography, art, and anything creative. She loves all creatures great and small and you can often find her and her family outside immersed in nature because the best place to learn and play is outside.
Tim Auman
Tim Auman, originally from California and raised in North Carolina, is a retired university chaplain. He now works as a certified mindfulness educator, visual artist, and photography teacher, assisting clients to: Learn mindfulness techniques to stay grounded in the present moment Regulate emotions to handle stress and anxiety Build self-awareness to better integrate thoughts, feelings, and emotions Improve focus and productivity for personal and professional growth Transform and heal self-limiting habit energies and behaviors Tim’s photographic passion is exploring the art of seeing beauty in the ordinary and mundane. His work is influenced by the Nalanda Miksang contemplative photography movement,…
Virginia Perry
Virginia Perry is a retired Marriage and Family Therapist, Elementary School Counselor, and Wake Forest Counseling Program online Practitioner Instructor. Virginia has enjoyed seeing, hearing and learning about birds since childhood and loves sharing with others her enthusiasm for birds and God’s many beautiful gifts in Nature with others.
Well of Mercy Staff and Friends
Well of Mercy staff and friends will be your retreat presenters for this restorative retreat.