Our Staff

SHEILA SULLIVAN

Executive DIRECTOR

Sheila has served as the Program Director at Sea Change for four years, working closely with our program partners and teacher team, before moving into the ED role. Sheila has had an inspiring career path, which includes being a collaborative leader for a variety non-profits that focus on social justice, experiential learning, and environmental education. Her yoga and meditation practice spans 30 years, and has been a grounding force in navigating the joys and challenges of parenting and being human. She completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training through Lila East End Yoga with Genell Huston and former SCY board member, Jen Queally. Sheila believes that yoga and meditation provide us with the time and space to slow down; to listen closely to what our bodies are calling for; to nurture our spirits; to reconnect with our inner wisdom; and to emerge with a more grounded sense of self to bring into the world. She firmly believes in the inherent worth and dignity of all people, and resonates with SCY’s vision to honor each person’s unique strengths and personal story. Sheila is grateful to work for an organization that aims to bring healing-centered yoga and meditation to communities with disproportionately high rates of trauma.

LORA GIRATA

Director of advancement

Lora Girata comes to Sea Change via a circuitous route. She’s from rural Tennessee, studied for a master’s in community public health in New York City, and coordinated clinical research at academic institutions in the Midwest and New England. While she’s moved around a bit, yoga has been a constant in her life for the past 20 years. Lora believes yoga offers a powerful pathway for navigating the pain and uncertainty of being human, and for cultivating greater connection, agency, and ease. Wanting to share this practice with others, she became a certified yoga teacher and then TCTSY facilitator with Alex Cat and the Center for Trauma and Embodiment. She has facilitated trauma-informed yoga with juvenile-involved youth, teenagers, women seeking trauma care and recovery, and incarcerated adults. She finds it deeply meaningful to help bring accessible, healing-centered yoga to Maine communities where it might not otherwise be available. Lora believes that healing ourselves and transforming our communities are deeply intertwined, and that making healing more accessible is part of creating a more connected, just, and equitable world.

Kensi Thomas

Program & Operations Associate

Kensi brings a diverse personal and professional background to her role. A curious problem-solver at heart, she thrives on wearing many hats and connecting complex pieces behind the scenes. Kensi weaves mindfulness, movement, and energy work into every aspect of her life. Driven by ongoing curiosity and dedication to holistic wellness, she earned her 200-hour RYT certification through Yoga Refuge in Portland, Oregon in 2020 and received her Level 2 Reiki Attunement in 2024. For Kensi, these practices offer vital tools for grounding, resilience, personal empowerment, and collective healing. She combines her love for mindful practice with an MBA where her studies centered on purpose-driven leadership, adaptability, and human-centered management. She is passionate about creating seamless systems and building strong administrative foundations that allow community centered programs and mission-driven organizations such as Sea Change to deepen their impact. Kensi is honored to be part of the team helping to make heart-centered yoga accessible to communities across Maine.

JEss Fairclough

Jess (she/they) has been part of the Sea Change Yoga community since 2019 and currently teaches at the Southern Maine Women’s Reentry Center. Jess is also a full-spectrum doula, Reiki Master, artist, and community advocate. Much of her work centers around supporting people navigating pregnancy and birth, recovery, incarceration and reentry, and other significant life transitions. Across these roles, she is passionate about creating spaces rooted in choice, dignity, belonging, connection, and collective care.

In her Teacher Coordinator role, Jess supports Sea Change teachers through ongoing communication, check-ins, connection, and practical support. She helps teachers navigate resources and expectations while fostering a teacher community where people feel connected, valued, and supported in their work.

Anne Esguerra

Anne (she / siya / niya) is the founder and owner of Integrative Life Therapy. She is a IAYT Certified Yoga Therapist, Group Facilitator, Life Mentor, and Consultant based out of Portland, Maine. Anne has been present throughout the evolution of Sea Change Yoga which began as part of the 2015 Yoga Behind Bars training where our co-founders and founding teachers met and began to dream about what would eventually become Sea Change Yoga. She was already mentoring and teaching yoga as a volunteer at Long Creek Youth Development Center (LCYDC), which transitioned into building a collaborative relationship between SCY and LCYDC. 

Anne has long served as a member and teacher representative of the Program Committee, contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of our programs and teacher development. In 2020, Anne served as Co-Chair of the Beliefs and Values Committee, as well as our Lead Consultant on the Here to Be grant focusing on centering racial and social equity at Sea Change. At the heart of this choice in partnership, Anne aims to repair harms that have occurred throughout the evolution of SCY, & to ensure that our growth expands to incorporate community values, culture & history. Always moving toward knowing better in order to do better.

Anne has also served on the Stewardship Team to develop our current Strategic Plan, the Executive Director Search Committee, and as a mentor for our Yoga Teacher Training Scholarship recipients. She continues to serve as a mentor for new SCY teachers.

We are always learning from Anne as an embodied advocate for the principles of yoga and trauma-informed care, and are deeply grateful for her patience, energy, and teachings along our messy path to our shared vision.