We set the atmosphere. God makes the magic.
WE ARE BRINGING THERAPISTS AND COACHES TO YOU
L’Tonya “Tonnie” Weatherspoon
L’Tonya “Tonnie” Weatherspoon moved to the Atlanta area in 1996 from Los Angeles, California. She is the mother of 3 adult sons. Tonnie worked in Georgia public school systems for 12 years. The last 3 years of working in the Georgia public school systems Tonnie developed, grew, and sustained a program targeting Teen Parents enrolled at
all 5 high schools in Rockdale County Public Schools. After leaving the public school system, Tonnie began working as a consultant for United Way of Greater Atlanta’s, Education Department. She has done so for the past 3 years. Currently, Tonnie has a consulting firm, called The Scoop. The Scoop provides family advocacy services, facilitates
community impact discussions,hostfocusgroups, and offers technical assistance to organizations seeking to implement family/community based programs.
L’Tonya “Tonnie” Weatherspoon, Parenting Coach
L’Tonya “Tonnie” Weatherspoon moved to the Atlanta area in 1996 from Los Angeles, California. She is the mother of 3 adult sons. Tonnie worked in Georgia public school systems for 12 years. The last 3 years of working in the Georgia public school systems Tonnie developed, grew, and sustained a program targeting Teen Parents enrolled at
all 5 high schools in Rockdale County Public Schools. After leaving the public school system, Tonnie began working as a consultant for United Way of Greater Atlanta’s, Education Department. She has done so for the past 3 years. Currently, Tonnie has a consulting firm, called The Scoop. The Scoop provides family advocacy services, facilitates
community impact discussions,hostfocusgroups, and offers technical assistance to organizations seeking to implement family/community based programs.
Brandy Nesbitt Small, Communication Specialists
Brandy Small is a dedicated and loving wife to retired Army SFC Charles E. Small and currently a Staff Accountant at Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. She is a 2000 graduate from the University of Georgia with a BS in Economics and a 2010 graduate from the University of Phoenix with a Master’s in Accounting. Brandy has had the fortunate opportunity to live in Germany and S.Korea and travel to many other countries and states due to her father and husband serving in the US Army. Effective communication played a large part in Brandy’s life because she had to move and adapt to her surroundings a lot as a child and an adult due to military life. A team building exercise with her job opened her eyes to realize that successful communication is more about understanding. Brandy loves people, everything about people and desires to help encourage, motivate, and educate others in expanding their capacity to understand and empathize with each other to have better communication. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with family and friends, watching movies, reading, and dancing.
Torri Hicks, M.A., MFT
With a strong desire to advocate for mental and spiritual awareness and give people tools to improve their home, churches, and work environments. Torri Hicks has been speaking and advocating about mental health and fulfilling purpose in the Atlanta area for over 10 years.
American talk show host, mental health advocate, producer, philanthropist, and entrepreneur Torri Hicks was born on December 12, 1979 in Detroit, Michigan. After her parents’ divorce, at age 6, she moved to Farmington Hills where she lived with her mother and maternal grandparents. She entered Michigan State University in 1998 and began working with nonprofit organizations and at-risk youth in Lansing, Michigan. In 2004, Torri Hicks moved to Atlanta, Georgia where she entered graduate school at Argosy University and studied to become a mental health therapist while she continued to work for nonprofit organizations. Her experiences working with different nonprofits afforded her the opportunity to learn and wear several pertinent hats that attribute to nonprofit growth and impact. Torri’s eclectic style of creating and customizing innovative strategies and programs to meet organizational needs became a hit in the nonprofit sector and she was requested to assist highly recognized organizations and institutions including Hands On Atlanta, YWCA, Georgia State University, National Sales Network, and the Arthur M. Blank Foundation.
Meridy Hurt, Yoga Instructor
Meridy has a professional background in Western Medicine and Psychology, but both feet and heart are firmly rooted in the field of Natural Healing. When Laughter Yoga popped up in her world ten years ago, the appeal was immediate.
Individual health is both intra-personal and inter-personal, a function of both nature and nurture. The family setting provides the earliest input for physical health, spiritual and emotional wellbeing. As we grow, the larger community and society as a whole begins to have an impact. Laughter is said to be a universal language and, as such, offers a means of communication between individuals and groupings.
Meridy has explored, studied, taught and played with the idea of active laughter. This is where we choose to do what the body does when it laughs so that the brain responds (as is completely natural) by flooding that same body with feelings of joy and peace.
It is hard to hold a grudge if we feel good inside. It is easy to be generous and gentle without feeling vulnerable or weak. Active laughter requires no comedic credentials; sense of humor (or lack thereof) is no barrier. Laughing frees us to be fully human!