Susan Alden

I graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1997 (yes, Jamie and I are West Point classmates) and served as an Army logistics officer. I taught my first yoga class to fellow paratroopers when I was a 2nd Lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division, and I've been teaching both yoga and meditation ever since. In 2003, after leaving the military, I opened one of the first integrative wellness centers near Fort Bragg, NC, and began leading transformational retreats.

Thanks to my mother, a true Medicine Woman, I grew up with a strong foundation in holistic health and healing. Throughout my life, I've been blessed to train with many masters, including Maka’ala Yates, Anand Mehrotra, Suzee “Suchi” Waters Benjamin, Pattye Kealohalani Wright, and others who have shaped my multi-disciplinary approach to wellness.

I am a Fast Like a Girl Certified Coach, trained by Dr. Mindy Pelz. I’ve also earned certifications as a Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) and E-RYT 500 Yoga Teacher, though I’ve since let the formal registrations go. These days, I find that presence, experience, and connection matter more than the letters after my name. I also have training and experience in Transcendental Meditation, Reiki, Mana Lomi®, Ho‘oponopono, Hula, the Native American Medicine Wheel, iRest® Yoga Nidra, and Nutrigenomics. I have an extensive background in functional medicine and serve as an ambassador of the Hippocrates Health Institute.

From 2015 to 2019, I served as a faculty member and Executive Director of Warriors at Ease, a non-profit organization committed to sharing evidence-based, trauma-sensitive yoga and meditation with military and veteran communities.

Above all, I am a mother to two amazing young men. I love to garden, walk the beach with my two dogs, swim with dolphins, write my Soulnotes, and bask in the beauty of our planet.