Be Free Is Coming to Completion... new things are on the horizon.

I am a friend, mother, woman, communitarian, seeker, yogi and devotee of life! I am committed to healing through connection, and co-creating spaces where people feel embraced, seen, and reminded of their wholeness.
After 13 years in the biotech industry, burnout led me into deep surrender and a search for more authentic ways of being. I spent the next several years traveling while living and serving in spiritual intentional communities in Hawai’i and Oregon, where I learned about devotion, humility, leadership, and the beauty and complexity of shared life. A volcanic eruption brought me to Fort Collins in 2021 with my daughter and our nonprofit spiritual community development project. Since then, I have continued serving through community building, nonprofit board leadership, and my Master of Social Work studies at Colorado State University.
At my core, I am a root-tender, devoted to cultivating conditions where healing, belonging, recovery, creativity, and community care can take root, so people feel grounded, connected, and free to be.

My WHY:

I am honored and delighted to join this inspiring circle of strong women as part of the Be Free CommUNITY Center’s founding board! I come with a full, enthusiastic YES because I wholeheartedly believe in this natural expansion from the beautiful foundation that already exists. Since walking through the healing center’s doors, I felt an immediate warmth that has drawn me back again and again for yoga, chanting, breathwork, workshops, and most of all, connection with the loving community gathered here. Be Free has felt like the home and community hub I had been longing for: a place where deep healing happens, where people can show up as they are, where unique gifts are honored, and where every voice matters. It is pure magic. Through my social work path, I feel especially called to bring healing practices and belonging to children, caregivers, families, and communities who have historically had less access to them. I envision Be Free as a place where parents receive support, children build resilience, and people of all ages gather for shared meals, connection, and healing.

 I proudly serve as the Equity & Inclusion Officer for the City of Fort Collins, building trusting relationships and partnerships that deliver programs and services reflecting the full diversity of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, and language of the people who call Fort Collins home. I do this work with great patience, intention, creativity, and compassion.

I have practiced yoga since high school, and in 2025 I took a yoga teacher training course at Be Free with Melanie Lighthouser, a life-changing experience for anyone who knows her. Studying the Eight Limbs of Yoga and the Chakra system has deepened my own self-discovery as a woman, daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend. I love creating class themes that bring dynamic, rhythmic movement together with guided meditation for an uplifting, grounding experience. I am from El Salvador and proudly teach in English and Spanish.

My WHY:

I am thrilled to join the Be Free CommUNITY Center board and help co-design this evolution of a space that already feels like home. I bring my passion for inclusive community-building and my belief that true belonging is built when people from all backgrounds, identities, and walks of life feel genuinely welcomed, valued, and seen. I'm excited to work alongside a board, staff, and friends who put inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility into practice. For me, this project is my heart's work: cultivating a safe, trusted, joyful space where community can connect, discover, and grow.

Priscila Rodriguez (she/her/ella) is a bilingual (Spanish/English) holistic wellness practitioner that believes that all human beings deserve to experience lives full of joy, alignment, and ease in their bodies. Through a series of life circumstances filled with dis-ease–including navigating the physical/emotional pain and grief of unexpected loss, being confronted with the challenge of treating chronic pain, and addressing lack of professional fulfillment–Priscila transitioned out of her career in K-12 & Higher Education to re-awaken her heart and re-attune to the guidance of her intuition. As the owner of Respira y Sana Wellness, her mission is to offer human-centered body-focused support that helps individuals find connection to the transformative power of their breath, ease in their body, and flow in their life. Priscila is a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), a Certified Yoga Teacher (CYT), a Certified Reiki Practitioner, a Certified Breathwork Facilitator, and holds a Masters in Education. Priscila fundamentally believes that each individual carries what they need inside themselves to feel whole in their lives, but sometimes need support to access that magic. She offers Integrative Energy Healing Massage and Energy Balancing Reiki Sessions, at the Be Free Healing Center. Priscila is a lover of travel–often to her ancestral homeland of Guatemala– and learning, and firmly believes that through embodied learning, we can transform our lives which ultimately changes the world. 

My WHY: 

When I heard that Be Free was growing into a new re-imagined spiritual commUnity center, I knew in my heart that I wanted to be involved in that process. It felt so fitting to be a part of an expansion and transformation of Be Free, when that is precisely what being a part of this community has helped me do in my own life: expand and transform. My introduction to Be Free came a few months after moving to Fort Collins in 2021 while searching for a yoga studio that aligned with what I needed: a judgement-free, inclusive, financially accessible space where I could connect with my body. After my first class, I kept coming back, again and again, to different classes, to new workshops I’d never tried before, allowing myself to take baby steps towards expanding out of my comfort zone supported by the safety that this yoga studio offered. Over time, Be Free became so much more than my yoga studio; it became the place where I learned to better understand my nervous system, where I learned what mind/body/spirit connection really felt like, where I built strong community connections and friends, and where I became a Certified Yoga Teacher; it has truly become my second home. In the last five years, by participating in and experiencing the magic offered at Be Free, I have been able to radically transform my life and my connection to the deepest parts of myself; this community has helped me expand my own understanding of what I thought was possible in my life and I am eternally grateful. Because of my profound experience at Be Free, I proudly serve on this board with the intention of supporting this new Be Free CommUNITY Center in continuing its mission to be a sacred sanctuary for growth, embodiment, and deep connection. Together, may we create a commUnity where we all are able to expand, transform, and be free.

Leora Hafri is a nonprofit executive, consultant, and curious lifelong learner with more than 20 years of experience advancing mission-driven organizations and communities.
After beginning her career as a Peace Corps volunteer, Leora discovered a deep passion for service that has guided her professional path ever since. She has spent the past decade in executive leadership roles, including Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, leading national nonprofits focused on health, wellness, and community. Her work has supported youth, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and young adult cancer survivors, with a particular focus on expanding access and opportunity in under-resourced communities.
A dedicated, values-driven leader, Leora is passionate about building inclusive, equitable, collaborative, and sustainable organizations. In 2023, she began consulting, partnering with emerging nonprofits to help them build strong foundations. She has also served on the voyage leadership team for Semester at Sea, a global higher education study abroad program.
Beyond her professional work, Leora has served on nonprofit boards and volunteered in mentorship and peer-support roles. An outdoor enthusiast, fitness advocate, and avid traveler, she believes that meaningful connection, curiosity, and community have the power to transform both individuals and organizations.

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My WHY:

I’m honored to serve on the Be Free commUNITY Center Board and jumped at the opportunity when I learned Be Free was transitioning to a nonprofit. It felt like the perfect intersection of my professional experience and a community that has given so much to me.
When I moved to Fort Collins, I was hoping to find community. What I found was so much more. I found a place where people are welcomed exactly as they are and encouraged to show up as their authentic selves.
Through yoga, mantra, ecstatic dance, breathwork, and simply being in community, I’ve had the opportunity to explore what it means to truly be free while feeling deeply supported, seen, and held by a community that has become like family.
After a recent trip away, I met with Mel to discuss some nonprofit work. As we were saying goodbye, she simply said, “Welcome home.” It was such a small moment, but it meant everything to me. As someone who has lived a somewhat nomadic life, I’ve spent many years searching for a place that felt like home. Through Be Free, I found that sense of belonging.
That’s why I serve on the Board. I’m honored to help steward and strengthen this community so that others can experience the same connection, healing, growth, and sense of home that Be Free has given me, and to help ensure these opportunities remain accessible to all who seek them.

Rooted generationally in the Colorado landscape and shaped by a lifetime of global exploration, leadership, and contemplative practice, I love co-creating spaces where people can reconnect with their authentic voice, inner wisdom, and highest potential - and radiate that energy into the world. I have served as an executive leader, entrepreneur, strategist, fundraiser, and storyteller, helping bring big ideas to life. My work has spanned business, social impact, political arenas, renewable energy, women’s leadership, and cross-cultural initiatives, always guided by a belief in the power of human potential, meaningful connection, and collective wisdom.

My WHY:

First and foremost, it is an honor to have been invited by Melanie to join this vision, team, and community. Having been part of BeFree since its inception, I've witnessed firsthand its profound impact on people’s lives. I feel called to help steward a community where belonging, transformation, and collective well-being can flourish - and serve as a model for what is being called forth in the world today. Being on this Board is one way I can actively participate in creating the change I hope to see: a more connected, compassionate, and conscious world.

I am a mother, a friend, a partner, a sister, a river and ocean lover, a playful spirit, and generally a human who embraces growth, change, and the power of community to find belonging.

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Outside of running the backend details that keep the lights on at Be Free, I've been teaching yoga and doing massage therapy for the last 21 years, and facilitating breathwork since 2012. Those three modalities have shaped my life and path, and taught me embodiment and freedom. I co-create and lead our Breathwork Facilitator Training, Breathe, and I am also the co-creator and lead teacher for Root to Rise, our 200hr Yoga Teacher Training program. Watching and supporting people as they find the deeper connection and meaning that both yoga and breathwork journeying  provide fills my soul in a profound way.

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Be Free has been my baby since its first inception in 2007, as Be Free Yoga & Dance, a small yoga and dance studio in the mountains of western NC. I never imagined it would become the space it is today. Shepherding this space for the last 7 years has grown me in such meaningful ways. It has taught me humility, how to let go of the things I can't control, and how to hold and support community in a deeper way. I am so deeply grateful for the community that thrives here, and for all the people who support this space through giving and receiving.

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My WHY:
Continuing this journey with this board feels like a dream come true. Working alongside these women has been a huge breath of fresh air and the support I needed so deeply. I know that together we can grow Be Free into a space that serves SO MANY. I'm here for it. ALL IN. Body, mind, soul. What a gift to give, receive, and grow alongside incredible humans. This new space is going to be FIRE! I hope you'll join us.

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KC (Phoenix) is a ceremonialist, yoga teacher, breathwork guide, sound healer, ecstatic dance facilitator, herbalist, and companion through sacred transitions, dedicated to creating spaces for healing, connection, and transformation. Her work bridges the mystical and the everyday, supporting individuals in cultivating greater presence, resilience, and authenticity in their lives.
In addition to facilitating classes, workshops, and ceremonies at Be Free, KC offers personalized one-on-one and small-group healing experiences, as well as private ceremonies, through her practice, Artemesia Roots & Ritual LLC. Rooted in reverence for community, ritual, and embodied wisdom, her work supports individuals in navigating life’s transitions with greater intention, connection, and care.
 

My WHY:

I discovered Be Free while returning from a solo international journey, where I experienced a deeply rooted sense of community for the first time. After experiencing ceremony, unconditional acceptance, joyful co-creation, and the felt sense of being held in grief, I realized I wanted to find a community that embodied those same values back home.

A Google search for “cacao and ecstatic dance” led me to Be Free. I traveled from Wyoming to attend an event, and walking through those doors changed my life forever. Shortly afterward, I moved to Fort Collins, mostly driven by trust in the deep knowing that I had found my spiritual home.
Through Be Free, I learned to meet my grief with compassion, cultivate presence and devotion through yoga, and discover a sense of sovereignty and celebration of my queer identity through my ecstatic dance practice. I found a chosen family, a deeper connection to myself, and an undeniable desire to serve others on their journey to wholeness.
Because of the incredible impact this community has had on my life, the decision to serve on the board was an easy YES. It is truly a profound honor to support the continued expansion of Be Free so that more people can experience the belonging, healing, and transformation that this community has made possible for me and so many others. 

Hanalei is a student at Mountain Sage Community School and enjoys making new friends everywhere she goes! She loves to sing, laugh, dance with the fairies, play in the river, and express herself through art.

My WHY:

As an honorary board member of Be Free, Hanalei brings a child’s voice to the vision, ensuring our commitment to their inclusion and priority in the community. She cares about helping children feel safe with a sense of deep belonging. Hanalei proposed this idea to Melanie: “I want to be on the board to represent kids and children’s programs. I know kids - because I am one!”