Get to Know Us
At Fusion Yoga & Wellness, our team is the heart of everything we do. Each teacher, therapist, wellness professional, and staff member brings their own unique expertise, healing presence, and passion for supporting others. We come from diverse backgrounds, but share a common intention: to create a welcoming space for transformation, connection, and care.
Below, you’ll find a glimpse into the people who make Fusion feel like home—along with their stories, specializations, and what inspires them to guide others on their wellness journey.
Mary Abranyi | Founder | Yoga Instructor | Wellness Advocate | 500-CYT
My journey has been anything but linear. Shaped by resilience, reinvention, and a deep passion for helping others, I learned the value of hard work from my family growing up in Florida, navigating challenges and carving a path to independence. After losing my father in my early twenties, I set out to create a life that felt true to me, one filled with purpose and connection.
Later moving to Colorado, I discovered yoga, a practice that felt both natural and transformative. It became my anchor, challenging me physically, mentally, and spiritually, and ultimately inspiring me to pursue teaching.
After following my heart to North Carolina in 2001, I completed my first yoga self-study program with mentorship, followed by continued certifications in a variety of styles, including Vinyasa, Pre & Post Natal, Ashtanga, and Therapeutic Yoga. During this time, I was also growing my family and had begun a career in real estate, a career I am still very active in.
Teaching began as a passion project, but it would be the great recession that eventually led me to open Fusion in 2012, a space dedicated to blending movement, wellness, and connection. Over the years, I’ve expanded my expertise through additional trainings, workshops, and retreats, ensuring my teaching evolves to meet the needs of my students.
Fusion started as a mix of yoga, Pilates, massage and community programs like kids’ karate and dance. While the business has evolved, its heart remains the same, a homebase for growth, healing, and balance. The studio is a reflection of my belief that yoga is more than a practice; it’s a way to reconnect with yourself and the world around you.
Today, I continue to blend my yoga teachings with my passion for community, offering a space where movement and mindfulness come together, whether it’s through yoga, wellness therapies, or simply offering a space to pause and breathe. Fusion is not just a business; it’s my heart’s work, a place to inspire others as yoga has inspired me.
Venus Hernandez | Massage Therapist
My name is Venus. I was born and raised in New York City, but always felt drawn to a different rhythm of life. I found my true home in Asheville in 1994, building a life surrounded by the mountains and a community that felt just right. Though I was displaced by Hurricane Helene nearly 25 years later, Asheville remains the heart of where I raised my children—and now, my grandchildren.
Before becoming a massage therapist, I spent over eight years in the medical field as a certified nursing assistant, specializing in Alzheimer’s and dementia care. That experience taught me how to listen deeply, not just to people’s words, but to the quiet ways the body speaks. I bring that same intuitive, compassionate presence to every massage session.
I graduated from The Center for Massage & Natural Health in Asheville and am trained in a range of techniques including neuromuscular therapy, trigger point, Swedish massage, myofascial release, cupping, gua sha, and lymphatic support. I especially love finding the “tricky spots”—the hidden tension that limits movement or causes discomfort, and working through them to bring real, lasting relief.
Every session I offer is a blend of technique and intuition. I listen with my hands and with my heart, creating a space where your body can fully exhale, unwind, and find that balance between deep release and gentle restoration.
Jessie Borino | Intuitive Life Coach & Reiki Practicioner
My path as a healer is deeply personal and generational as I come from a family of intuitive practitioners, including my mother and my brother.
I earned my master’s degree in social work from the University of Central Florida in 1999, and while my career path has evolved, my passion for holding space and supporting others through life’s transitions has remained at the core of everything I do.
I’m a Certified Life Coach and Reiki Practitioner (Levels I & II), and my work focuses on helping people move through grief, loss, and change, whether that’s the passing of a loved one, a life shift, or the quiet grief of leaving behind an old version of self. I believe that within loss, there is opportunity for awakening and reconnection to your inner light.
Each session I offer combines intuitive coaching and Reiki energy work to gently support healing and clarity. I also co-lead the Reiki-Infused Restorative Sound Bath each month at Fusion, a deeply restorative experience where we invite the nervous system to soften and the spirit to settle.
Marth Simkins Davis | Yoga Instructor | 500 CYT
A lifelong lover of movement and dance, I first discovered yoga in the early 1990s when a studio in Laguna Beach offered a week of unlimited free classes and I was instantly hooked. Over the years, I’ve studied with a wide range of gifted teachers across multiple styles, from Iyengar and Ashtanga to Power Yoga and Restorative, each one adding depth and dimension to my practice.
One of the most influential mentors on my path was Geo Takoma Moskios, a student of Indra Devi and one of the pioneers of Power Yoga. In 2010, I began working alongside Geo and his wife at their retreat center, The Pearl Laguna, where I taught yoga, guided hikes, and incorporated breathwork, meditation, Qigong, and Tai Chi into the experience.
I bring Geo’s teachings with me into every class: that yoga is for everyone, that healing happens when we listen deeply, and that we grow stronger when we lead with the heart.
My classes are welcoming and accessible to all levels, with an emphasis on intentional movement, positive encouragement, soulful playlists, and a supportive environment where students can feel strong, centered, and aligned body, mind, and spirit.
In addition to being a yoga teacher, I’m a certified Life Coach, Reiki Master and Karuna® Reiki Master, Qi Gong Shibashi instructor, and Orange County Master Gardener. I received my 200-hour certification through Cloud Nine Yoga and completed my 500-hour training under the guidance of Geo Takoma Moskios.
Megan Gaillour | Sound Healer | Yoga Instructor | 200-RYT
Yoga found me at a time when I needed it most. I was navigating anxiety and depression, and what began as a tool for grounding soon became a way of life. After four years of personal practice, I earned my 200-hour RYT certification through Blissful Spirits and continued studying Vinyasa, Yin, and Yin/Yang styles to support a more integrated, healing experience for others.
In every class I teach, my intention is simple: to help you come home to yourself. I focus on creating a calming, supportive space through hands-on adjustments, aromatherapy, and gentle affirmations, so that you leave feeling relaxed, refreshed, and reconnected.
I’m also a visual artist and painter, inspired by nature, quiet beauty, and the healing rhythm of the seasons. Whether I’m in the garden, out in the woods, or guiding sound healing, my creative and spiritual practices are deeply intertwined.
At Fusion, I co-lead our monthly Reiki-Infused Restorative Sound Bath, a favorite offering where I blend restorative yoga, vibrational healing and intuitive energy work to create a deeply immersive experience.
Brenda Shoemaker | Parkinson’s Class Instructor
I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the fall of 2011, and for a long time, I struggled to find a program that truly supported the physical, mental, and emotional challenges that come with living with this condition. Everything changed when I discovered Rock Steady Boxing, a program that not only met me where I was, but challenged me to move, think, and live with power. I got certified and never looked back.
My mission is simple: leave no one behind. I believe that every person, regardless of diagnosis, has the potential to grow stronger, more balanced, and more connected, inside and out. I combine physical training with mindfulness, motivation, and community to help others tap into their full potential.
In every session, I’ll ask you to give your all because I do too. I believe that People with Parkinson’s can continue to build strength, speed, flexibility, and resilience. Not someday, today.
Renee Byrd | Yoga Instructor | 200-RYT
I found my way to yoga over a decade ago after years of long-distance running left my body craving something different. At first, it was the physical relief that drew me in, but over time, the practice became something much deeper. The philosophy of yoga helped me reconnect to myself and the world around me in a more intentional, heart-centered way.
I completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training and Level 1 Reiki certification at Yandara Yoga Institute in Baja, Mexico, where I focused on Hatha, Vinyasa, and Yin yoga. I see each class as a chance to help others drop into their bodies, quiet the mind, and carry that presence out into their everyday lives.
Outside the studio, I’m a landscape designer and unapologetic plant nerd. I love travel, nature, and seeking out new experiences, whether it’s a mountain trail, a garden path, or the journey inward.
At Fusion, I aim to hold space that’s grounded, curious, and real. I look forward to seeing you on the mat.
Nalicia Allio | Yoga Instructor | 200-RYT
Before I ever stepped into a yoga class, I was already doing it, I just didn’t know it yet. With a background in dance and a deep need to move, I started listening to my body and stretching intuitively. One day, while flowing through my own practice, my mother-in-law asked me how long I had been doing yoga. I looked at her and said, “What’s yoga?” Not long after that, I went to my first class, and I’ve been practicing ever since.
That was over ten years ago, and my love for yoga has only grown. I earned my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification, along with a Children’s Yoga Certification and additional training in HIIT Fusion Yoga. I believe yoga should be accessible to everyone, and I strive to create classes that are alignment-based, breath-centered, and gracefully flowing, always with a playful heart and an open mind.
I’m a hands-on teacher who enjoys helping students feel supported in their bodies. When I’m not on the mat, I’m often involved in local theater or other creative pursuits, movement, art, and expression are all threads from the same tapestry.
Siobhan Hunter | Yoga Instructor | 200-RYT
I began practicing yoga in my 40s, proof that it’s never too late to begin something that can truly change your life. After a 34-year career in the high-tech world, I took a leap and traveled to Bali to complete an intensive 200-hour yoga teacher training. That experience deepened my personal practice and sparked a passion to share yoga with others.
At Fusion, I teach Chair Yoga, Stretch, and Flow classes, each one designed to meet students exactly where they are. I love helping others explore movement in a way that feels accessible, encouraging, and empowering. Whether you’re brand new to yoga or rediscovering your practice, I strive to create a space that supports your individual journey.
I’m a recent transplant to these beautiful mountains, and I’m so grateful to be part of the Fusion community. It’s a joy to connect with such a warm, welcoming group of students and fellow teachers.
