About Me — Brainstar Wellness

Hi there! My name is Krista and I am the founder of Brainstar Wellness.

Here’s a little about me and my company.

Just a girl doing yoga and minding herb business.

My Story…

I have been involved in the wellness industry and community since 2015 when I moved from the corporate world of New York City to Charleston, South Carolina seeking a happier and healthier lifestyle. I soon turned to yoga and holistic wellness for my mental health and became a 200 hour Yoga Alliance-certified yoga teacher (RYT-200) and completed a 150 hour accredited herbalist certification program. I have a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Theater Performance. I have worked in education, customer service, marketing, HR, finance, and of course, natural wellness.

I am passionate about "teaching outside of the box" and encouraging openness and creative thinking in my classes. My yoga style is highly exploratory and fuses my thorough knowledge of traditional asana and anatomy with guided experimental, playful movement with the belief and understanding that no two bodies (or minds!) are alike. I utilize my background in theater and writing in my creative and descriptive teaching. I am proud that I trained at one of Charleston's longest running and highly esteemed yoga studios, Holy Cow Yoga Center. I am certified in hatha, pranayama, anatomy, and raja yoga. Every class I teach is geared toward boosting mental health.

In my “self-care” time, I love: working on my multiple writing projects, reading (self-development, autobiographies, and suspense fiction are my favorites), going for walk-runs, hiking, and trying out new restaurants being the annoying person who has to take pictures of everything for my Insta food page. I also love spending time with my family and friends. I am a proud cat mom of Luciano Pawvarotti McFluff III and Cleo (KitMcKit).

What is Brainstar Wellness?

In 2020 during the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, I got really into mixing my massive collection of tea bags for the exact functional and medicinal benefits I was looking for. Eventually, I figured, why don't I just cut to the chase and blend my own? After decades of struggling with my mental health, I became specifically interested in finding blends that helped my brain in the different ways I needed (for example; focus, sleep, and mood), and the physical benefits came along for the ride. After more research, a 150 hour accredited herbalist certification, frequent educational apothecary visits, and lots of experimentation, I established my favorite go-to blends.

Meanwhile, as lockdown ensued, it became more apparent to me than ever before how beneficial not just what you put in your body, but also yoga, mindfulness, meditation, the arts, and community (human connection) are for fueling mental and physical wellness. It is my firm belief that they are all interconnected. In fact, the word 'Yoga' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Yuj', meaning 'to yoke' or 'to unite'. That is when my idea for Brainstar Studios was formed. I wanted to encompass all of it.