Jolene (Jo) Baney
Master Imagineer & Manifester
(or the more mundane Retreat Operations & Logistics Director)
Jo is honoring a deep desire to help others experience a more passionate life. Her training as a life coach, spiritual practitioner, and marathon team trainer, combined with years of motivating employees, has given her the skill and compassion to help others uncover their own true potential and move forward with passion and purpose.
While living in Sydney, Australia and immersed in a rather unfulfilling corporate career, Jo won a week-long trip to Bali. In Bali, she was deeply touched by the people, the easy spirituality, and the beauty of the island.
Two years later, the idea of taking people on immersion travel took form, and Bali was the first destination on the list. From 2009 through 2024, Jo has led twelve retreat groups through Bali, and an additional six retreat groups to Tuscany, Spain, and Australia, and several US-based retreat intensives. These uniquely personal travel experiences offer a comforting space for guests to explore topics like grief and loss, stress and balance, relationships, spiritual deepening, and finding their purpose. Over and over, we have witnessed many transformations as guests opened their hearts to new possibilities in their lives.
Jo is trained as a life coach, licensed spiritual practitioner (RScP) with the Centers for Spiritual Living, and is an accredited Passion MapsTM facilitator. She holds a BA in Sociology and an MA in Organizational Management. She is a grandmother of nine delightful kiddos, and she and her husband Rick split their time between the desert of Arizona and the pristine beaches of Puerto Peñasco, Mexico. You can email Jo at Info.ILS.Retreats@gmail.com or visit her website at premierrecoveryoptions.com.
Gary Lynn Floyd
A Musical Sage
Gary Lynn Floyd is a modern-day musical shaman, radiating warmth, wisdom, and creativity. With a presence that is both grounding and uplifting, Gary embodies the spirit of connection, joy, and spiritual exploration. With his keyboard by his side, he’s ready to transform any space into a sanctuary of sound, creating connections through every note and lyric.
A natural performer, his music emanates an aura of healing and unity, drawing listeners into a shared, transformative experience. Gary carries an air of tranquility mixed with joyful energy, engaging audiences with his stories and songs that speak to the soul. Deeply connected to various spiritual practices and teachings, Gary brings elements of those traditions into his performances, whether it’s through chanting, storytelling, or instrumental journeys.
Known for his welcoming interactions, Gary builds connections that go beyond the stage, touching hearts and inspiring those around him. As a leader in the musical and spiritual community, he inspires others to explore their potential through music and mindfulness.
In a brave new world with fresh voices and new styles, Gary Lynn Floyd stands out as a timeless beacon among singers. His old-school approach and heartfelt delivery leave a lasting imprint on the heart, resonating with warmth and authenticity. Whether performing a classic tune or an original composition, Floyd’s artistry is a reminder of the enduring power of music to connect, uplift, and inspire. Perfect for anyone who appreciates music that feels like a comforting embrace on a wild, musical journey.
To learn more about Gary, visit his website at www.garylynnfloyd.com
Rev. Beverley Strutt
Curator of Heart Connections
Rev. Beverley Strutt has always felt that the world is her playground, and the only thing she loves more than traveling and experiencing new adventures is sharing those experiences with others. Especially if those experiences are calling us to a greater state of being. She leans deeply into community and Heart-felt connections are her Love-Language.
Beverley was born in South Africa and at the age of ten her family moved to a farm. The farm soon became her church. The day to day working with her hands in the soil deepened her understanding of the laws of nature and how they work in our lives. This was the foundation of her spiritual journey.
After graduating from a School of Performing Arts, Beverley went on to have a beautifully successful 22-year career as a professional dancer. Travelling the world and experiencing the magnificence it has to offer. The people, the places, the wonderment. She gives credit to these experiences for her excitement, enthusiasm and general “joie de vivre.”
Once she retired, she turned her attention to the service industry as a bartender and high-end restaurant manager. The next call was Massage Therapy and Holistic Health, and finally she found her way to her true expression of the divine through ministry. Leaning into her accumulated wisdom through her past experiences with people, traditions and faith-based philosophies, her ministry continues to deepen her connection and adds a unique texture to her teachings.
She is now in service to the Center for Spiritual Living East Hawaii as their Senior Minister and Spiritual Director. Her “center that has no walls”, sits about 20 minutes south of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. She is delighted to call it Home.
You can visit her at Hawaiicsl.org, or Center for Spiritual Living East Hawaii on Facebook.
Email her at bevstrutt58@gmail.com.
Wendy Nash
Movement & Mindfulness Healer
Wendy Nash is a Change Maker, Spiritual Mentor, Intuitive Energy Healer, Facilitator, Author and Lead Parent to her beautiful daughter.
Born in Melbourne, Victoria, her deep knowledge and professional skills initially came from her own journey, from success on the corporate ladder to severe chronic fatigue. It led her on a transformational path to physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
For over 25 years, she has focused her deep knowledge, talents and professional skills into mentoring others towards greater self-empowerment.
In 2010 she volunteered for The Yarra Valley Practitioner Project which was established to care for those affected by the Black Saturday Bush Fires, offering her kinesiology services in the clinic and dance therapy at various primary schools in the affected areas.
She has been a facilitator for Access Consciousness classes, Wu Tao Dance teacher trainings/retreats and performed on the main stage at Mind Body Spirit Festivals and has also presented her own Movement and Art Therapy Retreats and Meditation courses.
Wendy Nash empowers you to connect with the real inner truth of who you are by overcoming fears and limiting beliefs, sparking transformation and change to avoid burnout and thrive! 🌟
Wendy’s Studies include….
Diploma Passion Maps™ Coach – Personal and Relationships Mapping, Access Consciousness® Bars & Body Facilitator, Mindfulness-Based Stillness Meditation Teacher, Qi Gong Level 2, Diploma Small Business Management, Diploma Forensic Healing, Diploma Wu Tao Dance Teacher & Teacher Trainer, as well as Transpersonal Art Therapy & Transpersonal Counselling, Kinesiology, Reiki, Chinese Acupressure, Australian Flower Essences & Aromatherapy.
More on the website:
https://wendynash.com.au