Meet Luminary Member Monica Monfre: high school teacher, yoga instructor and wellness coach! Monica grew up in Wisconsin & knew she wanted to be a teacher. However, she first worked in politics & then was accepted to graduate school at Teachers College (TC) at Columbia. She spent many years working in higher ed at Barnard & TC but the pull to become a teacher returned. This year she completes her 12th yr in the classroom! She’s also a yoga teacher & wellness coach for educators. Monica become an advocate for women's breast health after her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer and her own BRCA1 result.

What is the most rewarding part of teaching? She’s had the honor of seeing her students graduate & choose to become teachers. She will never forget when one of her first & brightest students visited & asked to student teach with her. It is seeing a student's eyes light up when they realize they belong to something bigger & realize their story matters, she knows she has done her job.

Yoga/wellness coach too? Yoga equips her w/ tools to teach her students and was the saving grace for her teacher soul when her father passed away. She became a better teacher because of yoga. Wellthy Coaching was born out of this realization. You can take her yoga classes at Luminary