The People Behind the Practice

Our Leadership

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  • Sabrina Cowden is passionate about the intersection of personal and professional leadership, helping individuals forge their leadership path, whether they are new to the concept of leadership or have decades of experience under their belt. Her passion for leadership development has been a constant throughout her over two decades of work as a business owner, CEO, environmental and sustainability advocate, and program director. She is an experienced engagement strategist, coach, and collaborator who helps individuals and organizations adapt and thrive in increasingly complex business environments while remaining true to their core values and leadership principles.

    In addition to her consulting work, Sabrina is an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development, where she teaches a class designed to help undergraduates define their leadership style and approach as they transition into their own lives beyond the academic world. 

    Sabrina holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and an MBA from Lipscomb University in Nashville. She also leads retreats as a certified yoga instructor and volunteers as an outreach teacher with Small World Yoga. This nonprofit brings the practice of yoga into communities with traditionally limited access, such as prisons, halfway houses, and schools.

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  • A native Nashvillian, Liz is passionate about both the local and global yoga communities.

    In 2013 she was moved by the idea that “yoga can happen anywhere” while in Kenya with the Africa Yoga Project. Upon her return she believed that the Nashville community deserved the same access to yoga and its benefits that she saw under the hot Kenyan sun.

    A do-er by nature, Liz founded Small World Yoga in 2014 with the vision to grow yoga in outreach locations across Middle Tennessee. A year later she co-founded Baptiste Power Yoga Nashville, which is now the official teacher training school of Small World Yoga, and has made a sustainable model of bringing yoga to the community by training more than 100 new teachers in the Nashville area and beyond. Two major events—Music City Yoga Festival and Nashville’s International Day of Yoga—bring together the local yoga community thanks to Liz’s leadership and organizational skills.

    Liz is a certified Baptiste Power Vinyasa yoga instructor (E-RYT 500). She has completed both her 200- and 500-hour trainings under Baron Baptiste and now travels to assist Baptiste trainings and programs around the world.

    She has also studied under Live Love Teach founders Philip Urso, Debbie Williamson and Stacy Dockins. She trains and certifies teachers in paddleboard yoga through her business, Nashville Paddle Co.

    Liz was a high school and college athlete and didn’t expect yoga was going to be the sport for her, but more than a decade later she still loves both the challenge of the physical practice and the deeper emotional benefits. In 2017, she returned in Kenya and is now a sponsor of Africa Yoga Project. She funds a new teachers’ career in Africa and she also helps host/sponsor teachers from Africa to come to America and teach.

    When not on the mat or in the SWY studio you can find Liz on a paddleboard, in the cookie kitchen with her husband, or looking for the best Mexican food in town.

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  • Born and raised in Nashville TN, Mikka has always had a heart for community and movement. With a love for dance, gymnastics, and many other sports. Mikka was naturally drawn to yoga. She began her yoga Journey in 2017 and took her first group yoga class with Small World Yoga in 2018 at an outreach class at Mill Ridge Park. She now teaches at this exact outreach location, which is quite the full circle story. Mikka continued to practice with SWY for years and went on to take her 200-hour teacher training through SWY and Baptiste Power Yoga Nashville in March 2020.

    Before yoga, Mikka worked in childcare and owned a daycare for two years. She went on to work in the insurance industry before finding a love for yoga. Now she teaches at SWY and other local studios as well as privately. Mikka began working as an Outreach Manager for SWY in October 2022. As an outreach Manager she is part of an amazing outreach team within the leadership group that manages all of our teachers and community partners. In this role she connects with our partners to bring yoga into the community and outside the studio. With a passion for non-profit work, Mikka held a board position with the Atlanta based non-profit Blossoming Brown Girls from 2017–2019. She also currently holds a board seat with the Edgehill Neighborhood Partnership. 

    When not serving the community or teaching and practicing yoga, you can find Mikka somewhere outside exploring with her three daughters.

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  • Ashley came to the physical practice of yoga through her meditation practice as a way to deepen connection with herself and her community. She completed her 200-hour YTT in 2022 at Fahrenheit Yoga in Nashville, TN. In 2023, she did a 100-hour internship at Flying Tree Yoga in Medellín, Colombia to strengthen her teaching practices and learn to teach yoga in Spanish. Her background in education and working with immigrants from around the world inspires her to continue investing in community. Working with Small World Yoga gives her a space to unite all of her passions in a meaningful and purposeful way.

    Outside of yoga, Ashley enjoys spending time with her friends, family and pups. She is passionate about creating a more equitable, accessible, and joyful world, while seeing as much of it as possible.

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  • Before becoming a yoga instructor, Meghan worked in retail for a while in high school and college and has spent most of her professional life teaching small children. She worked in a couple of preschools, spent two years teaching Kindergarten, and nannied for several families. Now her major responsibilities include scheduling continuing education workshops for instructors, offering monthly challenges to the studio team and outreach teachers, and providing regular support and feedback. Meghan also co-facilitates our 200-hour teacher training program and works closely with students throughout the application process. She started teaching in the Small World Community studio in the summer of 2018, facilitating programs in January of 2020, took on instructor development responsibilities in November of 2021.

    Like many of our instructors, Meghan finds yoga to be supportive, grounding, and ultimately transformative. She chose to work with Small World because she’s committed to sharing the practice with any and every body, especially in her hometown of Nashville. She started practicing consistently when her personal life felt too tumultuous to handle on her own. She found a lot of space in being able to feel uncomfortable sensations without judgment or attachment. Meghan teaches heated power flow and would describe her class as challenging with space to modify and create variations as it serves students. She tries to incorporate a bit of lightness and will always leave time at the end for rest.

    Meghan’s husband works as a chef, and they have a daughter and an extremely ornery cat. When they aren’t practicing yoga, they love to be outside—working or playing and enjoy traveling, eating, and being around friends and family.

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  • Sarah began practicing yoga at the fitness center in college after a background of dance and cheerleading, thinking she would be “good” at it. She learned very quickly that there is no “good at yoga.” And that’s what made Sarah fall in love with the practice—she was no longer performing for others but instead focusing on her own wellbeing.

    Originally from North Carolina, Sarah moved to Nashville in 2017 and found her new home with the Small World Yoga community. She received her 200-hour teacher training certification through Baptiste Power Yoga Nashville in 2018. Over the years, Sarah has taught a wide variety of students, from kindergartners to 90-year-old seniors, and in a variety of styles, including power, gentle, chair, and kids’ yoga, supporting Small World’s mission that yoga is for every body. She received her 500-hour certification in 2020 with Baptiste Power Yoga Nashville.

    Outside of yoga, Sarah writes young adult novels and plays too many video games.

Our Board

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  • Weston was born in Nashville and raised in the suburbs of Hendersonville and Laguardo. He attended Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville before attending the University of Denver where he received an undergraduate degree in Business Management, BSBA, and a Master of Accountancy, MAcc.  After college and working in an office environment, Weston discovered the physical benefits of yoga, during his wife’s teacher training. After several years of practice, Weston completed his 200 hour teacher training with Empower School of Yoga. For Weston, yoga has evolved into a way of being. He leans on his practice on and off the mat to show up the best he can each day, making decisions out of love not fear.  Weston strongly believes in Small World Yoga’s mission of making yoga approachable and accessible, empowering individuals through self-inquiry and self-understanding.   

    Weston owns and operates several family businesses, including Santosha Yoga in Hendersonville with his wife, Kelly.  Weston has a young son, enjoys being outdoors, and loves sharing food with family and friends.

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  • Cody is a middle TN native, having grown up in Fairview about thirty minutes outside of Nashville. He graduated with a degree in computer science from the University of Tennessee in 2016. He first found Small World Yoga in 2018 and was immediately hooked on the movement and mission. He became a practicing regular, then a teacher, and now he helps by training new yoga teachers with Small World. He works as a software developer at Optum Tech and loves music, the outdoors, and solving puzzles. He is excited to be a part of the board and to help further the mission of Small World to serve as many people as possible. 

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  • Nashville native Anna Myint grew up in the city’s first Thai restaurant and Asian grocery, International Market, opened by her parents in 1975. After it closed in 2019 she reopened the local institution with her brother, where she oversees the front of house, finances, and communications for the business.

    She attended University School of Nashville (‘04), received her BA Communications from The University of Tennessee (‘08), Fashion Design Certificate from Parsons School of Design (‘11), before receiving her MBA from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management (‘20).

    In 2022, the Nashville Business Journal recognized Anna in their 40 Under 40 awards. In 2023, she was part of Nashville Emerging Leaders as well as Leadership Connect through the Nashville Chamber of Commerce and was recognized as a finalist for the Nashville Emerging Leaders Awards for hospitality. Anna plans to join the Small World Yoga board this winter and The University of Tennessee has recently announced Anna as a recipient of the 2024 Alumni Volunteer 40 Under 40 Award.

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  • Steve Ryan is a native of Franklin, Tennessee and has worked for HCA in Capital Asset Management for over 27 years.  He discovered yoga around 10 years ago through classes offered at work and enjoys both its physical and mindfulness aspects.  Steve enjoys travel, working out, and building furniture in his shop when he can find the time.

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  • Dennis Skarvan retired as Chief Intellectual Property Counsel for Caterpillar Inc.  During his 25 year career at Caterpillar,  Dennis also held positions as General Counsel for Caterpillar’s  Solar Turbines subsidiary in San Diego, and as International Counsel for Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation in Nashville and Singapore.

    Dennis is past president of the Association of Corporate Patent Counsel and served on the Board of Directors for the Intellectual Property Owners Association.  Dennis represented Caterpillar on the Steering Committee of the Coalition for 21st Century Patent Reform in support of Congress and the Executive Branch, and he has testified on patent demand letters in the House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.

    Dennis is married to Kari with three adult children, Jennifer, Kate and Todd. Dennis enjoys the practice of yoga and has completed his RYT 200 hour yoga teacher training certification. Dennis also enjoys boating, tennis, and classic autos. 

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  • Mitch Walker joined the board of Small World Yoga in early 2021. He is the father of four amazing kids, two girls and two boys,  ages 13 to 24. Mitch has been practicing yoga for 10 years, and appreciates how the practice helps ground his life. He strongly supports the SWY mission of extending yoga’s outreach in our community.

    Mitch practices law at Bass, Berry & Sims PLC, where his practice focuses on the representation of publicly traded companies. He also serves on the board of trustees of University School  of Nashville, where his youngest son attends. Mitch loves attending his kids’ sporting events, any kind of working out and the beach.

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  • Deanna Wantz joined The Onsite Foundation in 2015 and now serves as the Executive Director. She is a lifelong student of yoga and currently teaches weekly yoga classes at Santosha Yoga and Crunch Fitness in Hendersonville, TN. She is also a graduate student pursuing a Masters of Integral Health with a concentration in Yoga Therapy.

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  • Regine as our Board Chair is an avid yogi who can be found regularly at our Community Studio and joined the Small World Yoga Board of Directors in 2019. She is the Vice President at Center for Disaster Philanthropy and utilizes her incredible experience to head Small World Yoga’s Fundraising Committee. Regine brings a keen sense of adventure, discovery, and compassion to all she does.

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  • Mike is a Principal and Chief Operating Officer of Diversified Trust’s Nashville office, an employee-owned comprehensive wealth management firm based in the Southeast.

    Mike graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree where he majored in finance and minored in communication studies.  He is a CFA charterholder and member of the CFA society of Nashville. He is a former board member and treasurer for Hands On Nashville.  Mike is originally from Hershey, Pennsylvania, is an avid golfer and sports fan (go Hokies, Titans, and Preds), has three teenage children, and is looking forward to getting more engaged with the yoga community in Nashville.