Meet Samantha

Sam is a passionate and experienced yoga teacher, lifestyle architect, and creative entrepreneur with a deep commitment to helping individuals discover inner peace and holistic well-being. As the founder of Cafe Namaste, a wellness + lifestyle community, she brings her unique blend of expertise and inspiration to the Miami community and abroad.

With a background in various yoga disciplines and a dedication to mindfulness and self-care, Samantha's teaching style is inclusive and accessible to both beginners and seasoned practitioners. Her classes are known for their soothing yet invigorating flow, providing a space for students to connect with their bodies, minds, and spirits. Samantha's mission is to empower individuals to embark on their own transformative journeys through yoga, with her warm and nurturing approach.

After working abroad for six years, Sam never imagined that her most significant trip would be the journey inward. Her experiences overseas ultimately led her to study yoga. She transformed her career from working in international development with orphaned youth and education in the Czech Republic and Rwanda to health and wellness.

Sam advocates for a holistic healthy lifestyle and offers public and private classes in addition to designing lifestyle programming for residential buildings, developers, and companies. She creates events and experiences to facilitate wellness, community connection, and joy. Sam has over nine years experience working in the wellness industry and some of her clients include: PMG, Capital One, Hyatt Hotels, Grey Star Management, Harbor Group, Phocuswright Conference, Biscayne Beach, Gables Engineering, and Body Glove.

Sam has taught Yoga workshops in the United States, Colombia, Rwanda, and the Czech Republic.

Educational Background

Samantha holds a Master's degree in International Administration with a semester exchange in International Law from the University of Miami and Charles University in Prague.

She earned a 500-hr Ashtanga Training Certification from Kino MacGregor, Tim Feldmann, and the Miami Life Center teachers in 2023. Sam also holds a RYT200 yoga certification trained in the Hatha Yoga tradition based on the teachings of the Himalayan Institute and has continued her education through workshops and additional courses in the following areas:

• 300hr Ashtanga Training & Ashtanga Practitioner’s 4-week Intensive with Tim Feldman, Kino MacGregor, and team at Miami Life Center (July-December 2023)

• The Yoga Sutras Applied to Mental Health with Komal Dadlani (2023)

• Sound Healing & Philosophy weekend workshop by Michelle Berlin (2021)

• Yoga for Trauma and Addiction weekend training, Kula for Karma with Adrian Molina (2019)

• Philosophy Talk with David Swenson, Miami Life Center (2018)

• Skills: Jump Back Workshop with Emilia Arenas (2018)

• Ashtanga Weekend with Kino MacGregor (2017)

• Yin Yoga Weekend Workshop with Sarah Powers, the Founder of Yin, Weekend Workshop (2016)

• The Four Desires at the Himalayan Institute, Hindu philosophy with Rod Stryker (2016)

• Arm Balances and Handstands with Dylan Werner (2015)

• 200hr Yoga Teacher Course with Anna Winthrow and teachers trained at the Himalayan Institute. Studies in Yoga, Ayurveda, and Yoga for special populations (July - December 2015)

Before studying and practicing yoga, Sam spent six years working in higher education management at the University of Miami (her alma mater), managing a study abroad program with a focus on 20th century European history and the Holocaust. Much of her work was devoted to leading educational tours to Poland, Germany, Hungary, Austria, and Turkey. Her interest in humanitarian efforts, fostered by the trips she led to historical sites and concentration camps throughout Eastern Europe, led her to attend a four-week human rights program in Rwanda in 2012. She began a blog, Journeys for the Soul, to document her life and share her experiences. She immediately fell in love with Rwanda. After living in Prague for five years, Samantha relocated to southern Africa and ultimately returned to Rwanda to work at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV). ASYV is a residential community home to 500 youth orphaned during and after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. She was one of 10 fellows working on-site to manage the partner and donor relations with prominent guests such as the African Development Bank and the Prime Minister of Norway. But her greatest role though was being a mentor to 16 teenage girls.

Being overseas for six years and traveling to more than 45+ countries, Samantha never imagined that her most significant trip would be the journey inward. Her experience abroad ultimately led her to study yoga in 2014. Samantha’s mother first introduced her to yoga philosophy and took her to her first yoga class. Additionally to yoga, Samantha took her first exercise class at 29 and switched to a plant-based lifestyle. During Samantha’s time abroad, she realized that at the very core of being human is the desire for meaningful connections, both inward and outward. She founded Cafe Namaste, a lifestyle and events brand, to help people feel empowered and inspired. In addition to events and classes, Sam offers volunteer programs to engage the community in service, one of her core values.

She runs monthly volunteer meetups to inspire compassion and community engagement. Some of her non-profit partners include Chapman Partnership and Health in the Hood. In her spare time, she is also a professional photographer and creative entrepreneur that helps wellness brands share their vision. She hopes to one day publish her memoir, Journeys for the Soul, on her soulful experiences around the globe.