Faculty and Team

Linda Bark has pioneered new professional health pathways by starting a nursing private practice in 1970 and by bringing holistic nursing to hospitals in the 80s. During the 90s she led medical tours to China, lived in China to discover how to help Westerners create a context for Eastern healing and consulted to organizations nationwide to start healing centers. She has 2 nursing degrees, a masters in life transition counseling, and a PhD in philosophy and religion. She combined her education and experience to create the Wisdom of the Whole Coaching Academy, a home for leading people to new ways to live and work. We are helping build a new world that has more kindness, increased healing for the planet, more wholeness and the knowledge that we are all connected.

Heidi is a coach and passionate about the power of the WOW coaching model which promotes personal change and empowerment. Since 2014, she has trained hundreds of coaches through her work as a faculty member with Wisdom of the Whole Coaching Academy. Not only is she an extraordinary, skilled coach trainer but she has integrated coaching tools into other parts of her clinical and administrative work for 14 years when she worked at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Because of her coaching mastery, she was moved into executive coaching helping leadership find ways to develop, build resilience, and reduce stress. Heidi took that knowledge and worked with other organizations to help individuals and teams become more effective, find more joy and satisfaction in their work, and align with their personal and professional goals.

Susan has over 35 years of nursing experience in many varied health fields. Her passion has always been to ignite the healing potential within an individual through the body/mind. While on staff at Hospice of Marin for 20 years, Susan pioneered bringing imagery to the bedside of hospice patients to manage pain/symptoms and to enhance peace/well-being. And over the past 23 years, she has been teaching individual clients and health care professionals to use the power of imagery for health and healing. Since co-founding and directing the Certificate Program in Integrative Imagery in 1996, with Terry Reed, Beyond Ordinary Nursing has certified nurses, social workers and therapists nationwide. Terry and Susan were then successful in incorporating imagery services in a hospital-wide program bringing stress management, surgery preparation and guided imagery to staff, patients and the community at Mills-Peninsula Health Services in Burlingame, CA. In 2008, they co-authored Guided Imagery and Beyond: Stories of Healing and Transformation. She served as faculty member for the Academy for Guided Imagery, is certified in Interactive Guided Imagery and is a board certified holistic nurse through the American Holistic Nurses’ Certification Corporation. She has served on the Imagery International’s board of directors as Membership Chair and as President for the past 6 years. Susan trained with Wisdom of the Whole in 2015 and has been teaching in the core certification course since then. Blending Health Coaching with Integrative Imagery in her Holistic Nurse Practice has been remarkably rewarding.

Apprentice Faculty

Stephanie D. Butler, RN, BSN, NC-BC

Stephanie D. Butler, RN, BSN, NC-BC is a Registered Nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Her personal development and spiritual journey began over 20 years ago when she began questioning her purpose in life. This led her to a lifelong commitment to learning and practicing various modalities of healing. Stephanie is a Wisdom of the Whole graduate, a Board Certified Nurse Coach, Reiki Master, Holistic Health Counselor, and Yoga Instructor. She is currently an apprentice instructor with the Wisdom of the Whole Academy and is also a Peritoneal Dialysis nurse working with patients as an educator and coach, helping them to perform dialysis in the comfort of their homes. Stephanie’s extensive knowledge and experience in various modalities of healing, combined with her caring and compassionate nature, allows her to provide clients and patients with exceptional care, guidance, and support. Her life purpose is to partner with, educate, and coach individuals seeking to take charge of their health and well-being across the dimensions of wellness.

Admin Team

Rebecca (Becky) Lara is our Communications Coordinator. She specializes in customer relationship management, PR, communication and marketing. The early part of Becky’s professional career was spent as Director of Communications and Marketing for the American Holistic Nurses Association, where she advocated and promoted the profession of holistic nursing. She is excited to bring her knowledge and expertise to the Institute to help share the Wisdom of the Whole coaching model with the world.

Charlotte (Char) is the Wisdom of the Whole Coaching Academy Research and Development coordinator, as well as Alumni Coordinator. Char is a Canadian Pharmacist with a previous background in the community pharmacy setting. Her role in Research and Development blends her interests for incorporating client-centered, client-empowered, and proactive healthcare into the current western medical system, along with the integration of multiple perspectives (and multiple modalities) for both creating and maintaining health. Char also supports alumni of Wisdom of the Whole to stay connected via regularly scheduled alumni calls.

Christine Gentry BS, MA, RN, HN-BC is a Board-Certified Holistic Nurse, and has a private integrative practice offering coaching and a variety of holistic modalities. After working as our Course Information Specialist, she continues to serve as a resource for nurses interested in our coaching program. She's an integral part of the Wisdom of the Whole team, contributing to a wide range of special projects from technology to marketing.

Danielle is the Accountant for Wisdom of the Whole. Her accounting firm specializes in small businesses and non-profits. Danielle received her B.S. in Accounting from California State University, East Bay and lives in California with her husband and two children.

Ani is our Operations Administrator and wears many hats. One moment she may be setting up a new course and another moment she is tech support. She enjoys making things easier for everyone she supports. Ani lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two kids and strives for adding more fun into her daily life!

Lynn Spachuk is a holistic coach, a graduate of Wisdom of the Whole, and our Social Media Strategist. She left traditional ways of employment so that she could help others reach personal and professional fulfillment. As a holistic coach and energy healing practitioner, she brings joy and a gift of mind-body-soul-spirit balance to her clients.

Joe Cannuscio is a Course Information Specialist at Wisdom of the Whole and a graduate of their Mastery Coach training program. Joseph studied Zen Buddhist Meditation in South Korea, and is a devoted practitioner and teacher of meditation and Kundalini Yoga as well as a Holistic Life Coach. He has a background in public school education and has taught French and ESL at all levels, and speaks Italian. His greatest passion is helping individuals find their truest happiness and fulfillment.

Kim Bryan NBC-HWC, is a holistic life and wellness coach. She is a graduate of Wisdom of the Whole and loves supporting others through her coaching utilizing a trauma-informed approach. Kim loves studying all things well-being, with particular interest in hormonal health and energy healing modalities. Kim's passion for travel has seen her living in several countries. She is currently residing in Central America where she enjoys practicing her Spanish and yoga, and being close to nature.

Adjunct Faculty

Alyson C. Ross, PhD, RN, CIYT, C-IAYT

Alyson started her career at Vanderbilt University with a BSN and MSN in psychiatric mental-health nursing, where she worked as a nurse psychotherapist at the country’s first nurse-run clinic. After completing her PhD at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, she spent over a decade as a researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), first as a Research Fellow, and later as a Nurse Scientist at the NIH Clinical Center. Her research at the NIH focused on stress and resilience in family and professional caregivers, including the nursing staff at the NIH. In addition to her background in nursing and research, Alyson holds a certificate in Health Coaching from Georgetown University, and she is certified as an Iyengar Yoga Instructor and as an IAYT Yoga Therapist. She has researched, published, and presented widely on resilience and the importance of health-promoting behaviors such as proper nutrition, physical activity, social support, and stress reduction activities in alleviating the workplace stress and in preventing lifestyle-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.She currently resides on her farm in Lexington, Virginia. She and her husband run Thorn Hill Inn, where she conducts individual and small group retreats.

Colleen Delaney PhD, RN, AHN-BC, HWNC-BC

Dr. Colleen Delaney is an Associate Research Professor and Founding Director of the Graduate Certificate program in Holistic Nursing in the School of Nursing at the University of Connecticut. Her clinical specialty area is community/public health nursing. She is the Immediate Past Treasurer of the American Holistic Nurses Association and the 2020 Holistic Nurse of the Year. Dr. Delaney conducts clinical and health outcomes research with the major goal of improving health status and health care delivery systems for older adults and their families.

Susanne Cutshall, RN, DNP, APRN-CNS, APHN, HWNC

Sue is a certified adult health clinical nurse specialist with a specialty focus in integrative health. She has just completed a DNP program in transcultural and holistic nursing through Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN. Her doctoral project was on creating of holistic health coaching model for a community healing center. Susanne is currently working as an Integrative Health Specialist developing healing enhancement programs utilizing integrative therapies with the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She is a wellness champion for the Mayo Clinic Dan Abrahams Healthy Living Center work site wellness program and is active in the Department of Nursing at Mayo Clinic with their Wellness Champion Steering Group and Population Health Management initiatives. Sue is an Assistant Professor of Nursing and Medicine with the Mayo College of Medical. She is also a health coach at the Hermitage Farm Center for Healing in Rochester, MN. She is passionate about holistic nursing, integrative health coaching and integrative health practices and believes that these models of care can be instrumental in transforming our current health care trends.

Marian Long, RN, MSN, AHN-BC, HWNC-BC ND, CHTP/I

Marian has a long history of using holistic nursing concepts and practices in hospital and community settings. She has been a nurse for over 30 years, in ambulatory care, long term care, homecare, hospice, hospital and private practice settings. She has a MSN in Holistic Nursing from Tennessee State University, and is an active member of the American Holistic Nurses Association. She has a Naturopathic Doctoral degree, and holds certifications as a Healing Touch practitioner and Instructor, Health and Wellness Nurse Coach, and an Advanced Practice Holistic Nurse. In the early 2000’s, she coordinated one of the first inpatient Holistic Clinical Practice Departments at Mercy Hospital in Grayling, Michigan. She currently has a private practice of coaching, energy healing, and consulting, and enjoys being an instructor for the Wisdom of the Whole. She serves on the Wisdom of the Whole Faculty Development Committee, and co-teaches the Nurse Coach Certification Test Prep and the Organic Practice Building Master Classes. She lives in Northern Michigan with husband Ted, also a Healing Touch practitioner, and cat Bella. In her self-care time, she plays her harp or reads about metaphysics, and especially resonates with the Integral perspective of The Wisdom of the Whole Academy.

Kathryn Moehling, RN, AHN-BC, ND, LCPC, LMT, HWNC-BC

Kathryn (Kathy) Moehling is a Board Certified Holistic Nurse, a Holistic Counselor, a Traditional Naturopath, a Holistic Coach, an energy work practitioner in Therapeutic & Healing Touch, and a massage therapist. She has more than 40 years of experience in Mental Health, Community Health, and Holistic Health, specializing in women’s health and wellness. Kathy has been in private practice since the early 1980s in a variety of roles, including nurse, mental health and holistic counselor, and holistic health and life coach. Since her initial coach training in 2000, she has coached clients through the Swedish American Health System and in her private practice. She is currently an instructor for Wisdom of the Whole and has also taught Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing for many years. Kathy feels like her life has passed through several phases—each with its own unique and beautiful experiences and gifts.

Laura Wentworth, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, AHN-BC, HWNC-BC, CWHE

Laura Wentworth has worked in health care for 30 years and holds a Doctorate in Nursing Practice with a focus on transcultural Holistic Nursing and a Master’s of Science in Nursing as a Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist. She is an Assistant Professor at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. Laura serves as an Instructor for Wisdom of the Whole and leads our faculty team at our in-person coach training in Rochester, MN. She is Advanced Holistic Nurse Board Certified and is Health and Wellness Nurse Coach Board Certified. She completed the Whole Health Educator™ program for Nurses with health coaching competencies through the National Institute of Whole Health. The foundation for her practice integrates a teaching/coaching format in addressing health and wellness concerns. Her holistic practice vision for healing is to guide others to see how all aspects of their physical, emotional, and spiritual self interconnect to create balance and harmony in their lives.

Diane Anderson, MS

Diane is an Instructor in Medical Education for the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, in Rochester, MN. She has a B.S. in Naturology and helps individuals achieve mind/body/spirit healing and wellness through alternative therapies that include Reiki, Energy Medicine, Qigong and Shamanic Healing. Diane’s vision is to help others transform their lives by embracing spiritual consciousness, releasing energy blockages, and discovering their full potential. She provides a pathway for awakening to Universal Oneness, where individuals may experience a harmonious relationship with all things and balance in their lives. Her offerings include training in all levels of Reiki and Shamanic Healing.

Kathleen Colloton, BSN, WHNP-C, BPNC, IC

Kathleen has been a registered nurse for 44 years, specializing in Obstetrics, Psychiatric nursing, Gynecology, and finally in Breast Oncology. Holistic Nursing principles have provided the framework for her professional and private life. She has program development and management experience, and has earned certifications in Psychiatric nursing, Women’s Health, Integrative Imagery, Laughter Yoga, Breast Cancer Nurse Navigation, Lactation Education, and as a Holistic Health Coach. She most recently has studied and incorporated principles of the Science of Ayurveda. Her ongoing goal is to model selfcare in her personal and professional life as a basic tenets of Holism. Her passion and joy is in assisting others to connect with their own wisdom to achieve goals for health and well being. She serves on Wisdom of the Whole’s Faculty Development Committee and is currently an assistant instructor, on track to become a fully qualified Wisdom of the Whole instructor.

Ruth Tongen, RN, NC-BC, LAc, SPHR

Ruth is a registered nurse, is board certified as a Nurse Coach, and has over 30 years of health care experience. Ruth has held staff, faculty, and executive roles in acute care, long-term care, research, education and employee health. She also has a master’s degree in Oriental Medicine, is a licensed acupuncturist, and owns a private practice in Minnesota. In addition, Ruth works with organizations to help them build solid foundations and move through growth and transition. She focuses on strategic and business planning, staff development, and change management. She has worked as a human resources consultant and also taught practice management at the graduate level. Ruth is certified as a Senior Practitioner in Human Resources (SPHR), and is principle of Ivy Consulting, LLC.

Barb Johnson RN, ADN, RM, HTPA

Barb is a board certified Holistic Registered nurse with a passion for creating the best possible patient experience and work environment for her Caregiver colleagues, patients and their families. Spending the majority of her career at the Cleveland Clinic, beginning in 1994, she has a history of providing care as a staff nurse for multiple areas of nursing. With training such as Healing Touch, Reiki, holistic nursing, Healing from the Body Level Up, Holistic Coaching and certified in holistic stress management instructor and in clinical aromatherapy. Currently she manages and continues to develop the Healing Services and Code Lavender team. Her passion is not only to provide a patient experience which addresses the whole person as well as their families, but also educate and support the caregivers in their roles and workplace about self care, holistic practice and healing modalities which may enhance their own well being as well as their patients.

Karen Sanders, MSN, RN, AHN-BC, HWNC-BC

Karen works as adjunct nursing faculty and a clinical coordinator at South College in Asheville, NC. She is also an instructor for the North Carolina Board of Nursing, teaching an ethical/legal decision-making course to disciplined nurses. In addition, Karen is a faculty assistant and student advisor for Wisdom of the Whole Coaching Academy, and she speaks and presents on self-care strategies for nurses, healthcare providers, and seniors. In 2016, she founded her own company, RNPatientAdvocacyNC.com. Having been born with a gift for understanding and navigating through darkness, Karen has a deep passion for supporting others as they deal with crises and life challenges. She enjoys assisting, teaching, and coaching people in the nursing and healthcare professions through career, life, and professional transitions.

Barb Schroeder, MS, RN, APRN, CNS, CSCP, NC-BC, Grief Coach

Barb was a nurse at Mayo Clinic Rochester for more than 40 years. She has been a staff nurse, supervisor, nursing education specialist, patient education coordinator and for 22 years was a clinical nurse specialist; 11 years in hematology, oncology and bone marrow transplant, and the last 11 years in solid organ transplant. Barb is trained in stress management, Heart Math, Mindfulness, and Resiliency. She is a Reiki Master and a Level 3 Healing Touch Practitioner and a board certified nurse coach. She does grief support groups and counseling in her church community. Barb is a Certified Surgery Coach Practitioner with the Beyond Surgery Program. She is currently in private practice at a healing center in her community. She enjoys teaching and finds ways to be grateful each day.

Kathy Zarling, MS, APRN, CNS-BC, NC-BC, TTS

Kathy is a board certified adult health clinical nurse specialist and has spent 44 years in acute health care, at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, MN, working across the continuum of care with cardiac patients and their families. She has worked with patients during the acute phase of their illness and now she is coaching individuals, who want to make significant changes in their lives, to reach and maintain wellness. Kathy also holds board certification as a Cardiac/Vascular Nurse, a Cardiac Rehabilitation Nurse, a Nurse Coach, a Certified Holistic Stress Management Instructor, and she holds Mayo Clinic certification as a Wellness Coach and a Tobacco Treatment Specialist. She has completed her Second Degree Reiki training and is working to complete her Reiki Master. Kathy’s passion is to assist individuals to make the best health care decisions for themselves so as to live life to the fullest. Kathy is a health coach at the Hermitage Farm Center for Healing in Rochester, MN, as well as being a member of the Wisdom of the Whole coaching faculty. Additionally, she is a Parish Nurse, and is active in several professional national organizations.

Clicky