Our People
McKensie Kirchner: Owner/Co-founder
To be a lover of New Orleans, you have to be a lover of life. McKensie is a born and raised Nebraskan who bleeds Husker Red. Yet she’s been caught up in a love affair with New Orleans for over a decade. This immense love for New Orleans has led her to hold herself personally accountable if anyone visits and leaves without a similar feeling of enjoyment/success/euphoria. That’s much of the reason why she co-founded this company, to spread those powerful #NOLAVIBES.
McKensie took her first yoga class in college and she HATED it. Being a college athlete, she found class unstimulating for both her mind and her body. Fast forward to when she started to work at a Cycle / Yoga / TRX studio in New Orleans and she was introduced to a new type of yoga flow. She formed NOLA Vibe Yoga with Baye Tilson in 2016 (formerly NOLA Tribe Yoga) and became a certified yoga teacher in 2019. Now McKensie loves bringing apprehensive “future yogis” into the fold by showing them the power of yoga and how it can be upbeat, creative, powerful, liberating and soulful.
Her number one goal as an instructor is for students to have a free-spirited, fun experience on the mat and to be comfortable and present with where you are mentally and physically for that day. All judgement and preoccupations need to be left at the door so we can flow and vibe as a community. Classes are generally upbeat, heartfelt, and of course, social. McKensie offers abundant cues and modifications which allows each yogi to take their flow to the level where they can thrive. Things she loves: “flowy” flows, creative transitions, great playlists, core work (sorry, not sorry!), chair pose, and laughter; all of these things leading you to a yoga-stoned savasana where all feels right with the world.
Follow McKensie on Instagram here!
Baye Tilson: Co-founder
Baye Cobb Tilson co-founded NOLA Vibe Yoga as an opportunity to share a practice of love, light, and inner peace, especially in times that will fly before your eyes. She has been practicing yoga for over 15 years and became certified to begin teaching others in 2013.
Baye initially found yoga in high school and practiced here and there as a supplement to other athletic activity. It wasn’t until college, where she studied yoga under a former Buddhist monk, that she sought to understand the deeper purpose of yoga. It became clear that yoga is more than breath (pranayama) and movement (asana). To Baye, yoga is the path to realizing, becoming, and living, as your truest, most authentic and most present self. Yoga is the process of seeking peace in the present, truth in unknown, and love in challenge. Baye loves yoga and sharing a fast, fun, funky vinyasa flow that moves you, from your head, to your hips, to your heart.
Baye is currently residing in Houston but makes her way back to New Orleans to co-host our most fun events!
Follow Baye on Instagram here!
Instructors
As our company has grown (beyond our wildest dreams) so has our list of B.A. instructors to lead it! Our team is as diverse in their style of flow as they are in the city they originate from; yet each of them hold true to NOLA Vibe Yoga values of offering an engaging, powerful flow while promoting a new connection to your inner self and your fellow New Orleanians.
Gabriella Pineda
About Gabriella: New Orleans native Gabriella Pineda’s (RYT 850+) Yoga and Sound Healing roots began in 2015. She is an international Yoga teacher who has spent the last 8 years sharing her practice, knowledge and love of Yoga, as well as the transformative power of Sound Healing, in India, Nepal, Vietnam, Thailand, Bali (Indonesia) and South Africa. While she has completed trainings in Hatha, Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Aerial Yoga, her pedagogy is also strongly influenced by the Iyengar and Anusara disciplines. While her offerings are challenging, the biggest tenet of her teaching philosophy is to remain equally curious and playful, for it enables you to laugh at life’s realities.
Follow Gabriella on Instagram here!
Niki Kleinberger
About Niki:
Niki is a New Orleans native and has been traveling abroad teaching fitness. Dancing throughout her life, teaching a wide range of classes and practicing Reiki, she brings all of her experience into her yoga classes. Expect a powerful and organic movement based flow allowing you to energetically release while feeling the best within your body.
Follow Niki on Instagram here!
Kaitlyn Clement
About Kaitlyn (aka Kitty):
A Texan by blood, Kitty made New Orleans her home and became a part of the yoga community in 2016 after receiving her certification in Thailand.
Her classes are as fun as they are unique. Every practice is a new flow. Once an intention has been set, she guides her students through pranayama techniques that weave into creative transitions throughout the asana, ending practice with a deep meditation. Her style includes Vinyasa, Yin, and a background in Ashtanga.
Along with leading adults, Kaitlyn is in her third year with Project Peaceful Warriors, a local nonprofit that brings mindfulness and movement to New Orleans youth.
Follow Kaitlyn on Instagram here!
Kathleen Barry
About Kathleen:
Kathleen (RYT500, E-RYT200) has taught yoga since 2018. She loves to learn and share about the relationship between nature, astrology, elements, and yoga. Playlists are her love language, and movement is her passion. Expect to breathe, flow, and learn more about your own depth and resilience when you practice with her!
Follow Kathleen on Instagram here!
Zoë Thibeault-Stone
About Zoë:
Originally from Los Angeles, Zoë is a tri-coast girl! She grew up on the West Coast, lived on the East Coast for several years, before settling down here on the Gulf Coast. She earned her 200 RYT certification in 2017 from Free To Be Power yoga and specializes in Baptiste Yoga. Currently, she teaches and manages at the studio she did her teacher training and teaches with us! Her passion lies in bringing health and wellness to communities which need it the most, and is constantly on the look out for how better to serve the community around her. She believes in a good sense of humor, that yoga doesn't have to be taken so seriously, and that access wellness opportunities is everyone's right. Her training beyond her 200 RYT include the Baptiste Power Teacher Course and is a certified Baptiste Instructor.
Follow Zoë on Instagram here!
Becca Duggan
About Becca:
Becca received her 200-hour yoga teacher certification from Yogaview in Chicago. She initially turned to yoga for a low impact form of exercise after a sports-related knee injury. However, she soon discovered the mental and emotional benefits of yoga the more she practiced leading to a calmness and inner peace, which she takes into all aspects of her life. Becca incorporates Vinyasa and Hatha postures into her classes with Bikram and Ashtanga influences.
Follow Becca on Instagram here!
Talia Livneh
About Talia:
Talia received her 200-hour yoga teacher certification in 2017 from Free To Be Power Yoga in New Orleans. She initially turned to yoga in high school as a way to navigate stress and anxiety; she was immediately hooked on that yoga-high after a sweaty flow! After moving to New Orleans as a member of Teach for America, Talia relied on yoga to both stay active, find a sense of calm, and a community to be a part of. Talia's classes are both challenging and upbeat, and are heavily influenced by the Baptiste Power Yoga style. She truly believes that everyone can do yoga, and aims to make class approachable and fun! Her favorite pose is Triangle, so you're sure to find yourself there at least once a class! When Talia is not on the mat, you can find her rollerblading around Audubon, sipping wine at Bacchanal or taking walks on the bayou with her best friend (dog), Jack!
Follow Talia on Instagram here!