Our Team
Meet our team of compassionate support staff and expert teachers, all devoted to your wellbeing and success.
Joy Montgomery
Hi, I'm Joy! ...and I didn’t mean to open a yoga studio. I thought I was a realtor! But a few years ago I learned I had advanced degenerative disc disease in my neck. I was in pain all the time, overweight, stressed, out of shape, feeling old and tired.
I had done yoga for many years but never consistently. I decided to do "a little yoga" at home every day to help with the pain and headaches. Then I started taking classes. Then more classes. Then summer of 2022, I decided I would do yoga teacher training as a way of keeping myself mobile and deepening my personal practice.
Yoga Teacher Training was life changing. I fell in love with my body for the first time in my life. I learned to trust myself. I found a sense of physical, mental and spiritual calm. I also lost 40 pounds, and gained back almost an inch of height that I had lost over the last 10 years from hunching. No more daily headaches. Better sleep. Improved mood.
People around me noticed the changes and kept asking me what my secret was. I started to share and people responded. People just like you, who want to make changes but don't know where to start. People who feel intimidated to walk into a yoga studio. People who think they are too old or too fat or too "whatever" to start yoga. My mission is to share this incredible practice with you - no matter who you are, what stage of life you are in, or what body you're working with.
RealJoy Yoga is for all of us. It's the studio I always wanted to belong to but couldn't find. Welcome home.
Candice Lamarand
Candice teaches with grace and compassion.
Candice Lamarand
Candice teaches with grace and compassion.
Candice has been teaching yoga since 2017. "My yoga practice has helped me become more connected, intentional, and less reactive. Yoga helped me develop grace and compassion for myself, honoring my strengths and weaknesses, reaching a level of self-love that—as someone who as a tween/teen/young adult suffered from eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and more—never imagined was possible. Yoga helped me become and stay sober for over six years now—and most importantly, has helped me raise my children with deep love and respect. Holding a safe space in all of my classes, where all feel supported and respected as they are, is very important to me as a yoga teacher."
Carla Howe Ruffo
Carla, RYT 500, aims to spread joy and connection with others through yoga that supports sustainable health and wellness.
Carla Howe Ruffo
Carla, RYT 500, aims to spread joy and connection with others through yoga that supports sustainable health and wellness. She is thrilled to be part of the RealJoy Yoga community! She specializes in thoughtful sequencing and transitions that incorporate meditation and breathwork. Carla first found yoga in the late 1990’s through Rodney Yee’s instructional yoga videos. Decades later, after her father’s passing and a chronic health diagnosis, she found a steady practice in Morgantown, West Virginia (where she lived for five years) that ultimately led her to Suncrest Yoga’s teacher training program under Nicole Yost Ross--and it changed her life through routine practice, strong friendships and a deepened understanding of herself! In 2024 her yoga dreams came true when she studied under Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee to earn her 300-hour yoga teaching credential and further deepen her understanding of the eight limbs of yoga. Outside of yoga, Carla is a competitive Michigan Masters Swimmer, leads a team of education data professionals, and enjoys quality time with her husband, friends, family, and pets. She loves (decaf) coffee and is always looking for a coffee shop recommendation!
Diane Loveday
Diane's warmth and love for yoga inspires others.
Diane Loveday
Diane's warmth and love for yoga inspires others.
Diane is a mom, traveler, gardener, reader and nature lover, and inspired yoga teacher. "Yoga began as a fitness plan that grew into a lifestyle. Having practiced yoga as a student for almost 30 years, I decided to enhance my practice by participating in a 200 hr YTT. It changed my practice and my perspective on yoga and life. Yoga connects mind, body and spirit and inspires me to share this with others."
Katie Hipple
Katie enjoys holding space for you to explore your own yoga journey.
Katie Hipple
Hi , I’m Katie! My yoga journey started when I was 20 years old and working in health care. As an empath it always brought me joy to make people feel better but it wasn’t the path that felt authentic. I did my first teacher training in 2010 at Yoga 4 Peace. Seeing how happy people were after taking a yoga class was the reward that made me passionate about sharing yoga. I switched from health care to the health and wellness industry. During my first pregnancy I took a second 200 hour YTT . I sparked a deep connection to pre/ post natal yoga and took a Prenatal Training at Honey Studio. During my second pregnancy I was so sick that the physical practice wasn’t in my daily life but it was replaced with meditation and mindfulness . It made me slow down and appreciate all the other magical parts of yoga . My kids AJ and Madison are always inspiring my teaching style . In 2020 I started exploring sound healing . I love sharing sound baths and seeing the blissful experience it gives.
In 2021 I completed Reiki 1 and 2 training.
Nice to meet you! I enjoy holding space for you to explore your own yoga journey.
Jane Bridge
Jane is our Facilities Manager and Plant Whisperer
Ginny DeNardis
Ginny does business support and has been voted the most likely to walk up to you and say, "HI!"
Tami Neumann
Tami helps manage our marketing, social media, and IT.
Organized, Clean, Inviting, Beautiful, Professional, Caring, Amazing First Experience @ Yoga.