Our Teachers & Team Members
Susan Tenney, Co-Founder & Acupressure Instructor
Susan's students and clients say that she positively shines when she works. Her love of animals comes through in everything she does. To illustrate her ideas, Susan can be theatrical - making an idea come alive by panting like a happy dog or drooping her head and sighing like a horse relaxing into a massage. These images stay with students, helping them integrate ancient Chinese Medical concepts into their modern day lives. To Susan, Five Element acupressure is so insightful and powerful that it seems wondrous. She passes on that sense of wonder to her students, clients and readers.
Susan feels strongly that massage and acupressure are for everyone - not just the "experts" . This you-can-do-it attitude carries over into her classes where she delights in demystifying Chinese Medicine and Five Element theory. Her deep experience and gentle touch makes her very popular with her students and readers as well as her four-legged clients!
Susan teaches the Shiatsu, acupressure and Five Element theory courses. She is the co-founder of Elemental Acupressure along with her husband, Jonathan Cohn. Read Susan's full bio and CV by clicking on her photo
Jonathan Cohn, Co-Founder & EnergyWork Instructor
Jonathan heads up the intuitive side of things at Elemental Acupressure. His clear, grounded, down-to-earth style makes learning how to use your intuition simple and accessible. Students appreciate his strong calm presence and his quiet reassurance in their exploration of EnergyWork and the Five Element meditations. He passes on his gentle approach through easy-to-learn practical methods. Students say that his step by step techniques are invaluable in their work with animals and in their own lives.
Jonathan teaches the EnergyWork courses as well as the Elemental meditation in the Element courses. He also does tech and video editing for all of our courses. He may stay in the background a lot of the time but his presence is a guiding light to our team. Jonathan is the EA co-founder with his wife, Susan Tenney.
Kristen Guerra, Senior Instructor
Kristen, horse obsessed since her earliest memories, got her life changing horse Spring at age 18. They were together for 26 years through every type of riding discipline and thousands of miles together. Spring introduced Kristen to the world of Chinese Medicine when acupuncture saved his life. He made a full recovery and inspired Kristen to transition from being an Aerospace Engineer to an Equine Bodyworker.
Kristen also studied Yin Style Bagua Zhang martial and medical arts under Dr. Xie Peiqi in Beijing, China. She applied her passion for Chinese Medicine to her National Equine Acupressure Certification.
Kristen has had a thriving and much in demand animal bodywork practice in Arizona since 2004. She has taught both locally and for international animal acupressure programs for over 15 years. She lives with her family at the Desert Spring Ranch named after horse beloved Spring where she breeds Warmbloods.
Elemental Acupressure is grateful to have Kristen as our Senior Instructor. Her presentations are marked by her sparkling enthusiasm, profound skill and understanding, and her lively sense of humor. We could not be happier to have her lead the Instructor team. Read more about her private practice in the Phoenix, AZ area by clicking on her photo.
Jodi Brassard, Associate Instructor
Jodi Brassard is an All Around Horse Trainer from Granger, Texas. She credits her mother for introducing her to horses at a young age, and has been riding ever since. In the past 20 years, Jodi has been training, showing, and giving lessons in her busy private practice, Brassard Equine Services, LLC. She is also the hostess and co- teacher for Elemental Acupressure's onsite courses in Georgetown, TX.
Jodi was looking to add to the relationship and well-being of her equine clients when she discovered Traditional Chinese Medicine. Adding acupressure to her training program has been hugely rewarding. She says that acupressure is the answer to “Getting and keeping your horse sound”. In the course of working with clients’ horses she sees that most horses get injured when they’re not ready for the heavy work of their training program. Acupressure offers a safe and effective way to keep equine friends healthy while maintaining their ability to perform.
Jodi loves trail riding and working cattle with her rescue horse, Keeva, (although Jodi will say it was KEEVA who adopted HER). Jodi and Keeva regularly travel to present clinics in training, riding, acupressure, and bodywork. They are often accompanied by her energetic dogs, Luna and Cooper.
Elemental Acupressure is lucky to have Jodi’s insightful, high energy, and highly skilled presence in our online meetings. Read more about her private practice by clicking on her photo.
Lori Anderson, Associate Instructor
Ann Gorris, Administrator Extraordinaire
Ann’s sharp eye for detail is exactly what Elemental Acupressure was looking for to support the office.
With Ann’s ability to run the administration (and remind Susan to hit “record” during Zoom classes) she keeps EA running from Belgium so Susan can create more amazing content from the US.
In addition to that, Anne is a skilled and talented canine bodyworker and has a history of studying acupressure and shiatsu.
Ann came to Chinese Medicine, like many practitioners, as a solution for her own chronic pain. Because of her analytical super-powers she needed to understand how she got better. That education then naturally extended to learning how to support her own dogs.
Now as a canine bodyworker, Ann strives to make work so it doesn’t feel like work, while supporting the wellbeing of dogs (her own and client’s). In her free time she loves the Wim Hof technique of cold-breathing therapy, stand up paddle boarding, riding her motorbike, traveling, self-development, and connecting with like-minded people.
Ann’s 5E constitution: Primarily Water but quite a bit of Metal (her analytical skills). She was born in the year of the Red Dragon, which expresses in her fiery passion to help dogs. Read more about her private practice by clicking on her photo.
