Meet the team
We accept applications for yoga teachers and studio assistants on a rolling basis throughout the year. If you are interested in joining our team, please send your resume, a cover letter stating why you are interested in working at Half Moon, and three references to hello@halfmoonchicago.com. For yoga instructors, please also include a 30 minute video of you teaching yoga.
Meet Our Founder, Val
Though I spent the last 18+ years working in the wellness space in various roles, the first time I stepped into a yoga class in college 20 years ago, I didn't care for it and vowed that I wouldn't go back. The class felt too slow, and I was uncomfortable sitting with my thoughts - though I hate to say it in hindsight, I often left before savasana! But after I found a great yoga teacher a few years later, I fell in love with yoga and learned that it is so much more than a great workout and that the mindful elements of yoga are just as important as the movement practice.
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At that time, I was working in a high stress job as a crisis therapist, and yoga became my sanctuary - so much that I wanted to bring yoga to the students I worked with. I called every yoga studio in Chicago and drove around to collect old, donated mats so that I could teach yoga and mindfulness to my students. For many of them, this practice was the first time when they had space in their lives to be with themselves in stillness. The savasana that I used to dislike was actually what moved the needle most for my students, and I learned that combining yoga with talk therapy was the most powerful combination for trauma-informed support. I eventually brought a program to both of my schools where students would participate in mindful movement + breathwork sessions every morning before classes started for the day, which thousands of students have continued to participate in over the years.
I have completed my 200 hour yoga teacher training, and am also certified to teach mindfulness, restorative yoga, and children's yoga. I love teaching yoga that focuses on mindful movement, breathwork, and self-compassion.
I am also an author, certified life coach, and the former founder and CEO of a mental health nonprofit, amongst other roles. I've been honored to receive accolades including being chosen as 2023 Alumna of the Year at my MSW social work alma mater, being a featured guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for my work as a nonprofit founder, being featured in the I Am Chicago campaign, as well as in various media features ranging from the Chicago Tribune to CBS and NBC.
Meet Our Studio Operations & Growth Manager, Ashley
My journey with movement began through dance, where I first fell in love with the mind-body connection and the ability to express what words couldn’t. I started practicing yoga at fifteen after my dad passed away, finding my way to a small neighborhood studio during one of the most difficult seasons of my life. Yoga deepened what dance had already begun to teach me about breath, movement, and emotional processing. It gave me a place to grieve, and for moments at a time, a way to step outside of that grief. That experience stayed with me and eventually led me to teacher training. I’ve completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training, along with an additional 60-hour in sculpt, and 50-hour certifications in restorative, and heated yoga.
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As a published poet and muralist, with a background in both science and art, I approach movement through an intersection of structure and expression. That balance informs how I build classes - grounded in intention, guided by rhythm, and open to exploration.
Before transitioning into this work full-time, I spent over a decade in strategic communications, and nonprofit leadership, where I led community engagement initiatives and built brands rooted in connection in mission-driven organizations. That same perspective now carries into the studio, shaping both the class experience and the community it supports.
In my classes, you can expect intentional sequencing, creative energy, and a genuine commitment to inclusivity. My goal is that you feel the care behind the structure: in the sequencing, the transitions and cues, so that every class feels both purposeful and accessible. Every body. Every time.
