Our Retreat Leaders
Don’t strive to be perfect, be authentic.
Experienced leaders guiding you through your self empowerment journey.
Amanda Mendez
Founder of Authentic Yoga Retreats | International Retreat Leader | Yoga Teacher & Mentor
When you join an Authentic Yoga Retreat, you’re stepping into more than a trip—you’re stepping into a life-shifting experience crafted with purpose, precision, and deep care. At the heart of every retreat is Amanda Mendez, a powerhouse leader whose calm presence, rich wisdom, and unwavering commitment to others creates the kind of environment where people feel safe enough to soften, strong enough to expand, and ready to reconnect with the most authentic parts of themselves.
Amanda has led many international retreats and logged more than 10,000 hours of teaching experience, in studio and leading 200hr Teacher Trainings, since she began her yoga journey in 2013. She brings an unmatched ability to read the energy of a room, tune into the needs of each individual, and deliver experiences that feel personal, transformative, and unforgettable—no matter the setting.
Whether in the jungles of Sayulita or the Caribbean coastlines of the Dominican Republic, Amanda curates every detail with intention. From the flow of the schedule to the feel of the group dynamic, she creates the kind of space where people don’t just feel held—they feel inspired, seen, and ready to rise into the next version of themselves.
Her retreats aren’t about escaping life—they’re about remembering how good it can feel to live it fully.
Dan Nevins
Dan discovered the life-changing power of yoga, which has enabled him to heal from the invisible wounds of war in a way that nothing else could. He quickly realized that other wounded warriors could benefit from yoga in the same way and knew he had to become an instructor. Dan became a Baptiste Yoga teacher in 2015, and is now a Tier 3 Certified Baptiste Yoga Influencer. Dan incorporates the notion of “yoga for every-body” into his speeches and classes, encouraging people from all walks of life – and veterans in particular – to take up the practice.
Word of Dan’s efforts spread quickly, and he has been invited to teach yoga throughout the world, from the White House in Washington, DC to the Africa Yoga Project in Nairobi, Kenya. Nowadays, when he’s not leading classes for hundreds of participants, Dan can usually be found sharing his passion for life, WWP, yoga and his fellow wounded warriors with the attendees of major events ranging from the Bank of America 500 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway to the Wisdom 2.0 Summit in San Francisco.