Meet The Instructors
Marilyn Abrahamson, MA, CCC-SLP
Marilyn Abrahamson is a speech-language pathologist (SLP) and coaches brain health and neuroplasticity in conjunction with CentraState. She provides twice-weekly online brain training classes for people with Parkinson’s disease with the promise of additional online brain training classes for people with Multiple Sclerosis and plans on developing similar programs for stroke patients. Marilyn is a member of a team of professionals working with the Australian Football League working toward creating a program to help to mitigate the long-term cognitive symptoms of repeated concussions in retired elite athletes.
At CentraState, Marilyn developed the Outpatient Speech-Language Pathology Program in 2004 and the Concussion Program in 2008. In partnership with the Health Awareness Center in 2016, she created the Minds in Motion Program, a brain health education program for CentraState staff and the surrounding communities. Her clients and patients motivate her to keep moving and give back to the community by doing what she loves.
Caryn Alter, MS, RD, FAND
Caryn Alter is a registered dietitian (RD) in both the Star and Barry Tobias Health Awareness Center and the Cardiac Rehabilitation Department at CentraState. Caryn is committed to making a difference in people’s lives and is passionate about nutrition education and interacting with her patients. Good nutrition is one of the pathways to wellness and Caryn strives to inspire people along their journeys toward better health.
Caryn earned the designation of Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is a certified lifestyle coach for the Diabetes Prevention Program; she is also certified in adult weight management and vegetarian nutrition. She has a Master’s Degree in Nutrition and Public Health and is a member of the Obesity Work Group and the Diabetes Committee at CentraState Medical Center.
Beth Ando-Brenman, MPT, RYT500
Beth Ando-Brenman is a Community Health Educator at the Star & Barry Tobias Health Awareness Center at CentraState. Her background is in Physical Therapy; and she is a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher, and Certified Tai Chi Instructor for Arthritis and Fall Prevention. Beth loves to teach and enjoys blending her varied background to create classes that balance body, mind, spirit, and promoting an overall sense of well-being.
She believes anything good for you becomes even better when shared and is constantly learning from her students. She strives to deliver informative lectures, mindful meditation sessions, and active movement classes and contributes greatly to the community of caring at CentraState.
Cindy Kinsella, CHC, CTTS
Cindy discovered health coaching to be her life’s mission. She is a Certified Healthcare Coach (CHC), is credentialed as a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist (CTTS) and is a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT). She helps people of all ages to achieve their health and wellness goals and launch them on their wellness journey. She loves to create happy, flexible and fun health plans and joins her clients in the celebration of their successes.
Her enthusiasm for healthy eating and exercising is reflected in her motto, “it’s not a sprint, it’s not a marathon, it’s a lifestyle.” Cindy helps her clients overcome their barriers to a healthier lifestyle and helps them develop a goal-oriented plan through her one-on-one health coaching sessions. Together with her clients, she creates plans to fit their diverse lifestyles and begin leading balanced lives.
Shannon Lenahan, PT, DPT
Shannon is a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and a Board-Certified Neurologic Clinical Specialist (NCS).
Shannon puts her training to use by improving her patients’ mobility in CentraState’s Critical Care Unit, outpatient physical therapy department, and running various community programs. Shannon enjoys speaking about community wellness and “living life well” through the aging process. She encourages her patients to stay active and mobile and wants to keep them healthy and independent as long as possible.
Tricia Marceante, APN-C
Tricia Marceante is a nurse practitioner (APN) in the Gloria Saker Women’s Heart Program at CentraState Medical Center. She brings 40 years of experience and has extensive experience in Emergency Medicine, having spent the majority of her career as an ER nurse. While working in the acute setting, Tricia saw most patients dealing with the ravages of chronic disease. In order to expand her level of care to patients and focusing on prevention, she became a nurse practitioner. Her main interest is preventative cardiology and helped to launch two new programs at CentraState: CentraHeart, a cardiac risk assessment program and The Transition of Care Program for heart failure.
Tricia is committed to education and she holds to that commitment by giving a class in Professional Development for staff, lecturing in the community for CentraState’s Health Awareness Center, or conducting a class for the residents in the Family Medicine Center. She believes in teamwork and helps any person or department to achieve the goals of the organization.
Natalie Meltzer, RD
Natalie Meltzer is a registered dietitian (RD) at CentraState’s Health Awareness Center. She loves to cook healthy meals and brings her professional credentials to every meal she creates. Natalie attended Johnson and Wales University, majoring in culinary nutrition, and completed her dietetic internship at the University of Delaware.
Alicia I. Mendez
Alicia began her journey of healing in 2016 after spending over 20 years in the healthcare matrix; she began studying Shamanic Reiki and diving deeper into her yoga practice. Alicia teaches privately, in groups, and offers guided meditations and yoga asana in retreat settings. Her passion is working with women and families open to incorporating Reiki and yoga as an individual and family healing modality to a better enjoy their lives.
Alicia enjoys working with younger people and as a mother of five children she understands accessing healing modalities can be limited. She hopes to change that and champion the healing arts for young people and plans to address special needs youth as well.
Offering wellness which is accessible, diverse, and equitable is of paramount importance to Alicia. One class at a time, Alicia is committed to building a community where all marginalized citizens are seen, welcomed and valued for their lived experience.
Amy Metzger, MSW, LCSW, CTTS
Amy Metzger is an advocate of treating the whole person – mind, body and spirit and helping people to reach their full potential. She has been in the mental health field for 20+ years and a CentraState employee for well over a decade. Amy considers CentraState as “home” and loves working with the multidisciplinary teams sharing her vision.
Amy has her Master of Social Work (MSW) and is a licensed clinical social worker. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and mentors future clinicians by providing clinical supervision services. She co-facilitates CentraState’s smoking cessation program, “A Time to Quit.” She is also an Association of Diabetes Care and Education (ADCES) Lifestyle Coach and is a certified health coach through the National Society of Health Coaches. She is currently working on becoming a certified trauma therapist.
Amy recognizes the importance of living a balanced life and stays with daily yoga and fusion practice. She knows the benefits of mindfulness and self-care both personally and professionally. She is honored to be part of your life-changing journey!
