FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
LUKE SHIRLEY
Holly Hayden
My involvement with the Quest for Recovery foundation and desire to work within my community comes from profound loss and pain. My hope is that I can dispel misconceptions and support an ongoing, evolving, and impactful community-based program for young people and adults, especially for those who are at risk or may be struggling with addiction or mental illness. I believe our most vulnerable populations suffer quietly and I think Quest will provide change, growth, and inspiration in our community for our youth and for each other.
Brad Carter
Being able to directly impact our community positively is essential. Helping mold the young minds of high school and college children is a special opportunity. Giving a lasting positive impact on people is something that is priceless. Helping people form healthy not just habits but lifestyles is unique and powerful to be a part of.
My goal is to help as many people as possible. I hope to become not just a mentor but a friend to people that need it the most. Helping not just change lives but save them too is essential in changing the world. If we want to make a difference then we have to start in our communities instead of waiting for someone else to do it!
Vanessa Hope
Providing community for those seeking an alternative outlet, apart from the typical party scene is something that hits home for me. I reconnected with my passion for fitness and running, and found freedom from the grip that I felt like partying had on me. With this came a new community of like minded people that support and encourage me to be my best, which I truly believe is one of the most important things along this journey. I’m honored to be a part of this program and hope to pay it forward the way my community has for me.
Hannah Kasteleign
As an adult, having watched several individuals that are very close to me go through recovery (sex, alcohol, and drugs), and I find myself in a uniquely grateful position. I want to be able to love and encourage others that are embracing that same recovery so I can share what I know and support others in whatever capacity that they may need. If I can use health and the joy in everyday life to love on someone else, I want the opportunity to give all I can and spread my passions. I hope to offer the support and encouragement to others that they need to help them in their recovery. There is a unique strength in community and in partnership, and without individuals to cheer us on in whatever capacity we may be living in, it’s easy to quit. I hope to pursue the relationship that someone else may need to have the strength to persevere in their recovery.
Kate Moon
For me, a big part of my recovery was learning how to be comfortable in my body and mind without the use of alcohol and drugs. For quite some time, I didn't know how to act or function without any substances in my system because it had become such an integral part of how I did function. Yoga helped me start to understand my sober self and develop a healthy relationship with my body, mind and heart. It became a place where I could close my eyes and study myself without judgement. All of the energies and emotions I used to try to escape by drinking or drugging now found a place on the mat to be released and confronted. Yoga turned out to be the "high" I had been searching for my whole life.
Ashley Bell
I teach about 300 students per year through the five sections of yoga I lead each semester (fall and spring) at the College of Charleston. I often receive feedback from students about their challenges maintaining a sense of overall wellness while navigating the freedoms and responsibilities of college life. Quest has the capacity to expand and extend the network of support within the world of wellness. As an instructor in the health and wellness industry for the better part of the last 30+ years, I can attest to the need for such a service, especially for those who struggle with drugs and alcohol.
Erin Gray
Yoga is a practice of discomfort. We deliberately discomfort the body with the strange and strenuous shapes we create so that we simultaneously learn to comfort ourselves with our breathe and our gaze. Learning how to comfort oneself neurologically is helpful to all people, but it is particularly helpful to those of us who may have initially started to drink or use due to social, emotional or physical discomfort. In yoga, we are literally learning to self-sooth and to be at peace with our own minds, which for some humans is sometimes the scariest place of all. I have said this many times and it is true to this day: "Sobriety saved my life. Yoga gave me a new one."
Beth Plante
Beth Plante is the founder of Charleston Power Yoga and has been teaching yoga since 2004. She is a certified 1200 hour Baptiste Power Yoga teacher, lululemon alumni ambassador, and has worked as a mentor for Africa Yoga Project and Rise Against Hunger. Her power classes will leave you feeling seen, strong, grounded and part of a community.
Paul’s studies and travels have taken him to Honduras, Cuba, Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Iceland, The Netherlands, China & Australia. He is a member of the Creative Mornings breakfast lecture series team, two time presenter and emcee at Charleston Parliament & Charleston Wine & Food Festival. In 2014 Art Magazine readers voted him the Most Eccentric Charlestonian. He holds an annual Green & Local guest lecture series in his popular culture class and in the past Charleston luminaries such as former Mayor Joe Riley, Charleston City Paper founder Stefanie Barna & John Island farmer Thomas Legare have all presented. He is a member of the vibrant Charleston running community having completed 7 marathons. He has been running in the Cooper River Bridge Run since 1984.
QUEST Board of Directors
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David Albenberg - MD & Owner Access Healthcare
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Ryan Eleuteri - Founder Charleston Mix
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Heath Beam - Owner Singular Private Wealth P.C.
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Matt Buckner -Founder & CEO ShoreSource Business Solutions
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Jennifer Bailey - Senior DO & Programs | South Carolina AHEC
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Holly Hayden - CPY Yoga Teacher
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Anna Huie - Fitness and Nutrition Coach