Kari Coady (she/her)

Chief Executive Officer / Executive Director

Hello! Kari Coady received her master’s degree in teaching at National Louis University in Evanston, Illinois, and quickly obtained a teaching position in Ojai, California. Attending a Brain Gym® class a few years later changed the trajectory of her life. Within six months, she became a Licensed Brain Gym® Instructor/Consultant, resigned from teaching, and opened her own business. She spent several years conducting workshops, facilitating private sessions, and doing speaking engagements.

Kari’s passion for helping others combined with her desire to share effective stress management tools led her to accept the ED/CEO position in 2007 with this organization, now known as Breakthroughs International. Since then, Kari has continued to serve and support our international community whose goal is to empower others to thrive amidst life’s challenges.

When not engaged in work life, Kari enjoys time with her husband of many years and their adorable pups.

Julie Newendorp (she/her)

Finance Director

Hey! Julie Newendorp has been involved with the Brain Gym® program since 1993. She loves the work and seeing private clients. From 2000 to 2002 she served as Executive Director of the organization and then became the Finance Director – a position she still holds today. Due to her day job of bookkeeping, she has the background needed to handle the accounts of Breakthroughs International with confidence and accuracy.

Julie’s passion is supporting families. She has been a mediator since the early 1990s and has been involved in emotional release work from the time her children were born. Through the years, she has held mothers’ circles as well as worked with young mothers and their children. Julie integrates components from Educational Kinesiology, Reflex Integration, and Books Neural Therapy into her work. She has seven grandchildren and one of the major joys in her life is spending time with them.

Carlota López-Peredo (she/her)

Program Liaison

¡Hola! Carlota López-Peredo has a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and in Special Needs from Madrid Complutense University. Although her first studies looked into understanding the science behind the world, soon she noticed her natural spirit was drawn to connect with and help people. 

Traveling the world for a few years, she came across the Brain Gym® program, and her world turned upside down. She became a Special Needs teacher and worked in the school system for 5 years. Eventually, Carlota opened a small clinic where she could help parents and educators through trainings, as well as work with children one-to-one. At her clinic, parents appreciate her commitment, connection with the children and professionalism. In her classes, her students enjoy the passion she communicates when teaching, and her ability to make learning a fun process. She still can’t decide whether consulting or teaching is her favorite.  

Carlota lives in Madrid, Spain. She loves spending time with her family and friends and traveling, especially when it involves diving. 

Janet Taylor (she/her)

Life Enhancement Acupressure Protocols (LEAP) Program Director

G’day! In 1999, Janet Taylor graduated from the College of Complementary Medicine in Melbourne, Australia. She began her LEAP training in 1998 and currently serves as the LEAP Director for Breakthroughs International. Working closely with Dr. Charles Krebs, her role is to help create a centralized platform for LEAP Instructors and Practitioners to learn, network and transform the program’s presence on the worldwide stage. The goal is to expand the instructor base and make LEAP more accessible to those looking to learn and grow.

A particular area of interest to Janet is enabling people of all ages to break through obstacles so they can reach their greater potential in life through the power of Kinesiology and, in particular, LEAP. She is a registered member of several kinesiology organizations, and has over 20 years of experience in the field working with clients, teaching, and speaking at conferences.

Janet lives in Sydney, Australia and her other passion is spending time with her Cavatzu “Piccolo” and his puppy friends – helping her to relax, laugh & get some exercise.