Get to Know Us

Mary Abranyi | Founder | 500-RYT

My journey has been anything but linear. Shaped by resilience, reinvention, and a deep passion for helping others, I learned the value of hard work from my family growing up in Florida, navigating challenges and carving a path to independence. After losing my father in my early twenties, I set out to create a life that felt true to me—one filled with purpose and connection.

Later moving to Colorado, I discovered yoga, a practice that felt both natural and transformative. It became my anchor, challenging me physically, mentally, and spiritually, and ultimately inspiring me to pursue teaching.

After following my heart to North Carolina in 2001, I completed my first yoga self-study program with mentorship, followed by continued certifications in a variety of styles, including Vinyasa, Pre & Post Natal, Ashtanga, and Therapeutic Yoga. During this time, I was also growing my family and had begun a career in real estate, a career I am still very active in.

Teaching began as a passion project, but it would be the great recession that eventually led me to open Fusion in 2012—a space dedicated to blending movement, wellness, and connection. Over the years, I’ve expanded my expertise through additional trainings, workshops, and retreats, ensuring my teaching evolves to meet the needs of my students.

Fusion started as a mix of yoga, Pilates, massage and community programs like kids’ karate and dance. While the business has evolved, its heart remains the same—a homebase for growth, healing, and balance. The studio is a reflection of my belief that yoga is more than a practice; it’s a way to reconnect with yourself and the world around you.

Today, I continue to blend my yoga teachings with my passion for community, offering a space where movement and mindfulness come together, whether it’s through yoga, wellness therapies, or simply offering a space to pause and breathe. Fusion is not just a business; it’s my heart’s work, a place to inspire others as yoga has inspired me.

Jessie Borino | Reiki Practicioner

Jessie  received her master’s degree in social work from the University of Central Florida in 1999. Following her passion for supporting others on their path of healing, she went on to become a Certified Life Coach after receiving her levels I & II Reiki attunements.

Jessie’s focus is on supporting individuals who are experiencing grief or loss in any area of life, whether it be losing a loved one, a major life-changing event, transitioning careers, or grieving a past version of oneself. Awakening from grief can be a beautiful process and it is Jessie’s mission to hold space for her clients as they learn to transmute their loss into a process of spiritual awakening.

By combining Reiki Energy Healing and Intuitive Life Coaching, Jessie creates a safe space for her clients to reignite the light within, which may have been dimmed by their experience of loss.

Scott Shambaugh

Massage Therapist | Energy Healer

My name is Scott Shambaugh. I was born and raised in south Florida, and have been coming to this area of North Carolina my whole life with my family. My second home is Key West where I have been living and practicing massage for many years.

I have always been fascinated and curious about the connections between our minds, bodies, emotions, and spirits. This curiosity began with a love for theatre and dance, mainly ballet and modern throughout high school and college. In 2004, I took the steps to formalize that curiosity by attending the CORE Institute for Massage Therapy and Bodywork in Tallahassee, Florida. As my experience deepened, so did my curiosity about where exactly does discomfort ad dis-ease come from? I asked this question in regards to my clients, but also for my own well-being. This led me to attend the Barbara Brennan School for Healing Science in Miami. This 4-year program is dedicated to intense personal process work, and how to hold loving transformative space for others. This was a magical time for me of deep personal growth.

Now, I'm excited to share my experience and talents with my clients in Cashiers! It is my intention to forever deepen the experience of "Home" in this body, and in this lifetime, for myself, and those who grace my table. As Ram Dass once said, "we are all just walking each other home..."

Megan Gaillour | 200-RYT

Megan was first drawn to yoga as a tool to calm her experience with anxiety and depression. After practicing for four years, she gained her 200-RYT Certificate through Blissful Spirits. She is trained in various practices including Yin, Yin/Yang, and Vinyasa.

Her focus for each student is creating a space for them to quiet the mind and come into the body. Connecting them to deep relaxation through aromatherapy, hands on adjustments, and spoken affirmations. Her intention for each student is for them to leave their practice feeling relaxed, refreshed, and re-connected.

Brenda Shoemaker

Brenda’s mission is to leave no person behind so they may reach their full potential: physically, mentally, and spiritually. By combining physical exercise with ancillary mindful and wellness practices, she will inspire you  to give 110% effort in order to find the greatest balance in you life. She believes every day there are ways in which her fellow People with Parkinson’s disease can enhance their daily quality of life and even build impressive power, strength, flexibility and speed!

Renee Byrd | 200-RYT

Renee began practicing yoga over ten years ago, drawn to the relief felt in her body after a lifetime of long distance running. Yoga became a way of life, well beyond the physical practice. The life philosophy teachings of yoga cultivated a deeper connection to herself and others, and a way of living from the heart.

Renee completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training and Level 1 Reiki certification in 2022 at Yandara Yoga Institute in Baja, Mexico, focusing on Hatha, vinyasa, and yin yoga instruction. She sees each class as an opportunity to connect with others, encouraging presence, mindfulness, and body awareness throughout the practice that can be carried off the mat into daily life.

Nalicia Allio | 200-RYT

Having a background in dance and feeling the need to move her body, Nalicia began mindfully moving by listening to her body and stretching.
One day while she was practicing her mindful movement her Mother-in-law asked how long she had been practicing yoga - Nalicia didn't even know what yoga was. Shortly thereafter she went to her first yoga class and has been practicing yoga ever since - over ten years!

Nalicia is a hands on instructor who believes yoga should be available to everyone and creates accessible yoga classes that flow gracefully from pose to pose focusing on alignment, breath, and keeping a playful heart. She has a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification, a Children’s Yoga Certification, plus additional training in HIIT Fusion Yoga.

Siobhan Hunter | 200-RYT

Siobhan’s yoga journey began in her 40s, proving it's never too late to discover the transformative power of practice. After a successful 34-year career in high tech, she embarked on a bold adventure, venturing to Bali for an intensive 200-hour yoga teacher training program. This experience deepened her own practice and ignited a passion for sharing yoga's benefits with others. Now, as a teacher at Fusion Yoga, she enjoys connecting with a wonderful community of students and guiding them on their unique journey.