Our Team
Brenda Hershey
President & Founder
Brenda Hershey is an author, international humanitarian, researcher and TRY Global's President & Founder. She became a certified TRY instructor in 2019 and had been teaching the classes regularly when she experienced a series of her own “Big T” traumas. Because she had built up such a high level of resilience teaching TRY, she found herself equipped with the tools to self-regulate during those dark moments, and process/ release that trauma.
Brenda has a BA degree in International Relations, a MA in Community Development, and is currently obtaining a Certificate in Traumatic Stress Studies from the Trauma Research Foundation. Having several years of humanitarian fieldwork in the Middle East, Brenda is passionate about integrating the TRY method into traditional humanitarian efforts because she knows firsthand that these tools are, in fact, life-changing.
Currently residing in Iraqi-Kurdistan with her husband, Brenda's purpose is to help people (re)connect mind, body and spirit.
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Courtney Mallow
Training Facilitator
Courtney is an international humanitarian, an embodiment practitioner, and a wellness coach. Courtney was introduced to TRY in 2022, and immediately felt the positive effects after taking her first class! She started getting involved in wellness activities as a way to overcome complex PTSD symptoms.
Courtney is a lifelong student of mindfulness, neuroscience, holistic healing, polyvagal theory, and somatic therapies. She believes that embodiment practices can be extremely powerful tools to help people understand themselves better, build their resilience, and release past trauma.
Through her work with TRY and other wellness activities in Iraqi Kurdistan and abroad, she wants to help make these mind-body techniques accessible and available to people from all walks of life.
She currently resides in Iraqi Kurdistan with her lovely cat, who always reminds her to stay in the present moment.
Eyas Youssef
Arabic Interpreter & Training Facilitator
From Syria, Eyas is a trained marine engineer turned Arabic interpreter, teacher and TRY team member.
As an avid mindfulness practitioner, he saw the impact of TRY on beneficiaries in Kurdistan, and knew he wanted to help bring these powerful mind-body and mindfulness tools to more people in need. Since then, he's acted as both an interpreter and trainer for the TRY teacher trainings.
Avan Khalid
Regional Director (Iraq, Kurdistan)
Avan is a biologist, humanitarian, a training facilitator and TRY Global's Regional Director.
A native Kurd, she has witnessed and experienced the impact of war, displacement and poverty first-hand, and although she's been working with Yazidi IDPs and refugees for many years, it wasn't until she interpreted the 8-week TRY research intervention that she witnessed how practicing TRY could drastically improve one's mental and physical trauma symptoms.
Now, she's dedicated to helping share these self-regulation tools with people in her community who need them most.
Joyce Bosen
Creator of the TRY Method
After watching her 22-year-old son die, Joyce’s journey to help other trauma survivors was ignited. As she found her way to healing, the TRY method was created.
Joyce and her husband Darwin founded Trauma Recovery Yoga in 2015 and began to train others in the method that helped her escape the relentless symptoms of her own PTSD.
Joyce also has a passion and talent for public speaking and demonstrating trauma-informed practices and care. Amongst other speaking engagements, Joyce was invited to speak for TEDx. The title of her talk matches her credo, “Turning Loss Into Blessings”.
Together, Darwin and Joyce have launched JoyWins (Joyce & Darwin Services) which you can learn more about HERE.
Darwin Bosen
Co-Creator of the TRY Method
“Through my relationship with Joyce and the agencies I served, I became acutely aware of the prevalence of trauma throughout the community and the profound positive impact movement, meditation and breathwork have for an individual suffering from trauma and its lingering effects.” It has only been through this work and the stories from others that Darwin was able to recognize his own traumas in his life and the coping skills he had developed related to those traumas. Through this personal realization and his work with the community, Darwin has been compelled to share his knowledge and understanding of trauma and the healing which can be achieved.
Together, Darwin and Joyce have launched JoyWins (Joyce & Darwin Services) which you can learn more about HERE.
Yassmin Odeh
On-Staff Clinical Psychologist
Yassmin Odeh is a clinical psychologist who has dedicated her career to helping individuals overcome their mental health challenges. With a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Jordan, Yassmin has been working in the field of mental health and psychological support for the past 15 years.
Throughout her career, Yassmin has worked with a number of international humanitarian organizations in various countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Dominican Republic, and Colombia. Her work has focused on helping survivors of war and trauma, torture survivors, and gender-based violence survivors. Her clinical experience includes dealing with trauma symptoms such as posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression.
Yassmin's main approach to therapy is person-centered, where she helps her clients achieve personal growth and create change in their lives. She believes that clients are the experts on themselves and empowers them to make choices that align with their goals. She is trained in multiple therapy approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), and Mindfulness-Based Therapy.