Ciara Kilkenny, Head of Socials + Content
WHO WE ARE…
Katie Cormier, Founder + Chief Creative Officer
Abby Sonnenfeldt, Chief Yoga Officer
…AND WHY WE STARTED THIS:
About Katie
I’m Katie, the founder of Set Wave Collective, a corporate gal in a power suit by day (read: jeans and whatever athleisure top looks the most “professional”) and an “80/20” wellness devotee on the side. I’m a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher, a former Core Power Yoga Sculpt instructor, and I’m certified in Core Restore, Core Power’s Yin Yoga format.
I am so grateful for the foundation and community I built at Core Power Yoga, (including Chief Yoga Officer Abby!), which came at a particularly challenging chapter in my personal life. But eventually I realized I wanted to create yoga experiences that transcend specific formats and traditional spaces. My goal is create classes that focus on finding flow within your movement practice — whatever that looks like to you that day. I hope these experiences give you the time + space to foster a calm mind, a balanced lifestyle, and authentic connection with others — on and off the mat.
there is no better metaphor FOR finding flow through a yoga practice than the beautiful, athletic dance of surfing.
Getting my yoga certification in the summer of 2020 initially started as a project to offset the inactivity of isolation during Covid. But what it actually did was lay the foundation to get me through the hardest year of my life. In late 2020, my partner of over 10 years and I separated, and eventually divorced. During that time, while navigating the major life upheavals that followed, I managed to find a few environments where I felt completely at peace and clear-headed. One of those places: on my yoga mat, throwing myself into memorizing sequences, practicing cues, and building class playlists. Another place? Overlooking the shoreline watching surfers do their thing.
There was the beach near my best friend’s place in Santa Cruz, California. The shoreline of the Portuguese Algarve. The coast of Southern Maine. And so, as I started to think about the spirit and energy I wanted to bring to others through yoga — there was no better metaphor for finding flow through a yoga practice than the beautiful, athletic dance of surfing.
About Abby
“yoga is cross-training for your every day life, mentally and physically.”
I'm Abby, Set Wave Collective's Chief Yoga Officer. I began teaching power vinyasa in 2018 shortly after completing my 200-hour certification with CorePower Yoga that same year. I continued my yoga education completing my 300-hour certification at Down Under Yoga School in 2021. For me, yoga is cross training for your every day life, both mentally and physically. The practice of yoga gives us an opportunity to slow things down in the fast paced world that we live in, and appreciate the present moment.
Growing up a competitive dancer, the yoga studio became a safe place for me to explore the benefits of movement that was just for me, a place where it wasn't competitive. I fell in love with the way I felt after stepping on my mat, and truly found peace in my practice during my hectic university years. After graduating from Cornell University in 2015, I moved right on to corporate life in suburban New Jersey, where I was fortunate to find my home at a local yoga studio. These were the first years of my life I could remember without consistent dance rehearsals, and vinyasa yoga filled a lot of that space in my heart. When I first moved to Boston in 2017, I was seeking a community of people who found their own playful exploration through yoga. When the opportunity to sign up for teacher training also lined up with a difficult time in my personal life, I saw it as a chance to dive deeper into what yoga is all about, calming the chatter of the mind. Through teaching yoga over the last 6 years, I have found a deeper connection with my community and myself, and continue to be inspired by the dedication and growth that I see in my students.
Outside of the studio, I work as a market research consultant helping global brands optimize new product launches and advertising strategies. I try to create a balance of corporate life with living well and make time for my own nutritious movement.
About Ciara
I’m Ciara, Set Wave Collective’s Head of Socials and Content. I began my yoga journey during childhood, watching my mom do yoga. During my senior year of college, I became serious about my own yoga practice, needing somewhere to put my anxiety about what was going to happen next in my life. I found that when I practiced, my brain slowed down, and it gave me a pocket of peace in my busy life. What I didn’t realize at the time was yoga would also teach me skills to handle my anxiety off the mat. I knew from there I needed to be able to share the gift that yoga had given me with others. Shortly after graduating college, I began my 200-hour yoga certification.
Growing up, I was always the kid making music videos, “vlogging” my day, and creating movie trailers with my friends. I struggled with math and science, but I loved storytelling and creating, which always made me feel like the “dumb friend.” When I went to college, I thought I would study Political Science, but I quickly learned that it probably wasn’t the best fit for me. So, I switched to Business with a concentration in Marketing, which felt more in line with who I am, but I still felt like something was missing. I decided to take a New Media course my sophomore year to fill a spot in my schedule and fell in love with it. I was fascinated by algorithms and social media trends, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like the dumb friend. I was more than excited to learn; I was passionate about learning. At the end of that semester, I switched to a Film and New Media Studies degree, and that was one of the greatest decisions of my life. When I make a video that makes people happy there is no better feeling.
