Meet the Team
Laura previously worked for a large global mobile telecommunications company in a high-performing team of account managers, managing strategically important clients, a huge revenue target and a dispersed virtual team. She soon felt the impact of stress, burnout and fatigue that a fast passed office environment can bring.
She eventually turned to yoga and mindfulness to help balance work and life and out of a new found passion and interest, traveled to India - the birth place of yoga - to learn to be a Yoga and mindfulness teacher & coach.
She believes that if she had known then, what she knows now, she would still be in the corporate environment. She now shares what she has learnt with people who are looking for more balance in their daily work-lives.
Laura's aim is to teach techniques that will manage stress and enable them to look after their own mind and body.
Laura Farrington
Co-Founder,
Umbrella Wellness
George Brown
Co-Founder,
Umbrella Wellness
George previously worked in the Events Industry in Dublin. He was an account manager for five nationwide industry award events nights, which saw him managing up to 400 different accounts each year with the help of his team. He left this fast paced role to co-found Umbrella Wellness.
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George looks after the organisation and events side of Umbrella and writes the mindfulness content of the Umbrella courses, as well as delivering seminars focusing on Stress and Anxiety Management.
He is currently a Military Instructor in the Irish Army Reserve holding the rank of Corporal.
In 2016 he undertook his junior leader and instructors course, a large part of which was Mindfulness Training which the Army forces students to undertake in order to remain calm and efficient in times of extreme physical and mental stress. He has gone on to complete his Specialist Instructors Course which included stress and anxiety management and he uses what he has learnt in the Defence Forces to help others with their mental health.
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Dylan McCarthy
Media Manager
Umbrella Wellness
Dylan is the Media Manager and Sales Associate at Umbrella Wellness. He has been with the company since 2019. Dylan has a degree in psychology, and previously worked as a Data Analyst.
Dylan manages all media related tasks, designs content, updates the website, and helps with the formulation and implementation of new ideas.
Having been involved in yoga and mediation for 15 years, he has a particular interest in Ashtanga Yoga and Zen meditation. Having a genetic illness has found yoga immensely helpful with his health.
Dylan has a love of electronics, building computers, drones, and a keen interest in both photography and videography.
He is currently undertaking a postgraduate degree in Software Development. ðŸ¤
Shane O'Rourke
Nutrition Coach
Umbrella Wellness
Shane joined Umbrella Wellness in 2018, he is a qualified Nutritionist. He delivers nutrition talks as part of Wellness Days as well as regularly featuring on the Health and Wellbeing Newsletter
He completed his Master’s Degree in nutrition from the University of Chester, UK. He is a competitive Fitness model with the WBFF and a personal trainer based in Dublin.
Shane previously worked in Insurance and Pension’s as a Broker Consultant for 3 years before embarking on his fitness journey. He saw first-hand common mistakes regarding nutrition in the office environment. His goal is to educate office workers about simple and effective ways to change the most common mistakes seen in the office, and also impart knowledge on how to make better food choices. He feels that the more people know about food, the easier it becomes for the individual to make the right choices
Sarah Marshall
Yoga Instructor
Umbrella Wellness
Sarah joined Umbrella Wellness in 2018. Sarah is a 200 RYT, teaching a variety of types of yoga including Hatha, Vinyasa Flow, Restorative, Yin and Mindful Yoga. With a background of working in the education sector as well as the international development sector, including facilitating training's on personal development, careers, international development and cross-cultural working.
Sarah has turned her focus to teaching yoga in the past 3 years. She currently works as a Yoga Teacher at the Elbowroom Studio in Stoneybatter, Dublin.
Mindfulness, connection and self-compassion are guiding principles in the yoga she teaches. Sarah is all about making yoga accessible and enjoyable for everyone, and is passionate about the trans-formative effects that yoga can have on the mind and body (both on and off the mat), leading us to live more mindful and authentic lives.
Loren Ryan
Pilates Instructor
Umbrella Wellness
Loren joined Umbrella Wellness in 2018, she is a qualified Pilates Instructor and Nutrition Coach. She completed a Masters degree in Fashion buying & Marketing and worked in the fashion industry before deciding to start a career in fitness.
In 2012 she qualified from Elite Performance as a Strength and Conditioning coach, before going on to receive her Pilates qualification from Pilates Performance Ireland
She has been in the fitness industry for 6 years, alongside her passion for physical movement she is also a qualified precision nutritionist, viewing the whole body in its key aspects of movement, wellness nutrition and stress management.
Loren runs the Pilates courses at Umbrella Wellness which include Mindfulness Training. She also provides education around nutrition on company wellness days and seminars.
Maura Rath
Yoga Instructor
Umbrella Wellness
Maura joined Umbrella Wellness in 2018, she found yoga in 2011 shortly after leaving Ireland. Maura was working a high-pressure corporate job as a case manager in a health insurance firm, and running in her free time to keep fit. She found it hard to balance her work, life and health and dropped into her first yoga class “just for a stretch” to relieve tightness from her running.
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Maura traveled to the birth place of yoga – India – to train under some of the best yoga teachers around the world at Sampoorna Yoga School. She initially gained 200 hours of teacher training there in Ashtanga yoga instruction. Her passion for movement and flow led her to study a further 300 hours there in Vinyasa Flow yoga instruction, anatomy of yoga, yogic philosophy and advanced sequencing design.
She later studied for a further 75 hours in Greece in advanced asanas & adjustments and further sequencing design.
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Maura believes yoga is for everybody – and everyone’s body is different. Rather than just focus on form, she will guide and adjust your practice to get the most out it – no matter your body type, ability or age, using individualised asana modifications where needed.
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Maura is driven by a passion to help others find the joy and benefits from yoga that she herself found. Her classes are full of energy, positivity and humor to a backdrop of great music.
Sarah Shannon
Yoga Instructor
Umbrella Wellness
Sarah joined Umbrella Wellness in 2019, she is a qualified Vinyasa, Hatha and Yin yoga instructor. Sarah previously worked as a corporate solicitor before leaving her career to follow her passion for yoga. She worked in a top Dublin law firm for 6 years working on corporate deals, managing clients and drafting a lot of documents. While working she balanced her intense day with going to a yoga class every day at lunch. This continued practice brought her the grounding and perspective she craved and also kept her body healthy and strong when she was sitting at a desk all day.
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She has traveled extensively around Asia practicing and studying yoga.
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Sarah’s classes are energetic and fun. She focuses on relieving stress, lifting energy levels and calming the over-active mind. She brings her understanding of work life demands together with the knowledge of yoga she was accumulated on her travels to create a wonderfully authentic and enjoyable class.
Dearbhla Mitchell
Pilates Instructor
Umbrella Wellness
Dearbhla joined Umbrella Wellness in 2019, she is a qualified Pilates and Ballet instructor.
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After completing a BA Hons Degree in English Literature and Theater Studies at UCD, Dearbhla ignited her love of poetry and theater but was certain that she wanted to pursue a more physical career path.
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Dearbhla began dancing at a young age. That passion stayed with her throughout her life, playing an active role in the UCD Dance Society and performing as a lead soloist with the Monica Loughman Ballet Company.
Dearbhla decided to combine her love of movement and health. She completed the QQI Certificate in Nutrition and the EQF Level 4 National Qualification in Exercise and Health at the National Training Center.
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Shortly after passing her exams, Dearbhla was offered an internship at Platinum Pilates and the rest is history. Since then, Dearbhla has gone on to further her qualifications with the National Qualification in Exercise for the Older Adult, the National Qualification in Pre & Post Natal Exercise, the teaching certificate in Progressing Ballet Technique, and Polestar Gateway Reformer Pilates.
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For Dearbhla, dance and fitness are about self care and mental health. She hopes to give clients the same feeling of release that dance gives her.
Anne Sheeran
Yoga Instructor
Umbrella Wellness
Anne joined Umbrella Wellness in 2019. Anne began attended yoga classes five years ago when living in Mexico City to help combat the stresses that come with living in one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world.
While her location in the world has changed a couple of times since then, her practice has been a constant.
Anne is now settled back in Dublin, working nine-to-five marketing KIND healthy snack bars and practicing and teaching yoga every other minute of the day.
Anne completed her 200 hour teaching training in Goa, India in early 2019. With a background in Ashtanga and Vinyasa, her classes are fast-paced, but grounding.
When not on the mat or in front of the laptop you'll find Anne hiking the Wicklow mountains or drinking oat milk flat whites.
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Niamh Pollins
Yoga Instructor
Umbrella Wellness
Niamh joined Umbrella Wellness in 2019. Niamh is an avid yogi! She first started practicing yoga in 2011 but rediscovered her love for it in 2014 while living and working in New York. Yoga allowed Niamh to switch off from the hustle and bustle that was New York and come back to herself. After two years of traveling and working abroad she returned home to the Emerald Isle and completed her 200hrs RYT Training under the guidance of Sibylle Dallmann and Naomi Sturdy at The Art of Teaching.
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Niamh has an invested interest in Human and Women's Rights. She is passionate about making the world a more peaceful place, and feels that yoga and meditation are important factors in achieving that goal!
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Her classes are based on the belief that mental and physical health are interrelated and should be conditioned together. Each class will focus on all aspects of yoga, Pranayama and Meditation!
Yoga Instructor
Umbrella Wellness
Liz joined Umbrella Wellness in 2019. She is a 200hr RYT and Reiki Level 2 Practitioner. Previously, Liz worked in Market Research in Sydney, Australia, where she lived for 4 years! On returning to Ireland she worked in Customer Experience Research for various agencies in Dublin for another 4 years.
It was during this time that Liz began practicing yoga and immediately fell for the feeling one gets after a class; a clearer, calmer mind, and an openness and lightness in the body. She quickly became a regular practitioner. She took a leap of faith, left her job, and went on to complete her training in Yandara Yoga Institute, Mexico, in February 2017.
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Liz enjoys teaching dynamic Vinyasa Flow classes that offer modifications for all levels. Her focus is on mind body awareness, to find softness in the body and stillness in the mind. She aims to facilitate an environment where people can really let go. She truly believes in the saying ‘You’re only one yoga class away from a good mood’!
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In 2018 she completed a Postgraduate Degree in Interior Design from The Interior Design Academy of Ireland which has been a lifelong love and interest.
Liz continues to study and develop her teaching skills, participating in teacher focused workshops and trainings with both international and local yoga teachers to incorporate learnings into her classes.
Liz O'Connor
Ailbhe Garvey
Yoga & Pilates Instructor
Umbrella Wellness
Ailbhe’s fitness journey began when she was working a stressful job and ofen relied on the office biscuits to relieve the pressure. This led her to gaining a lot of weight, so she decided to join the gym. She found that running cleared her mind and lifting weights helped boost her mood and give her more energy. She soon became passionate about the fact that exercise can have such a positive effect on our physical/mental health and well-being.
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As a result of this experience, she decided to re-train and become a fitness instructor/personal trainer, while still working in an office. In 2017, she decided to quit her job and go to India to do a 200hr Ashtanga training course in Mysore. For the next 2 years she worked as a personal trainer and yoga teacher all over the world.
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She started doing Pilates in the hopes of gaining strength and mobility for a debilitating back injury that kept her from doing the things she loved. She found that Pilates, not only helped with her lower back pain, but it also improved her posture, and her overall strength/flexibility.
​Ailbhe had seen great results from practicing Pilates, and wanted to use her experience to help people, especially those who suffer form lower back pain, to move in a way that helps them feel the benefits they can gain in their everyday life.
To find out more about Umbrella Wellness