Meet Amanda (Kerpius) Mendoza, the founder of Empowered Self, a brand dedicated to helping individuals discover their inner power, harness their inner strength, and break through perceived limitations to achieve profound joy and Self-realization.
Amanda is a IAYT Certified Yoga Therapist, New York State Licensed Massage Therapist, 1,000+ hour plus experienced Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance, Fellow of Applied Functional Science and Certified Running Coach with the Road Runners Club of America. She has one simple focus: healing the mind and body to perform your best.
In 2017, Amanda graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Swedish Institute's massage therapy program and obtained her License in Massage Therapy (LMT). She specializes in a combination of functional movement and targeted sports massage, working with active individuals, recovering athletes, and those experiencing high levels of stress. Her expertise helps them recover faster and train harder. Amanda began her wellness career at a physical therapy clinic for endurance athletes, where she worked with Nike's Project Moonshot clientele for three seasons, preparing athletes for various marathons, including the TCS New York City Marathon, a race she joyfully completed nine times.
As an amateur-competitive distance runner, Amanda has participated in over 100 road races, covering more than 1,000 miles. She has completed 35 half-marathons and 12 marathons, including the Chicago Marathon in 2019, where she achieved her first Boston Qualifying time. Remarkably, just seven months after giving birth in 2022, Amanda crossed the finish line at the Boston Marathon. She is also a certified running coach with the Road Runners Club of America.
Amanda's journey with yoga began in 2004 when she incorporated it into her recovery from running-related injuries alongside physical therapy. Yoga became an essential element of her holistic recovery, addressing her physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. With over 1,000 hours of teaching experience spanning a decade, Amanda is an 850+ hour trained yoga teacher and an experienced yoga teacher registered with the Yoga Alliance. Her dance background, with 25 years of practice, performance, and choreography, lends her a deep understanding of body awareness, which she applies to a rigorous and healing yoga practice. In 2012, Amanda completed her first yoga certification, and she is now a certified yoga therapist with the International Association of Yoga Therapists after completing an 850-hour Yoga Therapy certification with Prema Yoga Institute in 2018.
Throughout her career, Amanda has taught with various New York City-based yoga studios, including Heatwise Yoga, Tangerine Yoga in Brooklyn, Sweat Yoga (currently Vera Yoga), and Prana Power Yoga. She also partnered with Daily Burn in 2018 to teach yoga and functional movement on its live-stream and app-based yoga platform, reaching participants worldwide. Amanda is thrilled to contribute her expertise as the head of Functional Movement, Functional Yoga, and Strength for Athletes at the Badass Lady Gang, a flourishing wellness and fitness start-up.
In 2017, Amanda graduated from the esteemed Gray Institute of Functional Transformation as a Fellow of Applied Function Science (FAFS) and obtained certification in Functional Manual Reaction (FMR). With these qualifications, she helps individuals find functional mobility and strength in activities and sports they love.
Prior to her wellness career, Amanda enjoyed a successful 14-year tenure in sales and fundraising. She holds a BS in Business Administration from Colorado State University (2000) and an MS in Fundraising and Nonprofit Management from New York University (2010).
