Board

Frontline Yoga Board of Directors

Rachael Day
CEO

As Chair of the Board for Frontline Yoga, Rachael plays a key role in shaping the organisation’s strategic direction while ensuring it remains true to its mission and values. She has been instrumental in writing grants and organising research around Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Trauma (MBSR-Tr) and Frontline Yoga classes, helping to expand access to these essential programs.

Rachael has been with Frontline Yoga since 2019, having previously served as CEO and HR Manager. Her background in yoga, project management, and community engagement has been vital in driving the organisation’s growth, particularly during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her work with Frontline Yoga has deepened her passion for building healthy, resilient communities, a focus that aligns with her ongoing studies in Librarianship. She is committed to bridging the gap between information access, mental well-being, and community support.

During her downtime, Rachael enjoys anything that connects her to the present moment, including hiking, knitting, and being in the ocean.

Chris Thompson-Lang
Co-Founder & Former Chair Of Frontline Yoga

Chris Thompson-Lang is co-founder and former Chair of Frontline Yoga. He has been dedicated to supporting frontline workers’ mental health and resilience through yoga and mindfulness practices.

Serving as Chair for eight years, Chris led the organisation with a vision to create accessible, trauma-informed programs tailored to the unique needs of first responders, military personnel, and healthcare workers. His leadership has been instrumental in establishing Frontline Yoga’s mission to provide therapeutic tools for stress management, emotional regulation, and overall well-being.

Chris’s commitment to fostering a supportive community for those who serve is reflected in the impactful growth and reach of Frontline Yoga today.

Brad Williamson
Director

Board Member Brad Williamson is tasked with networking and identifying opportunities on behalf of Frontline Yoga. He promotes the incredible work the organisation does and provides a contribution to the strategic and operational direction of the company.

With a background that includes leading military police platoons in East Timor and overseeing a training team that delivered Force Level Pre-Deployment Training Packages to government and military bodies, he has the experience that help articulate the benefits of the work the organisation does.

Long term he would like to see focus on the health and wellness space at unit and local area command level. With adoption of integrated approaches incorporating mind-body modalities and Nutra-Therapeutics in order to optimise occupational durability, sustainability and performance.

Brad loves to surf, camp and practice Muay Thai in his spare time, whilst also delving into modalities that optimise human performance and resiliency which are aligned with living within natural rhythms. These include Cold Water Immersion, Circadian Sleep Management and Nutra-Therapeutics.

Kate O’Donoghue
Director

Being a passionate mental health advocate led Kate to co-found Frontline Yoga. A Board Member for the business, she promotes Frontline Yoga’s work within Government and Independent support services, consults on the training programs all the while actively contributing to the strategic and operational direction.

Having seen Frontline Yoga grow from an idea to fully functioning charity, it is the knock on effects that involvement in yoga has on its members that motivates Kate. She sees how class attendance leads to finding a community which delivers support and connection.

Further afield, her goal is to act as a solid bridging point between the yoga and clinical worlds as an advocate for an intersection of science and experience in healing.

When not espousing the value of yoga, Kate can be found (or ideally not found!) enjoying solace off the radar in the bush for a few days with just her swag for company. She loves to laugh with her three sons or wander through art galleries.

Richard McShane
Director

Richard is a Board Member at Frontline Yoga and provides corporate governance oversight as well as guiding the commercial operations to ensure a financially stable enterprise. Having previously been a commissioned officer in the army, he is familiar with the needs of an organisation like Frontline. 

His involvement with the company stems from a desire to give back to his community of returned service men and women, colleagues and friends. He believes that Frontline Yoga provides a valuable tool for frontline staff to prepare for and cope with the trauma experienced through their service.

One of Richard’s professional goals is to deliver free mentoring for start-ups supporting better economic outcomes for regional communities. 

When not at work he’s an avid sportsman and Richard enjoys surfing, mountain biking or playing ‘Old Farts’ Aussie rules. 

Jim Swan
Secretary

Jim brings to the Frontline Yoga Board 20 years of military experience. Prior to discharging in 2021, Jim was employed as an Air Traffic Control Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force serving both at home and abroad.

Jim is a passionate mental health advocate, driven to promote the healing benefits of Yoga throughout the Frontline community.

Residing in the Hunter Valley of NSW, Jim enjoys traveling, fishing and creating memories with his two children.

Terri Purser
Treasurer

With a background in yoga and accounting Terri brings a knowledge base of the corporate world. With a passion for knowledge and wanting yoga to be accessible for all bodies and ages, Terri has studied mental health yoga, along with seniors adaptable, and will soon be undertaking a calm kids certification and eventual goal of yoga therapy. Terri is currently volunteer teaching with Frontline since 2019, with the very first connection class in Mollymook.

An advocate for community spirit often participating in volunteer capacities for schools, sports clubs and environmental and community events, and has even skydived as a fundraising initiative for JDRF.

If not undertaking motherhood tasks she can be found in the kitchen baking and cooking gluten free nutritious meals and breads, reading, pursuing art and craft, spending time outdoors or spending time with family and friends.

Caz Pringle-Bowden
General Member & Victoria State Lead

Caz is a dedicated yoga teacher and counsellor whose work in the mental health industry is deeply influenced by her extensive experience supporting children, youth, and adults with complex mental and physical needs in both metropolitan and regional Victoria.  

Finding yoga in 2001 for a lifelong spine injury, Caz completed her initial 200 YTT with Byron Yoga in 2017, and since then has taught yoga & boxing to young people in juvenile detention, internationally for ESL students in Turkey, in various studios in Victoria, and currently serves as an executive board member and class facilitator for Frontline Yoga.

As a proud neurodivergent woman, Caz provides neurodiversity training for both yoga teachers and organisations, and has a private counselling practice guided by her own lived experience – supporting adults with ADHD/Autism, carers, and those navigating parental loss. 

She has one very spoilt retired racehorse named Lucky and will often be found with her husband and dog walking along RAAFs beach on the Ocean Grove spit.