Nicole Hellthaler (’19) is a 2019 graduate of the Clinton School of Public Service and a certified yoga teacher. Originally from Connecticut and a proud UConn alumna, Hellthaler has called Arkansas home since 2014. Her career in service began as a high school educator through Teach for America (2014-2017) in El Dorado.
Her international experience includes working in Cape Town, South Africa, supporting yoga instructors who work with children with autism, and in Tay Ninh, Vietnam, where she trained teachers in trauma-informed classroom management.
Driven by a passion for health and prison reform, Hellthaler now serves as the Executive Director of the Prison Yoga Project. Since 2019, she has also facilitated yoga for youth and adults in Little Rock jails, educating the public about the transformative benefits of mindfulness and yoga for prisoners.
How long have you been involved in yoga?
I have been practicing yoga for 14 years, starting back in college, and I have been a certified yoga instructor since 2019. When I started Teach for America as a 21-year-old high school teacher, I found that yoga helped me manage the stress I was experiencing. I eventually used my understanding of the nervous system and how the brain works to manage my classroom. By my third year, it was much easier to manage student behavior because I was using yoga techniques to help them calm down, and I didn’t have to write up as many students.
What is the Prison Yoga Project?
Our vision is to create a cultural shift in the way society addresses mental illness, addiction, and behavior. We do this by providing yoga in jails and adjacent institutions, such as substance use support centers and reentry homes. We also train yoga teachers on how to go into prisons and provide trauma-informed yoga practice. Yoga is very complex; because there isn’t usually a studio in prison, our whole methodology is centered on providing choice and agency to the people we serve.
What do you enjoy most about your role as executive director of the Prison Yoga Project?
I have been practicing yoga for 14 years, starting back in college, and I have been a certified yoga instructor since 2019. When I started Teach for America as a 21-year-old high school teacher, I found that yoga helped me manage the stress I was experiencing. I eventually used my understanding of the nervous system and how the brain works to manage my classroom.
As Executive Director of the Prison Yoga Project, I like that I still get to go into the jail every week. It allows me to stay on the ground with the people we are serving. I admire so many people who are incarcerated, and I feel privileged to offer a skill that helps them overcome the challenges they are facing. I also really like working for a progressive organization and setting standards that align with our values as yoga teachers. While our organization is global, I feel lucky to do this work in Arkansas, which has the third-highest incarceration rate in the country.
What does public service mean to you?
I think it means knowing your community, building friendships and relationships with people, and providing the skill set and strengths you have in order to better that community. It’s about understanding the challenges our community faces as a whole and coming in as an equal, rather than as a “savior.”
What is one thing that most people don’t know about you?
Most people don’t know that my study abroad trip to South Africa during my time as an undergrad is the reason I do what I do. It gave me the courage to take a career path that was “off the beaten track.” Also, many people don’t know that I have a background as a gymnast. As a gymnast, it was considered the ultimate sin to go from being a gymnast to a cheerleader, and I was even the cheerleading captain in high school. I used to be able to do back handsprings across the entire football field!
What was your favorite class in your time as a Clinton School student?
I loved my International Public Service Project (IPSP)! That was my favorite class at the Clinton School. In fact, it’s why I chose the school in the first place; the opportunity to go to another country and complete a project. While in Tay Ninh, Vietnam, I worked with Teach for Vietnam to train their teachers on how to provide classroom management through a trauma-informed lens. I loved going to Vietnam and putting the skills I learned at the Clinton School and Teach for America into action.
What skills did you learn at the Clinton School that you still put to use in your job or life today?
I use all of them, but program planning is a big one. I am able to set goals for my program, evaluate them, and disseminate that knowledge. Other key skills that I still use in my career include data analysis, program evaluation, and grant writing.
I am the poster child for the Clinton School experience. The program led me to a job where I now put those skills into action every day as the executive director of a nonprofit. Even in areas where I didn’t have a previous deep dive, I have been able to grow because of the foundation the Clinton School gave me.