Meet The MyoSphere Symposium Speakers
Learn from nationally recognized leaders advancing airway health, oral function, sleep, myofunctional therapy, rehabilitation, dentistry, and collaborative care.
Angie Lehman, RDH, COM
+ Stacey Steely, BS, LMT
Joy Lantz, RDH, PHDH, COM®, IBCLC
Karen Taylor Soiles, PT, PRI
Walt Fritz, PT
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Kami Schatz
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Dr. Angela Tenholder, DMD, FAGD, FAACP, DABCDSM
Vita Zhylyak, RDH
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Becky Ellsworth, BS, RDH, QOM
What You'll Learn
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Airway assessment and interdisciplinary care
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Orofacial myofunctional therapy
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Manual therapy and body integration
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Sleep-disordered breathing
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Pediatric and adult airway management
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Tongue ties and frenectomy support
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Hypermobility and neuromuscular stabilization
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Nervous system regulation
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Practice growth, visibility, and authority
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Collaborative patient care
Angie Lehman RDH, COM + Stacey Steely, BS, LMT
From Release to Results: Using Myofunctional Therapy, Massage & Manual Therapy to Enhance Frenectomy Results
Angie Lehman is an IAOM Board Certified Orofacial Myologist (COM) who has been exclusively practicing Orofacial Myology since 2012 in York, Pennsylvania. She runs one of America’s most successful and well-known private practices, Oral Myofunctional Therapy of York. Angie is a highly sought-after educator for medical, dental and allied health professionals and she is passionate to encourage all health disciplines to work collaboratively and to better understand oral function and craniofacial development and to incorporate therapy into their specific areas of care.
Stacey holds a degree in Music Education from Millersville University and is a Licensed Massage Therapist. Her training includes Craniosacral Fascial Therapy (Gillespie Approach), Reflexology (Ingham Method), Swedish Massage, and Intra/Extraoral work for Temporomandibular Joint Disorders. Stacey approaches each session with grace, intuition, and a calming presence. She works with infants through adults. In her free time, she enjoys spending time in nature, gardening, and playing flute.
Presentation Description
This hands-on workshop is designed for health care professionals looking to enhance their skills in preparing and supporting patients through a tongue tie release. The “3M Frenectomy Framework” combines Myofunctional Therapy, Massage Therapy, and Manual Therapy into a holistic approach that promotes effective preparation, healing, and recovery. Participants will gain an in depth understanding of the anatomy and function of the tongue, the global impacts of tongue tie and the critical role each therapy plays in achieving optimal outcomes.
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Learner Outcomes
Through practical demonstrations and interactive exercises, attendees will be able to:
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Identify three key myofunctional exercises that work for both preparation and recovery.
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Demonstrate two different hands on massage strategies to release muscle tension, improve lymphatic drainage, and alleviate discomfort in the mouth, jaw and neck regions.
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Describe and demonstrate two manual techniques to improve mobility, range of motion and function, and release fascial restrictions that impact post-release healing.
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​Disclosures
Angie Lehman
Receives speaker fee, accommodations, and travel reimbursement for the Myosphere.
Ownership interests in OMT of York
Receives compensation from materials sold through OMT of York
Receives compensation from speaking engagements and online courses
Angie is a member of the IAOM
Stacey Steely
Receives speaker fee, accommodations, and travel reimbursement for the Myosphere.
Receives compensation from work provided through OMT of York
PT, MA, PRC
Karen Taylor Soiles
Your Tongue Lives in a Body: Posture, Airway & Myofunctional Therapy
Karen Taylor Soiles is a physical therapist with more than 30 years of clinical experience helping patients with complex orthopedic, neurological, vestibular, post-concussion, and chronic pain concerns. Her work is grounded in a whole-system view of movement, looking beyond the location of pain to understand the postural, neurological, and motor-learning patterns that may be contributing to a patient’s symptoms.
She earned her physical therapy degree from Northeastern University and a Master of Arts in Motor Learning from Columbia University. This background informs her treatment approach, which emphasizes how the body learns, adapts, and restores more efficient movement—not simply how it becomes stronger.
Karen is certified through the Postural Restoration Institute® and has served as a PRI conference presenter and teaching assistant. She was the first clinician in Virginia to attain PRI certification, reflecting years of advanced study in an integrative, evidence-informed approach to rehabilitation. Consistent with PRI science, she has collaborated for more than 12 years with PRI-informed optometrists and dentists to support patients whose needs involve the integration of vision, dental occlusion, airway function, posture, and movement. Karen specializes in cases that involve the interaction of multiple systems, including pain with postural drivers, movement dysfunction with neurological components, and recovery that has stalled because underlying movement patterns have not yet been addressed. She brings a focused, open-minded, and collaborative style to care, with a strong commitment to helping patients improve function and participate more fully in daily life.
Her professional experience spans outpatient care, inpatient rehabilitation, acute care, home care, private practice, and international clinical settings, including work in France and Greece. Karen is proficient in French and Greek, and her international background supports a culturally responsive approach to patient care.
Presentation Description
As myofunctional therapists, you change lives by training tongues, lips, and breathing patterns—but the orofacial system doesn’t work in isolation. Cranio-cervical posture, ribcage position, and diaphragm mechanics all shape airway size and function, and research shows that head and neck alignment can significantly alter pharyngeal dimensions and upper-airway muscle behavior. In this 2-hour session, a Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) –trained physical therapist will explore how whole-body posture influences glossus function, airway patency, and breathing; clarify the difference between forward head posture, “military neck,” and a healthy cervical lordosis; and introduce the concept of the diaphragm’s zone of apposition (ZOA) as a missing link between postural and myofunctional care. An overview of PRI science fundamentals will include evidence that the body is asymmetrical, all muscles function within polyarticular chains ( patterns) and how posture reflects respiration. We’ll connect this evidence to your day-to-day work, discuss when a “postural lens” might unlock stuck cases, and leave time for questions/discussion.
​Learner Outcomes
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Identify 3 cervical/head postures as relates to airway optimization.
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Recognize relationships between static asymmetrical respiration, ideal physiologic respiration, and patterned respiration.
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Describe how musculoskeletal dysfunction relates to articular chain asymmetry and patterns of synergistic compensatory activity.
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Describe a diaphragmatic zone of apposition and implications for myofunctional therapy.
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​Disclosures
Receives speaker fee and travel reimbursement from the Myosphere.
Ownership interests in Karen Taylor Soiles PT
Receives compensation for presentations and teaching from PRI
Business Strategist & Business Builder
Kami Schatz
VISIBLE & KNOWN: Building Trust, Authority & Opportunity Online & Offline
Kami Schatz is an executive advisor and business strategist who helps private practice owners and healthcare leaders build businesses that are as strong behind the scenes as they are clinically. With more than 20 years of experience advising organizations across healthcare, dentistry, private practice, professional services, and entrepreneur-led businesses, she is known for identifying patterns, simplifying complexity, and helping leaders make better decisions with clarity and confidence.
Holding a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Kami combines behavioral science with practical business strategy to help organizations strengthen leadership, improve operations, increase visibility, and create sustainable growth.
Throughout her career, Kami has worked alongside dentists, dental hygienists, speech-language pathologists, physicians, multidisciplinary practice owners, and product-based businesses to strengthen brands, streamline operations, enhance the patient experience, and position organizations for long-term success.
At The MyoSphere Symposium, Kami brings a perspective that extends beyond marketing. Her session explores how clinicians can intentionally build trust, strengthen their professional reputation, expand referral relationships, and become recognized leaders within their communities.
Presentation Description
Being great at what you do doesn’t automatically mean people understand what you do, remember you, or know when to refer to you.
VISIBLE & KNOWN explores how clinicians and professionals can intentionally build visibility that strengthens their personal brand, supports practice growth, builds patient and professional trust, and creates new opportunities both online and offline.
Participants will explore practical strategies for clarifying and communicating their expertise, creating meaningful content, strengthening professional relationships, and using marketing, technology, and simple systems to expand their reach without losing the human connection behind their work.
From social media and digital presence to referrals, community relationships, and real-world interactions, this session reframes visibility as more than simply “showing up.” It is about becoming recognizable for the right things, building trust over time, and making it easier for patients, peers, and professional partners to understand your value, remember your expertise, and connect others to your work.
​Learner Outcomes
​As a result of this presentation, participants will be able to:
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Identify marketing, technology, and visibility strategies that can increase professional reach, strengthen patient and referral trust, and support practice or professional growth.
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Describe how personal branding, storytelling, strategic messaging, and human-centered communication can build authority, strengthen community connection, and create meaningful interactions both online and offline.
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Apply a practical visibility framework to translate their expertise and ideas into intentional content, professional relationships, and consistent marketing activities that support greater visibility and opportunity.
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​Disclosures
Receives speaker fee and travel reimbursement from the Myosphere.
Receives compensation through business partnership with The MyoSphere and for ongoing marketing and sales support, strategic advisory, website support, and educational services.
Ownership interest and receives compensation for providing independent paid marketing, business strategy, and/or advisory services to professionals affiliated with The MyoSphere through her company Kamischatz.com
RDH
Vita Zhylyak
The EDS Connection: Hypermobility, Airway Dysfunction & Neuromuscular Stabilization
Vita Zhylyak, RDH, is an Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist and founder of MYOLAVITA® and Unlocking Jaw Secrets Academy®. Her work focuses on complex TMD and Orofacial pain, particularly in patients with hypermobility, EDS, MCAS, and Dysautonomia. Drawing from both clinical experience and her own journey with chronic jaw pain, Vita takes a whole-body approach, exploring the connections between connective tissue, posture, breathing, fascia, nervous system regulation, and Orofacial function.
Presentation Description
Hypermobility and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome can significantly influence myofunctional function and treatment outcomes. Connective tissue laxity may affect TMJ and cervical stability, tongue and jaw control, proprioception, breathing mechanics, posture, and the ability to maintain functional patterns.
These patients may present with TMD, airway dysfunction, tinnitus, chronic orofacial pain, muscle guarding, fatigue, and inconsistent responses to traditional myofunctional therapy. Exercises that work well for one patient may increase pain, tension, or compensation in someone who is hypermobile.
This lecture will help clinicians recognize signs of hypermobility and understand how EDS and related conditions can influence myofunctional assessment and treatment. Participants will learn when strengthening, stretching, or increasing range may not be appropriate and how to shift treatment toward neuromuscular stabilization, proprioception, controlled movement, breathing, and functional coordination.
Clinical considerations for patients with EDS, POTS, MCAS, TMD, and complex pain presentations will also be discussed.
​Learner Outcomes
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Identify clinical signs of hypermobility that may affect myofunctional assessment and treatment.
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Explain how connective tissue laxity can influence TMJ and cervical stability, breathing mechanics, proprioception, and oral motor function.
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Recognize when traditional myofunctional exercises may contribute to pain, fatigue, excessive movement, or compensatory muscle recruitment.
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Differentiate when a hypermobile patient may require stabilization and neuromuscular control before progressing to strengthening or increased range of motion.
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Apply practical modifications to myofunctional therapy for patients with EDS, POTS, MCAS, TMD, and complex orofacial pain.
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​Disclosures
Founder and owner of MYOLAVITA® and Unlocking Jaw Secrets Academy® and receives income from educational courses, webinars, and clinical services.
Receives speaker travel and accommodations for this presentation from the MyoSphere
An independent doTERRA Wellness Advocate and may receive commissions from the sale of doTERRA products.
RDH, PHDH, FDHA, COM®, IBCLC
Joy Lantz
Regulation Before Integration: Why Nervous System Barriers Matter in Myofunctional Therapy
Joy Lantz, RDH, PHDH, FADHA, COM®, IBCLC is a dental educator, consultant, and clinician dedicated to advancing integrative, prevention-focused care. She earned her certification in orofacial myology through the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM) in 2017 and is the immediate past president of the IAOM.
In 2022, she became an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), further deepening her whole-body approach to oral health. Joy is the founder of Joy Lantz: Transforming Oral Health, where she educates patients, parents, and professionals while consulting with dental practices seeking to thoughtfully integrate airway-centered care. Her passion lies in empowering dental and medical teams to collaborate in early screening for oral myofunctional and airway disorders to support lifelong health.
Presentation Description
Neuromuscular re-education is the foundation of myofunctional therapy, yet not all patients respond to treatment as expected. Despite appropriate structural intervention, individualized treatment plans, and patient participation, some patients continue to struggle with skill acquisition, consistency, and functional integration both during therapy sessions and in everyday life. Clinicians often recognize that progress has stalled but may not fully understand the underlying factors contributing to these challenges.
Using a series of clinical case studies, this course explores how nervous system regulation may influence motor learning, functional adaptation, and neuromuscular integration in patients. Participants will examine how breathing dysregulation, whole-body tension patterns, and developmental motor integration challenges can alter oral function and contribute to inconsistent therapeutic outcomes.
Rather than focusing on isolated exercises or protocols, this presentation emphasizes clinical reasoning to help clinicians recognize when regulation may be the limiting factor to successful integration. Through interdisciplinary discussion and practical application, attendees will gain a broader understanding of how nervous system function influences myofunctional outcomes and how these insights can support more individualized treatment planning, appropriate referrals, and improved long-term carryover.
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​Learner Outcomes
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​Analyze how nervous system regulation influences motor learning, neuromuscular integration, and functional carryover in myofunctional therapy patients.
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Describe clinical presentations in which breathing dysregulation, whole-body tension patterns, or developmental motor integration challenges may contribute to limited treatment progress despite appropriate intervention.
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Apply case-based clinical reasoning to identify regulation-related barriers, modify treatment strategies, and facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration to improve functional outcomes.
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​Disclosures
Receives speaker fee and accommodations for the symposium from the MyoSphere.
Ownership interests in Joy Lantz, Oral Function Specialties.
Receives compensation from courses sold on website store at JoyLantz.com.
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Immediate past president of the Board of Directors of the IAOM, current president of the Board of Examiners of the IAOM (as of April 2027)
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PT
Walt Fritz
Manual Therapy for the Tongue
Walt Fritz, PT, has worked as an educator in the manual therapy field since the mid-1990s and, in 2013, expanded into teaching speech-language pathologists/therapists and others with aligned interests on voice, swallowing, oral motor, and airway issues, now teaching his Foundations in Manual Therapy: Voice and Swallowing Disorders internationally. Though manual therapy has historically been described as a passive modality that remediates local tissue-based problems, Walt has evolved the manual therapy model into an active one, incorporating strong movement-based components and honoring newer views of the multifactorial effects of touch-based interventions. Exercise is an inclusion in all his seminars, as it blends smoothly with manual therapy. Walt's approach leans strongly on shared decision-making rather than one-sided clinician perspectives, with the principles it embodies applicable across the spectrum of therapeutic models. His workshops challenge learners to look beyond what they were taught and know the potential of multifactorial impacts and drivers throughout the therapeutic process. In addition to teaching, Walt maintains a physical therapy practice in Upstate New York, USA.
Publications:
• "The mechanism of action for laryngeal manual therapies: the need for an update." (2024) Current Opinion in Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery.
• "Manual Therapy in Voice and Swallowing: A Person-Centered Approach," by Compton Publishing Ltd (2023).
• Contributing author for The Oxford Handbook of Voice Pedagogy, which will be published by Oxford University Press (2026 release).
• Contributing author for The Vocal Athlete, published by Plural Publications (2024).
Presentation Description
In this three-hour workshop, the learner will be introduced to the core conditions for providing manual therapy and related exercise interventions to the tongue region. A thorough grounding will be provided, updating the explanatory narratives on the effects of both manual therapy and exercise beyond the “stretching and strengthening tissues” to reflect current understanding of both intervention strategies. While the necessary principles for exposure to the approach are taught throughout the Foundations in Manual Therapy Seminars training, such multifactorial exposure will aid the clinician in modifying their view of the impact of all their intervention strategies. This workshop will include hands-on labs, providing participants with strong take-home strategies they can begin using immediately.
​Learner Outcomes
As a result of this activity, the learner will:
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Describe the underlying mechanisms of action of manual therapy and exercise.
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Apply three examples of how manual therapy and exercise can be applied to the tongue region to build functional capacity and awareness.
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Identify and describe at least two contraindications for the application of tongue manual therapy and stretching.
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​Disclosures
Owner of Walt Fritz, PT/Pain Relief Center and Foundations in Manual Therapy Seminars and received a salary for work done.
Receives royalties from Talk Tools.
​Receives travel and accommodations for speaking from The MyoSphere
DMD, FAGD, FAACP, DABCDSM
Dr. Angela Tenholder
Nonsurgical Treatment of Pediatric & Adult Sleep Apnea
Dr. Angie Tenholder is a general dentist with over three decades of
experience, mother of three, wife of an Air Force Veteran and educator for The Synergy Academy and creator of the BabyLase technique. Her accomplishments include Board Certification in the American Board of
Craniofacial Dental Sleep Medicine (ABCDSM) where she currently serves as President on the Board of Directors.
In addition, Dr. Tenholder has achieved Fellowship status in the Academy of Craniofacial Pain (AACP) and the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). She is the former Chairperson of the AACP Educational Committee and completed her final term on the Board of Directors in 2025.
Dr. Tenholder is a passionate advocate for bringing awareness to the
importance of the development of neural circuits of the trigeminal region in the context of idealized oral neuromyofunction, especially in the first 1000 days of life. By using both neurologically supportive dental devices and highly sophisticated laser therapies of OraLase, RestOralase and BabyLase, leverage can be gained over aspects of human health and function that go beyond the airway and above the level of care offered through more traditional approaches to addressing the challenges associated with treating craniofacial pain, dentofacial development and sleep disordered breathing.
She has been providing ALF Therapy daily in her clinical practice for over a decade, OraLase for over 7 years and is the developer of BabyLase. Helping patients and providers benefit from procedures that improve quality of life is her passion.
Presentation Description
BabyLase is a gentle, non-invasive low-level laser therapy (photobiomodulation) designed primarily for infants and toddlers to relieve oral tension and regulate the nervous system. It is frequently used to treat tethered oral tissues like tongue and lip ties. The profound benefits—often referred to as "miracles" by practitioners and parents—are rooted in science and fall into the following core areas:
Improved Feeding & Latching: By relaxing restrictive tissues under the tongue and in the lips, the therapy can immediately help infants latch more comfortably and nurse more efficiently.
Nervous System Regulation: The laser light feels like a mild warmth, which helps calm the autonomic nervous system. This can drastically reduce infant fussiness, aid in primitive reflex integration, and promote better sleep.
Support for Tethered Tissues: When used as a standalone therapy, it can sometimes improve oral mobility enough to avoid surgery. When used
alongside a surgical release (frenectomy), it softens fascial tension before the procedure and accelerates post-op healing by reducing inflammation and pain.
Enhanced Sensory & Motor Skills: By stimulating cranial nerves and improving nerve-muscle interactions, it promotes healthy "suck-swallow-
breathe" reflexes and early oral-motor development.
​Learner Outcomes
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​Disclosures
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A.A.S, RDH, BS, QOM
Becky Ellsworth
Extinguished! An Oral Habit Protocol for Teens and Adults
Becky Ellsworth (A.A.S., RDH, BS, QOM) has been an RDH and college instructor at Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC) for over 40 years. She initially served as assistant instructor under Marge Snow, an Orofacial Myology trailblazer. Marge developed the first ever training program in Orofacial Myology as a required course within a dental hygiene curriculum. Upon Marge’s retirement, Becky assumed the position, and continues as KVCC’s instructor in this specialty area.
Since 2013, Becky has had the extreme pleasure of being part of the instructional team at Neo-Health Services, providing Qualification courses in Orofacial Myology to professionals throughout the world. Becky authored Extinguished!, a habit control program uniquely for teens and adults. It was published and released in 2024.
Becky has also provided her services for evaluations and treatment at
Kalamazoo Speech Associates, a private speech/orofacial myology clinic. Additionally, she continues to speak at various dental and speech pathology venues with the hope of broadening the growth and impact of orofacial myology worldwide .
In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening, travel, crossword puzzles, walking, and most of all, being a part of her seven grandchildren’s lives.
Presentation Description
One group of people that have never really had a program of their own are the teens and adults who are struggling with habits. As an orofacial myologist, this barrier must be eliminated before any successful program can be accomplished. The presentation will include information concerning brain development, formation time frames, ages of patients, and how they make a difference when trying to break a habit. An overview of the protocol will be discussed while exploring the differences between children and teens/adults when working with Oral Habits. Using a case study scenario, participants will be walked through Extinguished! Teen/Adult oral habit elimination protocol increasing the chances of successful elimination.
​​Learner Outcomes
After the presentation, participants will be able to:
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Describe the difference between neural pathway and neural plasticity as related to habit development.
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Describe the four main states of the Extinguished! protocol.
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List the four Key Elements needed for a successful outcome.
​Disclosures
Receives speaker fee and accommodations for the Symposium from the MyoSphere.
Receives royalties for Extinguished! which is sold on the website store at www.orofacialmyology.com.
Receives compensation from KVCC, Neohealth, Kalamazoo Speech Associates, and dental conferences.
Non-financial: Examiner on the Qualification in Orofacial Myology Committee.