Originally from Ottawa, KS, Professor Santarpia holds a PhD from Texas A&M University and serves as a professor of microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he studies disease transmission. He began training in jiu-jitsu in 2014 at age 38 under Kalo Lopez at Pitbull in Albuquerque, NM, drawn to the sport for its physical and mental health benefits. In 2016, he followed Professor Daniel Souza to Coyote BJJ in Albuquerque, earning his black belt under Souza in 2021. After relocating to Omaha, NE, he opened Coyote BJJ Omaha in 2022, and in July 2023 affiliated the school with the Carlson Gracie Team, following Souza's lead.

Natasha's teaching draws from multiple traditions — Hatha yoga through the Raja Yoga system, Jivamukti-inspired Vinyasa, Iyengar alignment, and Buddhist Vipassana meditation — woven into classes that are physically rigorous, mentally engaging, and grounded in functional movement. In 2024, she discovered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and became drawn to its creative physicality, soon recognizing a natural synergy between yoga and BJJ. Her classes offer movement that supports athletic performance, recovery, and longevity both on and off the mats.With over a decade of experience in bench and clinical research, and as a graduate student in AI-focused computer science, Natasha approaches yoga as ongoing experimentation and refinement.