Robyn Farrell

Robyn Hussa Farrell, MFA, E-RYT

Instructor

Robyn Hussa Farrell, MFA, E-RYT co-founder and CEO of Sharpen, has spent the past 20 years collaborating with state agencies, educational systems, public health and psychology researchers to build and deliver evidence-based mental health prevention programs for K-12 schools and communities.  Certified in MBSR from the model out of University of Massachusetts School of Medicine, Robyn has created and led mindfulness-based stress reduction and yoga-based programs for medical treatment centers and for k12 schools.  Robyn’s experience working on the ground in treatment settings and with researchers in schools led her to see a need to scale her community-based programs by adapting them into video-based modules.  She and her husband, Tim, have developed over 4,000 documentary films on hundreds of mental health topics.  These films are the basis for the content within the Sharpen system.  Many of Robyn’s programs have been implemented by the award-winning non-profit, Mental Fitness, which delivers content and resources to Title 1 schools.  In particular, her eating disorder prevention programs have been utilized by over 500 agencies, schools and universities.  She published on this model in Eating Disorder: Journal of Treatment and Prevention in 2017.

Robyn is a member of the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) and The International Association for Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP), as well as a certified trainer for NAMI NH CONNECT Suicide Postvention program. Since 2013, she has proudly served on the Behavioral Health Task Force for United Way of the Piedmont, and directs the Suicide Prevention Initiative for Spartanburg county.  Robyn served as the Resilient Schools mindfulness trainer in SC Resilient Schools initiatives, is Founding Member of the Eating Disorder Recovery on Campus in Boston, was on the advisory committee for Way to Wellville/Rethink Health Community Engagement and Listening Campaign, served as SC Youth Suicide Prevention County Coordinator through the SC Department of Mental Health, was appointed to the Spartanburg County Adolescent Behavioral Health evaluation committee for Mary Black Foundation and is a Community Advisory Board member for Spartanburg School District Consortium, Office of Adolescent Health CDC grant committee.

Robyn has presented at more than 50 national medical and educational conferences and has received:

  • 2007 Drama Desk Award
  • 2010 Champion in Women’s Health award, Wisconsin Women’s Health Association
  • 2014 Peace Award, Converse College
  • 2017 Breakfast Business and Professional Women of Spartanburg, Finalist Award
  • 2017 Women of Distinction Award, Girl Scouts of SC Mountains to Midlands
  • 2017 Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award

Robyn earned a Bachelor of Arts in Drama with a single subject teaching credential in English from San Diego State University and a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Virginia. She and Tim live in San Diego with their new pug puppy Maggie Mayhem.

Summer 2023 Sections

Spring 2023 Sections

Fall 2022 Sections