For Christina Flanagan Bistis, health and wellness are more than a professional pursuit—they are her way of life. As the Community Outreach Coordinator for Avalon Assisted Living and Bridgeway Care at Home, she has built a career blending compassion, connection, and holistic wellness.
Christina’s journey made an intentional pivot in 2017, when she returned to school to study Integrative Wellness. “I wanted to learn holistic modalities that could provide tranquility for the mind, body, and soul,” she says. What started as curiosity soon became her calling. She immersed herself in meditation, yoga, and ancient therapeutic practices—finding her purpose in helping others create a practice to sustain balance in a fast-paced world.
Her professional journey became even more inspired once she began working at Life Time Bridgewater, where she joined as a Concierge in 2019 and quickly became known for her positive and authentic energy. As she grew into an event coordinator and then a certified yoga teacher, she began sharing meditation, aromatherapy, and sound therapy with Life Time members. Parallel to this time in her unfolding, she found a deep fulfillment working with older adults, leading meditation sessions in senior care settings throughout Hunterdon and Somerset county.
“Spending time with older adults became one of the most profound influences on my life. I learned how deeply seniors crave connection, presence, and purpose—and I saw how therapeutic holistic practices were for them in the later years of their life,” she says.
That realization led her to Bridgeway Senior Healthcare, where she now merges her love for wellness with community outreach. “Bridgeway and Avalon are family-owned/operated and mission-driven as a Continuum of Care which aligns with my mission as well,” Christina says. Through her work, Christina shares chair and mat yoga classes, breathwork, and sound therapy—or “guided instrument meditation,” as she calls it for her senior groups—to residents and the wider community. “I adapt the pace, but the essence is the same,” she says. “We focus on breath, intention, and gratitude, providing internal self-care for the whole person.”
Her programs—such as Holistic Happy Hours and Community Meditation events—encourage connection through gentle movement, aromatherapy, and mindful discussion. She has also began sharing recordings of meditations through Bridgeway’s Holistic Wellness online library, expanding access to therapeutic resources for the entire community as she shares the benefits of “Conscious Stillness” with anyone who tunes in.
Christina believes Gratitude is the foundation of well-being. “We must be grateful first, and the rest will follow,” she says. Her personal brand, Live and Feel Gratitude, was born from that philosophy back in 2017 from her son’s initials and continues to shape her work, life, and energetic presence.
Looking ahead to 2026, Christina plans to deepen her outreach by introducing Grief Preparation classes. At 36 years old, she sees people quietly struggling with grief in different ways—from the various chapters of loss, life transitions, identity shifts, and even the slow ache of watching a loved one’s health decline. She says that she has realized, “grief is inevitable, and it does not avoid anyone. With all the advancement in humanity, through psychology, technology, AI, and beyond- the emotional wellness within the chapter of loss has yet to be cultivated, or so that [she] has seen.” She wants to create a positive change within that realm and so Christina’s goal is to empower the community with the ability to strengthen their emotional fitness and learn how to, “hold gratitude and grief at the same time.”
Her message for the new year is simple yet powerful: “Prioritize protein, whole foods, and laughter. Let the sun warm your cheeks, move your body, meditate, and stay connected. Wellness isn’t just what we eat or how we exercise—it’s who we share our time with and how we live and feel gratitude.” If you are interested to attend one of Christina's upcoming Yoga/Sound Baths or workshops, please visit https://www.bshcare.com/holistic-senior-care.html email her at Cflanaganbistis@bshcare.com, or follow Christina on Instagram @liveandfeelgratitude.