Teresa Kaelin

Owner & Virtual Director

Teresa Kaelin MSOTR/L has been operating Brain Balance Centers for over 8 years. Teresa found Brain Balance in her own search to help her children succeed. Her son had sensory processing issues, ADHD and other developmental concerns to which she tried traditional methods for 15 years before changing her sons’ life with Brain Balance. Brain Balance had a profound impact on her son and their family. Brain Balance has helped all her children reach their full potential and succeed in their endeavors, not only with developmental concerns but also in football and swimming. Teresa has a Master of Occupational Therapy and a Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders. She worked for over 25 years as an Occupational Therapist, spending most of her career working with children with disabilities in private practice and educational settings. She conducted various continuing education courses to educators on topics of Sensory Processing, Handwriting, and Executive Functioning. Tereas also has taught Anatomy/Physiology at a local community college for over 10 years. In her free time, Teresa likes to spend time with her family, travel to watch her children play their college sports, and travel to new locations.

Donni Kinghorn

Center Director

Donni Kinghorn is the Center Director at Brain Balance Des Moines. She's been part of Brain Balance for over four years, the last three as director here in Des Moines.

Donni's educational background is in health psychology, the study of how the brain and body work together and shape one another, so Brain Balance's whole-body approach felt like exactly the right fit from day one. She has her BA in Health Psychology and Psychology with a minor in Health and Exercise Science from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. She's always believed people do their best when their brain and body are functioning at their best, and getting to help families reach that every day is what drew her to this work.

A few years into the job, Donni realized something: she was a kid who needed Brain Balance too. Growing up, she was the model student, straight A's, and well-behaved at school, but at home she was having meltdowns almost every day. She'd spent her whole life compensating without ever knowing that's what she was doing. When she went through the program herself as an adult, she felt the difference firsthand, and it changed how she understands this work. She doesn't just run a program she believes in. She's lived the other side of it too, and that's exactly why she loves what we do at Brain Balance everyday.

Emma Samples

Program Director

Emma Samples is the Program Director at Brain Balance of Des Moines. She first joined the center in May 2023 as a part-time coach right after graduating college, and quickly stepped into the Program Director role that August. Emma earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Behavioral Psychology from the University of Northern Iowa. While in school, she discovered her passion for child behavioral studies and focused her work on helping kids thrive and reach their fullest potential. She is now continuing her education through a master’s program in Industrial-Organizational Psychology to deepen her understanding of behavior and development. What Emma loves most about her role at Brain Balance is the hands-on experience of helping children grow, mature, and build skills that will benefit them for years to come. She also treasures the connections she forms with both the children and their families, making sure everyone feels supported every step of the way. Outside of work, Emma enjoys being outdoors, going for walks, watching movies, and spending time with the people she loves.