Our Team

Victoria Santos

  • Victoria’s work is rooted in a far-reaching vision of human potential. Her deep commitment to our collective liberation has expressed itself in myriad ways over 35 years of leadership and creative changemaking.

    Victoria has trained in the fields of psychology, conflict resolution, meditation, rituals and embodied practices. She holds a Master’s degree from SUNY-Albany as well as multiple certifications in transformative and healing practices.

    In the US and internationally, Victoria has been a creator, leader and trusted advisor for a wide range of initiatives supporting racial justice, gender justice, healing and exploration in community. She recently created and led the Three Black Men project with Orland Bishop, Bayo Akomolafe and Resmaa Menakem. This three-continent journey fostered deep exploration and vibrant new community connections. She has supported the project’s principals in asking vital questions, forging a new synthesis, and cultivating shared ground as they brought their visionary work to a wider community.

    Additionally, Victoria collaborated on launching the national Racial Healing Initiative, funded by the Kellogg Foundation and held by the Retreat Center Collaboration. For over 15 years, she co-led Sister Island Project, a nonprofit focused on cultural exchange and rural community development in the Dominican Republic.

    Victoria is a leader in advocating for BIPOC-led nonprofits creating rest and respite opportunities for BIPOC nonprofit leaders, creating new avenues of access to deeply needed resources. She has also spearheaded and facilitated many initiatives empowering girls and women across the nation around issues of health, equity, empowerment, creative arts, connection to the natural world, career opportunities and financial well-being. Victoria has advised numerous philanthropists on racial equity and was invited by Ava DuVernay’s team to provide input on the Netflix documentary When They See Us.

    Victoria’s particular gifts as a facilitator of healing conversations are widely appreciated. Balancing warm compassion with decisive clarity, she has led hundreds of groups in transformative explorations that catalyze healing and discovery—participants range from European war survivors to Black women in the US to Brazilian community members and many others.

    Victoria also leads groups and individuals in meditative explorations drawn from the Realization Process®. Developed by Judith Blackstone, this process is a body-centered approach to personal and spiritual healing and maturity. For ten years, Victoria assisted Sobonfu Somé in leading grief rituals according to the Dagara traditions of Burkina Faso, which also informs Victoria’s work. In all her group work, Victoria weaves together methods that engage the energy of our hearts, minds and lived somatic experience, and that invite us to attend to our intuition.

    Victoria knows the power of community and the wisdom that can emerge from it. Her work is guided by the fundamental perception that everyone is needed, and that when we offer each other our compassionate listening, we cultivate our collective freedom.

  • Sayvanna is an advocate for social justice with a passion for empowering BIPOC youth an women. Fueled by her own Afro-Latina background, she leverages her expertise in Agriculture Education, Youth leadership development, and teaching to build capacity for non-profit organizations with like-minded pursuits. Her work focuses on providing reparations through racial justice programming, ensuring disenfranchised individuals have the resources and opportunities to thrive, and creating comprehensive curriculums for transformative programs.

    Sayvanna's dedication extends beyond her professional pursuits as she is a champion for health, wellness, strength-based training, the power of personal growth, self-discovery, and well-cooked meal. When she isn't working to create positive change, Sayvanna enjoys spending time in nature, exploring new destinations, and nurturing her love for personal development or embarking on her list of one-too many hobbies.

    Sayvanna shares her life with a beloved 5-pound canine companion named Tobias. Together, they embark on adventures, both big and small, always striving to make a positive impact on the world around them.

Facilitators & Partners

  • Lisa Simms Booth

    Smith Center for Healing and the Arts

  • Cristina Orbe

  • Milicent Johnson

    Octavia Fund

Advisors

  • Clinical Research Professional.

    Dr. Hawk is a biophysicist whose epigenetic research experience includes conducting climate assessments, and recommending and implementing solutions to discovered problems. She has organized and facilitated research symposiums that addressed health issues such as child and maternal health, malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV in developing countries. She has also worked to introduce meditation practices to students from marginalized communities, and she has researched the use of bioremediation methodology to eliminate toxins from the soil and water in urban areas.

  • Participatory Funding and Coalition Building Consultant. Community Impact Manager, Education Strategies, United Way of King County.

    Originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, Haydeé bases her practice in her Indigenous values of collectivity, honoring the knowledges of her community, fighting for social justice and a vision of a better future for generations to come. Haydeé’s mission is to work in community organizing and community healing with decolonizing practices and anti-racist frameworks. She knows our work must be done together, intersectionally, to arrive to our collective liberation.

  • Denise recently served as the Director of Human Services for El Centro De La Raza in Seattle, WA. She began her career providing direct services to working families, immigrants and refugees, and children in the Latino community, in Colorado and New Mexico. At an early age, she learned from her grandparents to honor “La Tierra Madre” (mother earth), and to honor our ancestors—a belief she continues to practice today. Understanding the health disparities facing low-income Latinas, Denise launched Hermanas Triathlon to empower Latina non-athletes to discover new expressions of health, wellness, personal power, and community connections. More recently, she created the Circulos Sagradas (Sacred Circles) program for community members to have a safe place for their healing journey.