Our collective practice
You don’t think your way into a different way of acting; you act your way into a different way of thinking.
Sister Judy Vaughan
Our (Growing) collective

connie ni chiu
Co-Founder & Racial Equity Practitioner
seeking collective rising
Deeply committed to equity and justice, Connie holds race, identity, and healing at the center of her work, engaging trust-building, humility, and humor as a practitioner and facilitator. Moving between Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and New York City, Connie has worked at the intersection of social justice and education for over a decade, including the implementation of the NYC Close to Home Initiative that realigned the youth justice and educational systems, as well as launching DEI strategic plans, programs, and vision as the founding Director of Inclusivity and Equity in a Los Angeles area school. As a lifelong learner, she graduated with a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley to the soundtrack of Critical Race Theory and Ethnic Studies, which (as all good music does) shaped the rest of her personal and professional life). She also holds an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University on policy work. Connie is a lover of stories and storytelling, and her hobbies include second-hand bookstores, creative writing, public transportation, music that moves, nourishing people through food, and courageous conversations.
Laotian & Chinese; Asian American; (grand)daughter of southeast asian refugees
Growing up through the tenderness of my family’s refugee experience feels like a gene that profoundly shapes how I see and move through the world.
it is up to us to reimagine, rebuild, and rebuild again
Injustice didn’t begin with us and it won’t end with us, and it’s still up to us because we are here with power and privilege. The question is, how will we use them?
Healing is radical love for people of color; let's be radical together
Our racial trauma is a structure. For us, healing is intergenerational; is not given to us but still ours; is always necessary. This kind of healing is our act of love and liberation.

dena scott
Co-Founder & Clinical Psychologist
seeking revolutionary wellness
Dena Scott is a licensed clinical psychologist driven to listen, serve, and connect. She was called to the mental health field as a young child and considers her career her heart’s work. From a very young age, she observed that wellness could not be tackled without a sociocultural lens. She also held that success as a mental health professional was defined by the quality of connection far more than prestige of degrees. Her career has taken her on a path that looks at the intersectionality of race, socioeconomic status, and mental health for addressing disparities within the health, justice, and educational systems in the Bay Area, New York City, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Dena’s passion for working with others, leadership, and program development has continued to push her into professional spaces that work towards advancing systems. In addition to establishing a private practice, Dena works as a mental health professional at an Atlanta area school, and is an associate facilitator for The Institute for Social Emotional Learning. When she is not engaging in her heart’s work, she can be found listening to anything neosoul, connecting with loved ones, reading an intriguing article, or painting another colorful canvas for her walls.
African American/Black woman; oakland, ca native; daughter and big sister
My late mom navigated through adversity in wondrous ways that left my sister and I believing she was part superhero, powers we only hope to have one day too.
pain is real, strength is real, healing is real, and all people should have fair access to thrive
Inequities have ravaged souls, spirits, and communities for centuries upon centuries. We all play a role in dismantling broken systems through acknowledgement, understanding, commitment, and action. What is your call to action in this journey?
Healing requires both patience and urgency for people of color; it is not a privilege, but a right
People of color have often been told to cope or be resilient with little to no space or tools to promote healing. Our healing promotes our wholeness individually and collectively. Our wholeness is power.