INITIATIVE: SUSTAIN
POLLINATING SUSTAINABLE CHANGE
Supporting youth activists and young-at-heart change-makers with self-sustainability education, holistic health care, and mentorship.
TO CREATURES WIDE AWAKE AND TAKING AIM:
We envision a world brimming with life- where ecosystems flourish and people thrive as humanity shifts into right relation with nature and draws upon her holistic power to heal our broken systems.
We aim to shine light within the darkness of our society’s disconnection, aware that anything which brings light must endure burning.
It is our mission to kindle the sacred fire of transformation.
We empower activists- those who carry the flames of change- with tools for personal sustainability and community care, ensuring that their passion for change-making burns brightly without burning them out.
As a non-profit project, we are dedicated to making wellness education, training, and mentorship accessible to Earth Guardians living their lives in service to our collective. We work to nurture their well-being by offering our signature training program at no cost to the participants within each fellowship cohort.
OUR PROGRAM CONSISTS OF:
9 Months Interactive Online Study
Our online curriculum weaves wisdom from ancient medicine traditions with modern approaches to health and self-sustainability. Participants take part in live online classes, audio and video lessons, written materials, and group discussions all designed to accommodate diverse schedules and time zones. The multidisciplinary curriculum aims to equip activists with practical tools to support physical, mental, and community well-being, empowering them to maintain resilience while navigating the unique challenges of their work.
3 Months Coaching Integration
Learning doesn’t stop with knowledge- it comes alive through practice. During the final three months of the program, our integration coaches work closely with participants to support them in implementing their new skills and establishing meaningful rituals for self-care and community care. A supportive network of mentors and peers further reinforces this process, helping participants embody the tools and practices needed to stay grounded, balanced, and effective in their daily lives.
2 In-Person Campouts
The program opens and concludes with in-person camp gatherings designed to anchor our learning journey in nature and cultivate a sense of connection amongst the cohort. These two weekends will be spent outdoors, where we can breathe together, share stories, and commune around a sacred fire. Together, we’ll create a space for reflection, healing, and the celebration of personal growth, nourishing both bodies and spirits as participants prepare to continue their vital work in the world.
CURRICULUM:
YOGA & MEDITATION
FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT
SOMATIC THERAPY
AYURVEDIC MEDICINE
CONSCIOUS COMMUNICATION
RELATIONAL REPAIR WORK
MEDIATION
FACILITATION
INDIGENOUS EARTH TEACHINGS
COMMUNITY RITUAL & GRIEF WORK
IFS INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS
TRAUMA SUPPORT & UNWINDING
“ If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundation under them.”
– Henry David Thoreau
WORDS FROM THE FOUNDER:
The creative Sherrie Rabinowitz once said:
“Artists must create on the same scale that society has the capacity to destroy”
This is needed now more than ever, as we dance along the edge of environmental collapse brought about by a lack of right relation and healthy connection- connection within ourselves, amongst each other, and with our earthly environment.
Communities and nature are in need of reparations and restorative justice; balance is needed both within the ecosystems of our bodies and the systems of human society. However, great visions of environmental regeneration and social justice cannot be actualized without foundations strong enough to support the process of creation.
Both ancient wisdom and modern science can guide us with developing the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and interpersonal skills needed to navigate amid challenging circumstances- to remain resilient, to persevere, to thrive.
Holistic living, through thought and action, is a revolutionary act in a world divided. It is my deepest intention as a holistic therapist and educator to support the reawakening of this ability so that the artists and activists among us can create change with more astounding effectiveness and foundations of personal wellness- with ease and grace, supported by the rhythms of nature.
That poetic pulse beating life, death, New Life.
In love and service, Sascha Nicole, AP, CYT
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT & TEACHING TEAM
Sascha Nicole, AP, CYT, is a Clinical Ayurvedic Practitioner, Tantra Educator, and Somatic Ceremonialist devoted to embracing the transformative power of intimacy and connection throughout the dance of life. She operates an international private practice, teaching and consulting remotely through her virtual clinic, WildDivine.love. With a focus on Eastern Medicine practices, Sascha blends personalized nutritional and herbal therapies, somatic techniques, and mind-body coaching with traditional Ayurvedic treatments to promote elemental health and balance. She is deeply committed to supporting individuals and families in cultivating embodied, harmonious relationships with themselves and others, fortifying foundations for purpose-driven, passionate lives. This is her Holy Mission. When not serving Ayurvedic medicine or sharing somatic therapy, she can be found wandering in a forest, getting down on a dance floor, or in a kitchen, cooking for people she loves. Groove along on Insta @CreatureDivine.
CONTACT INITIATIVE SUSTAIN
ORIGIN STORY, IN HER WORDS:
Initiative:Sustain arose from the energy of community activism during the 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement. As a young adult, I was introduced to the Los Angeles protests by my dear friend Frannie, an artist and activist. Together we joined “The Art Bloc,” a group of artists who gathered regularly on the steps of City Hall to collaborate and explore how they could contribute to creating change. Adam Overton, a union organizer and professor, led a workshop for our group called “Massage for Artists and Activists.” He opened with a powerful message about the toll activism can take on mental health, sharing that several community members had recently lost their lives to suicide.
“In the past two weeks, we have lost three prominent members of our activist community to suicide. We are sensitive people – we feel deeply, and those of us who are engaged with what is happening now know firsthand hand – there is a lot of intensity to feel. We need to support each other. We need to learn how to better show up and hold space for one another. Touch, massage, and compassionate presence can all be healing. It isn’t everything, but it is a start and we need to start somewhere.”
Adam’s words planted a seed within my heart. I had personally survived similar struggles and reflected upon the role holistic healing modalities played in my own recovery and journey through trauma and depression. Years later, after much education and personal growth, I’ve become a therapist and educator committed to sharing the knowledge and magic within these systems of healing. Holistic medicine and integrative therapies have demonstrated to me, both personally and professionally, a depth of empowerment and effective care I feel must be shared freely at this precarious time.
Initiative:Sustain is an embodiment of this vision—a project designed to support empathetic activists and change-makers through the overwhelming demands of frontline activism. By providing holistic health education and mentorship, we aim to foster resilience among those working to create change. As we build Initiative:Sustain, collaborations with health professionals and educators are taking root, and an advisory council is forming to ensure the project meets the needs of those we seek to serve. We seek to provide an educational container strong enough to support engaged learning and flexible enough to allow for personal development and integration.
Much like seeds waiting for the right season to sprout, this initiative is now taking root, ready to grow and support the next generation of activists endeavoring through environmental and liberation work. Like seeds, artists and activists are resilient. Tenacious. Animated by devotion felt for the wellbeing of a collective bigger than ourselves. May we weave our roots together – with ancient wisdom, with modern science, with each other – to grow and create steadily in an unsteady world.
In Love and Service,
Sascha Nicole, AP CYT
Founder & Co-Conspirator