"Human connection is a primary disruptor of oppressive systems."

Aaron Johnson is a facilitator, public speaker, and touch activist who practices closeness as a way to break down barriers between people. As co-founder of both Holistic Resistance and Grief to Action, Aaron takes the time to hold the stories of Black people around homophobia, transphobia, internalized racism, and those that are Chronically UnderTouched.

Grief to Action is a semi-mobile camp with a land-based community in the Mojave Desert. The community holds space on the land and with the land for deep grief and rage that gives birth to the creative solutions we need to resist and end oppressive systems. The land and sanctuary are Black-owned and Black-led, centering the needed grief support for African-heritage folks and all People of the Global Majority.

Interrupting four hundred years of the Black Brute archetype. Tender, caring, platonic touch between Black men, the Chronically UnderTouched (CUT) Project’s short film, Dark and Tender, drops Fall 2024.

Because oppression is a part of historical and present American culture, the long term impact of those trauma stories should be acknowledged and held as a map for our collective healing.

Aaron Johnson practices and invites various methods of moving through these stories, such as the communal listening ear, sound healing, meditation, and closeness to the earth.

The bulk of Grisha's career has been in interspecies families, developing ways for professional dog trainers to help dogs and people live peacefully in community. 

Stellar Village came to her in a dream as a place where meaningful friendships are made across space and dividing lines, an antidote to violence and oppression.

Grisha's work at Stellar Village is to co-craft the vision, to help make the site itself, and gather folks to teach, lead songs, and hold space for discussions and grief.  

Grisha's superpower is to bring in people to weave Stellar Village as a collective space with the relational skills it takes for humans to live in community with all beings.

Paloma, dyed-in-the-wool graphic designer, a marketing virtuoso, and team strategist. She's built her marketing chops over two decades working in sports, education technology, hospitality and several other industries. 

She has been part of the Village from its inception, helping design and structure its brand and vision to its fullest potential. 

Over the years, she's sought inspiration from the jungles of Colombia, the urban Texas' concrete expanses, and remote corners of the mountain west. Her explorer's soul goes beyond just travel and permeates her thinking: Paloma loves the challenge of creating new brand positioning, voice, and visuals. Today, the sweeping vistas of northern Montana. 

Sheniqua is an activist, singer-songwriter, community leader, mother, and vocal empowerment coach based in Brooklyn, New York. 

She also hosts our online community singing with songleaders here in the village. 

Sheniqua’s sessions go beyond simply singing together; she creates a holistic journey of self-discovery and connection. Through intentional breath work, gentle stretching, and guided meditation, she helps participants release tension, center their minds, and open themselves up to the full potential of their voices.

Sheniqua creates sessions that culminate in the joyous expression of collective harmony, where seasoned vocalists and complete beginners alike come together in a non-judgmental space to share their voices and connect with others.