Our Educators

denim {d} chang

denim (he/they) is a politicized somatics trauma resolution practitioner and erotic power enthusiast. In his work, he bridges nervous system intelligence, the ancestral wisdom of their daoist lineage, and their personal practice of spiritual somatics to support our healing work in feeling more vulnerability, intimacy and belonging. His work centers the body as the ground for our liberation, and the embodiment of pleasure as our resistance.

He identifies as a transmasculine nonbinary immigrant and survivor on the autism spectrum, and a love and sex addict in recovery. In 2024, he created Somatics for the People, an emerging school for liberatory embodiment and trauma resolution skills centering the experiences of QTBIPOC.

Monica Climaco

monica climaco (she/they) believes her purpose on earth is to enjoy life, on her own terms, being as true to herself as possible. and she believes in helping people with the same purpose, the same desire.

monica's work as a somatic practitioner is an interweaving of movement, connection with nature, community care, free writing, play, improv, ceremony, and other spiritual and creative modalities. they root and ground in radical embodied authenticity, sovereignty, pleasure, and aliveness as the foundations for healing, transformation, and collective liberation.

as a survivor of suicide attempts, still living with suicidality, monica is also dedicated to providing support and safe haven for fellow survivors who are strengthening their relationships with their reasons to stay, especially within societal constructs that give so many reasons to go. monica is a queer, neurodivergent, immigrant person of color.

Samantha Magnolia

Samantha Magnolia (she/they/all) is the founder and visionary behind The Altar of Us by Ìyá Wellness, a sanctuary at the intersection of the ancestral and physical realms offering rituals and systems for embodied healing and reclamation. As a Rootworker, Birthkeeper, and Somatic Plant Medicine Facilitator, they hold space for descendants of the diaspora to reconnect with their divine humanness and reclaim ancestral knowledge. Their work is rooted in reverence for community, lineage, and the Spirit of our collective history.

Every offering is a reflection of their sacred path of M.Othering and the guiding principles of Sankofa and Maat, honoring a vision where Black, Queer, and parenting people thrive in sovereign, spiritually connected communities.