Aspen & Elder

Rooted together across generations.

A non-profit in Sacramento, CA.

MISSION

Aspen & Elder exists to relieve isolation and build lasting connection across every generation. Through accessible classes, workshops, and community gatherings in Sacramento, we bring people of all ages together to learn from one another, care for one another, and belong to something larger than themselves. No one is turned away for inability to pay, because everyone deserves a place where they are seen and supported through every season of life.

Three Pillars of Connection

01
Connection to Self

Feeling at home in your body at any age, shape, or stage; tools to regulate the nervous system; and education for the many transitions a life moves through.

02
Connection to Others

A close circle you can rely on, and intergenerational community that brings elders and children into the same room: story times, shared art, community gardening, and music.

03
Connection to Earth

Grounding in what the natural world provides: nature walks, plant identification, sustainability projects, and seasonal practice.

Meet the Board

Aspen & Elder's board brings together educators, healers, business owners, and community builders, each contributing their own lived expertise in creating spaces where people genuinely connect. From trauma-informed care and financial stewardship to grant strategy and creative programming, every board member's unique background strengthens the organization's ability to serve people of all ages and walks of life. Together, this diverse mix of skills and heart is what makes Aspen & Elder's vision of intergenerational connection and belonging possible.

The Vision

  • A long dining table set up for a cooking or tasting event, with wooden mortars and pestles, bottles of olive oil, herbs, and condiments, in a rustic indoor setting.
  • A group of people attending a meditation session in a bright room with large windows and outdoor greenery.
  • Interior of a store with hanging bundles of herbs or flowers, wooden shelves with jars and pots, and people shopping.
  • A group of women sitting on chairs and floor cushions in a cozy, decorated indoor space with plants, rugs, and a modern industrial design, engaged in a craft or workshop activity.
  • Group of people practicing yoga, stretching with arms raised in a spacious room.
  • A woman leading a yoga or meditation class in a studio with three participants lying on yoga mats, all in a relaxed pose.
  • Six women sitting in a cozy living room, engaging in conversation and reading books, with a large window, bookshelves, and a rug visible.
  • A woman is playing crystal singing bowls in a cozy, dimly-lit room with people lying on mats, some under blankets. The room is decorated with plants, candles, and arched shelves with decorative items, including a wall art with an eye symbol and the word 'kanekshun' underneath.
  • Close-up of hands and feet digging into dark soil with green plants around, with the caption "I am rooted."

Create and be the Village

Text-based graphic with purple background promoting 'The Village' by Aspen & Elder, welcoming practitioners, healers, makers, and resources.
The Village Bulletin cover page with the title in large font, with the subtitle 'Ask what you need. Offer what you can.'

Meet Your Teachers

These are just a few of the amazing practitioners/makers who want to host classes and workshops at Aspen & Elder.

With your help, we can make this a reality!

Portrait of a dark-skinned woman with short black hair, wearing hoop earrings and a denim shirt, standing in front of an exposed brick wall with a green plant on the side.

Ariel Sudds

My name is Aerial Sudds, I am the founder of Aligned Healing, I specialize in Somatic Rehabilitation — a trauma-informed approach to bodywork that supports nervous system healing, emotional release, and physical recovery.

Aligned Healing

Visit Ariel's Website
A woman with long wavy brown hair and blue eyes sitting indoors near a window, smiling softly with her hand resting on her chin. 
Tanicia Baynes
Wild and Rooted

The Rooted Experience is a dedication to creating authentic relationships with our Self, others, and the world at large by having access to a breadth of powerful & respectable healers.

In addition to The Rooted Experience, I also work with women in an intimate 1:1 experience that focuses on accessing & reweaving unconscious beliefs and creating new neural pathways that become the foundation for radical self-love.

Visit Tanicia's Website
A woman with short, curly dark hair smiling against a red brick wall, wearing a gray sweater, gold hoop earrings, and a delicate gold necklace.

Dr. Antonella Aguilera-Ruiz

You may have seen multiple doctors and know that the root cause isn’t being addressed. You’re ready for your story to be taken seriously and for someone to listen carefully with kindness and compassion. And most importantly, you’d like a roadmap to return to health so that your life can expand again.

Wild Lemon Health
Visit Dr. Antonella's Website
A woman with short dark hair and a nose piercing smiling, standing next to green ivy leaves. 
Winds of Change

Riva Jean-Paul

In today’s fast-paced, high-pressure professional environments, it’s more important than ever to create cultures of safety, connection, and resilience. Whether you're in education, mental health, community support, or organizational leadership, trauma-informed training isn't a luxury—it's essential.

Each offering is rooted in somatic awareness, trauma-informed principles, and a feminine approach to leadership that honors nervous system care, boundary-setting, and collaborative culture building.

Visit Riva's Website
A woman with curly hair and tattoos smiling and holding purple flowers in a lush green garden. 
Jessica Airhart

I am here to support you with personalized, compassionate massage therapy focused on supporting you in feeling at home in your bodi. I look forward to working with you as you discover what that means to you.

Nurtured Embodiment
Visit Jessica's Website
A woman with blonde hair and glasses smiling while holding a colorful deck of cards, sitting at a table with animal-themed card game boxes and a tabletop with dried flowers in a vase, in a room with warm lighting and green textured walls. 
Cassie

Heyo! I’m Cassie, the heart and hands behind Foster Goodness Esthetics, located in the sweet little sanctuary in Midtown, right in the heart of Sacramento.

I share life with my incredibly supportive partner—who has lovingly attended every funeral and rebirth of my becoming—and two weird-ass wiener dogs who keep things delightfully chaotic.

Before becoming an esthetician, I spent over a decade working in community resourcing, mental health, and family advocacy throughout Sacramento and LA. That time deeply shaped my approach to care, rooting everything I do in trauma-informed practice, deep listening, and radical softness.


Always learning. Always evolving. Always here, in love and reverence.

Foster Goodness
Visit Cassie's Website