Schedule
Friday, Nov 20: Connection
4:30 - 6:00 pm PST // 7:30 - 9:00 pm EST
We begin our weekend in community connection - setting intentions, remembering our ancestors, and holding space for our grief through ritual. Meet your new virtual family - a beautiful community of souls who will be walking through this weekend with you.
Opening Ceremonies co-hosted by Bea Martino, Reimagine event producer, multimedia artist and grief-advocate, Brad Wolfe, Reimagine Founder and Executive Director, Kristin Urquiza, activist and co-founder of Marked by COVID, and Brenda Salgado, mindfulness author, and traditional medicine woman.
Discussions in Grief & Gratitude Circles facilitated by Belinda Liu, founder of Gratitude Blooming and Omar Brownson, co-founder and CEO of the gratitude platform, gthx.
Saturday, Nov 21: Community & Creativity
8:30 - 11:00 am & 1:00 - 4:00 pm PST // 11:30 am - 2:00 pm & 4:00 - 7:00 pm EST
A day dedicated to holding space for grief, sharing our stories, learning from each other, and harnessing our inner creative spirit. We will connect with our innermost source of gratitude and love, and find ways to ground ourselves in the storms of grief. This day will include embodied practices, panel discussions, workshops, rituals, and a special keynote talk.
8:30 am PST / 11:30 am EST - Opening Meditation, Movement Practice & Welcome with Bea Martino, Kristin Urquiza, and mental health advocate, suicide loss survivor, and movement fluidity expert, Dionne Monsanto
9:00 am PST / 12:00 pm EST - Keynote Conversation: author and activist, Fred Guttenberg, in conversation with Kristin Urquiza
9:30 am PST / 12:30 pm EST - Discussion in Grief & Gratitude Circles facilitated by Marisa Urrutia Gedney from the COVID Grief Network
10:00 am PST / 1:00 pm EST - Panel Discussion: Honoring and Coping with Grief During the Holidays, with best-selling authors Claire Bidwell Smith, Tembi Locke, Sukey Forbes, Alison Gilbert, and Corey Kennard
1:00 pm PST / 4:00 pm EST - Workshops & Community Sessions:
2:00 pm PST / 5:00 pm EST - Workshops & Community Sessions:
3:00 pm PST / 6:00 pm EST - Artistic Offerings of dance, music, and poetry, hosted by Bea Martino. Performers include: Sasha Soreff, Margarita Castro McCabe, Rebbekah Vega-Romero, S.C. Says, Cida Vieira, Zina Bethea-Dawson, Isaac L. Thompson Jr. and more!
Sunday, Nov 22: Celebration
8:30 - 10:00 am PST // 11:30 am - 1:00 pm EST
A day of celebration! This will be a time to appreciate all that you have experienced during the weekend, deepen your connections with your virtual family, and prepare for the holiday week ahead.
Celebration and Mourning - in Words and Movement co-hosted by Bea Martino, Brad Wolfe, Kristin Urquiza, and choreographer and transformational facilitator Sasha Soreff
Post-Retreat Gatherings
Thursday, Nov 26: Sharing Stories of Thanks-Giving
9:00 - 10:30 am PST // 12:00 - 1:30 pm EST
A chance to gather and connect with your new virtual family on this day of Thanks-Giving. Share family stories, recipes, and hold space for each other’s grief and gratitude.
A Community Gathering co-hosted by Bea Martino, Brad Wolfe, Kristin Urquiza, and Roshni Kavate
Friday, Nov. 27 | When Night Falls: A Memory Gathering Experience
4:00 - 6:00 pm PST // 7:00 - 9:00 pm EST
“When Night Falls: A Memory Gathering Experience” is a soulful evening of remembering departed loved ones, through the powerful medium of language - both written and spoken. Across the terrain of poetry, journaling, and storytelling, we source resilience in the gifts that have been left behind to feed our souls. Co-hosted by end of life doula Oceana Sawyer and writer, grief coach, and interfaith minister Naila Francis.
Saturday, Nov. 28 | Tending Heart, Tending Grief
4:00 - 6:00 pm PST // 7:00 - 9:00 pm EST
“Tending Heart, Tending Grief” is an evening event to tend your grief through the expressive arts. The experience begins in the body with movement and dance. Then we’ll bring you down a bit into some gentle breathwork and yoga postures which then flows into an opportunity to express your grief through artwork. Co-hosted by end of life doulas Oceana Sawyer, and Jessica Reis, and trauma-informed creative facilitator Evelyn Andry.
Sunday, Nov. 29 | Balm for the Soul
12:00 - 1:00 pm PST // 3:00 - 4:00 pm EST
“Balm for the Soul” is a quiet space to commune with your loved one through guided meditation and journaling. Facilitated by end of life doulas Oceana Sawyer and Paymaneh Ghaffari.
Sunday, Nov. 29 | Game Night with Oceana and Friends
4:00 - 6:00 pm PST // 7:00 - 9:00 pm EST
Join end of life doula, Oceana Sawyer and her friends for an interactive Game Night. Have some fun celebrating what you are grateful for through an interactive game, complete with prizes!
Saturday, Dec 5: Recollect and Reconnect
8:30 - 11:00 am PST // 11:30 am - 1:00 pm EST
Reconnect with your virtual family through story sharing and rituals. This will be a time to reflect and share how the Thanksgiving holiday was for you, share your stories of grief and gratitude, and prepare for the coming winter holiday season.
Closing Ceremonies co-hosted by Bea Martino, Reimagine event producer, multimedia artist and grief-advocate, Brad Wolfe, Reimagine Founder and Executive Director, Kristin Urquiza, activist and co-founder of Marked by COVID, Dionne Monsanto, mental health advocate, suicide loss survivor, and movement fluidity expert, and Brenda Salgado, mindfulness author, and traditional medicine woman.