Welcome to AwareHaus

Hey y’all,

These chaotic and uncertain times have got me feeling like it’s more important than ever to prioritize being of service to my community. Since I began this project in 2023, I’ve had a bold vision - a world where queer people are free to explore, develop and express the fullness of their identities and receive the gifts of joy, belonging and love. I’m driven by a strong sense of purpose - to provide access to resources and services that empower the queer community on their journey toward healing, and the development of authentic and deeply satisfying connections. Over the last few months, I’ve been working on implementing some changes that I believe will help move us closer towards that vision.

Redefining the core services

This project began as an effort to create alternative spaces for the queer community. The aim was to design and host events that feature a wide array of offerings and experiences - spiritual practices, the arts, educational workshops, conscious parties and more. There’s been an amazing response and I’ve seen a real desire for alternatives to the traditional social scenes and cultural norms.

Through this work, I’ve also encountered many other conscious queer community builders who share the same vision and are doing similar work. I believe true liberation comes from embracing community as a support system. So instead of trying to create these alternative spaces all on my own, I’m redirecting my energy toward empowering and uplifting a community of providers who are all working toward the same goal—creating a more connected and conscious world. My new objective is to launch and sustain an online platform and newsletter that aggregates and promotes all of the conscious queer activity and community in the Los Angeles area.

A new identity

With this change comes the need for a new name. Sit Down & Breathe was born out of a desire to make the delivery of spiritual teachings as clear, direct and accessible as possible. While I still support this as a personal philosophy, it no longer captures the breadth of what I’m seeking to do. So we’re rebranding, babes. Without further ado, we shall henceforth be known as:

You’ve been to a warehouse. But you’ve never been to AwareHaus. (See what I did there?)

AwareHaus is a conscious queer community hub. Our mission is to facilitate access to resources and relationships that empower queer folk on their journey toward healing, connection, and personal transformation.

Side note: if any of you out there feel inspired to help design a new logo as a donation to the community, please let me know. My Canva skills are, as you can see, sub-par.

Transition to non-profit

Lastly, I’ve decided to make the transition operate as a non-profit. This feels much more aligned with the service-oriented nature of this project (and has, frankly, been a long time coming). I’ve just received fiscal sponsorship from a 501c3 non-profit organization called Happi. Happi is run by two friends, Gabi Jubran and Mark Farrell. Their mission is to cultivate healthy communities and cultures that help people and planet prosper.

This means that, starting today, we can begin accepting tax-deductible donations to support this work. If you’re a member of this community and have been positively impacted by your experience, your support would help to ensure that we can continue to make an impact on as many people as possible. I am still guided by the belief that the queer community needs holistic, safe spaces that support collective growth. If you believe this too, let’s work together to bring our vision to life.