Our Circle.
Shelina Mia Cruz
Founder & Director
Mia is a member of the Te-Moak Western Shoshone Southfork Band and comes from a family with deep agricultural roots in the Central Valley. She is an educator, hospice nurse, Indigenous death doula, and an alumnus of the First Nations Indigenous End-of-Life Guide, at Douglas College of Canada. She is also a Master of Arts candidate in the Community Mental Health Program at California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) of San Francisco, California. She brings a deeply rooted, trauma-informed approach to her work. Her leadership is guided by intergenerational knowledge, deep spiritual care, and a vision for land-based healing that honors both ancestors and descendants.
Angelica Villanueva
Advocacy Coordinator
Angelica Villanueva, a proud daughter of the Visayan and Ilocano peoples, was born and raised in the Bay Area and carries deep ancestral roots to the Philippines. Based in Porterville, CA, she brings expertise as an Intellectual Property Paralegal with U.S. and international patent law experience and is a commissioned Notary Public. Angelica’s work reflects her commitment to community and equity, serving as Program Manager for Sacred Journey Indigenous, supporting advocacy and program development rooted in Indigenous values, and contributing to API Forward Movement on environmental justice and public health during the pandemic. She earned her B.A. in Sociology: Law and Society (Cum Laude) from Cal State LA and holds a Certificate in Visual Design. Angelica is passionate about advancing inclusion and representation through an intergenerational and intersectional lens.
Ellissa Thompson
Food & Land Sovereignty Program Manager
Ellissa is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and a descendant of the Choctaw people, raised in the Bay Area. As a land-based educator, herbalist, and artist, she brings years of experience in Indigenous foodways, youth mentorship, and cultural revitalization. She has worked with community-rooted organizations including Intertribal Friendship House, Oakland, and the American Indian Child Resource Center, and has trained with Deep Medicine Circle and Agroecology Commons. Her work centers on rematriating seed and plant knowledge, restoring relationships between Native people and land, and creating reciprocal growing spaces across both urban and rural landscapes. Ellissa leads culturally grounded garden and medicine programs and workshops guided by Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), community care, and a deep commitment to Indigenous sovereignty. Ellissa believes that everyone carries medicine, and that embracing the radical responsibility of land work is a pathway to healing ourselves, strengthening our communities, and building a sustainable future.
Sage Garcia
Animal Wellness Guide
Sage is a proud Te-Moak Western Shoshone (South Fork Band) veterinary assistant with a lifelong love for animals and a deep commitment to relational care. From a young age, Sage felt a profound connection to four-legged relatives, shaping her path of service rooted in cultural values of respect, stewardship, and balance. With over five years of experience caring for small animals and livestock, she brings gentle handling, wellness support, and compassionate presence to every being in her care. Sage’s work bridges traditional knowledge with modern practices, creating spaces where healing flows between animals, humans, and the land. Her mission is simple yet powerful: to nurture the bonds that sustain life and honor the medicine that animals carry for our communities.
Alorha Baga
Wellness Activator Integration Coach
Alorha Baga is Sicangu Lakota/Southern Ute/Apache and is a part of the Valandra Tiospaye. Raised by her unci/Lakota grandmother Grace Valandra. She currently lives on the Santa Rosa Rancheria near Lemoore, California with her husband Truman and together they have three children, Thomas, Grace, and Lily. She loves the art of movement and has 25 years’ experience in various movement modalities; Native American dance, Raq Sharki, Modern Dance and personal yoga practice and teaching. She is a champion Jingle dancer and believes in the healing nature of the Jingle Dress Dance and how connected we are to the drum and song. Has taught Native American Dance and Cultural Enrichment for 15 years before pursuing Yoga. Believing in its wholistic approach of connecting the mind, body and spirit. Her mission is to share yoga with Native American communities throughout Indian Country. Help others to connect not only with their physical bodies, but also energetically - to find and reconnect to own self or center. Alorha began her journey under Sojourn Yoga in 2016, completing two 200 hours of yoga teacher training. Diving deeper into the energetic body, completing Alchemy of the Chakras with Alanna Kaivalya, Ph.D. Also getting certified in Buti Yoga Movement modalities; Buti Yoga, DEEP (restorative) and The Primal Flow Yoga. April 4th, 2024 she finished her 300 hour yoga teacher training with Janet Stone. Which opened a deeper practice for her and the love of Chanting and the practice of the energetic body and breath practice. Giving a well round class can give students more knowledge of the yoga practice beyond asana or the posture. Alorha Baga has also been guest speakers at Native American Women's wellness conferences and held Native American Art lecturers for local college she is an alumnus to.
Alorha wants to help others return back to their indigenous roots.... which begins within our own bodies. Reconnect, reestablish love, self-worth and cultural identity. Only way to do this is to begin healing from historical and generational trauma - movement is medicine.
Hannah Corbett
Nutritionist
Pée túu Hannah Corbett khweteyiìthkh, hello, my name is Hannah Corbett.
I am an enrolled member of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. One of the Nine Federally Recognized Tribes in Oregon.
I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food in May 2023 from California State University, Sacramento. In August 2023, I began a fully online Masters in Public Health program at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. I expect to complete my graduate program in May 2026.
I am passionate about community wellness and envision health equity for each community member. I believe health information and resources should be accessible. If we had adequate information and resources, then we could begin to strive for the highest and most sustainable level of health.
My goal is to bridge the gaps between health information and positive health behavior change by meeting the community where they are at, but only after trust has been carefully cultivated. Health behavior change is not only complex but also personal. I am not here to provide a one-size-fits-all approach but rather one that considers the cultural/historical/geographical contexts and individual experiences of the people I connect with and serve.
I highlight the interconnectedness of all beings and things to help deepen the relationship with yourself and the world around you. Begin to wake up the unconscious mind. Bring with you an open mind and heart so we can discuss the root causes of imbalance and dis-ease we may be experiencing.