Body Garden is a vision for a united community that has been resonating within me since I can remember. It started humbly as a seedling inspiration, and has gradually spread roots, as the value for connecting authentically with others on the path became paramount. I'm a lifelong learner, and enjoy expanding my awareness from others as much as sharing these insights. As a cofounder of our church, I’m here for counsel and guidance as you move along this sacred path. From embodiment practices and individualized coaching, to fine-tuning your relationship with sacrament, I’m always curious to learn more about how I can be of service. Below you will find multiple channels to connect with me further.

Shellie Schaffer is a certified end-of-life doula, grief educator, and ceremonial facilitator supporting others through life’s sacred thresholds. She brings years of experience in hospice care, group and individual grief support, and women’s healing work. She is rooted in ritual and shaped by training with Indigenous plant medicine traditions. Shellie offers sound healing, integration coaching, and guided journeywork that blend the spiritual and practical with compassion and deep presence. She also supports clients in physical and energetic preparation for journeywork through dieta guidance, detox support, and holistic cleansing.

John Elfers began his career in religion and spirituality at age 14 when he left home to spend 4 years in a Roman Catholic Seminary. This experience laid the foundation for a deep interest in the role of community in advancing spiritual development. Most of his career has been spent in public education as a teacher, school administrator, and mental health clinician. He is currently a professor at Sofia University where he teaches and conducts research in transpersonal psychology, exploring the role of altered states of consciousness, mystical states, and spirituality in human development. He has a commitment to the role of psychedelics and psychedelic therapies as important doorways to reducing suffering and opening new opportunities for fueling planetary evolution.

Christopher Kitts is on a metastatic cancer-initiated spiritual exploration that began with early retirement from a professorship at Cal Poly and is moving through deeper regions of his soul with the help of Plant Medicines, Core Shamanism, and all of his Tribe.  His past academic life as Biology Department Chair and Dean of Research helped develop a natural capacity for leadership, listening, inclusion, expressing recognition, creating a sense of community and spreading love.  These assets are being put to the task of nurturing his new community and being an attractor for tribal support activities.

Michele Simone has dedicated her life to healing—from her early work serving unhoused and survivor communities in the 1980s to her current focus on trauma recovery, chronic illness, and end-of-life inquiry. As a therapist, her work honors the innate wisdom of the body, the sacredness of each person’s path, and the power of connection to create social change.  Michele continues to walk her own healing journey while serving on several trauma-informed leadership teams in our community. Michele is a certified psychedelic-assisted therapy provider, having completed advanced training through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute. Her approach is informed by evidence-based practice, somatic awareness, cultural humility, and a deep respect for altered states as opportunities for healing