We’re in the midst of a shift where the name Stellar Village is being shifted to the larger vision of Grisha’s online school. So you’ll see it here, and also on her site. Thanks for your patience as we clear up the confusion. But good news, the values here are actually also the same for the values there. 🙂
Our grief retreats are a supportive space in which we can all practice and express grief, nourishing belonging and care. We are each other’s village, caring for one another across space and time.
We value progress, not perfection, and are always in the process of becoming, circling back continuously to align our actions and our intentions. We believe love is love, your gender is up to you, no human is illegal, Black lives matter, your life matters, science is important, women’s rights are human rights, animals (including humans) are individuals with an emotional experience as well as part of an interdependent global community, kindness is everything, and peace deserves a chance. We value and celebrate the many ways of being human. We continue to learn how to better live our values, which are reflected in our work in our local and international communities.
In particular, our work is that of tending to collective grief.
Grisha Stewart, MA, CPDT-KA, KPACTP
Professional Dog Trainer, Kinship Tender, Grief Tender
Grisha’s apprenticeship to grief began in earnest with the loss of her heart dog, Peanut. The skills learned during that transformative process served during the subsequent loss of her late husband, Brice.
Positive reinforcement applied in trauma- and attachment-informed ways that directly benefit the animal form the foundation of her collaborative online school, the Grisha Stewart Academy, which has been about dog training, but is expanding into Stellar Village (see above for the explanation), bringing the world together to inspire empowered, trustworthy, wholehearted living.
Grisha is also a song catcher, woodworker, and keynote speaker.
Alison Roffman, LCSW
Licensed Social Worker, Grief Tender
Alison Roffman (she/her) is a somatic therapist in private practice in Corvallis, Oregon. After gaining her masters in social work in 2019, she worked for Lumina Hospice for 2.5 years supporting patients and their families in grief- filled end of life transitions.
This opportunity increased Alison’s capacity to hold space and be with the hard and uncomfortable. Alison continued to train in somatic therapies, especially Internal Family Systems (IFS/parts work) and became EMDR certified. After reading Francis Weller’s book “The Wild Edge of Sorrow,” Alison attended her first grief ritual early 2022 and she left feeling inspired to learn this powerful gift in order to be able to offer it to her local communities. Alison began attending numerous grief rituals and weekend immersions and completed a 6 months grief facilitator training with Francis Weller. Alison has her own personal journey with grief and finds it healing to gather together to grieve instead of grieving alone.