About
Who we are
Facilitators
Monique Maria Philpot
Community builder, crafter, storyteller, kairomancer, healer, dreamer, facilitator, entrepreneur, celebrant and ceremonialist, lover of cultures, people, and the earth. I like the trickster, and the darkness. I love to laugh and have been known to scare owls from their nests with my cackle.
Life is a dance between the sacred and the raucous. It's a dance of divinity, of magic, of miracles, of sensory deliciousness. And mixed in are messes, painful missteps, loss. Death and Birth. Fast and Slow, inhale and exhale. Storms and Rainbows. In my experience, I have to honor both in order to be real, whole, and fully alive. To feel and remember my soul and the bigger picture. My soul longs for me to learn, grow, expand, come home to myself. I have to create space for the storms, learn from the sting of the honeybee- in order to fully be present for the celebrations life offers daily. The more I share the ugly, the vulnerable, step into the scary -the closer I am to my truth, light, and beauty. One of my passions is to create spaces for deep connection to ourselves, each other, nature, the mystery of it all. I do this through community events and classes, private or group ceremonies and healing sessions. It all involves nature, ceremony, getting messy, and feeling alive. I intend to experience all this magnificent earth has to offer, hopefully making some good trouble along the way and laughing a whole lot.
Soulcraft Bloomington was created after years of leading kids on adventures through ravines and creeks and twists and turns of life at Wild Nature Project and other Wilderness Schools across the country; leading teens and adults through rites of passage, ceremony, and group processing; traveling the world loving and learning the slow folk , earth based traditions that shape me as well as the basket, wood, or clay I'm working with. Creating natural, beautiful, community made playscapes for children in Africa, Central America and Mongolia with Play360 taught me about the richness of life and how a smile is a form of love no matter what language you speak. Immersing myself and my IU students in the hidden wild places so we can cooking up delicious wild edibles continues to feed my soul. I am deeply inspired by the women at my bi-weekly women's circle and by the unique spark in all the teens at my weekly teen girl empowerment circles at local schools. I honor my ancestral lineage, and the lineage of teachers that have shared with me bundles of teachings that will take a lifetime and a community to fully unpack and engage with -Gilbert Walking Bull and the Woptura Lineage, Sal Gencarelle, Paul Rapheal, Malidoma Some, Sobonfu Some, Jake and Judy Swamp, Robert Moss, Tom Brown Jr, Barry Moses, Jon Young, Mark Morey, Char Tosi, and so many more. It is the people of the earth, the generous and deeply caring indigenous keepers of knowledge that I owe the depth of my understanding of the world to. I will do my absolute best to honor their generosity, traditions, and knowledge. |
Andrea Oedingnature mentor, land steward and farmer, wild foods chef, amateur botanist, lifelong crafter, and Soulcraft digital media content creator
Andrea has dedicated her life to learning the language of the land. She finds hope from the magic of connecting deeply with the world and interactions with people and places. She grew up exploring the forests of southern Indiana, swinging on grapevines, uncovering animal bones, and learning how to walk quietly through the trees. She has been teaching and sharing her knowledge and love of nature for over 20 years. Maybe you have been on one of her wildflower hikes, watched her passionately talk about the live owl she used to bring to schools, saw her warm smile and enthusiasm as you dropped off your young child to their first forest school class, or volunteered alongside her planting trees. Currently working on a small market farm in Brown County with her partner, they grow vegetables and strive to provide healthy and delicious food alternatives to our community. She feels the most alive when wandering the woods without time constraints and losing herself to thoughts and daydreams while working on a project with her hands for hours, especially if it’s around a fire. Andrea creates a supportive environment for children and adults to investigate the wildness of nature and the wild places within themselves. We’re thrilled to have her as a mentor at many of our kids' classes, where she nourishes the curiosity and sharp observation kids inherently have while gently guiding each into a deeper connection with the natural world. |
Amy Leyenbeckartist, kairomancer, vice-president of community impact at United Way, harpist, secretary of Soulcraft Board
I have been expressing myself through collage for over 20 years. I have facilitated many workshops over the years related to ritual, spirituality, art, and leadership. I love living in Bloomington, being outside as much as possible, and finding new ways to grow! |
Paolo Ansaldopoet, storyteller, nature mentor, blacksmith
Paolo Ansaldo is Bloomington born and raised and is about to start his sophomore year at Indiana University, pursuing a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Parks and Recreation. Nature and the outdoors have always been a major part of his life and he started taking wilderness education classes at seven years old. He started blacksmithing with Jack Brubaker at 10 years old, and Jason Nichols at 14 years old. He has been blacksmithing now for over eight years and has contributed major projects to various organizations like the Bloomington Community Orchard, by creating their wrought iron gate. Over a decade later he still loves being outside, fire, and blacksmithing has decided to start to pass on the knowledge he has accumulated throughout the years through mentoring in the community. You can find him at Soulcraft Bloomington's Community storytelling nights or Blacksmithing classes!
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Michelle Becker Boshears, RNMichelle has been connecting with land since a young age, when she would steal away to the small woods and railroad-bed prairie behind her home and write poetry, check on the daffodil shoots under Wisconsin snow, and watch monarchs visiting purple prairie flowers. That deep land connection continues to be a vein throughout her life and work - as a gardener, avid learner of plant medicines and healing, and even as a registered nurse. She formally studied at the California School of Herbal Studies in 2011 and has continued self-study for the 12 years since, particularly focusing on Midwest natives and herbs for mental health. Michelle has been a clinical nurse in the family practice setting since 2014, is a certified Nutrition Consultant through Bauman College, has done numerous one-on-one consultations, and has taught various herbal workshops, including co-creating and co-leading a seven-month immersive program. Michelle has two curious children and together they find magical, wild places wherever they are, learning from the plants and creatures within them.
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Nina Montenegrovisual artist, illustrator, biophiliac, and culture transformer
Montenegro's practice crosses disciplines to advocate for an ecologically-vibrant and socially-just future. Her work has been featured in publications worldwide. She is co-founder and co-creative director of the design studio The Far Woods, with her sister Sonya, where they seek to contribute to a great Culture Shift in which there is a land ethic, a reverence for nature, a rejection of the dominant throw-away mentality, and direct connection to where our food and the things we use come from. Many of their artworks serve as educational tools and inspiration for deepening relationship to nature, food, and community. Their practice crosses disciplines, including teaching handcraft skills, beekeeping, and growing food, to work toward an ecologically-viable and socially-just future. Published books: Mending Life by Nina and Sonya Montenegro, A Year in the Garden by Nina and Sonya Montenegro, Three Year Garden Journal by Nina and Sonya Montenegro Instagram: @thefarwoods and @nimonte |
Allison Strangphotographer, artist, dancer, relationship coach, feng shui dealer, nature mentor and poet
Nourished by the great lakes, inspired by the unique dunescapes of Michiana, as a child I found solace in nature. Holding space for others to navigate their unique lifepaths in the hills and valleys of this piece of turtle island is to feed the hunger to belong. The lessons of life can be difficult and the elements around can impart knowledge and expand consciousness. I feel most alive while dancing and embodying plant powers. You can find me striving for harmony in multidimensions because we depend on each other to live, remember?
Allison has been a lead mentor at Chickadee girls camps for many years, and a valuable part of the Soulcraft community- helping behind the scenes to make many events happen, along with mentoring many children in classes and camps as well. She also leads a teen girls empowerment circle at North high school once a week. |
Katherine Novotny, Registered Herbalist, (AHG)I am a clinical western herbal educator and practitioner who comes from a long line of Eastern European artists and green-thumbed matriarchal influences. As a professional Member of The American Herbalist Guild, I believe in seasonal preventative healthcare and strive to empower my clients and students to pursue healing through kitchen potions, small gardens, and deepening the connection to our local forests. My passion for holistic health started in 2007, when I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where I spent 10 years learning the healing properties of both Eastern and Western plants and fungi. While living in Oakland CA, I taught an extensive herbal apprenticeship program (2013 - 2016) and was the head staff adviser for a donation-based, community herbal clinic at the Berkeley Herbal Center. I also extensively studied Ding lineage Pulse and Tongue Diagnosis under the mentorship of Dr. William Morris. I’ve hosted countless herbal workshops at various herb-related gatherings and grade schools throughout the country. For the last 6 years, I’ve continued to facilitate the Herbal First Aid Wellness Den at Spirit Weavers Gathering, where 500+ women gather celebrating a life in harmony with nature.In 2017, I returned to Bloomington Indiana and created the Indiana Herbal Center, where I see clients for one-one herbal consultations and make hand crafted, custom formulas, tinctures, salves, and teas. I’ve cultivated an extensive organic garden (with honey bees and a mushroom farm), where I’ve grown most of the herbs used in the apothecary - holding to the belief that there really is medicine growing in YOUR backyard. When I am not communing with wild plants and people, you can find me at the Orbit Room (local restaurant/music venue), thrifting, or hanging with my dog Arrow. I'm excited to be hosting my classes at the Soulcraft Studio and land!
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Natalie Kuzma KravchukNatalie Kravchuk is a first-generation Ukrainian American and a fifth-generation pysanka writer who uses wax-resist and colored dyes to create intricate patterns on the surface of eggs. She began learning from her grandfather in their family home in Hartford, Connecticut when she was just four years old. “I was writing on eggs before I was writing on paper,” she says. Like her grandfather, Natalie believes the importance of the tradition lies in sharing it with others.
Natalie is currently a Master Artist in the 2023 Traditional Arts Indiana Apprenticeship cohort, teaching the art of Pysanky writing to her apprentice Gabriela Coolidge. |
lilian millerpainter, stained glass artist, nature mentor, musician
Lilian Miller is a lifelong lover of all things art and nature. Born into a family of artists she was able to explore a wide range of visual art forms from a young age. She was raised in the Forrest of southern Indiana and developed a deep appreciation for the natural world. She has continued to grow her skills in nature and arts and has worked in outdoor education since 2019. She continues to express herself through her art. She specializes in painting, drawing, and stained glass. She looks forward to sharing her knowledge and learning new things through the Soulcraft community. |
Amy Dunnprofessional artist, singer, songwriter
In 2013, with the help of a friend, Amy Dunn remembered she was an artist and has been creating consistently ever since. Working professionally in digital mixed media and passionately on paper and canvas, her portfolio is bursting at the seams. Working in a unique style she has developed that is both evocative and vibrant — a blend of intuitive surrealism and abstract expressionism — has allowed her to heal, grow, and find peace without being constrained by the limits of the traditional art world.
Writing and performing music has been another vehicle for Amy’s creative expression over the last 15 years. What began as a way to relieve boredom with a guitar and notepad quickly evolved into a healthy way to cope with life’s ups and downs. She now participates in several different community singing organizations including Threshold Choir, a worldwide choir that sings to people on their journey with the support of Hospice. This was one of her late mother’s passions and she continues on in her honor — finding joy and surprising healing when voices are joined together in song. |
Duncan Waterfordwoodworker, spoon and bowl carver extraordinaire
Duncan grew up about 18 miles outside of Bloomington on 40 acres. His father was a woodworker and he assisted him until his late 20s. When Duncan was in his mid-30s he noticed someone selling a spoon they had carved and without any reference or guidance he started carving spoons for a number of years. After taking a little break from it he discovered a spoon gathering in Minnesota which opened his eyes to the whole world of green wood working and he has been steadily increasing his skillset ever since. Along with teaching spoon carving at Soulcraft Bloomington, you might find him at the Hoosier Sloyd gatherings, or on the B Line carving. |
Ileana Haberman Duceyfiber artist, comic artist
Ileana is a fiber artist who has been creating embroidered self portraits for over 15 years. Her work is a practice of giving voice to her own stories and physical experiences using bodies, patterns, and the natural world. She creates embroideries, clothing, quilts, illustration, and comics and facilitates workshops in these mediums, for kids and adults. Ileana lives in Bloomington, IN, and is most interested in explorations of queerness, body, grief, and self. Many of her inspirations hit while hiking the hills of Southern Indiana with her young dog, Willow. |
Stacey DeckerCommunity builder, organizer, gardener extraordinaire, lover of nature, educator
Stacey Decker has found that an important aspect of her life is the process of creating in order to connect with each other and the earth. This has led her to form many of her passions including: community building, listening and learning from one another and the natural world(plants and animals are such wonderful teachers), asking questions, and being in the woods as much as possible. She very much enjoys her family farm project(Stanford Farm) where she tends the soil and grows and connects through plants, food, and community. She finds joy and inspiration in their gardens, greenhouses, farm stand and kitchen. She has been involved in many wonderful community projects and is currently doing volunteer and project coordination with Indiana Solar For All(a non-profit that creates solar power access). For the past 20 years Stacey has been home schooling which has included educating and learning with many children. This has led to learning cooperatives, circuses, plays, cranky storytelling, cooking, planting, journaling, puppet making, science exploration, paper mache projects, traveling, and creating lasting relationships. She looks forward to continuing to help create a welcoming learning environment at Soulcraft Bloomington. |
Victoria BransonLicensed Acupuncturist, Board-Certified Herbalist, Shamanic Healer, Writer, Mother, and Mystic.
Victoria graduated with a Master’s degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in 2015 from Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, then considered the best acupuncture and herbal medicine school in the country. While in school she was especially drawn to the Daoist and shamanic roots of East Asian Medicine, as well as quantum shiatsu, and Japanese meridian therapy, famously developed by blind practitioners. Victoria specializes in pain relief, women’s health, pediatrics, digestive health, and mind/heart/body medicine. Maple Seed Wellness is her current healing practice for acupuncture, herbal, and Traditional East Asian Medicine. Victoria experienced a workplace injury to her hand in 2009 that she was told could only be treated with surgery, and was instead cured with three acupuncture treatments. This was the final catalyst for her to set out on the journey to become a healer, and ever since she has been a passionate advocate for holistic wellness and the safety and efficacy of East Asian Traditional Medicine. Victoria particularly resonates with the ancient perspective of this medicine as both an art form and a science, deeply rooted in a profound understanding of and respect for nature and our place within it. She practices a very gentle style of acupuncture that is completely tailored to the comfort and concerns of each person as an individual. Victoria lives with her family on a beautiful farm in the rolling hills, dense forests, and clay-filled creeks of Brown County, Indiana. She creates everyday magic for herself and her family through presence and intention in organic gardening, cooking, foraging, medicine making, nature exploration, and deep reverence for the Divine in all. Victoria is currently writing books about her amazing adventures in farm life, healing wounds of the heart, and a trilogy of children's ‘fantasy’ books. Otherwise, you can find her dancing euphorically, playing with her children (furry and human), singing to her chickens, savoring high-vibration food, drumming, cawing with the crows, and generally reveling in the awesomeness of life. |
Rebecca SamplesMulti-Instrumentalist, Melody Garden nature and music class Instructor, Children's Music songwriter, Sound Healer, Energy Worker, Earth Medicine Practitioner, Sister Circle Leader, and Spiritual Life Coach
Rebecca guides you into deep healing using sound and energy techniques. We are all made of vibrations, so feed yourself Good Vibes!
As a lifelong musician and naturalist, Rebecca has always used sound and earth medicine in her own life to heal. She has had quite a journey with many, many battles ( just like you!) and have gathered medicine along the way. Rebecca has been offering Melody Garden magical nature-based music & movement classes to children all over the country since 2015. Using her love of nature, music and her passion for cultivating a joyful and inspired life, Rebecca infuses each class and session with the medicine that has been shown to me by God and our good green earth. "I step out of the way during healing sessions to be a light-filled conduit for the Divine!" www.melodygardenkids.com/ https://www.soundhealingstrings.com/ |
Chelsea Holden-GurneyWeaver, gardener, lover of color and life
As a weaver and gardener raising two kids in the countryside of Bloomington, Chelsea has an ever-evolving relationship with simplicity and spirituality. She is drawn to a life that honors slow craft, solitude and relationship as teachers, and presence with what is. Her creative practices tend to be meditative in nature, seeking to draw both herself and those who interact with her art into sensual experiences around common feelings. Join her for a natural dye workshop to learn how easy and accessible it is to dye with food and plants that are found in everyday life. |
Dina Stephensartist, educator, nature-lover, persisterhood sister!
My name is Dina Stephens and I am a retired educator who has always loved art and creating in various mediums. However, I have found that wool and fiber are my favorite artistic mediums and I never grow tired of the opportunities that they provide. Utilizing the techniques of needle felting and wet felting I create 3D sculptures and 2D paintings in wool. My 3D sculptures are often inspired by fantasy books and stories, both children and adult. The 2D paintings in wool are often done on linen fabric or wool and are inspired by photographs of people and nature. I live in the country, behind the woods and the creek, providing no end to the inspiration that I draw from the outdoors. |
Erika yochumingenious chef, entrepreneur, shining star in Bloomington
Erika Yochum has had a lifelong love affair with food, one that began in her family kitchen and has since blossomed into a vibrant culinary career. From the thrill of holding a sun-ripened tomato to the joyous swoon of a perfect almond croissant, she treasures how food excites all of the senses. To Erika, food is much more than sustenance-it is a connective force that ties us to our past, culture, and each other. After opening her first restaurant at 19, Erika's entrepreneurial journey continued as she founded the food vendor program at the Bloomington Farmers Market and went on to open three more restaurants. With a commitment to creating delicious, seasonally inspired dishes, she celebrates the beauty of local ingredients and their connection to the environment. |
Maria Schechternature lover, artist, creator
Maria Schechter was born and raised in Pasadena, California and has been an artist for 30 years. She co-creates with the natural world using living materials, mycelium composites, and plant-based palettes. Her workshops call us to recognize that art and nature are inseparable, intertwined expressions of the beauty and wonder that we call the natural world. She was nominated for a MacArthur Award at the age of 21 for her development of What-is-Art-What-is-Sound, an international arts collective turned non-profit, founded in 13 countries and 28 cities with over 200 artists members. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and has received a variety of grants and awards, including the UCLA Artist Achievement Award and the Center for Cultural Innovation Grant, Los Angeles, CA. Her first mycelium project, Gatekeepers, a homage to impermanence grown over a three year period, is on the grounds at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Tennessee, where the five foot arch will eventually decompose back into the earth. She has exhibited with several galleries and museums including Agora Gallery and Whitebox in New York City, The Abrams Claghorn Gallery, Anderson Museum, Minnetrista Museum and Gardens, Triton Museum, and the Seattle Art Museum. She has been published in Eluxe Magazine, The Ecological Citizen, Nature Evolve Magazine, and many others. Maria earned her bachelor of fine art from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA. She initiated graduate work with New York University and completed a master degree from Schiller International University in Heidelberg, Germany. Maria lives and works in Bloomington, Indiana. |
Megan AssafBFA, LMT, CMLDT MT20902773
brilliant healer, intuitive genius, extraordinary body worker, wisdom keeper! Since 2000, Megan has trained in and offered women's wellbeing massage modalities. She has studied and taught in the States and overseas. She enjoys supporting and empowering women in self care and wellness practices, and is a passionate, fun and detailed educator. Her own breast and womb healing adventures brought her to this work. She currently lives in northern Indiana with her partner, Joe, on a small organic farm where she co-creates flower essences. I am deeply grateful to all my teachers/mentors and their lineages of healing for sharing with me. Without their guidance and generosity, I would not be able to offer what I do. In thanks, and to give back, my business donates to traditional healers and women’s healing lineage programs. www.wombsforwisdom.com |
Jai Holtteacher, community organizer, naturalist, organic gardener, permaculturist, inner tracker, business administrator and data analyst, treasurer of Soulcraft Board
Even as a little girl of 9 years old, environmental sustainability has been such a passion of Jai’s that she started the “Help Our World” environmental club. Since then, she has been on a winding path of creating opportunities for environmental connection and healing. She completed a 3 year nature immersion mentorship based on the 8 Shields model with her Mentor Mark Morey at the Vermont Wilderness School. During this time she worked as a business administrator and mentor at the Vermont Wilderness School and the Institute for Natural Learning. This work lead her to see the need to not only pursue environmental sustainability but also business sustainability. She now hold a B.S. in Business Economics from the University of Louisville and a M.S. in Agricultural and Environmental Economics from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She currently works as a teacher in the 6-9 year old classroom at Bloomington Montessori school which gives her the great pleasure of fostering nature connection for children and nurturing future leaders. |
Our amazing Board of Directors that helps to hold north on our compass!
President: Monique Philpot bio above
Vice President: Andrea Oeding bio above
Treasurer: Jai Holt bio aove
Secretary: Amy Leyenbeck bio above
Director of Fund Raising: Samantha King (bio coming soon!)
Vice President: Andrea Oeding bio above
Treasurer: Jai Holt bio aove
Secretary: Amy Leyenbeck bio above
Director of Fund Raising: Samantha King (bio coming soon!)