Self-Reclaimed, 614 Dempster, Evanston, IL (2026)

01/09/2026

After five years of survivor-led healing, creative practice, and community care, Self-Reclaimed has completed its mission.

What we built together was never about scale.
It was about depth, care, and return.

Our legacy lives on in the people, the practices, and the spaces that continue to hold this work.

The Self-Reclaimed Legacy Page is now live.
Link in bio.

With gratitude,
Self-Reclaimed (2020–2025)

05/01/2025

This Saturday, we move. We shed. We reclaim.

DARVIN DANCES x SELF-RECLAIMED

Breaking the barrier of dance culture, Darvin Dances – artistically directed by visionary Mariah Eastman – creates a safe space for dancers to explore, fail, and grow, and encourage non-dancers to engage with dance as an art form. They aim to bridge the gap between dance lovers and the dance curious to create a more accessible experience.

At the Day of Reclamation, they’ll perform an excerpt from *"Navigating the After"— a live dance piece exploring the complex terrain of healing after sexual assault. No stage. No curtain. Just story in motion.

JOIN US FOR DAY OF RECLAMATION: YEAR OF THE SNAKE

✨ This FREE event includes:

Intimate limited capacity
Guided somatic + art journey (no experience needed)
Community reflection & conversations
Dance Performance by Darvin Dances
Light refreshments
1 raffle entry with registration for wellness basket

🗓️ Sat. May 3 | 1–3 PM
📍Ahimsa Yoga Evanston

⏳Only 5 spots left. RSVP via link in bio.

✨ Open to survivors, advocates, & allies.

THANK YOU SPONSORS:
💜 Venue Sponsor:
💜 Refreshment Sponsor:

04/29/2025

🌟 Advocate Spotlight | Kelly Merydith & Masin Ouksel 🌟

This April, we’re honored to spotlight Kelly Merydith & Masin Ouksel (they/she & he/him), co-owners of Ahimsa Yoga Studio, as part of our Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) campaign: From Chaos to Action: Reclaiming Our Story.

Kelly and Masin have cultivated Ahimsa Yoga into a sanctuary for healing, justice, and joy—offering community-centered movement rooted in nonviolence and collective care.

Join us in partnership with Ahimsa for our closing SAAM event: Day of Reclamation: Year of the Snake—a transformative somatic art experience for survivors, advocates & allies.

✨ Guided Somatic Art Journey + Reflection ✨
📅 Saturday, May 3, 2025
⏰ 1:00–3:00 PM CST
📍 Ahimsa Yoga Studio | 614 Dempster St, Evanston, IL
🔗 RSVP at the link in our IG bio

Together, we’ll explore the sacred wisdom of the snake—Coiled Chaos, Molting, Shedding, and Serpent in Motion.

No experience needed. Just come as you are.

04/25/2025

🌟 Advocate Spotlight | Julia Gardziel 🌟

This April, we’re honored to spotlight Julia Gardziel (she/her), Pole Dance Instructor with Pole Icons, as part of our Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) campaign: From Chaos to Action: Reclaiming Our Story.

Julia brings fierce passion and embodied empowerment to her community work, creating spaces where survivors and advocates can reconnect with their bodies, celebrate joy, and reclaim their stories through movement.

Join Julia for an All Levels Pole Class + Clothing Swap THIS SUNDAY!

✨ Pole Class (All Levels) + Clothing Swap ✨
📅 Sunday, April 27, 2025
⏰ Pole Class: 4:30–6:00 PM; Clothing Swap: 6:00 PM until late
📍 The Brass Ring Chicago | 2511 W North Ave, Chicago, IL
🔗 RSVP: link in our IG profile or visit

No experience needed—just bring yourself and your powerful story.

Stick around after class for a Spring Cleaning Clothing Swap, featuring custom chainstitch and embellishments by Mister Baby!

04/23/2025

What’s something shame made you believe about yourself that you now know isn’t true?

Shame is a story we were never meant to carry. It doesn’t belong to us, and it can’t survive when exposed to truth, empathy, and connection.

Today, I choose to lay it down. To reclaim my story. To say: this was never mine to hold.

Drop your truth in the comments—what are you ready to release?

04/22/2025

🐍Day of Reclamation: Year of the Snake

✨ An intimate container for a somatic and expressive arts experience for survivors, advocates, and allies.

Limited capacity - registration required, this event is intentionally designed to be an intimate group setting to 20 people only. All identities are welcome. Safety Community Agreements will be provided.

✨ link in IG bio or visit selfreclaimed.org/saam2025

Join us for a 2-hour gathering where we move together—through story, body, and creative expression—guided by the ancient wisdom of the snake. We will root into the sacred act of reclamation: shedding what no longer serves us and stepping into our power with intention.

In this experiential event, you will be gently guided through the 4 Stages of the Snake:

🐍 Coiled Chaos – where survival tension lives
🐍 Molting – the first stirrings of discomfort and awakening
🐍 Shedding – the vulnerable and courageous release
🐍 Serpent in Motion – movement toward embodied action

Through somatic movement, art-making, and community conversation, we will explore what it means to move from chaos to action—not in urgency, but in deep embodied wisdom. All levels of art and movement experience are welcomed.

What to Expect:

✨Facilitated by Self-Reclaimed’s co-CEOs, Vanessa De Leon and Gabriela Starr
✨Intimate container (limited to 20 participants)
✨1 entry for our “Serpent’s Sanctuary” wellness basket
✨An opportunity to connect with others through guided prompts centered around our event's theme
✨Guided art & somatic journey—no experience needed
✨Live excerpt performance of “Navigating the After” by
✨Light refreshments

This event is in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM)—a space to bear witness, move through, and rise together.

04/21/2025

🌟 Advocate Spotlight | Kathy Tan 🌟

This April, we’re honored to highlight Kathy Tan (she/hers), founder and CEO of Amalu Coaching, as part of our SAAM Campaign.

is not only a committed member of Self-Reclaimed, but also a dedicated leader on a mission to empower individuals to live unapologetically, lead authentically, and become the best versions of themselves they can be. At the heart of her approach is the belief that embodiment is not just a healing tool—it is a reclamation of self, story, and aliveness. Learn more about Kathy’s incredible background at amalucoaching.com

This SAAM, Kathy is offering a transformative 3-part movement series: Embodied Reclamation. This trauma-informed container invites participants to move at the pace of their own bodies, reconnect with the nervous system, and explore empowerment through embodied presence.

🌟 We invite our community to experience this powerful series and support survivor-centered spaces for embodied transformation.

🌀 EMBODIED RECLAMATION
📅 WHEN: Tuesday April 22 | 8:00-9:15 PM CST (6:00-7:15 PST)
📍 LOCATION: Online (Zoom)
🔗 REGISTER: Via the link in our bio

04/21/2025

🌟 Advocate Spotlight | La Cocinita Restaurant 🌟

This April, we’re honored to highlight Rachel Angulo (she/her), Owner of La Cocinita Restaurant & Food Trucks, as part of our SAAM Campaign.

Rachel is a fierce advocate for community care and hospitality, blending bold Latin American flavors with a deep commitment to giving back. Rachel and her partner, Chef Benoit Angulo, are the powerhouses behind La Cocinita—known for its fast-casual, made-from-scratch menu—they serve up more than delicious food; they give back. From nourishing neighbors with their flavorful arepas and tacos to serving over 4,500 meals to local heroes on the front lines during the COVID-19 crisis, their commitment to community is at the heart of everything they do.

This SAAM, La Cocinita will be donating 10% of all proceeds TODAY, Monday, April 21, to support Self-Reclaimed and our mission.

From their signature arepas and yuca fries to their fan-favorite Cochinita Pibil tacos, every bite supports survivor-centered healing and collective action. Rachel believes that, “everyone deserves to feel safe and supported.”

🌟 We invite our community to dine with purpose this SAAM. Grab a meal, bring a friend, and help us reclaim our stories—one plate at a time.

🌮 LA COCINITA GIVEBACK DAY
📅 WHEN: Monday, April 21 | 11:00 AM–9:00 PM
📍 LOCATION: La Cocinita Evanston – 1625 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL
🍴 DETAILS: 10% of all sales go to Self-Reclaimed
🔗 MENU: www.lacocinita.com

04/14/2025

🌟 Advocate Spotlight | SAAM 2025 🌟

This April, we’re honored to highlight Mary Kethya Khuon (she/her), Writer & Director of Cloud & Bunny Short Film, as part of our Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) campaign: From Chaos to Action: Reclaiming Our Story.

Mary is not only a gifted filmmaker and storyteller—she is a survivor, a truth-teller, and a powerful advocate for healing through art. Her creative direction invites courage, tenderness, and transformation to coexist on stage and screen. Check out her full bio on the Serendipitous link in our IG profile!

This SAAM, Mary is co-creating something special: Serendipitous: Where Standup Comedy Meets Vulnerable Storytelling, a one-of-a-kind in-person experience that blends laughter and lived truth to foster connection and catharsis. Hosted in collaboration with Self-Reclaimed, this event reminds us that joy, pain, and presence can all belong in the same room.

🌟 “I believe in empowering survivors to take up space and shine their light in the world. Self Reclaim gives survivors a safe space to feel deeply and express themselves in a way that reminds humanity we are greater than the bad things that have happened to us and are meant to live a beautiful life.” – Mary

We invite you to witness this bold, brilliant night and stand with survivors reclaiming their stories—with humor, heart, and humanity.

🎤 SERENDIPITOUS: STANDUP & STORYTELLING
📅 WHEN: Friday, April 26 | 7:00–9:30 PM; Doors Open @ 6:30 PM
📍 LOCATION: Uptown Taproom, 1265 West Wilson Avenue Chicago, IL 60640
🔗 REGISTER: via the link in our IG profile or our website at selfreclaimed.org/saam2025

04/14/2025

🌟 Advocate Spotlight | SAAM 2025 🌟

This April, we’re honored to highlight Mary Kethya Khuon (she/her), Writer & Director of Cloud & Bunny Short Film, as part of our Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) campaign: From Chaos to Action: Reclaiming Our Story.

Mary is not only a gifted filmmaker and storyteller—she is a survivor, a truth-teller, and a powerful advocate for healing through art. Her creative direction invites courage, tenderness, and transformation to coexist on stage and screen. Check out her full bio on the Serendipitous link in our IG profile!

This SAAM, Mary is co-creating something special: Serendipitous: Where Standup Comedy Meets Vulnerable Storytelling, a one-of-a-kind in-person experience that blends laughter and lived truth to foster connection and catharsis. Hosted in collaboration with Self-Reclaimed, this event reminds us that joy, pain, and presence can all belong in the same room.

🌟 “I believe in empowering survivors to take up space and shine their light in the world. Self Reclaim gives survivors a safe space to feel deeply and express themselves in a way that reminds humanity we are greater than the bad things that have happened to us and are meant to live a beautiful life.” – Mary

We invite you to witness this bold, brilliant night and stand with survivors reclaiming their stories—with humor, heart, and humanity.

🎤 SERENDIPITOUS: STANDUP & STORYTELLING
📅 WHEN: Friday, April 26 | 7:00–9:30 PM; Doors Open @ 6:30 PM
📍 LOCATION: Uptown Taproom, 1265 West Wilson Avenue Chicago, IL 60640
🔗 REGISTER: via the link in our IG profile or visit our website at selfreclaimed.org/saam2025

04/11/2025

🌟Amber Amplified: Healing Out Loud 🌟

In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) 2025, you're invited to a powerful evening of truth-telling, reflection, and collective healing.

🧡 This panel discussion uplifts survivor voices and explores what it really means to heal out loud—with community, creativity, boundaries, and radical compassion at the center.

🗣️ Featuring four dynamic panelists + one intentional host
✨ Interactive. Embodied. Heart-centered.
✨ A brave space to be witnessed + to reflect.

Together, we’ll explore:
🔸 Radical compassion and boundaries
🔸 Navigating care, safety, and accountability
🔸 Regulation tools for tough moments
🔸 Expressive arts + activism as healing

📅 Saturday April 19
📍Amber Agave - 1310 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL
🎟️ Free & open to all — RSVP link in bio

This is more than a panel—this is a pulse.

We are beyond grateful for our friends and advocate partner .agave for their creative and brave spaces and delicious, quality boba tea 🥰

04/10/2025

Growth isn’t always visible, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Rest, reflection, and even stillness are part of the process. Even when I feel stuck, I trust that I am still evolving.. 🌱✨

Self-Reclaimed

01/09/2026

05/01/2025

04/29/2025

04/25/2025

04/23/2025

04/22/2025

04/21/2025

04/21/2025

04/14/2025

04/14/2025

04/11/2025

04/10/2025

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