Asher Lyons

Big-Hearted Facilitator

Asher Lyons, serving as the executive director of Medicine Theater, is devoted to facilitating liberation and healing through the art of original story creation. Over the past 23 years, Asher has immersed himself in the practice of supporting youth (particularly marginalized, inner-city youth and those with indigenous lineages) in finding their voice and healing through storytelling. His journey has been profoundly influenced by his integration into indigenous families and communities, guided by the wisdom of indigenous elders who entrusted him with the mission of reuniting youth with their ancestral practices under tribal mentorship.

Rooted in two decades of learning from storytellers across the Americas, Asher’s work is richly informed by diverse cultural traditions. Central to his mission is the commitment to reconnecting youth with Indigenous Wisdom Keepers and storytellers. Following the guidance of his indigenous relatives, he passionately supports underserved youth in rediscovering their heritage and identity.

Asher has been teaching original story crafting to youth for over 20 years, starting in 2003 as an instructor for the San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Youth Theatre Project. This experience solidified his belief in the transformative power of collaborative story creation. It was this experience that sparked the vision for Medicine Theater, where he remains dedicated to empowering youth to craft and perform their own productions. Asher’s journey reflects his unwavering commitment to cultural preservation, community empowerment and the profound influence of creative expression in nurturing personal and collective growth.

Natasha Ickes-Saman

Bay Area, CA

Natasha Ickes is a Resilience Strategist, award-winning author and multi-passionate entrepreneur whose work spans across leadership development, coaching and community service. As a 4x TEDx speaker and holder of a Professional Communications Certification from Harvard, Natasha brings her expertise in resilience and leadership to help individuals and organizations navigate change and thrive in the face of adversity.
 
As the founder of Shear Passion Salon in Oakland, Natasha combines her passion for beauty with her commitment to community. She provides free haircuts for the unhoused and mentors young women of color, guiding them to overcome societal challenges and embrace their full potential. Her dedication to service has earned her numerous accolades, including a Certificate of Congressional Recognition from the California Senate and a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.
 
Known for her belief that “to whom much is given, much is required,” Natasha brings this philosophy to every aspect of her life. She’s committed to creating lasting, positive change.
 
In her spare time, Natasha embraces adventure as an avid traveler and adrenaline junkie. Whether skydiving over the Bay Area or ziplining through the jungle with her children, she continually seeks new experiences that challenge her and expand her horizons.

Mia Arakaki

Big-Hearted Facilitator

Mia envisions a world where every young person is surrounded by connection, care, compassion and love. As a healing-centered mindfulness practitioner and creator / facilitator of culturally responsive, social-emotional learning programs, Mia integrates over 20 years of experience in youth sports coaching, classroom teaching, school administration and non-profit leadership. Her work aspires to empower young people to drive positive change in their lives and communities.

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Mia played Division I college soccer at Yale and earned her Master’s in School Leadership from Columbia University’s Teachers College. As the founder of a youth soccer club, she merges her passion for soccer with her dedication to holistic youth development and wellbeing. She also plays soccer / futbol whenever she has the opportunity!

Proud of her Uchinanchu heritage from the Ryukyu Kingdom, now known as Okinawa, Mia lives by the Uchinanchu saying, “choo kukuru ru dee ichi”—The heart is the most essential quality. She hopes to pass on this wisdom to her two children and to young people everywhere.

Soul Shoppe‘s work is made possible by donors and partners who care deeply about the young people in their communities! We can’t do this work without you. Support our work in classrooms and on playgrounds across the nation by donating here.

Judith Alcalá

Concord, CA

Judith’s core belief that “every person deserves the opportunity to develop as a whole person so that they may find their way to living a fulfilled life” guided her, whether her role was as an educator in a clinic, a classroom teacher or as former principal. 

It was during her principalship that she had the opportunity to partner with Soul Shoppe over the course of three years. During that time, her school community not only learned how to impart wellbeing as an act of social justice but also to embody it.

After 20 years as a public school educator in the East Bay,  Judith has returned to the non-profit sector as an Associate Director for the Sobrato Early Academic Language Model, an organization that provides professional development, curriculum support and technical assistance to school systems to prepare all English learners and dual language learners in California to learn, thrive and lead. 

Additionally, her roles as a field instructor for Loyola Marymount University’s Administrator Credential Program and as an instructor at Cal State East Bay’s Teacher Credential program both fulfill her love for teaching and her motivation to close the opportunity gap by adequately supporting and preparing the educators that serve the students of California.

Judith balances her life by spending time with her family, staying active and enjoying the outdoors, having a good laugh with friends and regularly quenching her curiosities with new experiences that feed her mind, spirit and soul.