Julie's Story
Disclaimer: To protect the integrity of ongoing reviews and potential legal matters, certain names, identifying details, and references to individuals, organizations, and institutions have been removed, abbreviated, or altered. These modifications have been made for legal and privacy purposes while I continue to investigate potential legal ramifications and seek professional guidance regarding matters discussed within this story. The experiences, events, and impacts described remain true to my lived experience and understanding of the circumstances.
To the Preservatory Community,
Many of you are unaware of the full scope of what I have been navigating over the past several years while building The Preservatory, and I want to offer clarity around the progression of my health journey, the origin of this work, and the systemic and cultural gaps I have experienced while trying to receive support that is aligned, accessible, and responsive.
I also want to share what I intend to do moving forward through this experience — continuing to prioritize my healing while helping expand The Preservatory and a new program I’ve been creating called The Healing Justice Network Project initiative through culturally aligned, community-rooted wellness programs, youth support, adult healing workshops, and collaborative pathways that offer more holistic and accessible approaches to care, healing, and human connection.
Most people assume I founded The Preservatory because of the immense loss of loved ones I have experienced from suicide throughout my life, including the loss of my brother Blue in 2006.
While those experiences undoubtedly shaped my perspective and strengthened my commitment to community healing, the truth is that The Preservatory ultimately emerged from my own personal struggle. What began as an effort to navigate my own health challenges, isolation, recovery, and search for meaningful support evolved into a deeper mission to create spaces where others could access genuine, safe, trusted support in healing, connection, culture, and community before reaching a point of crisis.
As I begin sharing more of my story and the journey that ultimately led to the founding of The Preservatory, I believe our voice matters. Healing requires using that voice, and part of my healing journey has involved confronting difficult truths about trust, relationships, and the unexpected challenges of healing from my traumas.
I was in a car accident in January 2021, which marked the beginning of a much deeper and more complex health journey than I fully understood at the time. The impact of that accident created extreme and severe symptoms that unfolded over time, including neurological issues, chronic pain, digestive, and structural injury that eventually resulted in lateral meniscus damage and surgery, as well as ongoing challenges in healing and restoring full function.
One of my challenges involves a financial investment that continues to impact me today.
As a result of my car accident in January 2021, I was forced to make several significant financial decisions while trying to navigate recovery. One of those decisions included selling my home in order to purchase reliable transportation and maintain stability following the accident. It was during this period of major life transition, uncertainty, and recovery that I made a number of decisions based on the information and circumstances I was facing at the time.
Shortly after my accident, I invested $92,500 with a “friend” in a private real estate investment company. This friend I had known since high school and is an idolized community figure in the Breakin' and hip hop community. This wasn’t a cold business transaction between strangers. This friend is someone I grew up closely with since high school. Our families have long-standing connections that go back decades and still intertwine today. My late brother by suicide, first daughter and his daughter are cousins, intertwining our families in ways that extended far beyond business.
Like many relationships built through Hip Hop culture and community, our connection was rooted in years of shared experiences, mutual support, and trust; “Word is bond”.
Long before any investment was ever discussed, I was one of the first people supporting his exposure at events during the early stages of his Breakin’ career. For a very brief period, I helped manage his breakin’ crew and create opportunities for visibility within the community. My family also supported his journey. My father provided him with chiropractic care at no cost while he was developing as a dancer, supporting his physical well-being as he pursued his passion. I also contributed by providing massage therapy. This history matters because it speaks to the level of trust that existed.
When I invested in 2021, I did so believing I was investing with someone who knew my story, knew my family, knew the struggles I had already endured and was experiencing and understood the position I was in following a life-altering accident, why I sold my house and made an investment with him to pursue my financial success in passive income. I saw his personal success and was assured with my investment there would be quarterly payouts and that my full investment would be returned within five years, I moved forward with confidence. It is now 5 years later this word was not honored.
As the years passed, communication became incredibly increasingly limited, accountability became difficult to obtain, demanding documents not provided and my efforts to seek clarity and resolution have not produced the outcome I was led to believe would occur. Only 1 quarterly payout and basically ghosted with no resorts or information of my investment. What has been most painful is not simply the financial impact, but the reality of navigating these circumstances with someone I once considered family and while he continues to fill his financial cup, it's the beginning of the exhaustion of mine to this day.
This matter is currently being reviewed by legal counsel and financial professionals. Out of respect for that process, I will not be publicly identifying the individual at this time.
I share this because healing is rarely just physical. Healing touches every part of our lives—our relationships, our finances, our sense of safety, our trust in community and partners and our ability to move forward. For me, the years following my accident have involved far more than recovering from injuries. They have included learning difficult lessons about advocacy, accountability, and the importance of protecting one’s peace while seeking truth.
This experience is only one chapter in a much larger story yet a major contributor as to where I am today.
The years that followed would bring ongoing neurological complications, chronic daily pain, a newly developed auto immune issue and celiac disease, chronic daily migraines, extensive medical advocacy, financial instability, complete isolation, depression, and a more recent diagnosis that explains much more than I even imagined, and ultimately the deeper healing journey that gave birth to The Preservatory and The Healing Justice.
What I did not fully understand then was how long and layered the recovery process would become, or how significantly it would affect every aspect of my life — physically, emotionally, financially, and neurologically, spiritually and ultimately my relationships. This experience became the original seed and intention behind what is now The Preservatory- created out of a need to survive, for support, to heal, and to build something rooted in restoration when the systems around me were not fully meeting those needs.
Immediately following my accident in 2021, I began searching throughout the Denver region for chiropractic care to support my recovery. As the daughter of a chiropractor trained in Applied Kinesiology, someone raised within that culture of holistic clinical care and I being a prior massage therapist of 18 years working on auto rehabilitative injuries, I had a strong understanding of the type of support I believed my rehabilitation required. However, I struggled immensely to find practitioners whose approach aligned with my needs, leaving me to navigate much of my recovery without the level of care and support I knew was necessary.
I went to countless chiropractors during this time, but none fully addressed the level of structural, neurological, and rehabilitative support I required. This gap in care left me navigating recovery without the kind of integrated chiropractic or structural support I was familiar with, and without adequate rehabilitation guidance that matched the severity of my condition.
As a result of the accident and the structural displacement it created throughout my body to include neck, thoracic, lumbar and sacral region, I eventually sustained a lateral meniscus tear that significantly impacted my mobility, stability, and daily functioning. For what seemed to be too long a period of time, I relied on a leg brace while attempting to navigate recovery and maintain basic day-to-day activities.
This injury ultimately led me into a “Denver-area hospital” system in June 2022 and marked the beginning of my relationship with the conventional medical system. Following months of complications related to the accident, I underwent an incredibly delayed knee surgery and became formally established within the healthcare system in September 2022. Prior to this chapter of my life, I had never been hospitalized and had very limited interaction with the medical system altogether.
As I underwent surgery and attempted to navigate recovery, I found myself struggling not only with physical rehabilitation, but also with the emotional toll of isolation in my recovery. The loss of community engagement, the lack of friends and family support, and the reality of navigating a complex healthcare system largely on my own left me feeling incredibly alone and thirsty for care, connection, love, and support.
Following the surgery, I began knee pt and care with a specialized nervous system physical therapist Rachel, and I remained in ongoing care with her up until recently in May 2026. Throughout this extended period of treatment and rehabilitation, I continued to experience a progressive worsening of my migraines, along with persistent and escalating neurological symptoms. This marked the beginning of an even deeper depression unlike anything I had ever experienced.
To understand the depth of that isolation and depression, it is important to understand where I come from. I am the youngest of seven children and was raised surrounded by family, community, and connection. I grew up with a tribe. As much as I love being alone, I needed human connection as we are not designed to live in complete isolation, yet that is exactly what I found myself experiencing.
Like many people, I had already begun feeling the effects of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. As my injuries, health challenges, and recovery continued, that isolation only deepened. At the same time, I continued receiving news of friends and members of my community losing their lives to substance misuse and to suicide. Each loss weighed heavily on me and reinforced what I was witnessing around me: people were suffering, struggling to find support, and falling through the cracks, including myself.
As that isolation deepened, I found myself questioning whether I wanted to continue my own journey. It was one of the darkest periods of my life. During that time, I experienced what I can only describe as a powerful vision of my late brother Blue, who died by suicide in 2006. In that moment, I felt encouraged to transform my pain, grief, and struggle into something meaningful rather than allowing it to consume me.
Instead of giving up, I made a decision to stay. I decided to channel my hurt into purpose and create something that might help someone else who was struggling to find hope, connection, and support.
That decision became the beginning of The Preservatory.
I realized we needed more than traditional resources. We needed culturally relevant support groups, healing spaces, and community-centered environments where people could come together, be seen, be heard, and find connection without judgment. We needed spaces that recognized the importance of culture, creativity, music, movement, art, and community as essential components of healing.
The Preservatory was born from that realization—and from a simple hope that if I could help even one person feel less alone, find support, access resources, and discover a reason to keep going through creativity, culture, and community, then everything I had endured could serve a greater purpose.
I stopped "partying" and quickly discontinued the pain medication prescribed within the first month of my recovery as I lost too many loved ones to addiction, substance misuse, and overdose, and ultimately death including during this recovery time—many of whom were initially prescribed narcotics following an injury or medical procedure—I choose a different path for myself.
As my knee very slowly recovered, it became increasingly apparent that my body was not healing the way it should have been or expected. Despite my commitment to physical therapy, rehabilitation, and following recommended treatment plans, my progress remained slow and inconsistent. Rather than steadily improving, I continued experiencing chronic pain, worsening migraines, cognitive challenges, and a growing list of neurological symptoms that suggested something deeper was occurring beneath the surface and the expected course of recovery.
By July 2024, after years of reporting my condition was not improving and was, in many ways, continuing to decline, I had been persistently communicating concerns to “Denver-area hospital system” about daily migraines, gut issues, cognitive disruption, neurological instability, and an overall decline in my ability to function. I demanded an MRI.
At that time, I was told that everything appeared normal and that there were no significant findings. As they reported primary symptoms were attributed to a suspected artery-related issue, and I was reassured that I was “fine” based on the imaging results.
I was informed that I was “okay,” and the only option presented to me was medication to manage the migraines. Beyond that, no additional investigation, expanded neurological workup, or further diagnostic pathways were offered. Just medication.
As my condition continued to worsen significantly over the year, I returned again to “Denver-area hospital system” and demanded further evaluation. My symptoms had escalated to the point where it felt like my brain was going to explode — intense intracranial pressure sensations, severe migraines, cognitive breakdown, extreme sensitivity to light and sound and inability to function normally in daily life with incredible decline in energy.
These symptoms, however, did not match what I was being told. My lived experience was ongoing neurological collapse, not stability.
It is now 2025 and as my condition continued to worsen, I began working with Nutritionalist Kristy from Resurrection Wellness in April 2025, where we then discovered I had a traumatic brain injury. Since that time, she has supported me in navigating ongoing brain and systemic complications through neurological nutritional integration. This work with NRT (Nutrition Response Testing) has been a consistent part of my ongoing healing process, helping support nutritional balance, neurological regulation, brain tissue rebuild, digestive support and systemic recovery, and I still continue to work with Kristy nutritionally today and support myself with my knowledge of being an NRT assistant in the past. While my work with Kristy helped immensely, I still needed other modalities integrated to support my nervous system and healing.
As another year of daily chronic debilitating pain and compounding neurological issues and dysfunction progressed from my first MRI date, I advocated for myself again and directly told “Denver-area hospital system” that I believed I had an acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) that was not being addressed and I demanded another MRI and further neurological evaluation. At that point, my symptoms continued to escalate even further and created complete daily dysfunction with a worsening feeling of mass pressure as if my brain was going to burst.
I advocated again for additional imaging because I knew something deeper was occurring.
This time, I was given a second MRI — an MRI with contrast — completed in June 2025.
Once again, I was told by the neurologist that the imaging did not show significant concerns and that everything appeared to be within normal limits. The interpretation again did not align with my lived neurological reality or the severity of my ongoing symptoms.
After reviewing my MRI and drawing on my familiarity with diagnostic imaging from years in chiropractic settings, I advocated for further evaluation of what I believed was an unaddressed traumatic brain injury (TBI). My request for additional testing was denied, and I was instead offered symptom management through medication, supplements, and referrals for physical, cognitive, and speech therapy.
None of these actually support the actual TBI and concussion concern. Despite continued deterioration, I was again not offered expanded diagnostic exploration beyond basic interpretation, and was again left without a comprehensive pathway of care that addressed what I was experiencing in my body and nervous system.
At one point, I was offered Botox from the “Denver-area hospital system”as a treatment for chronic migraines and forehead tension related to ongoing neurological symptoms. While I would love to remove the visual damage that I have has incurred on my forehead from this experience, I made the personal decision not to pursue adding a neuro toxin into my already struggling nervous system working to heal, regulate, and repair itself, not to mention the potential side effects.
From there, my primary care provider at “Denver-area hospital system”referred me to Craigs Hospital for further testing, where my case was reviewed but I was not accepted due to severity criteria. I then attempted to access care through UnitedHealthcare (UHC), but was denied due to the injury being considered too old under policy guidelines.
With frustration and limited options, I returned to “Denver-area hospital system” and accepted their recommendation for a physical therapy pathway for any hopeful relief. I received only limited intervention support —3 three sessions of dry needling to my neck that was recommended at least 12 sessions and three sessions of cognitive and speech therapy as they had been severely affected, which were insufficient and ultimately discontinued without any sustained care plan or additional tools beyond being told to “do your in-home neck strengthening exercises and “the spoon theory”.
Despite this period of ongoing overall health decline and increasing financial struggles with limited options, I still continued to seek additional care needed to support my overall healing and wellbeing and I began to perform server cranial release work on myself in hopes to relieve this prolonged and severely progressive concussion and fascia built of the 5.5 years of delayed recognition while I struggled to find structural integration support and started relieving the pressure and nerve impingement, what did I have to lose?
In an attempt to receive adequate Chiropractic structural integration still, I started care at Accelerate Health in December 2025 and I found the incredible neuromuscular massage therapist Meghan Freeby that has made a significant impact on my recovery. While the chiropractic care did not meet my needs, I am so grateful to have found a body worker who understands the body and neurological relationship from a neuromuscular skeletal perspective as I had struggled to find consistent quality therapeutic massage in the past. Still I continued to struggle to find, finding a complete package of integrated care assistance and adequate healing facilitators that are qualified to address my structural needs. Where is a qualified Chiropractor to help support my core alignment and concussed skull?
By early April 2026, I reached a point of extreme depletion, mentally, energetically, and financially. In the midst of one of my lowest points, I was referred by Beverly of Mo Betta Green in mid April 2026 to acupuncturist Cerise, who treated me and guided me toward The Center for Trauma & Resilience. I was there welcomed by “mama” Nemayian Muthiora, who embraced me and accepted me into their programs, which include acupuncture, tai chi, yoga and counseling services at no cost to me.
I started to receive acupuncture with Cerise and counseling services with Mariah to help manage emotional support through these healing complications and the emotional challenges of the isolation and lack of support from community and family. I continue to receive this support from them today and am eternally grateful.
I continued integrating community-based care support while also maintaining ongoing nutritional and neurological, cranial release, acupuncture, massage therapy, counseling, and efforts for structural alignment with tools and techniques I use on myself.
Finally on May 8, 2026, I went back to “Denver-area hospital system” and I saw a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist and demanded recognition for this injury to be diagnosed and documented and was stated in visit. I was recognized from “Denver-area hospital system” as having a traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness, post-concussive syndrome, memory change and chronic post-traumatic headaches (not intractable), after years of escalation and advocacy.
Some audio has been redacted from the following video. Please turn up your volume.
On that same day, I was sent to a “Denver-area hospital system” social worker who had me sign a power of Medical Attorney as I stated I could not bear this much longer. I was also given a formal referral from “Denver-area hospital system” for neurology testing and neuropsychological psych evaluation, which is required for social security disability financial support and has a 8 month waiting list and is required in order to access the financial assistance needed for survival and disability determination. This approximate eight-month waiting list for these tests grossly contributes to the physical, mental, economical, social degeneration, further depression and ultimately loss of hope and life for individuals experiencing these overlooked issues.
In most cases, individuals are unable to sustain themselves through this length of delay with the severity of symptoms I've been challenged with for years now. I was told to follow up with Neurology who then told me I’ve already been seen earlier in the year and won’t see me again till the following year and continued being denied to follow up despite their finally recognizing my severe conditions. I was given no further explanation of my condition, recommended medications and no additional care or therapies, I was told to continue doing my at home exercises.
I went home that day ready to give up. My vertigo was uncontrollable, my speech had been compromised, my pain overwhelming and I was on E and ready to be done with it all; or was I.
During this critical period, after weeks of dedicated cranial fascia release work, mindful breathwork, meditation, prayer, and supportive plant and earth-based practices throughout May 2026, something profound shifted on Mother's Day, May 10th. Through this intentional process, I experienced a deep release and a level of nervous system regulation I had not felt in years.
I connected inwardly to my mother, who passed in 2020 after enduring severe illness from liver and kidney cancer. In that moment, I asked for guidance and support beyond what I could carry alone. I released my vagus nerve for the first time in years of survival-state regulation patterns. Something shifted neurologically, physically, and spiritually — creating a moment of clarity, coordination, and reconnection.
This shift felt like a release of sustained tension and a change in my autonomic nervous system response, often associated with vagal activation and parasympathetic regulation. In simple terms, my body moved out of a heightened stress state into a more settled and regulated state allowing my nervous system to better calm for overall coordination for healing.
I experienced a moment of increased clarity, reduced internal head pressure, and a brief sense of stability and reconnection within my body and mind. It was a huge meaningful shift after years of chronic dysregulation in fight or flight. Although I am still in survival conditions of my recovery, I regained enough hope in that moment to continue forward on this healing journey and to work at healing myself.
As of today, I remain on the waiting list for neurology and neuropsychology and with great daily diligence of self care and support today I am in a much different place than I was even a month ago, but I am still very much in the start of this healing journey. While I have experienced improvements in clarity, balance and coordination, nervous system regulation, and overall wellbeing, I continue to navigate the daily realities of now a 5.5 years acute traumatic brain injury recovery and the challenges that come with it to include brain damage healing and constant brain fog, gut healing, chronic daily migraines slowly lessening thankfully, and incredible loss of energy and atmospheric sensitivity to sound, energy, and light overstimulation and anxiety of economic survival through this healing journey moving forward.
Currently, my primary focus is my healing. After years of fighting to survive physically, neurologically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially, I am giving myself permission to prioritize the care and recovery my body has been asking for all along. My hope is that with continued support, time, and intentional healing, I can continue restoring my health and rebuilding my life.
I deeply miss community, shooting pool, listening to live music, dancing, and many of the spaces that once brought me joy and connection to my community. As my energy and capacity continue to return, I look forward to slowly reintegrating myself back into community in a mindful way, being thoughtful about the environments, light and noise levels, energy, and company I surround myself with as my nervous system continues to heal and regulate.
Over the past two months, I have completed more than 126 hours of cranial fascia release work on myself. While the process resulted in significant hair loss and physical depletion, it has also led to substantial improvements in my day-to-day functioning and meaningful relief from symptoms I believe were related to skull restriction, nerve compression, brain swelling, and chronic pain.
I have supported this healing process through intentional nutrition, herbal support, and natural earth-based therapies aimed at restoring nervous system function and supporting brain tissue recovery. While these resources have become increasingly difficult to access as my financial circumstances have declined, they remain an essential part of my healing journey.
As a result, I have experienced improved balance, greater stability, increased strength, and a renewed sense of connection to my body as my energy and vitality continue to return.
While I believe medical care has an essential place in acute and life-threatening situations, my own experience—and what I continue to witness throughout our community—has left me deeply concerned about the current state of neurological and mental health care.
Far too many people are being asked to wait months, and sometimes years, for answers, diagnoses, treatment, and support while their conditions continue to worsen. We have built systems that are often reactive rather than preventative, symptom-focused rather than root-cause focused, and heavily reliant on medication while overlooking the complexity of the human experience.
As someone who spent years fighting for recognition, answers, and support surrounding a traumatic brain injury and severe nervous system dysregulation, I know firsthand what it feels like to be unseen, unheard, and left to navigate overwhelming symptoms largely on your own. The delays in care, limited treatment options, lack of continuity, and barriers to accessing meaningful support can be devastating—not only physically, but emotionally, mentally, socially, spiritually, and financially.
My concern extends far beyond my own experience. I meet people who are struggling to access timely care, affordable resources, and practitioners who are willing to look beyond symptoms and consider the whole person. Too many individuals are falling through the cracks of systems that were created to help them.
We must do better.
We need more integrated approaches that recognize the connection between brain health, mental health, nervous system function, trauma, environment, nutrition, culture, community, and lived experience. We need faster access to care, more affordable options, greater collaboration between disciplines, and a stronger commitment to prevention, education, and healing—not simply symptom management.
This is one of the driving forces behind The Healing Justice Network Project—a community-based initiative designed to bridge gaps in mental health, wellness, and preventative healing while making culturally aligned care more accessible and affordable.
The network connects constituents with trusted holistic practitioners, wellness providers, and healing resources offering reduced-rate services, while also creating opportunities for workshops, community gatherings, education, peer connection, and collaborative partnerships.
Rooted in the belief that healing happens in community, The Healing Justice Network Project supports the whole person—mind, body, spirit, and community—and helps create pathways to healing, connection, and support before individuals reach a point of crisis.
In addition to practitioner referrals, the project will support healing-centered workshops, community gatherings, educational opportunities, peer connection, and collaborative partnerships focused on prevention, preservation of life, and overall wellbeing. Rooted in the belief that healing happens in community, The Healing Justice Network Project seeks to create pathways to support before individuals reach a point of crisis.
What began as my personal search for healing has evolved into a larger vision: helping others find connection, resources, advocacy, and culturally relevant support on their own healing journeys.
My hope is not only to share my story, but to advocate for a future where people can access the support they need before reaching a point of crisis, and where healing is approached with true care, compassion, mindfulness, collaboration, and dignity instead of being just another number in the system.
This journey has shown me first hand how many gaps exist within our current systems of medical health “care” and how difficult it can be for individuals to access timely, appropriate, and culturally relevant support. Through The Healing Justice Network Project, my intention is to help build pathways that bridge those gaps and create spaces where people can find connection, healing, advocacy, and hope before reaching a point of crisis.
WE MUST DO BETTER!
There is a need for more integrated, timely, and holistic preventative models of care that recognize the full complexity of brain, body, and trauma-based conditions. Healing cannot always wait for extended timelines, fragmented referrals, or narrowly defined treatment options.
In my experience, there are effective and natural approaches that support regulation, restoration, and recovery at a deeper level, rather than relying primarily on masking symptoms with medication alone.
While I would never wish this journey upon anyone, I am grateful for it. It has transformed my understanding of healing, community, resilience, and what it means to truly support another human being. It has deepened my commitment to advocate for those who are struggling, to help bridge the gaps that exist within our systems of “care” and to continue building pathways that offer hope, connection, and healing.
This experience has only strengthened my resolve. I have a deeper burning fire to heal, to grow, and to advocate for others so that together we can better support our community and our warriors through the challenges that inevitably lie ahead.
I also want to be transparent that throughout nearly four years of building The Preservatory, I have never received a personal paycheck. Instead, I have often invested my own resources to keep this mission moving forward—not as a sacrifice to highlight, but as a reflection of my belief in the importance of this work.
Despite multiple grant applications, The Preservatory has not yet secured grant funding. Combined with today's challenging economic and funding climate, building sustainable support for a grassroots organization has been difficult, even as the need for accessible, culturally aligned mental health and healing services continues to grow.
For these reasons, we will reschedule our intended Costa Rica Healing Retreat to early December 2027.
Now, if you feel called to support this vision and the continued growth of The Preservatory and The Healing Justice Network Project, I invite you to contribute to the Healing Justice Growth Fund.
Your tax-deductible contribution will help expand The Preservatory's mission by supporting culturally responsive healing programs, community wellness initiatives, educational resources, youth and adult healing opportunities, and collaborative partnerships that increase access to meaningful support.
Most importantly, it will help us continue building The Healing Justice Network Project—a community-based membership network that connects individuals with trusted holistic practitioners, healers, and wellness resources, making culturally aligned care more accessible and affordable.
Together, we can reduce barriers to care, strengthen pathways to healing, and create a more connected, culturally grounded, and healing-centered community for those who need support most.
I am calling in practitioners, healers, and community partners who feel aligned with this mission to join us in building a more accessible and integrated model of care—one that meets people where they are and supports them in sustainable healing.
As I continue forward, my primary focus is on self-care, continued healing, and expanding The Healing Justice Network Initiative. While I still have a long road ahead, I remain hopeful about my recovery and committed to doing the work necessary to restore my health and wellbeing.
Despite these challenges, we still intend to host our annual fundraiser The Warriors this September 26th held during National Suicide Prevention Month which will also serve as the official launch of The Healing Justice Network Project. It feels especially meaningful that this next chapter is emerging from a journey that has taught me so much about humility, ego death, resilience, healing, advocacy, and the importance of community support. I look forward to continuing this work alongside all of you as we build something that can support others for generations to come.
Whether through a financial contribution, partnership, volunteer support, sharing this story, or simply walking alongside us in this mission, your support helps make this vision possible.
Here is a link to support The Healing Justice Network Project growth fund and The Warriors Sponsorship pack if interested in growing these initiatives. You can reach out to contact@thepreservatory.life with any questions you may have about the program.
Throughout this entire journey, I have not walked alone.
I want to acknowledge and express my deepest gratitude to my Nutritionalist Kristy with Resurrection Wellness; my nervous system physical therapist Rachel at Root and Ember Physical Therapy, from The Center of Trauma and Resilience; Nemayian Muthiora, “mama”, my case worker, my acupuncturist Cerise, and Mariah for my counseling; my neuromuscular massage therapist Mehgan. Legal and financial support from Joe and Hanna Campana and my sister Kymberly along with cheerleading and coaching support, friends Trey Phelps, DJ Cyn, Jher, Aaron, Kim Broadfoot, Josh Vetato, Cory “The Matador”, my Preservatory team Johnny Childress and Heather Espinosa for their encouragement and continued belief in me and supporting this mission, 303 Boards family, Dawn from Venu Hub, the Mosaic family, my Costa Rican healing and life advancement support,and most importantly The Preservatory community, collaborators, supporters, donors, partners and to all of my fellow Warriors.
I also want to honor my brother Blue, whose memory and spirit continue to guide me in building The Preservatory, I carry deep gratitude for my mother's spirit, whose love, strength, and encouragement continues fueling the fire within me to create The Healing Justice Network Project, and I honor my great, great, great grandmother Echo, who spiritually guides me to release these missions into the world and stay the course through life's challenges and uncertainty, to speak my truth and to support a linage of Native ancestral mental health struggle of trauma and suicide.
I lastly want to acknowledge myself for the determination, resilience, and perseverance required to continue fighting this healing battle with such little support. There were many moments when the path forward felt impossible, yet I continued to advocate for myself, search for answers, and refuse to give up hope.
Thank you for believing in me, this work, this community, and in the possibility of a more mindful, compassionate, and healing-centered future.
With gratitude, humility, and hope,
Julie Koontz
Founder, The Preservatory
Creator, The Healing Justice Initiative
