Shared Leadership at Urban Sanctuary
We lead by:
- Honoring shared wisdom—understanding that leadership is a practice of reciprocity, not authority.
- Practicing shared decision-making—ensuring choices are made with transparency, inclusion, and a deep commitment to justice.
- Dismantling hierarchies—redefining power so that it is shared, not centralized.
- Uplifting community care—because leadership is a responsibility to each other, not just a role or task.
- Centering our community and mission—keeping our purpose at the forefront of every decision and action.
- Embracing transformation—knowing that healing and growth are always in motion, never static.
Leadership at Urban Sanctuary is not about titles, power, or individual gain—it is a radical commitment to collective care, shared responsibility, and liberation. A practice of holding, creating, and amplifying. It is both a charge and a calling.
This is who we are. And this is how we lead.
At Urban Sanctuary, leadership is not about position—it is a sacred practice shaped by community care, collective responsibility, and deep alignment with our mission. We reject hierarchy in favor of a model that is fluid, collaborative, and intentional. Leadership here is not about authority—it is about showing up for one another, ensuring that our mission is woven into every aspect of what we do.
We lead with purpose. With vision. With an unshakable commitment to something greater than ourselves. We are not just holding space—we are tending to something sacred, something that must be sustained, replenished, and carried forward with intention.
This is about more than leadership. It is about legacy. About ensuring that the core of Urban remains strong, rooted, and rested so that the work does not just continue—it deepens, expands, and transforms.
Urban Sanctuary's Leadership Team
ALI DUNCAN
ALI DUNCAN
Ali Duncan is the founder and lead teacher at Urban Sanctuary, a Denver wellness center dedicated to creating accessible healing spaces for communities of color. Driven by a commitment to dismantling racial and social injustices, Ali ensures that self-healing and wellness are accessible to all by offering free weekly classes for underrepresented students. Through Urban Sanctuary, she has established a haven where individuals from diverse backgrounds can practice self-love and care in an environment that honors their identities, combining traditional healing modalities with culturally responsive practices that empower the community.
Ali Duncan is the founder and lead teacher at Urban Sanctuary, a Denver wellness center dedicated to creating accessible healing spaces for communities of color. Driven by a commitment to dismantling racial and social injustices, Ali ensures that self-healing and wellness are accessible to all by offering free weekly classes for underrepresented students. Through Urban Sanctuary, she has established a haven where individuals from diverse backgrounds can practice self-love and care in an environment that honors their identities, combining traditional healing modalities with culturally responsive practices that empower the community.
ERICA CANNON
ERICA CANNON
Erica Danielle is a yoga teacher, teacher trainer, and coach who helps humans untangle stress, trauma, and anxiety with meditation and body-based practices. Known for a clear and direct approach (with a healthy dose of ), they’ll guide you through the depths of your being—if you ask. But honestly? They don’t really know anything. They’re just floating, falling in love with what is, and offering a hand whenever the universe nudges them to help.
Erica Danielle is a yoga teacher, teacher trainer, and coach who helps humans untangle stress, trauma, and anxiety with meditation and body-based practices. Known for a clear and direct approach (with a healthy dose of ), they’ll guide you through the depths of your being—if you ask. But honestly? They don’t really know anything. They’re just floating, falling in love with what is, and offering a hand whenever the universe nudges them to help.
STEPH LINDSEY
STEPH LINDSEY
Rooted in the wisdom of Black Womanist and Feminist luminaries, Steph’s work is dedicated to personal well-being and collective liberation. She honors the intersections of healing, identity, and justice, centering radical self-care as a vital path toward liberation.
Rooted in the wisdom of Black Womanist and Feminist luminaries, Steph’s work is dedicated to personal well-being and collective liberation. She honors the intersections of healing, identity, and justice, centering radical self-care as a vital path toward liberation.
Partnerships | Cultural Wisdom | Body Liberation
Partnerships | Cultural Wisdom | Body Liberation
DAMEDA FINNEY
DAMEDA FINNEY
Dameda JoLynn cultivates spaces where connection, embodiment, and liberation thrive, ensuring that each offering deepens its roots in community and collective healing. With attention and intention, she blends breath, movement, and radical self-inquiry to guide individuals toward reclaiming their divinity and stepping into their full authenticity. Her work is about creating alignment—between the self and the body, between individual growth and collective transformation—so that every space she creates becomes one of belonging, trust, and radical self-expression. Grounded in her commitment to racial justice and collective healing, Dameda’s presence and guidance inspire others to embrace belonging, both to themselves and their community, while honoring the power of connection and the path toward liberation.
Dameda JoLynn cultivates spaces where connection, embodiment, and liberation thrive, ensuring that each offering deepens its roots in community and collective healing. With attention and intention, she blends breath, movement, and radical self-inquiry to guide individuals toward reclaiming their divinity and stepping into their full authenticity. Her work is about creating alignment—between the self and the body, between individual growth and collective transformation—so that every space she creates becomes one of belonging, trust, and radical self-expression. Grounded in her commitment to racial justice and collective healing, Dameda’s presence and guidance inspire others to embrace belonging, both to themselves and their community, while honoring the power of connection and the path toward liberation.
DR. AMY PICKENS
DR. AMY PICKENS
Dr. Amy Pickens nurtures the heart of Urban Sanctuary, ensuring that its roots in community, care, and liberation grow deeper with every offering. She moves with intention, weaving equity, accessibility, and collective healing into the fabric of the space. Her work is about alignment—between mission and practice, between teachers and the community—so that this sanctuary remains what it was always meant to be: a place of belonging, healing, and resistance.
Dr. Amy Pickens nurtures the heart of Urban Sanctuary, ensuring that its roots in community, care, and liberation grow deeper with every offering. She moves with intention, weaving equity, accessibility, and collective healing into the fabric of the space. Her work is about alignment—between mission and practice, between teachers and the community—so that this sanctuary remains what it was always meant to be: a place of belonging, healing, and resistance.
Equity & Alignment | Community Care & Collective Healing
Equity & Alignment | Community Care & Collective Healing