Cassandra Lam (she/her) is a neurodivergent Vietnamese-Chinese-American somatic healing facilitator guiding tired and trauma-impacted organizations and communities to rest. Her mission is to uplift rest as a necessary modality for collective healing and social change by:

• Offering free / donation-based Community Rest Sessions for people to rest together

• Partnering with corporate, non-profit, and community-based organizations that are interested in seeding rest into the work culture

In March 2021, she began sharing Collective Rest, a guided relaxation practice that soothes the nervous system for deep states of rest and recovery, at virtual healing circles where hundreds of people gathered to grieve, together. These sessions had a profound effect on the community, leading to invitations to partner with organizations like World Wildlife Fund, Planned Parenthood, Seatgeek, and more.

Cassandra is rooted in a rich lineage of teachers: Thich Nhat Hanh, Tricia Hersey, adrienne maree brown, Bayo Akomolafe, Sophie Strand, Alice Wong, Mia Mingus, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Audre Lorde, bell hooks, and Octavia Butler. Their teachings inform her compassionate approach, which centers on examining the cultural erasure of rest, integrating the spiritual and scientific pillars of rest, and helping people discover what their bodies need to feel safe enough to slow down.

As an autistic complex trauma survivor and daughter of refugees living with chronic pain and invisible disabilities, she is passionate about cultivating community care spaces where love and liberation are the dominant culture. Southern California born, New York City raised, and now nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Cassandra is grateful to call the unceded lands of the Cherokee (Asheville, NC) home.

Previously, Cassandra spent 5 years building The Cosmos, a community of 13K+ AAPI women and femmes globally. As CEO and Co-Founder, she led partnerships and the development of community care programs centering Asian women in America, which included sold-out retreats, group programs, and “The Cosmos Summit”, a 300-person conference in Brooklyn. Her expertise on AAPI identity and mental health has drawn invitations to speak and facilitate workshops for companies across the country. The Cosmos has been featured in The New York Times, Fast Company, Bustle, Paper Mag, and more.