Our Founders


The Sanctuary is co-founders, Stephanie & Etecia Burrell’s first brick-and-mortar. It is the home for their brands Worthy Beings® and Letthemflourish®

MEET THE FOUNDERS

Stephanie Burrell, Co-Founder

Stephanie Burrell, also known as Yoko, is a multi-spirited Graphic Designer, Artist, Maker and Educator. After practicing yoga for over a decade, Yoko became a certified Yoga Instructor in 2024 specializing in meditation and breath work.As an Olòrìṣà (initiated priest) in the Lucumí tradition of Ifá,Yoko’s intentions in her yoga practice is to center African people and help to re-connect her community to these mindfulness practices that have their origins in our indigenous African spiritual traditions. Yoko enjoys seeing intangible ideas come alive through tangible objects. She develops apparel and home goods collections around mantras that help people see themselves. 

Yoko has been a freelance Designer and consultant helping small businesses develop their brand and strengthen their digital voice since 2012. During Yoko’s time as a graduate student at The New School’s Parsons School of Design, her eyes were opened to the limitlessness of creative communication. Yoko believes that one of the best skills she has cultivated as a Designer is the ability to communicate concisely and in a way that fosters meaningful connection.

In 2013, Yoko launched a lifestyle apparel and home goods brand called ItsMeAri. Later, in 2014, Yoko launched a brick-and-mortar print shop in Brooklyn, New York , Thee Art Cave, offering custom screen-printing services to the local community. In 2016, Stephanie pivoted from ItsMeAri and re-branded her apparel and home goods business as Worthy Beings® Worthy Beings offers the community mantras to adorn themselves and their homes with. 

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Etecia Burrell, Co-Founder

Etecia is Black, queer, a mother, 4th generation Bayview Hunter’s Point San Francisco native, and founder of Letthemflourish® a holistic wellness brand and birthing temple. Etecia has curated a life centered around social justice and more specifically Black liberation. Etecia is also known as, Iya Omioki, she is an Ìyálòrìṣà (initiated priest) in the Lucumí tradition of Ifá. She is also a Yaya Nganga /Ngangankisi (initiated priest) in the Palo Mayombe tradition of Kongo.

Ìyá Omioki is a trained Western Clinical Herbalist, Onìṣégún, and certified Ayurveda Health Counselor, with over 2,000 hours of classroom and clinical experience. Ìyá Omioki is began studying Ayurvedic Medicine in 2023. During her graduate studies Ìyá Omioki has continued to deepen her wealth of knowledge and experience with herbal formulation, rejuvenative and detox therapies, bodywork, acupressure, yoga, meditation, and breathwork. 

In October 2016, Ìyá Omioki completed a full spectrum doula training. Ìyá Omioki has also been a certified Queer Preconception & Reproductive Health Counselor since 2016 and provides fertility doula support to people who are navigating their conception journey. In 2022, Ìyá Omioki became a certified Peer Lactation Support Counselor.

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THE SANCTUARY IS AN INVITATION FOR YOU TO MEET YOURSELF AGAIN (AND AGAIN) AT YOUR ALTAR.

The Sanctuary is more than a place—it is a portal into remembrance, where healing, culture, and spirit converge.

We are a 100% sustainable, Black queer woman (Olòrìṣà) owned apothecary, botánica, apparel, and home decor boutique located in the heart of Oakland’s vibrant Grand Lake neighborhood.

  • Our herbal remedies are handcrafted on-site by our co-founder, a Clinical Herbalist and Ayurvedic Health Counselor with over a decade of experience. Each formula is intentionally designed using organic, non-GMO, fair trade ingredients, many of which are locally sourced.

  • As the only botánica in the Bay Area offering fresh, organic, non-GMO, fair trade ritual herbs, we are deeply honored to hold this sacred responsibility. All of our spiritual baths, candles, oils, powders, sprays, and amulets are prepared in-house, guided by traditional divination and spiritual practice. Our spiritual tools, including handmade Lukumí, Ìṣẹ̀ṣe, and Palo supplies, are ethically sourced and crafted by knowledgeable artisans rooted in these traditions.

  • All of our apparel and home decor is mindfully made using eco-friendly organic and/or recycled materials. Sustainability is indigenous. We believe that all that touches the body and adorns the home is spiritual and should be made with care for both the planet and the people.

To restore balance to the Earth, we must restore balance within ourselves and our communities. This is the path of sacred remembering.

Our Vision

The Sanctuary is a living temple of Earth-centered wisdom, spiritual healing, and cultural restoration. Rooted in the sacred teachings of Ifa tradition, we are a lighthouse that guides people toward personal transformation and collective liberation through communion with nature, community, and ancestral knowledge.

Our vision is to awaken the divine spark in every being by remembering the sacred interdependence between humanity, spirit, and the Earth.

Our Mission

We are a transformative Black eco-system dedicated to:

  • African-American cultural preservation
  • Cultivation of heirloom plants essential to the African American pharmacopeia
  • Stewarding of knowledge of African Diasporic plants used for spiritual ceremony
  • Climate activism through an Indigenous African lens
  • Healing racial and ancestral trauma through centering culture as a form of healing 
  • Preserving the sacred
  • Re-membering African Indigenous, and Earth-based spiritual traditions

Every item you find at the Sanctuary is made or curated with intention and deep cultural respect. We serve our community with the utmost ìwà pẹ̀lẹ́ and with a profound commitment to honoring the indigenous African spiritual traditions of which we or initiated to.

Visit Us

3344 Grand Avenue, Oakland, California