Our Founders

MEET THE 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®. 

Stephanie (aka Yoko)

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 breathwork. As an Olòrìṣà (initiated priest of Ṣàngó) in the Lukumí 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 (aka Ìyá Omiòkì)

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, Ìyá Omiòkì, she is an Ìyálòrìṣà (initiated priestess of Yemọja) in the Lukumí tradition of Ifá. She is also a Yaya Nganga /Ngangankisi (initiated priest) in the Palo Mayombe tradition of Kongo.

Ìyá Omiòkì is a trained Traditional African Medicine (TAM) practitioner/ Onìṣégún, Western Clinical Herbalist, and certified Ayurveda Health Counselor, with over 2,000 hours of classroom and clinical experience. Ìyá Omiòkì began studying Ayurvedic Medicine in 2023. During her graduate studies Ìyá Omiòkì 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 Omiòkì completed a full spectrum doula training. Ìyá Omiòkì 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 2025, Ìyá Omiòkì continued her training in lactation support and became a certified Lactation Educator. In 2026, Ìyá Omiòkì began her formal education as a student midwife.

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