In Residence at Sip & Sonder and Sonder Impact present …

The Cypher Sessions with Dr. Byron Young

Join Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and Dr. Byron Young as they present Dr. Young’s “The Cypher Sessions,” where the minds and ideas of the community synergistically come together to uplift and empower one another.

In this next installment of The Cypher Sessions, we’re talking ANXIETY & RUMINATION!

Joined by co-moderator Stephanie Lee of selfmade, we will be focusing on how anxiety manifests in our body and on our skin and demystifying the experience of rumination (aka spiraling thoughts). Highlights include:

• selfmade is launching its new Rumination Recovery Balm and will have a play table for you to try products and explore the mental health educational materials associated with them

• Self-reflection through generative conversation

• Exploring the body/mind connection with a hands-on practice led by selfmade somatic practitioner in residence, Ev’Yan Whitney.

All you will need to bring are your minds, mobile phones, love of music, and willingness to share your ideas and perspectives with the community!

Suggested Donation: $5

______________________

The Cypher Sessions is a fun, community-based education program where we deconstruct Black music to ignite discussion amongst participants around social justice and emotional-health topics that affect them.

The Sessions serve as a platform to inspire participants to reflect and share their ideas and perspectives while building and supporting critical thinking amongst marginalized communities, particularly communities of color.

about selfmade

selfmade is a personal care brand made by messy, emotional humans who ditched perfectionism to make practical wellness tools that blend psychology and skincare. Think creams that combat stress and more. We're changing the way we take care of ourselves with results you can see and feel.

about Rumination Recovery Balm

selfmade is launching its fifth product that helps merge mental, physical, and emotional care, Rumination Recovery Balm. This 2-in-1 transformative recovery balm addresses muscle tension and pain with therapeutic ingredients, at the same time as delivering high-performance skincare benefits.

Physical performance is dependent on mental performance and the act of ruminating on perfectionism or wondering about the unanswerable “what ifs?” causes tension and headaches in the jaw, shoulders, and neck. The constant stress response from rumination leads to increased cortisol levels, which can cause muscles throughout the body to tighten as a protective response. This muscle tension from ruminating can negatively impact sleep, productivity, and overall physical well-being over time if not managed. The semi-solid melting balm has a warming glow that releases muscle tension to ease the cycle of fatigue and nourishes resilient skin.

With the November election fast approaching, we want you to be empowered, take care of yourself, and make your voice heard …

Join Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and health & well-being evangelist Iman Gibson for ENGAGE!, a day of connection and civic action!

• Understanding Your Ballot

  • Empowerment Congress will be on site to explain the ballot, offer resources to understand what and who is on your ballot, and share tips on how to fill it out.

• Write Letters to Fellow Voters

  • We’ll be writing personalized, handwritten letters to voters to help increase voter turnout where it can make the biggest impact.

• Call Voters & Promote Democracy

  • Sign up on-site to attend a phone banking session, where you can have real conversations to to help drive voter turnout in your community.

• Candidate Meet & Greet

  • Meet Leslie Jones, a local candidate running for Inglewood City Council, who will be on-site sharing her vision for District 4, answering questions, and engaging with the community.

• Take Care of Yourself

  • A meditation moment with Black Being and health and well-being evangelist Iman Gibson, because the constant barrage of divisive rhetoric, policy debates, and discriminatory undertones during this election season can take a toll on our mental and emotional well-being, in ways seen and unseen. While civic engagement is critical to shaping our futures, it's equally important to take care of ourselves in the process.

Hope to see you there!

Meet Leslie Jones

In Residence at Sip & Sonder and Sonder Impact present …

Basquiat Taught Me with What’s Ya Vibe?

The Basquiat Taught Me workshop delves into how music serves as a powerful source of inspiration and support in creating art. Participants explore the rich culture of the ‘80s and ‘90s, a time when street artists like Basquiat thrived, blending past influences with present-day experiences. The workshop highlights how Basquiat drew from history while reflecting the contemporary world in his work, encouraging participants to channel their own experiences into creative expression.  

Register below to secure your spot!  Space is limited! 

What's Ya Vibe? is your daily check in. By offering a mix of creativity workshops, murals and design they blend art and wellness to support self-expression and personal growth. Through activities like painting, dance, sculpture, gardening, yoga, etc., participants are encouraged to explore their creative sides while embracing relaxation within it.

Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and All Raise present …

Founders Connect

A speed-dating style event linking founders with service providers for rapid insights and connections.

**********************

What's a founder without their team?  From legal and marketing to finance and tech, founders need the right experts in their corner to build, scale, and sustain their businesses. 

This LA Tech Week, Sonder Impact and All Raise are bringing you FOUNDERS CONNECT, a speed connector event aimed at linking underrepresented founders with essential service providers and advisors who can help turn ideas into thriving enterprises.

Here’s how it works:

• Before the event, founders will rank their primary business needs and key challenges, which will be used to create personalized schedules with the service providers who can best help you.

• On the day of the event, founders will receive their customized schedule at registration, with 10-minute sessions to meet with experts in areas like legal, marketing, finance, technology, and business strategy. Our goal is to match founders with as many of their preferred providers as possible.

• When not in meetings, founders can enjoy food, drinks, and network with others—because you never know where your next great connection might come from!

Space is limited, so register today!

This event is a part of #TechWeek - a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem.

Meet the Experts

Dr. Steph Ardrey, JD, DBA

Dr. Ardrey is the CEO and Founder of ZenoVerse Wellness Group, Inc., a global wellness organization formed to deliver “wellness one week at a time” through its MediSpaTels strategically located across the Caribbean, Italy, France, and Africa. Her firm is also in the farming space offering food-as-medicine (FaM) perishable, nonperishable, meal kits, tinctures, and tonics supporting the various wellness protocols. Dr. Ardrey made a social impact commitment to train and develop 10MM entrepreneurs and farmers to participate in the ecosystem by providing access to capital, capacity, and customer markets for emerging entrepreneurs with the desire to create sustainable business ventures. She has launched her first initiative www.organicfarmersglobal.com, in partnership with Hello Tractor and Smart Maintenance, whereby they are building a network of organic farmers, with over 1MM farmers currently in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana. Dr. Ardrey is a seasoned real estate developer who has directed multibillion-dollar portfolios of commercial real estate development projects – luxury, mixed-use, and retail commercial projects. Prior to entering the high stakes high pressure world of commercial real estate development, Dr. Ardrey was the founder and CEO of The ArdreyGroup Inc., a full-service advertising and marketing communications agency with eight offices across seven western states, a capitalized financial base of over $250 million dollars due to a joint venture.

Trivia Edwards

Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Trivia Edwards is a passionate ecosystem builder, investor, wellness advocate, and matriarch committed to breaking generational cycles and uplifting underserved & overlooked communities. Currently the Program Manager at Cinematica Labs, Trivia is actively contributing to the development of mission-oriented entrepreneurial ecosystems. Collaborating on innovative mentorship programs with partners such as Pharrell Williams' Black Ambition, Black Owned Media Equity and Sustainability Institute, and PledgeLA, she has proudly supported over 300 founders on their journeys. Alongside this role, she serves as a Teacher’s Assistant at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, supporting students in making valuable $50k startup investments from the USC Marshall Venture Fund. In 2021, she was selected as an HBCUvc fellow, which introduced her to the world of Venture Capital and propelled her career as an investor. She later built on this foundation and skill set as a Venture Fellow at Supply Change Capital and an Investment Analyst at Fearless Fund in 2022. Her earlier experiences also include a role as a financial analyst at Comer Capital Group and the Black Bank Fund, focusing on municipal and corporate debt transactions to revitalize the black banking industry.

Shane Kelly

Shane founded Cinematica Labs in 2022, partnering with Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition to bring together 200 founders with 50 mentors. Cinematica Labs builds ecosystems for mission-driven founders, prioritizing founder well-being while engaging excluded communities in order to catalyze the economies of the future. Shane serves as Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship for University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business where he teaches the Venture Lab, a course designed to guide students to make $50k startup investments out of the USC Marshall Venture Fund. He also teaches Venture Capital to emerging investors through his role as Investor in Residence for HBCU.vc, after which Fellows are placed into paid internships with top Venture Capital firms including Foundry, Slauson & Co, and Bloomberg Beta. An active member of the tech startup community, Shane serves on the investment committee for Cap Table Coalition. As a tech investor, Shane founded Wolverine Angels, an angel syndicate for University of Michigan alumni where he invested in startups including FEM Prizma (Acquired by Nielsen Gracenote) and Neurable. He went on to run investments for seed-stage Titan Fund, powered by CrowdSmart. The company’s proprietary platform combines human expertise and artificial intelligence to increase transparency and reduce bias in the venture investment process. Shane led 15 investments for the fund including Air and Syntiant.

Shanita Nicholas

Shanita has a passion for entrepreneurship, community building and coffee!  She is the co-founder and co-CEO of Sip & Sonder, a coffee house and roastery where coffee, community, and culture truly connect.  She is also the co-founder of Sonder Impact, which is Sip & Sonder's 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate that is committed to empowering Black communities to take ownership of their personal and professional capacity building.  As the founder of Law Office of Shanita Nicholas, Shanita's law practice focuses on general corporate start-up work, venture capital financing and private equity mergers and acquisitions. Shanita holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University and a J.D./MBA from Columbia Law and Business Schools.  She is an army brat with roots in Prince Georges County, MD.

Bonnie Oliva-Porter

Meet Bonnie (she/her/ella) —a Bronx native, 1st-gen Afro-Latiné woman, and devoted daughter of Honduran immigrants who hold dear the values of family, education, and service. Now calling LA home, she's woven her passions into a multifaceted career as a People & Culture Strategist, consultant, coach, advisor, and investor. As the founder of Margins: A Workplace Innovation Studio, Bonnie champions the voices of marginalized groups in the workplace. Her mission centers on crafting high-performing organizations dedicated to serving underrepresented groups, aligning with companies championing bold strides toward workplace equity. Among her notable achievements, Bonnie was a founding team member of Tala, a high-growth FinTech startup, where she played a pivotal role in opening emerging market offices, leading global DEI efforts, and supporting fundraising efforts exceeding $100M. At the NYC Dept. of Small Business Services, she spearheaded the launch of a Workforce Center in the Bronx and managed a $20MM portfolio focused on job training for marginalized groups. In her diverse roles, from serving as PledgeLA Survey & Accountability Committee Chair (2021 - 2023) to contributing on the All Raise LA Steering Committee, Bonnie has consistently demonstrated her commitment to fostering positive change.

Jason E.C. Wright

Jason E.C. Wright is an educator, documentary photographer, Founder and Director at Burntsienna Research Society - a Research Library of Artbooks & Institute for Slow Design Research. A twenty year veteran of the fashion industry, Wright has instructed at FIDM, spoken and moderated for AIGA, A+D Museum, LA Design Festival, MOCA & more. Through Burntsienna, he continues to lead programming and curriculum around artbooks and slow research practices for product developers, design firms, retail and hospitality owner/operators, and independent creative professionals. Founded in 2018, Burntsienna provides programming around artbook access and curriculum around slow research practices in spaces like The Huntington Library & Gardens and more. Burntsienna Research Society is based in Los Angeles, on the unceded and occupied lands of Tovaangar and the Tongva people. We pay respects to ancestors past, present and emerging.

In Residence at Sip & Sonder and Sonder Impact present …

Basquiat Taught Me with What’s Ya Vibe?

The Basquiat Taught Me workshop delves into how music serves as a powerful source of inspiration and support in creating art. Participants explore the rich culture of the ‘80s and ‘90s, a time when street artists like Basquiat thrived, blending past influences with present-day experiences. The workshop highlights how Basquiat drew from history while reflecting the contemporary world in his work, encouraging participants to channel their own experiences into creative expression.  

Register below to secure your spot!  Space is limited! 

What's Ya Vibe? is your daily check in. By offering a mix of creativity workshops, murals and design they blend art and wellness to support self-expression and personal growth. Through activities like painting, dance, sculpture, gardening, yoga, etc., participants are encouraged to explore their creative sides while embracing relaxation within it.

Join Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and Dr. Byron Young as they present Dr. Young’s “The Cypher Sessions,” where the minds and ideas of the community synergistically come together to uplift and empower one another.

In this next installment of The Cypher Sessions, we’re talking BLACK JOY!

Joined by co-moderator Demetrius Murphy, we will be focusing on the ins and outs of our joy and happiness as Black people living in the U.S. Together we will discuss how we experience and practice joy, Black joy as an act of resistance, and how this joy can be nourished so we thrive as individuals and community members.

All you will need to bring are your minds, mobile phones, love of music, and willingness to share your ideas and perspectives with the community!

Suggested Donation: $5

______________________

The Cypher Sessions is a fun, community-based education program where we deconstruct Black music to ignite discussion amongst participants around social justice and emotional-health topics that affect them.

The Sessions serve as a platform to inspire participants to reflect and share their ideas and perspectives while building and supporting critical thinking amongst marginalized communities, particularly communities of color.

Join Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and Dr. Byron Young as they present Dr. Young’s “The Cypher Sessions,” where the minds and ideas of the community synergistically come together to uplift and empower one another.

In this next installment of The Cypher Sessions, we’re talking VULNERABILITY!

Joined by co-moderator V Williams, we will be focusing on the benefits and barriers to being more vulnerable with each other and ourselves. Together we will tussle with questions around how our vulnerability, or lack thereof, are formed and how vulnerability impacts the quality of our joy, hopes, fears, and relationships.

All you will need to bring are your minds, mobile phones, love of music, and willingness to share your ideas and perspectives with the community!

Suggested Donation: $5

______________________

The Cypher Sessions is a fun, community-based education program where we deconstruct Black music to ignite discussion amongst participants around social justice and emotional-health topics that affect them.

The Sessions serve as a platform to inspire participants to reflect and share their ideas and perspectives while building and supporting critical thinking amongst marginalized communities, particularly communities of color.

Join Sonder Impact, Glasses Global, and Ziad Hijazi, CFP® of Gerber Kawasaki for the second installment of Sonder Impact’s new financial well-being series, Brew Your Wealth!

Brew Your Wealth is designed to equip our community with the tools and knowledge needed to take charge of their financial futures. Learn more HERE.

For this session, we’ll be covering all things FINANCIAL PLANNING.

In this session, Ziad Hijazi, CFP® will provide you with the essential tools and strategies to manage your finances effectively, from a refresher on budgeting and saving, to a deeper dive into investing—how to get started, investing strategy options, different vehicles, and the risks to be aware of. Don’t miss this opportunity to brew your way to financial success!

Register below! 

About Glasses Global

Glasses Global is a creative agency geared towards curating events and activations that focuses on building safe spaces for BIPOC professionals to have fun in an inclusive, appreciative, empowering environment. Learn more about Glasses Global HERE.

Join What’s Ya Vibe and Sonder Impact on Sunday June 23rd at Sip & Sonder Inglewood for “BASQUIAT TAUGHT ME,” an exciting painting party where everyone will have the chance to contribute to each canvas!

And here’s the twist—we’ll be painting with COFFEE! That’s right, coffee is the main art medium for this party, adding an extra layer of creativity and excitement to the experience!

And this isn’t just any painting party—it’s a Juneteenth celebration! Come dressed in your best Pan African-inspired attire and let’s honor liberation with creativity and community.  Best dressed receives a prize! Let’s come together to celebrate liberation through creation in our vibrant Inglewood community.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect, create, and commemorate Juneteenth in style.

Suggested Donation: $10-$25, but no one will be turned away. We believe in inclusivity and want everyone to join in the fun!

Register below to secure your spot!  Space is limited! 

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, join Sonder Impact, Eustress Inc., and Sip & Sonder on Wed. May 22nd for Eustress in Color, an Adult Coloring Night! 

Whether you're building a business, going back to school, launching something new, or just on your grind, Eustress Inc.’s Eustress in Color | Adult Coloring Night offers a space to sit back, relax, and just color, like back in the day.  

The evening will also include a fireside Chat with licensed psychotherapist Stevon Lewis, LMFT and mental health counselor Rwenshaun Miller of Eustress Inc., who will delve into the intricacies of mental health, its challenges, and practical tips for self-care.

Benefits of coloring:

• Helps reduce stress and anxiety

• Improves sleep

• Improves focus

• Improves motor skills

Colored pencils, markers, and coloring books will be provided.  All we need is you!

Register below to secure your spot!

About Rwenshaun Miller & Eustress Inc.

Rwenshaun Miller is an accomplished author, motivational speaker, counselor, consultant and philanthropist who has dedicated his life and career to, not only reshaping the negative connotations often associated with mental health, but also directly impacting the lives of those living with mental health challenges.  His relentless passion and commitment derived from his personal experience living with Bipolar Disorder. Mr. Miller decided to not allow this diagnosis to define and debilitate him realizing that Bipolar Disorder is not what defines who he is. Thus, he embarked on a path to help uplift, empower, encourage and teach others who live with mental health challenges how to “thrive” in life.

Through his nonprofit, Eustress, Inc., Mr. Miller built a platform to bring awareness to the importance of acknowledging, improving and preserving mental health, and break the stigma associated with mental illness, particularly in the Black community.  Furthermore, Eustress assists youth in under-served communities with identifying and overcoming mental health challenges to achieve healthier, productive lifestyles.

Mr. Miller obtained a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling to change and promote the availability of black male therapists. Mr. Miller is a practicing Mental Health Counselor in Charlotte, NC at his founded, private practice, The Good Stress Company, and he is actively pursuing a Doctoral Degree in International Psychology.  Mr. Miller has been featured on various media platforms, including TEDx, Huffington Post, Power 105.1FM’s “The Breakfast Club,” Blavity and The Good Men Project. He is also the recipient of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation award for Advancing Minority Mental Health, SXSW Community Service Award and Omega Psi Phi’s Brother Paul Woods Bridge Builder Award.

CONNECT | Website Instagram

About Stevon Lewis, LMFT

Stevon Lewis is a speaker, author, psychotherapist, and the host of the podcast, "How to Talk to High
Achievers About Anything," produced by LWC Studios. Stevon is a trusted expert in his field
where he focuses on empowering high achievers to overcome Impostor Syndrome by helping them shift their thinking so that they can develop a deeper connection with their achievements. He is the author of the journal, "Silencing Your Inner Bully: An Acknowledgment Journal for Impostor Syndrome." This journal serves as a tool for individuals seeking to confront and conquer their impostorism by guiding them through exercises that lead to an acknowledgment of
their skills and abilities. The goal being to help people accept that they are a work in progress
and are doing amazing things nonetheless.

As a speaker Stevon has been featured on television and media platforms, such as the Oprah Winfrey Network, KevOnStage Studios, and the Boston Globe. He’s facilitated workshops on Impostor Syndrome and related topics for a variety of organizations, such as Tory Burch, Scotch Porter, The Creative Collective NYC, Deluxe Media Entertainment, Augusta University, CSU Long Beach, Pepperdine University, Chan-Zuckerberg Institute, Power Digital Marketing, BLK
Dating App (a subsidiary of Match.com), and A New Direction, a London-based nonprofit
dedicated to supporting and nurturing individuals from underrepresented communities within the creative and digital industries.

CONNECT | Website Instagram

Sonder Impact's Creative Therapy Well-Being programs, which cover various artistic disciplines ranging from art and music to dance and writing, are aimed at helping individuals explore self-expression with simple yet effective tools to foster healing and mental well-being.  For more about Sonder Impact's other Well-Being and Entrepreneurship initiatives, please visit www.sonderimpact.org/about.

🎤 Calling all creatives! Introducing …

THE SANCTUARY | Mastery Workshop 💫

Join Sip & Sonder and Sonder Impact on May 17th as we kick off our new Mastery Workshop series! Born from Sip & Sonder’s monthly THE SANCTUARY open mic experience, this workshop is a space for writers from all disciplines to develop your material, hone your craft, and connect with fellow creatives!

For May, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we’ll be diving deep into “Mental Health, Self-Expression, & Authenticity.”

Learn more and register below!

Sonder Impact's Creative Therapy Well-Being programs, which cover various artistic disciplines ranging from art and music to dance and writing, are aimed at helping individuals explore self-expression with simple yet effective tools to foster healing and mental well-being.  For more about Sonder Impact's other Well-Being and Entrepreneurship initiatives, please visit www.sonderimpact.org/about.

Join Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and Dr. Byron Young as they present Dr. Young’s “The Cypher Sessions,” where the minds and ideas of the community synergistically come together to uplift and empower one another.

In this next installment of The Cypher Sessions, we’re talking WHAT’S BEEF?!

Joined by co-moderator V Williams, we will be thinking critically about the Kendrick vs. Drake rap beef and leverage that conversation to reflect on our own insights around how we deal with conflict, our perspectives on cultural awareness, and cultural ownership. Together we will tussle with questions around not only what this meant for hip hop, but also what we learned about ourselves.

All you will need to bring are your minds, mobile phones, love of music, and willingness to share your ideas and perspectives with the community!

Suggested Donation: $5

______________________

The Cypher Sessions is a fun, community-based education program where we deconstruct Black music to ignite discussion amongst participants around social justice and emotional-health topics that affect them.

The Sessions serve as a platform to inspire participants to reflect and share their ideas and perspectives while building and supporting critical thinking amongst marginalized communities, particularly communities of color.

Join Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and Dr. Byron Young as they present Dr. Young’s “The Cypher Sessions,” where the minds and ideas of the community synergistically come together to uplift and empower one another.

In this next installment of The Cypher Sessions, we’re talking about romantic relationships!

We will be focusing on the ins and outs of how we navigate romantic relationships. Together we will tussle with questions around partnership, dating in LA, sensuality, and romance. We will explore how we experience and impact our relationships, including how they shape us, how we shape them, and how to enhance them going forward.

All you will need to bring are your minds, mobile phones, love of music, and willingness to share your ideas and perspectives with the community!

Suggested Donation: $5

______________________

The Cypher Sessions is a fun, community-based education program where we deconstruct Black music to ignite discussion amongst participants around social justice and emotional-health topics that affect them.

The Sessions serve as a platform to inspire participants to reflect and share their ideas and perspectives while building and supporting critical thinking amongst marginalized communities, particularly communities of color.

CALLING ALL FOUNDERS, CREATIVES AND INNOVATORS!

🔑 Sonder Impact and Sip & Sonder are partnering with Black Ambition and ACT House to bring back the “NO PRESSURE” PITCH COMPETITION, going down Thursday March 14th at Sip & Sonder Inglewood!

💡 Pitch competitions can be dry, overworked and overplayed. So, we're flipping the script to let y'all focus on what matters most: the IDEA. Whether you've been working on your pitch for months or you want to shoot off the cuff, the chance is yours to take. It's NO PRESSURE.

Here's the kicker though: sign-ups to pitch are first come, first serve, and we have limited spots. Make sure to come to the event early and on time to secure your spot.

Not pitching? Show up anyways if you want to…

• Meet dope individuals making a difference in the community

• Learn about new ways to get funding for your idea

• Eat, drink and enjoy yourself

Details below:

🚀 Each competitor has 60 seconds to pitch

🥇 1st Prize: $5,000

🥈 2nd Prize: $3,500

🥉 3rd Prize: $1,000

Register today using the link below!

Join Sonder Impact, Glasses Global, and Isayas Theodros of Theodros Team Realty for the first installment of Sonder Impact’s new financial well-being series, Brew Your Wealth!

Brew Your Wealth is designed to equip our community with the tools and knowledge needed to take charge of their financial futures. Learn more HERE.

For this session, we’ll be covering all things REAL ESTATE.

Isayas will share nuggets that will help folks learn the fundamentals of buying and selling residential real estate. We'll discuss the big picture along with the details that will help you not only learn how to best prepare, but also approach the process with a winning strategy.

Register below! 

About Isayas Theodros

Isayas is a top producing agent with a background in entertainment and finance. He is passionate about his career in Real Estate because it serves as the perfect intersection between community building, financial literacy, and service. Learn more about Theodros Team Realty HERE.

About Glasses Global

Glasses Global is a creative agency geared towards curating events and activations that focuses on building safe spaces for BIPOC professionals to have fun in an inclusive, appreciative, empowering environment. Learn more about Glasses Global HERE.

Join Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and Dr. Byron Young as they present Dr. Young’s “The Cypher Sessions,” where the minds and ideas of the community synergistically come together to uplift and empower one another.

In this next installment of The Cypher Sessions, we’re talking about romantic relationships!

We will be focusing on the ins and outs of how we navigate romantic relationships just in time for Valentine’s Day weekend. Together we will tussle with questions around partnership, dating in LA, sensuality, and romance. We will explore how we experience and impact our relationships, including how they shape us, how we shape them, and how to enhance them going forward.

All you will need to bring are your minds, mobile phones, love of music, and willingness to share your ideas and perspectives with the community!

Suggested Donation: $5

______________________

The Cypher Sessions is a fun, community-based education program where we deconstruct Black music to ignite discussion amongst participants around social justice and emotional-health topics that affect them.

The Sessions serve as a platform to inspire participants to reflect and share their ideas and perspectives while building and supporting critical thinking amongst marginalized communities, particularly communities of color.

Join Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and Dr. Byron Young as they present Dr. Young’s “The Cypher Sessions,” where the minds and ideas of the community synergistically come together to uplift and empower one another.

In this first Cypher Session for 2024, we’re running it back and talking about NAVIGATING RELATIONSHIPS: PART 2, with special guest and relationship expert Dr. Joi K Madison co-moderating!

We will continue focusing on the ins and outs of how we navigate the various types of relationships in our lives, from family to friends to lovers. Together we will tussle with questions around how we experience and impact our relationships, ideating about how they shape us, how we shape them, and how to enhance them going forward.

All you will need to bring are your minds, mobile phones, love of music, and willingness to share your ideas and perspectives with the community!

Suggested Donation: $5

______________________

The Cypher Sessions is a fun, community-based education program where we deconstruct Black music to ignite discussion amongst participants around social justice and emotional-health topics that affect them.

Join Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and Dr. Byron Young as they present Dr. Young’s “The Cypher Sessions,” where the minds and ideas of the community synergistically come together to uplift and empower one another.

In this 7th and final installment of The Cypher Sessions for 2023, we’re talking about NAVIGATING RELATIONSHIPS!

We will be focusing on the ins and outs of how we navigate the various types of relationships in our lives from family to friends to lovers, just in time for the holiday season. Together we will tussle with questions around how we experience and impact our relationships, ideating about how they shape us, how we shape them, and how to enhance them going forward.

All you will need to bring are your minds, mobile phones, love of music, and willingness to share your ideas and perspectives with the community!

Suggested Donation: $5

______________________

The Cypher Sessions is a fun, community-based education program where we deconstruct Black music to ignite discussion amongst participants around social justice and emotional-health topics that affect them.

Join Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and Dr. Byron Young as they present Dr. Young’s “The Cypher Sessions,” where the minds and ideas of the community synergistically come together to uplift and empower one another.

In this sixth installment of The Cypher Sessions with Sonder Impact, we’re running it back and talking once again about Impostor Syndrome.

Impostor Syndrome |

A psychological occurrence in which people doubt their skills, talents, or accomplishments and have a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as frauds.

For this installment, Dr. Young will be joined by mental health expert and Inglewood native Stevon Lewis LMFT to explore community perspectives on, experiences with, and triumphs over impostor syndrome. Together, with Dr. Young and Mr. Lewis, we will tussle with questions around the phenomenon and ideate through ways to overcome it.

All you will need to bring are your minds, mobile phones, love of music, and willingness to share your ideas and perspectives with the community!

Suggested Donation: $5

______________________

The Cypher Sessions is a fun, community-based education program where we deconstruct Black music to ignite discussion amongst participants around social justice and emotional-health topics that affect them.

Join Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and Dr. Byron Young as they present Dr. Young’s “The Cypher Sessions,” where the minds and ideas of the community synergistically come together to uplift and empower one another.

In this fifth installment of The Cypher Sessions with Sonder Impact, we’re talking about Impostor Syndrome.

Impostor Syndrome |

A psychological occurrence in which people doubt their skills, talents, or accomplishments and have a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as frauds.

For this installment, Dr. Young will be joined by mental health expert and Inglewood native Stevon Lewis LMFT to explore community perspectives on, experiences with, and triumphs over impostor syndrome. Together, with Dr. Young and Mr. Lewis, we will tussle with questions around the phenomenon and ideate through ways to overcome it.

All you will need to bring are your minds, mobile phones, love of music, and willingness to share your ideas and perspectives with the community!

Suggested Donation: $5

______________________

The Cypher Sessions is a fun, community-based education program where we deconstruct Black music to ignite discussion amongst participants around social justice and emotional-health topics that affect them.

Join Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and Dr. Byron Young as they present Dr. Young’s “The Cypher Sessions,” where the minds and ideas of the community synergistically come together to uplift and empower one another.

In this fourth installment of The Cypher Sessions with Sonder Impact titled “Let’s Talk About Black Joy: PART 2!,” we will be running it back and focusing even further on the ins and outs of our joy and happiness as Black people living in the U.S. Together we will discuss how we experience and practice joy, Black joy as an act of resistance, and how this joy can be nourished so we thrive as individuals and community members.

All you will need to bring are your minds, mobile phones, love of music, and willingness to share your ideas and perspectives with the community!

Suggested Donation: $5

______________________

The Cypher Sessions is a fun, community-based education program where we deconstruct Black music to ignite discussion amongst participants around social justice and emotional-health topics that affect them.

Join Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and Dr. Byron Young as they present Dr. Young’s “The Cypher Sessions,” where the minds and ideas of the community synergistically come together to uplift and empower one another.

In honor of Juneteenth, in this third installment of The Cypher Sessions with Sonder Impact titled “Let’s Talk About Black Joy!,” we will be focusing on the ins and outs of our joy and happiness as Black people living in the U.S. Together we will discuss how we experience and practice joy, Black joy as an act of resistance, and how this joy can be nourished so we thrive as individuals and community members.

All you will need to bring are your minds, mobile phones, love of music, and willingness to share your ideas and perspectives with the community!

Suggested Donation: $5

______________________

The Cypher Sessions is a fun, community-based education program where we deconstruct Black music to ignite discussion amongst participants around social justice and emotional-health topics that affect them.

CALLING ALL FOUNDERS, CREATIVES AND INNOVATORS!

🔑 Sonder Impact and Sip & Sonder are partnering with Black Ambition and ACT House to bring back the third “NO PRESSURE” PITCH COMPETITION, going down Thursday June 8th at Sip & Sonder Inglewood!

💡 Pitch competitions can be dry, overworked and overplayed. So, we're flipping the script to let y'all focus on what matters most: the IDEA. Whether you've been working on your pitch for months or you want to shoot off the cuff, pull up. It's NO PRESSURE.

PLEASE NOTE: Sign-ups to pitch will be onsite day of the event, and will be administered on a first come first serve basis. To pitch, at least 50% of the founding team must identify as Black or Latino, and everyone is welcome to attend!

Not pitching? Show up anyways if you want to…

• Meet dope individuals making a difference in the community

• Learn about new ways to get funding for your idea

• Eat, drink and enjoy yourself

Details below:

🚀 Each competitor has 60 seconds to pitch

🥇 1st Prize: $5,000

🥈 2nd Prize: $3,000

🥉 3rd Prize: $1,500

Register today using the link below!

This event is a part of #TechWeek - a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem.

Join Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and Dr. Byron Young as they present Dr. Young’s “The Cypher Sessions,” where the minds and ideas of the community synergistically come together to uplift and empower one another. The Cypher Sessions is a fun, community-based education program where we deconstruct Black music to ignite discussion amongst participants around social justice and emotional-health topics that affect them.

In this second installment of The Cypher Sessions with Sonder Impact titled “Let’s Talk About Stress & Anxiety,” we will be focusing on the ins and outs of stress and anxiety.  Together we will tussle with questions around how we experience them, how to recognize and differentiate between the two, and discuss the ways we deal with them to best thrive as individuals and community members. 

All you will need to bring are your minds, mobile phones, love of music, and willingness to share your ideas and perspectives with the community!

Suggested Donation: $5

Join Sonder Impact, Sip & Sonder, and Dr. Byron Young as they present Dr. Young’s “The Cypher Sessions,” where the minds and ideas of the community synergistically come together to uplift and empower one another. The Cypher Sessions is a fun, community-based education program where we deconstruct Black music to ignite discussion amongst participants around social justice and emotional-health topics that affect them.

In this first installment of The Cypher Sessions with Sonder Impact titled “Let’s Talk About Self-Care,” we will be focusing on the ins and outs of self-care as a vital part of thriving as individuals and community members. Together we will tussle with questions around the importance of, barriers to, and attainment of quality self-care, particularly as people from under resourced and underappreciated backgrounds.  

All you will need to bring are your minds, mobile phones, love of music, and willingness to share your ideas and perspectives with the community!

Suggested Donation: $5

We’re back for another Black Business Pitch Competition, going down Thursday, March 2nd at Sip & Sonder, a coffee roastery and coffeehouse in Inglewood, CA!

The Black Business Pitch Competition by Sonder Impact is a prize competition that provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase their innovative products, technologies, or services in particular industries.

Eligible applicants consist of founders who are members of a group that has been traditionally underrepresented in the receipt of startup funding.

Up to 10 finalists will be selected to move forward to Round 2 and participate in a live pitch competition on March 2nd at Sip & Sonder, where each finalist will pitch their business to a panel of expert judges in front of a live audience. Judges will award a total of $5,000 to three prize winners!

For more information about the Competition, click HERE.

We hope you can join us! Buy tickets to attend the live competition at the link below.

General Admission | $10

Join award winning pitch coach, Amiah Sheppard of Sheppard Consulting Group, aka Thee Pitch Coach, for Sonder Impact’s next installment of The Learning Series! Sonder Impact’s The Learning Series is geared toward equipping entrepreneurs with practical skills as they navigate their businesses.

This time, we’ll be covering HOW TO PITCH your startup!

Amiah will share tips for effectively describing the problem your venture seeks to solve as well as the solution, target market, competition, consumer experience, and business model. Attendees will leave the session with a clear, concise and compelling pitch framework that highlights your company’s value proposition.

This Learning Series is part of Sonder Impact’s Black Business Pitch Competition cycle, which provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs who have historically been disproportionately excluded from access to growth capital to showcase their innovative products, technologies, or services in particular industries. Learn more HERE.

Suggested Donation: $10

Register below!

Amiah Sheppard

Amiah is an impact enhancer. As an organizational and industrial consultant and internationally sought out pitch coach, Sheppard combines transformational leadership, holistic self-confidence training, and strategic development with tested methodology that position her clients' companies for funding immediately through her firm, Sheppard Consulting Group.

Sheppard Consulting Group focuses on leveraging creative, unique and cultural knowledge to drive founder innovation. As entrepreneurial ecosystem builders, they provide unique solutions for visionary leaders to tell their stories and use their own voice for the funding they need to change the world.

Amiah brings with her years of experience in venture capital, executive coaching and leadership, and talent and performance management. After joining Backstage Capital, Amiah leveraged her skills bridging the digital divide, focusing on startup customer acquisition, strategy, and capital efficiency strategies for diverse founders. While there, she led investments and accelerated 24 underrepresented founders internationally, as well as helped invest and support 100 other underrepresented founders across the US.

Afterwards, she went on to run a pro-bono accelerator at Watts Labor Community Action Committee for 6 local startups and small businesses, be featured on HBCU.vc’s 2019 30 under 30 The Future of Venture Capital, be voted Visionary Investor of the Year 2019 via VentureFuel, become a founding member of The Gathering Spot Los Angeles, as well as be a board member of the American Red Cross Northern Valley Chapter Board.