Cassandra Lam (she/her) is a neurodivergent Vietnamese-Chinese politicized somatic practitioner, liberatory rest educator, and community grief-tender guiding tired and trauma-impacted organizations and communities to rest. Her holistic approach examines the cultural erasure of rest, integrates the spiritual and scientific pillars of rest, and helps people discover what their bodies need to feel safe enough to slow down.

In these times of collapse, her ancestors called on her to gather and guide communities to grieve, rest, and care for one another as a means of “survival pending revolution” (quote by Huey P. Newton). She founded Collective Rest to help people heal internalized capitalism, address soul burnout at the roots, and reawaken night consciousness (our soul-led ability to see, move, and create in the dark).

This work began in 2021 as a guided relaxation practice shared via dozens of virtual healing circles where hundreds of people gathered to grieve and heal, 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. Today, Cassandra offers virtual and in-person grief rituals, rest workshops and coaching, 1:1 mentorship for facilitators and healing practitioners, and trainings for leadership teams to integrate rest into their culture and business practices.

Rooted in Asian spiritual lineages and in service to collective liberation, Cassandra is passionate about creating spaces of refuge where people can sing, cry, laugh, dream, remember, and accompany each other through The Long Dark. An autistic complex trauma survivor and daughter of refugees, Cassandra is a commitment to creating spaces where love and liberation are the dominant culture. Southern California born and New York City raised, Cassandra is now grateful to call the unceded lands of the Cherokee (Asheville, NC) home.

Previously, Cassandra spent 5 years serving as CEO and Co-Founder of Join the Cosmos Inc., a B2B and B2C startup creating culturally relevant care for Asian women in America. To address the care gap in the AAPI community, The Cosmos connected care-seekers and care-givers (therapists, yoga teachers, life coaches, and other health & wellness practitioners) and built engaging communities to support both audiences.

In this role, she oversaw product development, sales, partnerships, community management, and practitioner relations. Notable projects include conceptualizing and operationalizing a subscription-based platform connecting care-seekers and care-givers (therapists, life coaches, yoga teachers, acupuncturists, and other health & wellness practitioners). She also launched and led a 6-month business accelerator to help 40 AAPI women health & wellness practitioners grow their reach by providing culturally relevant care and messaging and produced 4 sold-out group programs, 3 sold-out wellness retreats, and The Cosmos Summit (a 300-person conference for AAPI women and non-binary folks). The Cosmos has been featured in The New York Times, Fast Company, Bustle, Paper Mag, and more.