We're Wired to Belong:
Designing Communities That Foster Connection
Crafting communities where your members flourish, your mission thrives, and your organization grows sustainably.
We partner with practitioners and conscious organisations to design spaces rooted in genuine connection and care.
We're wired for connection.
Beyond the Spark
The spark that draws people in? It can happen in an instant — a shared interest, a powerful event, a compelling mission. It’s powerful — but short-lived on its own. What matters is what happens after they’ve entered the door.
True belonging takes intention, care, and a space designed to support trust, meaningful connection, and ongoing growth — on people’s own terms. When you get it right, your community becomes more than a gathering — it becomes the heartbeat of your mission. Engagement deepens. Retention grows. Your work expands — turns aligned participation into real momentum.
We often hear from purpose-driven leaders:
“We have the right people... but they’re not engaging consistently.”
“I’m juggling community management with the actual work I’m here to do.”
“Our tech stack is clunky, the setup’s confusing — it’s draining.”
“People join excited… then disappear. Our onboarding doesn’t hold them.”
“I want to create a safer, more inclusive space, but I don’t know where to start.”
“I know we should have a community… but I don’t know what it should look like and where to start”.
Whether you're just beginning, shifting platforms, or reawakening a quiet space:
We’re here to help you root your community in purpose, simplicity, and systems that feel good to run.
Here to build something that supports your nervous system and your people. Something that lasts. Grows. And truly matters.
What Makes a Thriving Community?
Belonging
When people feel they truly belong, they’re 5x more likely to engage, contribute, and return (Community Roundtable, 2022). It’s the foundation for retention and transformation. Belonging turns a group into a home.
Authenticity
True connection and growth happen when vulnerability is not only welcomed, but celebrated. Communities flourish when members feel safe enough to show up as their authentic selves — to speak openly, share honestly, and engage without fear of judgment.
Trust
Drawing from attachment theory, secure bonds are formed through consistent, attuned, and safe interactions. These relationships regulate the nervous system, reduce stress, and increase resilience. Members with strong social ties are 50% more likely to live longer (Holt-Lunstad, 2015).
Shared Purpose
When your members deeply resonate with your vision, they move beyond passive consumption and become active contributors. A clearly articulated "why" acts as a powerful magnet, attracting the right people who align with your mission, naturally reducing churn and amplifying your collective impact.
Our Pillars of Practice
Built via Collective Wisdom
Our work is shaped by decades of research and embodied practice across psychology, community design, trauma-informed care, and learning theory. Here’s a glimpse into the frameworks and voices that guide our approach:
🔹 Relationship Science
Inspired by Mia Birdsong, Shasta Nelson, and Diane Musho Hamilton, we design communities where vulnerability, generosity, and consistency create true belonging.
🔹 Trauma-Aware Practice
With guidance from Bessel van der Kolk, Peter Levine, Deb Dana, and Resmaa Menakem, we hold safety, regulation, and consent as foundational.
🔹 Village-Building & Conflict Repair
We draw from Priya Parker’s Art of Gathering and Peter Block’s community-building principles, weaving connection, purpose, and restorative approaches to conflict.
We are inspired by Internal Family Systems (IFS), created by Dr. Richard Schwartz, which helps individuals understand and integrate their internal parts, fostering deeper empathy, self-regulation, and healthier relationships and conflict-resolution within the community.
🔹 Learning Design & Cognitive Development
Inspired by James Clear’s principles of habit formation and relational neuroscience (such as those explored by Dr. Stephen Porges and Dr. Dan Siegel).
We design micro-practices and rhythms that make meaningful engagement a natural part of everyday life. Drawing from cognitive science, we craft multi-modal, inclusive experiences that foster lasting growth and help insights stick.
🔹 Attachment & Authentic Relating
Secure relationships are the bedrock of thriving communities. With roots in attachment theory (as developed by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth) and authentic relating practices (influenced by the work of Tara Brach and Jason Gaddis), we foster trust, co-regulation, and realness.
How We Build It
Strategy Meets Nervous System Awareness
Intentional Systems for Connection
We intentionally design with a holistic approach, integrating practical systems with a deep understanding of the human experience.
Here's how we bring thriving spaces to life:
Trauma-aware
We prioritize trauma-aware and inclusive design, building everything with choice, agency, and nervous system literacy in mind. This includes clear guidelines, self-regulation resources, and responsive concern reporting to create a space where everyone feels welcome and supported.
Ritual & Rhythm
Consistent rituals — whether it's weekly check-ins, monthly themes, or daily practices — provide structure and grounding for community members. This rhythmic quality encourages belonging and fosters the safety that makes vulnerability and deep connection possible.
Thoughtful Onboarding
We craft warm and intuitive welcome journeys that increase retention by blending automation with genuine human connection, ensuring every touchpoint feels intentional and supportive.
A well-designed welcome journey increases retention by over 30% (Circle 2023).
Accessibility & Usability
Clunky tech and exclusive design push people away. Trauma-aware, inclusive platforms ensure that all members — across neurotypes, abilities, and backgrounds — feel welcome, supported, and able to participate.
Meaningful Participation
We create accessible participation opportunities that match members' energy and gifts, recognizing and valuing individual contributions. Our aligned growth strategy focuses on authentic engagement and steady momentum that reflects your values.
Feedback Loops
Community building is dynamic and ongoing. With feedback loops in place, we ensure constant refinement. By listening, adapting, and integrating feedback into the community’s evolution, we build spaces that are resilient and responsive to its members’ needs.
‘‘
Alice’s talent is a must for any brand looking to create an impactful web presence and take their organization to the next level.
Alice guided us through options we had not considered, showing an incredible ability to visually express our company’s personality and capture the brand essence – bringing our ideas to life in a cohesive, inventive, and incredibly intuitive website design.
Not only was Alice a pleasure to work with – and she honestly felt like a trusted colleague after just one call - she delivered on time and on budget a website that dramatically increased market presence and lead to new business with a Fortune 50 company. ’’
— Christine DeFazio, Founder and CEO, Human Metrix
Services
Advisory Session
You’re not quite sure what’s wrong—or what’s next. You just know something’s not working, or something big is coming.
In this 90-minute strategy session, we get to the root of what’s holding your community back (or blocking its birth), clarify where you are, and map out next steps—so you can move forward with confidence.
This session can be laser-focused on a particular challenge or opportunity you're navigating—whether it's community strategy, onboarding/offboarding design, automating key processes, or improving your overall member experience.
Includes:
A pre-call questionnaire to save time and surface insights
A 90-120 minute deep-dive session
Follow-up notes + session recording, and strategy plan
1 week of unlimited email support after the call
💸 $500
Not sure what you need yet? Start here.
You can always apply this toward a larger package if we move forward together.
The Community Tune-Up
(Community Audit – For Existing Communities)
Your community exists—but it’s stalling. Maybe engagement is low, energy feels flat, or your team’s spread too thin.
In this 2-week audit, we fully immerse ourselves in your space, assess what’s working (and what’s not), we look at the available data, conduct member interviews, questionnaires, and deliver a tailored strategy packed with practical recommendations and next steps.
Includes:
1:1 kickoff session
Member interviews (optional)
Full audit of structure, experience, and operations
Strategy report with opportunities, quick wins, and long-term ideas
1 follow-up implementation session
2 weeks of async email support
💸 $3K–$5K (based on size + complexity)
This is for you if your community needs a reset, refresh, or a strategic pulse check.
Custom Implementation
For New or Evolving Communities
You’re ready to build something powerful, but don’t have the time or team to lead the charge. We partner with you to bring your vision to life—from design to delivery.
We handle the messy middle so you can focus on what you do best.
Includes (customized to your needs):
Community platform setup (Circle, Heartbeat, Mighty Networks, etc.)
Branding + member journey design
Zapier/automation setup
SSO or backend integrations
Operations, onboarding, and moderation systems
Pre-launch and post-launch marketing strategy
💸 Starts at $5K
(Add-ons, like branding, tech buildouts, or copywriting, available.)
What are people saying…
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Alice is amazing!
She will work with you and be your middle man with any support you need. She was constantly chatting with multiple companies explaining my problems and getting to the root of the problem.
She was incredibly prompt.
Absolutely blew me away with the amount of professionalism she portrayed.
— Robert Hales
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Alice was fantastic, right from the beginning ...
— going through a variety of different options and approaches.
Her communication and attention to detail has been excellent.
— Ritam Gandhi, Gallerie Alternatives
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Alice works very diligently to accomplish your goals.
She delivered fantastic results that allowed me to avoid using a service that required a monthly subscription.
I readily recommend Alice for all your needs :)
— Edward
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Alice did a great job!
I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted, and Alice was patient and skilled in helping me make specific choices for my webpages.
She was able to create a custom quote for the needs of my business, and I am very pleased with the end result.
— Jacob Lewis
I’m Alice,
— a designer, strategist, and creative partner to therapists, healers, educators, and community leaders.
For the past 10 years, I’ve supported thoughtful humans turn their ideas into beautiful, functional, and values-aligned digital and physical spaces.
Whether you’re building a membership, redesigning your website or launching a course — I meet you at the intersection of clarity, design, and purpose.