the fabric of our
world is unraveling.
It is time to commit ourselves wholeheartedly to the mending.

Welcome to
The Mending Circle

re-stitching ourselves back to wholeness, to community, and the living earth. 

dedicated to the possibilities of personal and collective healing, liberation and repair.

The Mending Circle offers curated and adaptable support for people with inherited wealth, land and/or legacies of ancestral harm to meaningfully engage with the crises of our times and the histories that led to them. This can take place through one-on-one mentoring, group facilitation, or consultation.

Rooted in deep ecology, ancestral ways, and a collective liberation framework, The Mending Circle hosts the offerings of organizer, facilitator, and culture worker Justine Epstein. 

Why “The Mending Circle”?

Image Credit: Charles Carleton  

Inspired by the anti-slavery Sewing Circles of the antebellum period where women gathered to sew, gossip, fundraise, galvanize and organize for the cause of abolition, The Mending Circle seeks to embody that spirit of creativity, community, solidarity and resistance — remembering that we are part of a long lineage of those who used the gifts, skills, and resources available to them to build movements for more just world. 

OFFERINGS

  • ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING

    Receive holistic and personalized support and accompaniment to engage meaningfully with your ancestors, money and land in reparative ways.

    Learn More

  • GROUP FACILITATION

    Find and build community in a held space with fellow wealth inheritors committed to healing and repair. Learn more about:
    Ancestors & Money Cohort
    The Hour Before Dawn

    Learn More

  • COLLABORATIVE CONSULTING

    Collaborate with The Mending Circle as a thought-partner for your organization, community or project to create an experience or build out a program.

    LEARN MORE

“ Traveler, there is no path. The path is made by walking” 

— Antonio Machado

TESTIMONIALS

  • “Justine was the first person who taught me that money work is spirit work, and as a mentor she weaves spirit and money together with deft attention.  Justine guided me through practical money conundrums while never failing to allow me to forget my central longing of why I am here doing this work. Justine listens deeply and intuits astutely, and therefore knows exactly when to push you with fiery passion or when to hold you in calm waters. Justine brings balance, integrity, and compassion to their mentoring, which in my opinion is what we need to stay present and committed to our longings in this ephemeral world.” 

    — G, they/them
    1:1 Mentoring Client

  • “Working with Justine as an Ancestors and Money Mentor, I felt truly supported on a healing journey around money, land, understanding those who came before, and showing up to build a more just world today. Justine brought grounding energy, wisdom, and clarity of purpose that helped light a path forward. With an embodied and compassionate approach, Justine created a relationship where I felt supported to move through complex feelings and take steps both small and mighty."

    — Annie
    1:1 Mentoring client

  • "I so appreciated the container that was created for grief, reckoning, research, learning, connection, and action. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet people from across the country grappling with similar questions, desires, and responsibilities. The collective experience and mentoring + coaching sessions helped me stay accountable to do this work in a deeper and more consistent way than I have before. The encouragement also helped me feel brave enough to have hard conversations, learn details of my family's wealth, and stories of my ancestors so I can show up with more transparency and authenticity."

    — Brooke Larsen
    Ancestors & Money Cohort Participant

  • "I have felt accompanied in this cohort through continual cycles of decomposition, shedding, transformation and renewal. I have felt supported to grow by being able to bring my whole self to this work, without the need to filter or compartmentalize my identity. This cohort has pushed me to decolonize so many of my inherited notions about wealth and grounded me in the understanding that this sacred work of reparations must be done in community."

    — Sofia Smith Hale
    Ancestors & Money Cohort Participant

  • "Throughout the course I kept getting one message: "The healing is for everyone." The pain and confusion of financial privilege is very quiet in this society. But it's real, and in this cohort we not only get to talk about it, but do it in a community of other totally inspiring people. We get to go slow. We take real actions. We connect. And we heal ourselves and our world."

    — Aaron
    Ancestors & Money Cohort Participant