The collective alchemy of gender liberation

A three-phase somatic program by trans people for trans people to support our collective liberation.

We dream of building a stronger community within and without by sharing and practicing somatic skills and embodied ways of understanding, languaging, and interfacing with our own and each other’s bodyminds.

It is our hope that from this process will spring autonomous, or semi-autonomous, groups that will begin to grow in different regions throughout the so-called US, as well as virtually, to nurture beloved communities in any way we might feel called to.

Ideally these hubs will develop into broader interconnected networks that will provide needed resources to one another; including places of safety, refuge, sanctuary, care, emotional, relational and financial support.

What is it?

The Collective Alchemy of Gender Liberation is an intensive container that uses:

  • somatic practices

  • community-centered integration

  • healing traditions

  • interpersonal neurobiology

This is a three-phase trans-led teaching, retreat, and integration space for cultivating embodied practices, relational resilience, and collective healing.

We gather to explore somatic tools, ancestral knowledge, and nervous system work that support deeper connection—with ourselves, each other, and the communities we’re part of.

We begin by building a relationship with your nervous system—learning how to recognize, listen to, and work with its patterns.

We explore how our gender identities—alongside experiences like neurodivergence and racialization—have shaped our earliest relationships and continue to influence how we connect today.

We then build on these skills for the following trainings to expand and practice these skills with each other and for community building.

This is a space that prioritizes process over perfection, community wisdom over hierarchy, and interdependence over isolation. Together, we practice what it means to build relationships that can actually hold us—and to carry that capacity back into our lives/

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Who this is for

This course is for you if:

  • You’re trans, nonbinary, two-spirit, or gender-expansive—and the world feels increasingly hostile, extractive, or unsafe

  • You can feel how gender has been shaped onto you, and you’re ready to reclaim what’s yours

  • You’re tired of doing healing work alone and are longing for something more collective, more relational, more alive

  • You want to build connection that can actually hold you— educationally, somatically, emotionally, communally

  • You feel the pull toward your transcestors and queercestors, even if you don’t fully know how to access that yet

  • You want to grow something real—with yourself, and with others who are also committed to tending that growth

What’s Included

  • A full multi-day training

  • Follow-up integration sessions online (2 hours each)

  • Access to all materials shared

  • Resources for integration and experimentation

What Makes this Different

  • Created by trans people, for trans people

  • Embodied, not just intellectual

  • Community-centered, not individualistic

  • Grounded in both ancestral and contemporary practice

  • Integration is built in

Who Are We?

  • Mackenzie Steiner, pHd sep (she/hers)

    Dr. Mackenzie Steiner is a white neurospicy (low support needs autistic with a “heavy sprinkle” of ADHD) transgender woman. I am divorced and have two adult children. In my free time I most enjoy reading, cooking, cuddling & playing with my cat Indie, and spending time in nature (especially hiking and rock climbing).

    She is a “reformed” clinical psychologist and Somatic ExperiencingⓇ Practitioner with over 20 years of experience as a therapist, program manager, educator and clinical supervisor. She as an abiding passion for supporting personal, communal and ecosystem flourishing and am blessed to reside in the redwood mountain territories of the Amah Matsun, Awaswas & Muwekma tribes, presently known as Felton, California. Beyond California, she also practice in Texas (having previously lived in Austin for 30 years).

    After graduating in 2002 from the Clinical Psychology program in the University of Texas at Austin (and a brief stint in private practice) Steiner began what would become a 19 year-long career as the primary psychologist and team lead for the substance use disorder program at the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System.  Over the years she was the primary driver behind transforming it into an integrated harm-reduction program for addressing combined substance use problems and co-occurring mental health conditions and relationship problems.  In particular, she developed a specialized somatically-oriented program for addressing the combined impacts of complex PTSD and substance use.  Since transitioning into private practice in January of 2023 her practice has been almost exclusively focused on trans, non-binary and gender expansive folx and secondarily other members of the queer community.  

    To learn more visit  www.naturesmosaictherapy.com.

  • Dr. Alex Iantaffi PHD, MS, SEP, CST/-S, LMFT (THEY/HE/LUI)

    Dr. Alex Iantaffi is a conditionally white, trans, polyam, kinky, disabled, neuroqueer, late-diagnosed AuDHDer who lives with C-PTSD, hEDS, MCAS & dysautonomia. They are also an immigrant with citizenship privilege who lives on Dakota and Anishinaabe territories currently known as Duluth, Minnesota, in the so-called United States.

    Alex is a cultural worker, licensed family therapist, WPATH certified gender specialist, AASECT certified sex therapist & supervisor, Somatic ExperiencingⓇ practitioner, clinical supervisor and supervisor mentor. They are Past President of the Minnesota Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Former Chair & Co-founder of the Queer and Trans Advocacy Network a topical interest network of AAMFT), and Chair of the Gender Diverse special interest group for AASECT. Alex is the author of several books, including "Gender Trauma: healing cultural, social, and historical gendered trauma", which was awarded the Nautilus gold category award and the AASECT Book Award for Sexuality Professionals. They were the recipient of the 2023 AASECT Humanitarian Award, the 2019 MAMFT Distinguished Service Award, the 2013 Twin Cities Deaf Pride Community Organization Award, the 2012 Breaking the Silence Award at the University of Minnesota, and the 2000 Best Dissertation Award from the British Educational Research Association.  Alex is a sought-after International speaker and trainer who has presented (and published) extensively on gender, disability, sexuality, trauma, HIV education and prevention, research methods, spirituality, and relationships.

    They also host the podcast Gender Stories and the YouTube series Warm Take Wednesdays with Dr. Alex Iantaffi. When they are not working, writing, parenting, or organizing, Alex can be found reading, sitting by the lake, crafting, watching TV and movies, making music, reading tarot, cooking, dancing, doing ritual, and hanging out with their dogs. Alex loves collaborating with others in service to the vision of a more liberated world for all of us.

    More at www.alexiantaffi.com

Frequently Asked Questions

  • We believe that the climate crisis is a product of the ongoing colonial project and cannot be separated from transphobia, eugenics, and the multiple ongoing genocides. This is what we’re attempting to convey with the phrase “gender climate crisis”.

  • If you’re not cis, you’re welcome here! We’re not going to define or police anyone’s gender identity or expression. Not sure if you are cis? You are welcome in the space.

  • We understand that the cost might seem high for many members of our community and we also want to ensure the sustainability of this work for us as facilitators who are trans and neurodivergent (and disabled with limited capacity for face-to-face work for Alex). We are committed to balancing accessibility with sustainability and we will keep looking for ways to make this training more available as we are able. If you cannot afford the community-supported rate, please use the contact form to let us know what is sustainable for you and we’ll do our best to make it work. We’re not going to turn trans people away for lack of funds, especially trans people of the global majority, disabled, mad, Indigenous, or otherwise multiply marginalized trans person.

  • Yes! We hope to be able to offer this training again both online and in person (with Covid precautions). Please fill out the interest form so we can better tailor the location of future offerings. If you would like us to bring this training to your community, let’s talk!

  • If you feel called to participate in a group of trans, nonbinary, two-spirit, gender expansive and/or gender defiant people who are interested in nurturing somatic and relational skills to care for themselves and to build community, this training is for you. If you have been struggling with finding / building community, and knowing how to support each other through hard times, this training might be for you. Please note that this is not a substitute for individual, ongoing healing work, which many of us need alongside this type of group work. Please note that this training is also not therapy, although the two co-creators and facilitators are also therapists.

  • We understand that part of community care is keeping each other safe. For in-person training events, we will have air purifiers in the main indoor gathering spaces and we will monitor air quality in these spaces.  We will require rapid testing on arrival (we will provide the tests) and encourage you to also do PCR testing 24 hours before arrival if this is available to you. Masks are welcome and encouraged. We’re not requiring them because we also understand that this can make access difficult / impossible for Deaf &/or hard of hearing people as well as for other folks who need more visual cues or have health issues that interfere with masking, such as mast cell reactions, and so on. However, if you’re having any symptoms, please refrain from attending or, if you’re testing negative, please mask. If anyone tests positive for COVID on site, they will be asked to not participate in the training and isolate, or return home. If it is available to you, we recommend you be up-to-date with vaccinations and boosters.

  • In-person trainings will take place in locations that are fairly accessible depending on your mobility needs. The online training will have closed captioning available. Please let us know if you have specific access needs and we will do our best to meet them. For example, if you need CART or ASL interpreters, please let us know at least 2-3 weeks in advance of the training so that we can book culturally-attuned captioners and/or interpreters. Thank you.

  • No. You do not need to be a witch or spiritual or religious in any way to take part in this work.

    The pentacle of gender liberation emerged organically from our work but if it doesn’t work or make sense to you, you can just ignore the pentacle, although we will use its elements (embodiment, mystery, transmutation, interdependence, solidarity) as organizing principles.

  • Currently we’re limiting participation to people who are 18+, but we’re open to considering opening up our training to adolescents in the future (with caregivers’ consent). If you would like to partner with us to deliver a custom training to an existing group of adolescents/youth, please feel free to contact us.