Therapy for the World

Bianca Felicia Maria is a tattoo artist whose work blends technical skill, artistic vision, and storytelling. Besides her degree in Visual Communication and Design, she's been in the tattoo world since 2019. About her tattooing philosophy, she says, "Tattooing is more than ink and imagery; it's a way to connect, to heal, and to transform both myself and those who trust me with their stories."

Sofi Rami is a first-generation Colombian-American artist and explorer of the human experience. She especially works in the field of public art—large-scale murals and installations that are visible in everyday spaces, turning walls and streets into places of connection and imagination. In both her public projects and her private studio, Sofi uses acrylics and spray paint to create dynamic, abstract, and dreamlike landscapes. Her pieces weave together personal narratives, cultural heritage, and a strong foot in the natural world.

Sofía Sánchez Martínez is a poet, singer, editor, and researcher whose work moves between literature, music, and performance. She’s originally from San Luis Potosí in Mexico but has lived in Sevilla for a decade, where she earned a PhD in Communication from the University of Seville, as well as a Master’s in Creative Writing. She’s the author and editor of many books across several presses, including plays, essays on Latin American avant-garde movements, and poetry. I find her writing to be ethereal. Her stanzas are condensations into words of feelings that can be so difficult to grasp with care and precision. Her poetry has been translated into several languages, awarded the Luis Cernuda Prize, and appears in multiple anthologies.

Hyun-Yong is an entomologist and PhD candidate at Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. I reached out to him because when I met him a few years back, I appreciated his thoughtfulness and his quirkiness. He's someone who doesn't fit neatly into categories—a person who might be described as contrarian or sui generis, someone of his own kind.

María Verónica Laguna is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, clinical supervisor, and psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice in Uruguay. She spent over a decade working in New York City, where she taught Social Work at Mercy University and served as an instructor at the Metropolitan Institute for Training in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. She is the co-author of From Grad School to Private Practice: A Roadmap for Mental Health Clinicians and has forthcoming chapters on immigrants’ self-states and critical psychology.

Hanna Śmiałowska is a traveller who found the meaning of her life in helping people through circus and other arts. She was born in Poland but feels like a citizen of the world. After eight years of learning about social circus pedagogy in places including Hungary, Germany, Kenya, and México, she’s currently studying art therapy in Buenos Aires and leading multiple social circus projects with deep impact.

Sihnuu Hetep is a yoga and meditation guide, educator, grief companion, and mother. We talk about how personal loss, spiritual practice, and ancestral wisdom have shaped her approach to healing and teaching. Sihnuu reflects on her relationship with her grandfather, the experience of losing her father, and how these formative events opened the path toward a life guided by authenticity, passion, and care.

Sol Reiman is a geographer, climate activist, and internationally recognized environmental educator. We talk about the challenges and possibilities of climate work in the Global South, how personal history shapes political commitment, and what it means to communicate climate issues with both empathy and strategy. Sol reflects on her early leadership roles in government and nonprofits, the lessons she learned about community from her Jewish upbringing, and the playful spirit she carries into professional settings. We explore the tension between systemic change and individual action, the role of storytelling in climate organizing, and the importance of local knowledge in shaping global solutions.

Alejandro Lacreu is an architect, inventor, and member of the activist group Neighbors for Palermo. We talk about his lifelong career designing and supervising projects in "inhospitable", remote and demanding environments, including work in Mendoza and Manhattan. After, Ale shares how his architectural vision eventually expanded into neighborhood organizing, as he began questioning the impacts of unchecked real estate development in Buenos Aires. We talk about the politics of green space, the value of doing work that outlives us, and the collaborative project we're part of to transform a vacant lot in Buenos Aires into a public forest. Ale also reflects on what it means to be good neighbors and how to work across differences in service of the common good.

Mila Sicorsky is an incoming deportation defense attorney, local community organizer, and my sister. We talk about how our early lives shaped our political imaginations, the tension between legal work and social justice, and what it means to do advocacy inside imperfect systems.