Innova Collective exists because we believe human beings are meant to create, connect, and grow together—not in isolation, not in age-segregated boxes, and certainly not while sacrificing their authentic selves to fit conventional molds.

Founded by Esme, a holistic mental health practitioner and mother of five, Innova emerged from a simple recognition: the qualities we most want to cultivate in children—curiosity, creativity, compassion, connection, confidence, and courage—are exactly what adults are craving, too. So why keep them separate?

We're a community-centered space where creativity becomes a bridge between generations and backgrounds. Here, a child's uninhibited imagination might inspire an adult's breakthrough, while an elder's wisdom enriches a teenager's exploration. Through expressive arts, mindful movement, creative writing, breathwork, soul circles, and more, we're cultivating the qualities our world needs most.

This is where you remember who you are beyond your roles and responsibilities. This is where your creative spark finds its flame.

Meet Esme - Founder & Executive Director

Esme's journey to founding Innova Collective began with five neurodivergent children and a growing frustration with cookie-cutter educational approaches that failed to honor their unique brilliance. As a devoted homeschooling parent, she witnessed firsthand how traditional instruction in music, dance, and creative arts—focused on duplicating rather than originating—was missing something essential.

What started as advocacy for her own children evolved into a deeper understanding: the very qualities her kids needed to develop—curiosity, creativity, authenticity, empathy—were exactly what her own heart was craving, and what our world desperately needs more of. She also knew we are not meant to pursue growth alone. We need community. We need consistent, meaningful connection.

Drawing from her background in holistic mental health and educational innovation, Esme has developed approaches that integrate mind, body, heart, and soul, and allow us to grow together. She has a gift for seeing the highest potential in every individual and group and holding that vision while they build the confidence to express it.

After seven years of this dream whispering in her ear, Esme finally listened. Innova Collective represents her commitment to creating the rich, nourishing environment she believes all humans need to thrive—regardless of age or life circumstances.

When she's not living the Innova dream, you can find Esme gardening, sunbathing, spaz dancing, hiking barefoot, treasure hunting at thrift stores, hot gluing a costume together for the next party, and/or giggling with friends.

Meet Your Amazing Teachers!

Genet Jones

Personal & creative recovery through writing

Drawing from The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, this drop-in class will explore free-writing and focused writing exercises as windows into our healing, growth, and innate creativity. Expect both class-wide and small-group interaction in a judgment-free, heart-centered space.

Genet is an independent book editor, author coach, and writer. She believes that creativity is one of our most potent connections to the divine, and that because there is divinity in everyone, there is creativity in everyone. She loves seeing all kinds of people, from the "free spirit" to the analytical mind, develop their own unique spark and flavor of creative expression. Her own creative outlets (besides writing) have ranged from crochet and painting to home renovation.

Mindful Messes is a creative art class for kids and teens (ages 5+), where mindfulness meets making. Each session begins with a simple breathing, movement, or gratitude practice to help students feel calm and centered. Then we dive into fun, messy art projects like painting, collaging, coloring, and clay. No experience needed...just a curious spirit and a willingness to play! Students will leave each class with artwork they’re proud of and tools for finding peace in their everyday lives. Over the course of this session, we will create mandalas, dreamscapes, nature shapes, kindness collages, and magical still lifes. Lessons are crafted to capture the imagination of young children while offering depth and creative freedom for teens. Together, we explore how art and mindfulness can be fun, messy, and meaningful.

Cat’s journey as an artist began with childhood coloring contests in small-town Colorado, but her path took her far beyond those first sketches. In 2006, she was one of 40 students accepted into the fashion design program at Pratt Institute, later contributing to high-profile projects such as the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show wings, Broadway costumes, and film wardrobes. Though she eventually shifted her primary career to political journalism, Cat continues to create art in her “free” time—when she isn’t busy raising three kids, watering her billion plants, or playing with her five pets. Her work has been showcased at music festivals, galleries, and permanent installations across Colorado, Washington and NYC, and has been juried into notable events including Mumford & Son’s Gentlemen of the Road Tour, Crestone Music Festival, and FIBArk Whitewater Festival. She creates art and designs that blend empowering women, connecting with nature, and bolstering deep relationships with others and self.

Cat Paitsel

mindful messes: creating peace & art

Step into the gentle yet transformative practice of Qigong, an ancient Chinese system of movement, breath, and meditation designed to cultivate energy, reduce stress, and restore balance to body and mind. In this introductory course, you will learn foundational Qigong exercises that enhance vitality, improve posture, and support emotional well-being. Through guided movements, breathwork, and mindfulness practices, you will discover how to connect with your own energy, release tension, and create a sense of calm and clarity. Perfect for beginners and anyone seeking a holistic approach to wellness, this class invites you to experience the healing potential of Qigong in a welcoming, supportive community environment. No prior experience is needed--just a willingness to move, breathe, and explore.

Paul Moore Chaves is a Qigong teacher, healer, and storyteller with nearly 20 years of experience in the art of stillness in motion. Certified as a Medical Qigong Practitioner through the Healing Qi Institute in Los Angeles, Paul has guided students from all walks of life into deeper balance, vitality, and inner calm. His teaching emphasizes healing through mindful movement, energy cultivation, and the natural rhythm of breath--empowering students to restore health, regulate emotions, and awaken spiritual resilience.

Through online courses, workshops, and live festival presentations, Paul shares accessible, heart-centered practices that weave together his decades of study, his own healing journey, and his passion for helping others discover strength in softness. His work is supported by a library of digital Qigong courses, guided meditations, and companion e-books (How to Be a Grasshopper, Grasshopper Matures, and Grasshopper Mastered). Paul's approach is warm, grounded, and deeply intuitive, meeting students where they are while opening the door to transformation. Whether teaching in community spaces, online classrooms, or festival stages, he invites others to step onto the Grasshopper Path and discover the quiet power of Qigong.

Paul Moore Chaves

qi gong foundations: energy, breath, & balance

Awaken your spirit and renew your mind through a soulful fusion of breath, movement, and sound--a journey of transformation from within. This class, co-taught with Darla Benedict, is a delicious pairing of crystal bowl sound healing, holotropic breathwork, and restorative yoga. It is the perfect reset and restore in preparation for your week ahead.

This work can help subconscious memories and emotions come to the surface, getting in tune with your physical body and helping transmute energetic/emotional blocks. Come ready to meet yourself where you are with this tender pairing of active breath work, soulful sound healing, and gentle yoga. You get to decide the depths of your exploration within this safe container presented to you. Participation in the breathwork, primal scream and/or yoga flow is not required, but encouraged. Those who want time to themselves may join and simply enjoy relaxing to the playlist undisturbed.

Arizona Schraeder

SOUL, SOUND & RESTORE

In The Art of Becoming, members will cultivate confidence in their unique creative voice while exploring projects that connect art to self-discovery. Working with media such as drawing, painting, collage, and mixed media, participants will take on both guided and open-ended projects designed to spark curiosity and personal growth.

Projects may include:

• Illustrating your “inner monster” to give form to emotions or challenges

• A split self-portrait study that blends realism with symbolism

• Modern Vanitas, which emphasizes the beauty and importance of everyday objects

• Currency reimagined—redesigning U.S. currency to honor remarkable women of history

• Nature-inspired works, drawing on plants, animals, and personal symbolism

Whether experimenting with new materials or diving into meaningful themes like identity, transformation, and resilience, students will leave with art that feels deeply authentic to who they are. No matter the experience level, this class is about growth, expression, and discovering the joy of making.

Cari is an artist, educator, and lifelong seeker of creative expression. After a childhood of living across the country and abroad, she settled in Arkansas as a young adult, where she tried a number of careers before completing her art degree. This allowed her to become an art educator--a role that filled her heart for seven years. Since then, she built a small art business from the ground up, designing stickers and greeting cards that bring joy to others while keeping her connected to daily creativity. Cari is passionate about helping others discover art as both a tool for self-discovery and heightened communication. Her own work has included multiple gallery exhibitions, including the Prisoner Portrait Project, put on by Compassion Works non-profit, as well as a portrait study series on gender bending, exhibited by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Beyond the classroom, Cari tends a thriving garden, meditates daily, journals without fail, and hunts for art and treasures in thrift stores far and wide. She lives with her husband, two teenagers (a son and daughter), a dog, and a cat—all of whom remind her each day of the humor and perfectness of a fully lived life.

Cari Williams

the art of becoming

Step into a space where movement becomes medicine and dance speaks the language of your inner world. This class invites you to explore grounding, orientation, and self-expression through embodied practices rooted in breath, rhythm, stillness, and presence. Guided by somatic awareness, you'll learn to listen to your body’s wisdom, foster a deeper mind-body connection, and unlock pathways for creative problem-solving—while having fun along the way. Whether you're seeking integration, insight, or simply a more playful relationship with your body, this experience offers a supportive container for transformation through movement.

Rooted in honesty and grounded presence, Darla weaves together the threads of somatic experiencing, mindfulness, and expressive arts to create spaces where transformation can unfold. Whether in a classroom, a community circle, or around the kitchen table, her work is an invitation to return to the body, awaken curiosity, and create from a place of truth.

As both a teacher and a parent, Darla nurtures a world where imagination thrives and authenticity is the compass. Her children have grown up steeped in creative freedom, encouraged to explore life with open hearts and abundant expression. With years of experience across diverse settings—from schools to sanctuaries—Darla brings a spirit of play, reverence, and deep listening to every encounter. Her gift lies in helping others reconnect to the simple, powerful joy of being fully alive and fully themselves.

Darla Benedict

move from within: a therapeutic journey through dance & movement

At Innova, Rebekah leads a group class that explores the inner blocks that keep us from living authentically. Through guided reflection, community support, and mind-body practices, she helps participants release old patterns, embrace self-compassion, and step into their true selves.

Rebekah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She is a licensed counselor who believes deeply in the mind-body-soul connection and the innate power within each person to heal. Her holistic approach is shaped by the work of Dr. Brené Brown and Dr. Gabor Maté. Like Brown, she emphasizes authenticity, courage, and community. Inspired by Maté, she integrates an understanding of trauma, stress, and how the body holds our stories—helping others reconnect to themselves with compassion and curiosity.

Rebekah believes in “walking the walk” as a therapist and living out the same practices she encourages in others. She is passionate about wellness and self-care, and finds renewal through hiking, kayaking, cold plunges, saunas, and spending time in nature. She also loves reading, journaling, running, and exploring new ways to grow—often dreaming of hosting a book study with her community.

Rebekah McDaniel

soul circle: releasing limiting beliefs & becoming your true self

Get ready to stretch, breathe, and play! This lively yoga class is designed just for kids and blends age-appropriate poses with breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, and a whole lot of fun. We’ll move to music, play imaginative games, and explore yoga in a way that keeps kids excited and engaged.

Perfect for all elementary grades (K–12), and no experience is needed—just bring your energy and curiosity! Parents and guardians are welcome to join in the fun too. Yoga mats and props are provided, but feel free to bring your own if you’d like!

Sharon completed a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at Trailside Yoga School and earned a YogaBody Trapeze certification in 2023. In 2024, she added a Yin Yoga certification to the mix. Sharon is currently teaching at the Roger’s Activity Center. She is passionate about creating a welcoming space where everyone can feel at ease in both mind and body—using breathwork, movement, stretching, and balance to support that journey. Outside of teaching, Sharon loves spending time adventuring with her daughter. Their favorite activities include traveling, hiking, camping, biking, paddleboarding, kayaking, catching baseball games, and deepening their personal yoga practices.

Sharon Bowen

Kids cool flow yoga

This is an improv/freestyle dance and art form designed to embrace our grief and shadows. In a safe, non-confrontational way we begin allowing ourselves to see and feel that which we have rejected and embrace it in acceptance and non-judgment. We start with dancing and stretching, lifting the weight of expectations placed on us, followed by tapping and using sound to give birth to that which is usually held silent within us.

Though there can be discomfort in allowing yourself to bring to light that which is continually pushed away, there is empowerment in knowing it will change. The dance involves befriending and accepting what is ready to be released. At the end of our dance, we draw and color what was brought forth. This gives a visual representation of the work you have put in, furthering the acceptance you have created for yourself. We finalize in a circle for those who would like to share their experience.

Christina Moore walks in liminal spaces as a Certified Death Doula and intuitive healer, guiding others through the tender terrain of shadow work and grief. Born in New York to a Peruvian father and Dominican mother, Christina now makes her home in Arkansas with her husband, Richard, their four children, and two beloved pets, Onyx and Astra. She carries the creative roots of her family line: her Tío Victor taught her to draw, her Abuelo passed on his passion for singing, and her mother taught her to move with rhythm. A lifelong lover of dance, singing, tarot, rituals, dream interpretation, and all things witchy, Christina weaves art, movement, and ritual into her offerings. Christina brings her whole quirky self to her work. When she isn’t guiding others, she can be found reading, baking, crocheting, playing Scrabble, exploring new music, eating chocolate, or savoring the smell of rain. She believes it is the little things that ground us and remind us that life still carries beauty and renewal. Her presence invites others to find expression and to meet their loss with compassion and courage.

Christina Moore

dancing with grief & shadows

Think of this as the anti-art class. No step-by-step instructions, no matching the teacher's example, no "coloring inside the lines" unless that's genuinely what sparks joy for your kid that day. Free-range creativity class is deliberately curriculum-free because kids and teens get plenty of structured learning everywhere else. This is their space to follow their creative instincts with carefully curated materials, original prompts that ignite imagination, and an adult who trusts their process completely.

We blend art, music, and mindfulness into one delicious creative soup, but what they make of it is entirely up to them. The art they bring home might not make it to the refrigerator gallery, and that's exactly the point. What they're really taking home is confidence in their authentic creative expression and the knowledge that their ideas, however wonderfully weird, are worth exploring.

Esme is a heart-centered, connection-oriented seeker who loves to ask deep questions, flail on the dance floor, sing the notes off the page, eat plants, and soak up sunshine. You can often find her pursuing silly adventures, delving into the cosmos through introspection and meditation, or seeking authentic, vulnerable connection with like-minded souls. Esme’s never met a human she can’t love. She’s gallivanted around the globe a few times but her bucket list only grows. Her grandest dreams involve helping humanity open their eyes to the limitless beauty of our planet, our brilliant souls, and our miraculous lives. Esme lives on a wooded plot of paradise with three of her five fantastic children and a ridiculously fluffy feline.

Esme Isadora

free-range creativity