Community in conversation.
For more than a decade, Penumbra’s Let’s Talk Series has created space for compassionate and challenging conversations about wide-ranging topics that affect our community, from racial healing to community health. Hosted by Sarah Bellamy, each event begins at 6:00pm with a reception followed by a 90-minute presentation and discussion at 7:00pm.
Coming Home to Ourselves: Embodied Identity Practice
March 23, 2026
Modernity is leaving people increasingly alienated, disconnecting us from our bodies, from our feelings, and from our own internal and ancestral wisdom. Over time, these ruptures can have a profound impact on our individual and collective wellbeing. But there are strategies and philosophies that can help reunite us, inside and out. Join us to discuss embodied regulatory practices that return us to a fuller sense of self, rooting our core identities safely within.
Meet the Panelists!
Sarah Bellamy, Penumbra President
Sarah is President of Penumbra, where she leads the organization’s work in racial healing. She is a stage director, writer, scholar, and professor. Her recent directing work at Penumbra includes Spittin’ Seeds, Sugar in Our Wounds, and for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf. As a writer, Bellamy focuses on essays, memoir, plays, and short stories. Bellamy is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and holds an M.A. in the Humanities from the University of Chicago. She has taught at Macalester College and the University of Minnesota, and served as Visiting Professor of Theatre and Culture at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. A respected facilitator around issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion, Bellamy has led coalition-building efforts to address inequities in philanthropy and theatre. She is also a skilled and dynamic public speaker, offering audiences fresh, big-hearted, and courageous perspectives on a wide range of topics. Her lectures on the power of race and representation have been presented across the country. Bellamy is a founding member of the Twin Cities Theatres of Color Coalition and has served on the Board of Directors for Theatre Communications Group as a member of its executive committee. She has been widely recognized for her work and has received numerous honors, including a 2015 Bush Fellowship and the Hubert H. Humphrey Public Leadership Award. She currently serves on the board of The Jerome Foundation and is the proud mother of two beautiful children.
Cassie Sawyer: Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Board Certified Art TherapistCassie (she/her) is the founder of Root to Crown Healing & Wellness. She is an artist, dreamer, and seeker of justice by nature; and a Licensed professional Clinical Counselor and Board Certified Art Therapist, certified EMDR practitioner, yoga instructor, and reiki practitioner by training. Cassie draws from training in a variety of holistic methods that assist in healing to hold space for individuals who are navigating complex trauma, race-based trauma, grief and loss, and life transitions. Cassie moves from the belief that all humans are resilient and can heal, thrive, & find wellness. She also believes that all people are deserving of high-quality mental health care, regardless of their financial privilege and started a therapy fund for Root to Crown, called The Abundance Therapy Fund, so that Black, brown, and other melanated folks could access services on a sliding scale basis. She operates from a trauma-informed & a healing centered approach, and aims to empower the self-teacher and the self-healer inside each individual because she believes and understands that social justice and liberation work are intertwined with individual and collective healing.
Mariya Javed-Payne: Somatic Psychotherapist & Brainspotting TrainerMariya is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor and International Brainspotting Trainer and Consultant. She is a somatic psychotherapist and the owner of Awaken Consulting Services, a private practice and consultancy where she utilizes Brainspotting therapy and offers training and consultation on treating trauma, somatic psychotherapies, psychedelic assisted therapy, and ancestral healing. The foundation of her work is decolonial and liberation-based. She is also the co-founder of Awakened Roots, a sanctuary and healing space where she offers breathwork, shamanic healing, and other earth-based wisdom offerings. She serves as a bridge between the mystical and the mainstream and has courageously supported thousands of therapists, healers, and individuals to embody their aliveness and potential.
Maxwell Possenecker: Educator & Community Organizer Maxwell (he/they) openly identifies as a neurodivergent, queer, first-gen, non-binary educator and community organizer. Max recently served as a coach at Solcana Fitness – a queer-owned gym in Minneapolis. In addition to his role at Solcana – Max founded Drop Deadlift Gorgeous, a grass-roots event designed to empower, support, and create visibility regarding the importance of trans+ inclusion in sport. Across two years, Drop Deadlift Gorgeous has raised over $400K for trans+ communities across the mid-west. To credit his work with DDG, Max found himself as the Director of Development at Exodus Lending last Spring. Outside of work, Max enjoys being outdoors – particularly paddling the BWCA. Max serves as an ambassador for The Venture Out Project, by leading outdoor excursions for queer and trans+ folks across Minnesota. Max resides in St. Paul with his partner, Shelly on their urban farm.
Dr. Rae Fox Charles: Dancer, Choreographer & EducatorDr. Rae Fox-Charles (she/her) earned a BFA in Dance with honors from the Tisch School of the Arts and was also recognized as one of the most “up and coming young choreographers” participating in the 2012 Young Choreographers’ Festival in New York City. Since returning to the Twin Cities, Rae has been actively engaged with the arts and education community. During her decade-long tenure with Threads Dance Project, Rae occupied several roles, notably performance Company Member, Community Engagement & Education Manager, and Managing Director. She has also taught both dance technique and academic courses at top-tier institutions, including the University of Minnesota, Macalester College, Carleton College, Summit Dance Shoppe, and the Performing Institute of Minnesota. Dr. Fox-Charles will holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Minnesota.