Sarah Van Cleve is a somatic practitioner, facilitator, death doula, mother, gardener, devoted life-lover, and future ancestor. She is the founder of Soul House Wellness, where she weaves together yoga, sound healing, somatic practice, and leadership development to support people in reconnecting with their bodies and their truth.
A self-described Black radical and professional agitator, Sarah’s work is rooted in a deep commitment to social justice, accessibility, and the kind of healing that tells the truth. Through her work, she creates spaces where people can find safety within themselves, tend to what is honest, and practice more courageous ways of being in community.
In this conversation, Sarah shares how her early life experiences shaped her understanding of identity, belonging, and community.
Adopted and raised as a biracial child in a loving white family and predominantly white environment, she reflects on the complexities of navigating identity, proximity to whiteness, and the ways those experiences and micro aggression shaped her path toward embodied healing and justice-centered wellness work.
Sarah also speaks about the importance of creating intentional spaces for people of color in wellness, including her work with Return (formerly Yoga for People of Color), and why race, power, and community must be part of the conversation if healing spaces are to be truly inclusive.
Together, we explore what wellness spaces often miss, the ongoing practice of unlearning, and what it means to build communities that are brave enough to tell the truth.
In this episode we discuss:
- How adoption shaped Sarah’s understanding of identity, belonging, loss, and connection
- Growing up biracial in a predominantly white family and community
- Her reunion with her 8 biological siblings
- The difference between safety and belonging in wellness spaces
- Why Sarah created healing spaces specifically for people of color
- What wellness culture often misses when it ignores race, community, and power
- The role of somatic practice in healing and embodied leadership
- What Sarah, Betsy and Kate are currently unlearning in their lives and work
This conversation invites us to consider how healing is not only personal, but collective—and how creating spaces rooted in honesty, embodiment, and justice can open the door to deeper belonging for all.
Where listeners can find Sarah
@soulhouse_wellness
Breathing Room Yoga- weekly classes
Return (Yoga for POC) monthly in both Cedar Rapids and soon Des Moines
Register for her upcoming workshop at Heartland Yoga on April 12th https://heartlandyoga.com/
Episode 188 Lotus, Liberation, and Expanding Masculinity
Episode 187 Love and Solidarity: Stories from Minneapolis
Today’s Episode sponsored by:
The Local Hub (https://thelocalhub-ic.com/)
Kate Moreland Coaching (https://www.
Dr Yoga Momma (https://dryogamomma.com/)
Heartland Yoga (https://heartlandyoga.com/)
Want to go on retreat?
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