Our Founder – Genevieve

“Secular Sabbath was started by Genevieve Medow-Jenkins, a California native who was raised by her mother at the Esalen Institute, an artist colony nestled among the foothills of Big Sur, where Medow-Jenkins grew up singing, dancing and attending Wednesday night didgeridoo meditations in the area’s natural hot springs. Her mother, who moved to the community at 19, threw all-night raves every month for the residents, where Medow-Jenkins would try to stay awake until it was well past her bedtime.

“My mom would put me to sleep in the corner with a sign on me that read, ‘Don’t step on the sleeping child,’” Medow-Jenkins says.

 When she moved to Los Angeles after college, Medow-Jenkins says she craved the same sense of community she had become so fond of, only to be left feeling isolated and out of touch with the people around her. “I didn’t see people coming together in a way that felt intentional,” she says. “I just saw a lot of hustle and hyper-stimulation.” Secular Sabbath, she offers, “created a space I wanted to spend my restorative time in. I wanted to create a space for people to explore their sensory self – how they hear, smell, taste, touch and see.”

 “It’s born out of genuine friendships and human connections,” Medow-Jenkins says. “I want a friendship to be a creative exploration in which we are all growing. I don’t want to talk about me or you, but something bigger than both of us,” she continues, “and I think all of these creatives feel like-minded in some way.”

– Rolling Stones