Sanctuary Circle

Where connection becomes community

Sanctuary Circle was founded in January 2025 by Ulli K. Ryder as an intentional secular space for community and connection that welcomes people of all backgrounds. Sanctuary Circle emerged from Ryder's observation that people around her were struggling to forge meaningful community in an increasingly fragmented world. Reeling from the trauma of the Covid-19 pandemic, political divisiveness, and violence in their communities, many found that technology's promise of connection had failed to deliver the grounding they needed. 

Rather than waiting for someone else to create the space she sought, she built it herself. She began gathering small groups of trusted people in homes, drawing on everything that shaped her: an educator, writer, and performer; the multiracial child of artists; a Christian raised in a Buddhist community who finds beauty in all faith traditions. What started as friends in living rooms quickly became Sanctuary Circle. The hunger for connection was bigger than any of us expected, and the gatherings soon outgrew their intimate origins.

Sanctuary Circle draws inspiration from the intellectual salons of the Harlem Renaissance, the tradition of the Ministry of Presence, and the transformative learning of educational institutions. We focus on developing empathy, exploring the limits and expansiveness of shared humanity, cultivating responsible global citizenship and environmental stewardship, and learning to see ourselves in others. It is fundamentally a space for mutual support, comfort, and survival—a place where people can share their hopes, fears, joys, and concerns about their own lives and the wider world.

With Dr. Jade Johnson, we are able to lead gatherings in community organizations, companies, educational institutions, and places of worship.

Sanctuary Circle is currently offered in person. If you think you, your community, or your organization can benefit from the belonging and community of Sanctuary Circle, contact us today! We would love to get to know you.