Bridging holistic health and wellness with civic ecology
Nathan Lou - Co-founder and Executive Director

Nathan is was born and raised in San Diego County. He completed an AS in Agriculture from Yuba College, and BS in Natural Resources from Oregon State University. With 20 years of cultivation experience, Nathan has developed a passion for agro-ecology and urban forestry. Nathan's current research takes him to Palomar Mountain, where he is performing vegetative surveys and assessing forest health with an emphasis on oak trees and other ethnobotanically important species​. He is also guiding a Kumeyaay tribal intern in natural farming practices as part of a project with Indigenous Regeneration in Valley Center. Nathan sits on the board of Slow Food Urban San Diego as the Food Justice Co-chair and is an active participant in empowering the local food system.
Alicia Lou - Co-founder and Wellness Director, CMT, NCBTMB

​Alicia is a devoted and empowered mother that lives a holistic lifestyle. Alicia has nearly 15 years of experience working in the wellness industry, graduating from the Aveda Institute in 2005 for Massage Therapy. Alicia is currently in pursuit of an A.S. in Oriental Medicine from the Pacific College with aspirations for a doctorate. Presently, Alicia is the Lead Massage Therapist at the Willow’s Spa. Inspired by her grandmothers’ devotion to the cultivation of a deep connection to all living beings, Alicia continues to serve and advocate for human equality. She has a profound appreciation for plants and their medicinal uses to harmonize imbalances in the earth and ourselves. With a keen understanding about how to support others in their healing, Alicia has an incredible ability to recognize opportunity for growth. Alicia provides an enriching and dynamic perspective to our wellness program and its enrichment.
Dan Mueller - Managing Director

Dan has a degree in Communication, Culture and Community (Saint Louis University, 2015), training in Intergroup Dialogue Facilitation and Program Design and Management, and currently serves as Managing Director to Mongol Tribe. A passion for intercultural exchange has sent Dan to Belize, Jamaica and Puerto Rico to support grassroots community development initiatives in Education and Agriculture through various organizations, such as the United States Peace Corps. Dan’s work with food access and policy coalitions has allowed her to expand upon the social theories from her undergraduate studies and put them into practice developing programming for communities of concern across various contexts. Dan has more than seven years experience assisting numerous nonprofits with board development, community outreach and engagement, content development and editing, fundraising (event planning), program design and management, and strategic planning. She has been offering nonprofit management consultation services as an independent contractor in the following areas: civic ecology, community development and wellness, food and medicine sovereignty, social enterprise, urban agriculture, youth development and education.