moments of 
presence

stop/motion is a limited-edition series of nine photographic works by Alicia L. Swift, created in the remote expanse of the Drake Passage – the stretch of ocean dividing South America from Antarctica. Known for its volatility and scale, the passage is at once vast, isolating, and elemental. Working within this environment, Alicia turns her attention […]

The world never stops asking you to move – scroll, schedule, produce, optimize. But at Astreya, Stillness Sessions offer the opposite: a place to simply be. In a room shaped by light, shadow, and photography, you are invited to slow your breath, focus your attention, and notice what surfaces when you are truly present. Time […]

The Astreya fine art gallery is now open: a private gallery and breathwork studio in San Diego, designed as a sanctuary of quiet calm in a world that rarely slows down. Located at 4502 Cass St, Suite 106 (Pacific Beach), the Astreya gallery invites you to step out of the noise and into something more […]

Astreya is evolving into what it was always meant to be: a creative studio devoted to stillness in a busy modern world. Beginning this January, I am honored to step into an artist-in-residence role, where I will explore how art, sound, and the written word can invite presence and perception. This work now lives physically, […]

Most burnout recovery methods out there are long, complicated, & expensive. Other burnout-recovery companies focus on productivity tweaks, mindset work, or habit-building approaches. While these approaches can be helpful, they don’t solve the root cause of your exhaustion and overwhelm: extreme stress caused by modern society (e.g., racism, sexism, toxic workplace culture) and a life […]

We published a three-article series over on Substack, focused on the topic of work burnout. Be sure to check it out for helpful career advice: Ultimately, if your work is causing burnout, you have two choices: ask your management for changes (like going part-time, getting an assistant, or using disability), or leave. And while it […]

We’ve been working on all kinds of goodies to heal burnout these past few months: digital courses, recordings of affirmations and meditations, and even an eBook. And during that time, we noticed a pattern in our inbox. We kept getting the same question over and over: “Can you help me figure out if it’s time […]

I wrote this article on our Substack on September 15, 2025, and wanted to re-publish it here in case you aren’t a subscriber yet. If you love what you see below, consider heading over to Substack, where you can subscribe for free, and get articles like these directly in your email inbox twice a month. […]

We have a lot of free and helpful resources in various places around the web related to topics like: healing burnout in its physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual forms; quick and easy stress relief; holistic living and wellbeing; personal growth; and centering inner peace, joy, creativity, and curiosity. If you are interested in our short-form […]

It’s easy to identify toxic corporate culture as a primary cause of burnout, but no one talks about why it’s a primary cause. And that’s because, not only is it a nuanced conversation not suited for a 90 second Instagram reel, but the why makes people uncomfortable. Why is that? To answer this question, we […]