Trauma-Informed Principles

Acknowledges the widespread impact of trauma and prioritizes safety, trustworthiness, and empowerment in interactions (info. retrieved from Google, 2025) using six guided principles:

  1. Safety

  2. Trustworthiness and Transparency

  3. Peer Support

  4. Collaboration and Mutuality

  5. Empowerment and Choice

  6. Cultural, Gender, and Historical Issues


Social Justice

Every day is social justice day…

  • when you are a baddie who has been marginalized.

  • when you consciously or unconsciously marginalize others. 

  • when you exist in this material plane. 

General Information Disclaimer

  • The information found on this site is for general knowledge and not a substitute for professional advice. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call or text 988. In the event of a life-threatening emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Land Acknowledgement 

  • Always Sad acknowledges that it currently operates on the “occupied” land of the Kumeyaay (also referred to as Tipai or Iipay) peoples who have lived on these lands for more than 10,000 years (Sycuan Cultural Center).

  • In an effort to actively decolonize these lands, Always Sad will donate 1% of its annual profits to local indigenous communities.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion 

  • Always Sad is committed to providing a fair and inclusive work environment, free from discrimination and harassment based on protected characteristics. These policies are legally required for state agencies and are generally recommended for all employers. They ensure that all individuals, regardless of their protected characteristics, have equal opportunities for employment and advancement. 

  • Always Sad operates from an intersectional lens, and ensures that treatment of others is not discriminatory based on Race, Gender, Sexuality, Religion, or any identity factors. 

  • Always Sad is committed to dismantling white supremacy through, but not limited by, the utilization of anti-racist policies and practices. The company will prioritize working with any entity that shares these commitments and is in alignment with its values (Kendi, Ibram. 2019. How to Be an Antiracist. London, England: Bodley Head). 

Libraries Save Lives

Always Sad believes that libraries save lives and it will donate 1% of its annual profits to the San Diego County library system. These systems provide immeasurable support and resources for mental health and community resilience.

Safe Space Policies

1. Act in accordance with safe space policy.

Safe space: spaces that are intended to be free of bias, conflict, and potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations (info. retrieved from Google, 2025).

  • The term originated in LGBTQ culture as places where members of the community could gather without fear of judgment or harassment.

  • It has since expanded to include any setting where marginalized groups can communicate and find community based on shared experiences, whether related to gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or other factors. 

  • Safe enough is safe enough and that’s okay (Grief Tending Session 10: Sitting in the fears and shadows of grief work by Jewel Wingfield).

2. Operate from a love ethic

Love ethic: a framework that centers love as a core principle for social justice and personal well-being (hooks, bell. 1999. All About Love: New Visions. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publisher). 

3. Choose anti-racist practices.

Anti-racist practices: actions that dismantle racism by actively demolishing the power and influence of White Supremacy in society (Kendi, Ibram. 2019. How to Be an Antiracist. London, England: Bodley Head). 

4. Resist indigenous erasure through advocacy. 

Dismantle indigenous erasure through empowerment: dedicated to amplifying indigenous voices through advocacy and love (Rising Hearts created by Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Whetstone, 2017). 

5. Liberate historically disempowered people. 

Disempowered: those who lack power, resources, and opportunities, often due to systemic inequalities and social structures (info. retrieved from Google, 2025). 

6. Prioritize joy.

Joy: essays that explore the interconnectedness of joy, human connection, and sorrow (Gay, Ross, 2022. Inciting Joy. N.A: Algonquin Books).

7. Avoid unsolicited advice.

Avoid unsolicited advice: imbue safety, avoid invalidating peoples’ experiences via embodied social justice and trauma-informed principles, (Grief Tending Workshop, Guest Facilitator, Camille Barton, 2025).

8. Operate from a place of abundance.

Operate from an abundant or an empowered place: pending you are resourced enough to do so. Staying with the discomfort can be transformative. Try to make choices from an empowered place. Move towards abundance and away from scarcity, it usually feels better. You can remove yourself from the space whenever you need to (Grief Tending Workshop, Guest Facilitator, Jewels Wingfield).