Undulating Silver Orb

Studio Somatics resources communities facing systemic inequities through storytelling, education, and creativity— cultivating collective agency, empowerment, and resilience.

Spinning blue glass orb

MISSION

HISTORY

Studio Somatics is a storytelling, education, and creativity studio exploring how embodied practice and creative expression can support healing, liberation, and collective transformation. Through workshops, participatory storytelling, and community-centered experiences, we help people reconnect with their bodies, histories, and sense of agency.

Founded by Laureen Andalib, the daughter of Bangladeshi genocide survivors, the studio is shaped by lived experiences of displacement, intergenerational trauma, and cultural preservation. Our work centers storytelling as a tool for dignity, empowerment, and cultural revival—bridging personal healing with collective change.

Studio Somatics was founded in 2022 at the Harvard Business School Innovation Labs through a social venture competition. Originally launched as a storytelling and fashion studio focused on performance, movement, and wearable expression, it has since evolved into an interdisciplinary practice spanning facilitation, education, media, and community engagement.

Today, Studio Somatics partners with communities, organizations, and facilitators to design storytelling experiences, educational programs, and creative initiatives that cultivate agency, connection, and belonging.

SERVICES

  • We offer individualized somatic coaching sessions designed to help people deepen self-awareness, navigate life transitions, strengthen emotional resilience, and reconnect with their bodies as sources of wisdom, agency, and care. Rooted in trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices, these sessions create a supportive space for reflection, nervous system regulation, and embodied growth.

    Rather than focusing solely on insight or analysis, our approach integrates body awareness, breathwork, movement, mindfulness, storytelling, and creative practices to explore how experiences are held physically, emotionally, and relationally. Together, we identify patterns, cultivate resources, and develop practices that support greater alignment, capacity, and well-being in daily life.

    Areas of Focus

    • Stress, burnout, and nervous system regulation

    • Life transitions and identity exploration

    • Grief, loss, and emotional processing

    • Confidence, self-trust, and personal agency

    • Creativity, expression, and overcoming blocks

    • Relationship dynamics and boundary-setting

    • Cultural identity, belonging, and intergenerational experiences

    • Embodied leadership and values-aligned decision-making

    Session Formats

    • Complimentary 30-minute consultation

    • Individual 60-minute coaching sessions

    • Multi-session coaching packages for deeper integration and accountability

    • Virtual or in-person sessions (when available)

    Each engagement is tailored to the individual's goals, experiences, and cultural context. Sessions are collaborative, strengths-based, and focused on cultivating sustainable practices that support long-term well-being.

    Important Note
    Studio Somatics provides somatic coaching and wellness support and does not offer psychotherapy, counseling, or mental health treatment. Individuals seeking clinical mental health care are encouraged to work with a licensed therapist or healthcare provider.

    Across all 1:1 offerings, we center compassion, consent, and embodied choice—supporting clients in moving from survival and overwhelm toward greater presence, resilience, and self-determination.

  • We design and deliver storytelling-based programs that help communities reclaim voice, document lived experience, and build pathways for healing and collective action. Our approach integrates narrative practice, ritual, movement, and performance to support participants in processing experience, strengthening identity, and sharing their stories on their own terms.

    We use human-centered design to co-create all of our offerings in close collaboration with partners, facilitators, and the communities we serve—ensuring each program is responsive, culturally grounded, and aligned with real needs.

    Core Services & Mediums:

    • Facilitated Workshops & Group Experiences — storytelling-based spaces that integrate ritual, movement, and collective witness to help communities name patterns, reclaim their voice, and build new narratives together

    • Written & Recorded Storytelling — supporting individuals and organizations in capturing and sharing their stories in their own words and forms (video, audio, narrative development)

    • Social Media as Storytelling — helping clients build an authentic, embodied digital presence that reflects their true voice and legacy, rather than performing within or reinforcing mainstream systems

    • Videography & Short-Form Documentary — community-centered narratives and impact storytelling

    • Brand Strategy & Development — for mission-driven organizations and grassroots initiatives

    • Creative Facilitation & Ritual Design — for gatherings, programs, and cultural events

    • Performance & Embodied Storytelling — live or recorded formats that center the body as a site of memory and expression

    Across all offerings, we prioritize accessibility, cultural relevance, and ethical storytelling practices—ensuring communities are not just represented, but actively shaping how their stories are told and shared.

  • We design community engagement programs that combine education and capacity-building to strengthen resilience, deepen connection, and support communities and organizations in responding to real-world challenges. All offerings are co-created using human-centered design in partnership with communities, practitioners, and institutional partners—ensuring relevance across private, public, and nonprofit sectors.

  • We deliver experiential, community-based learning programs that integrate embodied practice, creative exploration, recoursing, and cultural dialogue. These offerings are designed to respond to real-time social conditions while fostering self-awareness, cultural understanding, and collective agency.

    Key Offerings:

    • Creative Practice Workshops (CPW) — facilitated, co-created workshops that engage writing, movement, breathwork, meditation, and other creative modalities as tools for reflection, expression, and connection

    • Storytelling & Embodiment Education — programs that use narrative, ritual, and somatic practices to help participants process lived experience and build shared understanding

    • Responsive Community Workshops — sessions designed in response to current events, social inequities, and community needs (e.g., trauma-informed care, cultural resilience, identity exploration)

    Each workshop is co-facilitated with experienced practitioners (artists, educators, healers, and cultural workers) and can be delivered in-person or virtually, as one-time engagements or multi-session series. Sliding-scale pricing models are available to ensure accessibility across communities.

  • We partner with organizations, institutions, and teams to design and deliver programs that strengthen leadership, improve team dynamics, and build resilient, inclusive cultures.

    Key Focus Areas:

    • Leadership Development — cultivating reflective, adaptive leaders grounded in self-awareness and relational intelligence

    • Psychological Safety & Team Culture — equipping teams with tools to build trust, navigate conflict, and foster inclusive environments

    • Trauma-Informed & Somatic Practices — integrating nervous system awareness into workplace and community settings to reduce stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, and improve well-being

    • Human-Centered Design & Community Engagement — training organizations to co-create with the communities they serve, ensuring programs are responsive, ethical, and impactful

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

  • "Thank you so much for the wonderful Trauma Informed Care workshop. It was so supportive and thoughtfully crafted and presented, what a gift. The tools and perspectives shared will be so helpful to me in my almost-daily mutual aid work, which can be a bit hard on the body and mind. Thank you to you and the team for the wonderful gift you gave all of us attendees. "

    — Former Workshop Participant

  • "The somatic techniques shared in this workshop were some of the most helpful I’ve ever heard, and was grounding and very accessible. In the stress of showing up for community doing mutual aid, these will be very helpful for me to use to tend to my body to repair and recharge my nervous system to do it all again week after week."

    — Former Workshop Participant

  • "Trauma-informed Care in the age of ice was such a great workshop! It made theory practical and gave great tools to use for mindfulness, community protection, and legal knowledge."

    — Workshop Participant

  • “[Trauma-Informed Care in the Age of ICE] was such a healing and relaxing space, being very grounding while also very informative. I learned a lot!”

    — Former Workshop Participant

  • "Studio Somatics is a creative powerhouse that is also a pleasure to work with. their human-centered process shone through not only in their design and strategy work, but also through their warmth, generosity, commitment to values, and readiness to accept feedback and pivot as needed. thank you for helping us bring our vision to life!"

    —Former Collaborator

  • "Working with Studio Somatics was fantastic. The team not only has a clear and well communicated direction, they encourage participation at every step. As a photographer, I never felt my suggestions were overlooked or overshadowed. Above all else, Laureen is just a fun person to work with and they keep that energy going throughout the whole creative process."

    —Former Collaborator

  • "I modeled for the Azaadi collection in January 2025. I was well taken care of the entire time and Laureen was so attentive, caring, kind, and so humble. You can tell that each piece was created with careful intention and quality. Beyond the clothing itself, the brand stands out for its commitment to uplifting and advocating for marginalized communities, which is both rare and deeply meaningful. I genuinely felt seen, respected, and safe working with them. Studio Somatics is something truly unique, and I’m so excited to watch them grow in the years ahead. I have no doubt they’ll continue expanding and making a powerful impact."

    —Former Collaborator

contact us

Whether you're interested in a workshop, training, creative collaboration, storytelling project, organizational partnership, or 1:1 somatic coaching, we'd be happy to explore how we can work together.

Reach out with a brief description of your needs, goals, or vision, and we'll follow up to schedule a conversation.