The District House (Wed. 07/12 Workshop with Bryan Siever)

The District House is a benefit of District216. Come by for a portion or all of the evening, meet amazing members + guests, and interact with speakers on a variety of topics.

Interactive Workshop: "Self Introspection + Healing on Large Canvas"

Description: This immersive acrylic painting workshop invites participants to explore emotional boundaries, personal history, and identity through visual expression.

When: Saturday, July 12, 2025 from 2:30pm to 5:30pm (Workshop at 3:00pm)

Where: LoDo Studios, 216 E. Gutierrez Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(Please only park across the street on the Office Max side of the lot.)

Members & Guests Welcome to purchase $65 tickets to this event.

Dress Code: We will be working outside which may be cool, so please dress in layers.

Note: We will NOT be filming this event. Refreshments provided.

Facilitator: Bryan Siever, Founder Foot Forward

Workshop Description: "Self Introspection + Healing on Large Canvas"
This immersive acrylic painting workshop invites participants to explore emotional boundaries, personal history, and identity through visual expression. Inspired by the therapeutic value of art often seen in psychedelic-assisted therapies, the workshop helps participants translate internal emotional states into tangible, external forms.

As noted by experts, “Artmaking as part of or following psychedelic experiences supports an increased understanding of oneself and our connection to the greater world” (Balliett). This process allows for transformation and growth, offering a unique opportunity for introspection, emotional release, and personal redefinition. The tactile, sensory nature of painting activates multiple senses, engaging emotions in powerful and memorable ways.

Included In Workshop:

(A) Large Canvas for Group Painting: All canvases and materials provided.

(B) Foot Fourword Mantra Development Journal: A beautifully curated emotional grounding toolkit, designed to support intention-setting, reflection, and nervous system regulation in daily life

(C) Breathe Bawara Quick Reference Guide: a powerful introduction four guided pranayama (yogic breathing) techniques, participants learn to shift their nervous system state—moving from anxiety or fatigue toward calm, clarity, or renewed energy.

Facilitator: Bryan Siever, Founder Foot Forward

Bryan Siever is a former tech executive turned emotional wellness educator whose life and leadership have been shaped by both extraordinary professional success and deeply personal healing. For over two decades, Bryan held senior leadership roles in revenue operations at startups and mid-sized tech companies, helping guide multiple firms through IPO and venture capital milestones. His expertise spans organizational development, customer success, and strategic planning across global markets—including verticals like construction software solutions, digital geography, hydrosonic sonar, GPS logistics, and infrared detection. A graduate of the Aspen Institute for Young Executives and a certified business coach, Bryan also trained over 2,000 professionals in leadership, customer care, and sales.

But beneath the surface of that success lived an invisible battle. A survivor of childhood abuse, Bryan spent much of his early and adult life masking unprocessed trauma through perfectionism, overachievement, and alcohol. In 2014, while on a business trip, a violent workplace incident left him with a traumatic brain injury. What followed were years of spiraling mental health: PTSD, anxiety, depression, angry outbursts, and memory loss—compounded by a culture of executive invincibility that left little room for recovery.

In 2016 after extensive neuroimaging confirmed damage to his prefrontal cortex, Bryan committed to his healing through inpatient trauma treatment at Sierra Tucson, followed by 18 months of neurorehabilitation, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, TMS, cognitive retraining, and radical lifestyle change.

Today, Bryan is the founder of Foot Fourword, a grassroots emotional healing startup that offers in-person experiential workshops focused on emotional regulation, creative expression, and nervous system recalibration. His work is centered on creating safe spaces for others to feel what they were never taught to feel—and to begin healing not with force, but with presence, process, and community.

As a speaker, Bryan shares his story with raw honesty and uncommon clarity, inspiring others to redefine strength, recover from burnout, and lead with emotional integrity. Whether addressing students, startup teams, or C-suite executives, his message is the same: we are all one moment away from either breaking... or beginning to heal.