NAPA WOMEN'S CIRCLE
About the Napa Women's Circle Team
The Napa Women's Circle embodies feminist leadership with our collaborative, non-hierarchical group of Gardeners. Gardeners are volunteers who share their time, energy, resources, knowledge, and curiosity to shape the NWC into a site of community care where we may all plant and nourish the seeds for our collective liberation.
Jackie Reynolds
What should we call you? Jackie
What pronouns do we use for you? She, her
What’s one thing that your feminist utopia/revolution includes?
Simple magical humans being! Following a first do no harm creed no one is fearful for their lives because of who or what they are and chose to be. Money is not the fair trade, instead the incredible talents each of us have are traded fairly. I know that’s two things but I’m not a rule follower.
What brings you pleasure?
My career, coffee, nature watching my kids grow up, walking dogs, and so many other things.
Self-promotion time! How can people support you?
Jenna chiming in on Jackie's behalf. Jackie is an awesome trainer and magical body worker. Join her for COVID-safe digital boot camps through Wine Country Crossfit or hire her for one-on-one training.
Drop your Paypal/Venmo/donation group of choice
Cash check or direct pay only. See how to contact me below.
How can people connect with you? Find me on Instagram @corevalueshf and I will share my email or cell if you'd like to talk.
Jenna Sanders
What should we call you? Jenna
What pronouns do we use for you? She, Her, Hers
What’s one thing that your feminist utopia/revolution includes?
Therapy for everyone! Specifically, therapy that integrates an understanding of the harmful impacts of systemic oppression in place of an overreliance on the role of personal responsibility to cope within these systems.
What brings you pleasure?
Cats, cheese, my cat named after cheese, crossing finish lines, deep soulful conversations, reading, so many things!
Self-promotion time! How can people support you?
Support the Napa Women’s Circle! Attend our offerings. Share with people in your life who might love these spaces too. Also, I’m looking for a job - hire me. I'm very good at figuring things out.
Drop your Paypal/Venmo/donation group of choice
Listen y’all, I’ve been working as a labor of love for the last 3 years (and happy to do it!), I will accept personal tips on Venmo: jenna-s-sanders or tips for the Napa Women’s Circle through PayPal with much gratitutde.
How can people connect with you? Instagram @jenna.s.sanders or email jenna@afierypeace at gmail dot com is great
Shanle Vandermeer
What should we call you? Shanle or Shan if you’re feeling spunky
What pronouns do we use for you? she/her/hers
What’s one thing that your feminist utopia/revolution includes? Cappuccino water fountains. But also a massive slow-down where life simply demands less of us. Where we can be creators instead of producers, where we invest in one another as we do ourselves, where we stop long enough to feel the grass under our feet and the birds overhead and begin to understand again that we all belong to the earth.
What brings you pleasure?
Nature, getting caught in the rain, my bull terrier Penny, going new places and seeing new things, making stuff, story-telling by way of clothing choices, holding my partner’s hand, and the essential “good food with good wine and good friends.”
Self-promotion time! How can people support you?
I am actively building a committee of advocates to join me in demanding that Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) support an increase in federal funding for pancreatic cancer research. If you or someone you know has been impacted by this disease and would like to share their story, or if you would like to support these efforts, shoot me an email! Check out pancan.org to learn more.
Drop your Paypal/Venmo/donation group of choice
Oh why thank you! The best way to contribute to my work with NWC is to support NWC directly. I’d also love to know what inspired you to give - shoot me an email and let me know what spoke to you!
How can people connect with you?
Email me at shanle.vandermeer at gmail dot com
Stephanie Der
What should we call you? Stephanie
What pronouns do we use for you? she/her/hers
What’s one thing that your feminist utopia/revolution includes?
Top of the line health care, delicious food, and long-term housing that is not dependent on our ability to work.
What brings you pleasure?
Reading (special shoutout to AO3, IYKYK), snuggles, the sun on my skin, lying in bed covered by heavy blankets
Self-promotion time! How can people support you?
If you’re looking to gift your Napa house/condo/townhouse to someone, please consider me! Feed me! Send or make me food. Send me cat pics and vids.
Drop your Paypal/Venmo/donation group of choice
Email me for my Paypal, Venmo, or CashApp. Jenna chiming back in. Stephanie is the person behind the vast majority of Feminist Book Club selections. If you love our picks, consider sending her a grati-tip.
How can people connect with you?
Email me, sder at alumnae.mills dot edu. If you’d like my social media accounts, send me an email.
Victoria Fowler
What should we call you? Victoria, tho I’m happy to be called Vic or V for short.
What pronouns do we use for you? she/her/hers
What’s one thing that your feminist utopia/revolution includes?
It includes a deep understanding that we are nature tending to herself, that what we do to earth we do to ourselves, and therefore a collective effort to live in communion with the planet. The fact we call her mother earth isn’t a coincidence - she is our mother, holding us, caring for us. So for me, a world where women are respected and treated with honor includes the right treatment of our mother earth, which lends itself to treating our other homes–our bodies and our minds–with their due respect. The other key aspect that my feminist utopia includes is community and an effort from all humans towards the liberation of all beings.
What brings you pleasure?
Being authentic, present in my spirit, emotions, and body, and being in deep connection with others brings me a lot of pleasure. Also music and creativity, bright colors, and dark chocolate.
Self-promotion time! How can people support you?
I would love it if you’d support NWC directly! And I’d love to hear about what inspired you to give: email me! I also adore cute animal videos.
Drop your Paypal/Venmo/donation group of choice
Please support NWC by PayPal or by becoming a Patreon member.
How can people connect with you?
You’re welcome to email me at hummingbird6rain at gmail dot com.
Previous Members of Gardener Leadership Team
Mystery Gardener
We thank our Mystery Gardener for her service through the majority of 2021. She held us to bigger dreams, more expansive ideas of community, and taught us all how to show up in different times of need. We appreciate all of her skills and everything she brought to the NWC.
What pronouns do we use for you? She/her/ella
What’s one thing that your feminist utopia/revolution includes?
I want the limits we currently put on ourselves and accept from others to seem as archaic as leeching.
What brings you pleasure?
A morning completely alone with coffee, black, at 135 degrees F, in a clean kitchen.
Drop your Paypal/Venmo/donation group of choice
Planned Parenthood Northern CA
How can people connect with you?
Join the Napa Women’s Circle, get to know everyone, I’m in the mix of people there.
A note about our Mystery Gardener: There is a Mystery Gardener because, although I live a totally normal life, I have been the victim of stalking and he has a history of resurfacing. It is at the same time a part of daily life and something I no longer think about constantly- although there are many things I do slightly differently than other people.
Nicole Driscoll
We thank Nicole for her service in 2021. Nicole stepped into her role in big ways, taking on branding, marketing, merchandise design, Circle development, and more. We appreciate all of her skills and everything she brought to the NWC.
What should we call you? Nicole
What pronouns do we use for you? She, her, hers
What’s one thing that your feminist utopia/revolution includes?
I can tell you one thing my feminist utopia will NOT include, no more living for your job/career. Finding a realistic balance between how we earn money and the impact it has on our lives is overlooked in our capitalistic society. Implementing a healthy work-life balance is a crucial aspect of my feminist utopia.
What brings you pleasure?
Drinking coffee at 6pm and staying up late to binge tv or finish a good book.
Self-promotion time! How can people support you?
The Covid pandemic has forced me to explore other career pursuits and it’s led me to studying photography at my local college. I’m always looking for neat photo locations and subjects in northern California - send me your recs!
*PS Always tip your servers and kitchen staff a minimum of 20% (on takeout too!)!
Drop your Paypal/Venmo/donation group of choice
Personal: @nicdrisc on all cash apps. But more importantly support your local care work groups, like the Napa Women’s Circle.
How can people connect with you? Instagram/twitter/clubhouse @nicdrisc | email: nic.drisc at gmail dot com
Scenes from our Offerings
Humble Beginnings
The Napa Women's Circle began with a realization between two friends, Jenna Sanders and Alex Meraud. Women need a safe space where we can be fully seen and fully heard. A place where we can be all the layers of our personalities, not just mother, survivor, boss, caretaker.
What began as an experiment on Jenna's living room floor soon became a community of compassionate, engaged, thoughtful, open, generous, and kind humans united in our pursuit of replenishing ourselves so we can be positive change-makers in our communities.