About Us
The Garden Within is a sanctuary for healing and empowerment, where survivors of trauma can rediscover their strength and reclaim their futures. Founded as a transformative extension of Survivor Ventures, our space merges holistic wellness with economic opportunity, offering trauma-responsive care in a supportive, survivor-led environment. We honor the journey of every individual who walks through our doors, providing a nurturing space where mind, body, and spirit find balance. Through ancient healing traditions and modern therapeutic approaches—including massage therapy, movement therapy, art therapy, and breathwork—we guide survivors toward wholeness, resilience, and self-discovery.
More than a wellness center, The Garden Within is a community where healing and entrepreneurship go hand in hand. Survivors trained through our Survivors to Entrepreneurs (S2E) program gain hands-on experience, certifications, and mentorship, enabling them to build sustainable careers in holistic care. Our Tampa-based center not only offers a range of metaphysical and wellness products but also serves as a hub for trauma-informed care, connecting survivors with accessible healing resources both in-person and through telehealth services. As we grow, we remain committed to breaking cycles of exploitation and fostering a future where survivors thrive—because everything needed to heal is already within.
Meet The Team
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Tiffany McGee, Founder, The Garden Within
Tiffany McGee is the founder of The Garden Within, a social enterprise supporting trafficking survivors by selling you holistic care products and services to support physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Drawn to the shop at a moment of transition, Tiffany was inspired to preserve its sacred energy and grow it into a safe, nurturing space that empowers survivors of human trafficking through healing and economic opportunity.
Tiffany’s path into the healing arts is nontraditional—shaped by personal and family experiences with trauma, loss, and the need to reclaim wellness outside of conventional medicine. Through the use of herbalism and energetics, Tiffany experienced profound healing that inspired her to bring these restorative modalities to others seeking alternatives to chemicals, pills, and surgeries.
A seasoned advocate and visionary leader, Tiffany founded Survivor Ventures in 2018, a nonprofit that supports trafficking survivors in achieving economic independence. With more than two decades of experience in counter-trafficking work, she previously served as a Department of Defense Intelligence Analyst on anti-trafficking task forces at U.S. Embassies across Africa and Europe.
A graduate of the University of Cape Town, Ohio University, and the American Military University, Tiffany holds degrees in Peace Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, Gender and Transformation, and International Affairs.
Elena Young, Art Therapy Practitioner
Elena is a 25 year old certified art therapy practitioner who believes that healing begins when individuals feel seen, heard, and free to express themselves. No art skills required. As a survivor, mother, and lifelong artist, she understands the profound power creativity holds in restoring what life has broken. She offers trauma-informed, nature-based individual sessions rooted in compassion and lived experience. Her approach is especially meaningful for those who haven’t found healing through traditional methods. With a commitment to creating a safe, supportive, and creatively empowering environment, she walks alongside each person on their unique path toward healing.
Jennifer Holmes, Art Therapy and Healing Touch Practitioner
Jennifer Holmes is a survivor, leader, and lived experience expert in both human and labor trafficking. Drawing from her own journey, she now offers holistic healing services designed to support fellow survivors as they reclaim their power and rebuild their lives. Through creative expression in art therapy, energy-based healing touch techniques that restore physical and emotional balance, and grounding experiences in nature that cultivate inner peace, Jennifer provides a nurturing path toward healing. Her mission is to equip survivors with tools for wellness and self-confidence, guiding them toward a brighter, more empowered future.
Quintina Sonnie, Holistic Care Director
Known as the Somatic Alchemist, Quintina's lived experience and spiritual gifts led her to body based healing and energy work. She has been guiding survivors in their healing journeys since 2017 using practical tools based on ancient techniques curated for the modern world. After realizing that the clinical options weren't giving her the transformation she expected, she turned to somatic work. While in a breathwork session for herself, a message from Spirit told her that body based healing would transform the lives of complex trauma survivors. In an effort to make healing and holistic techniques more accessible, she has partnered with Survivor Ventures to offer her unique blend of somatic services. She specializes in Breathwork, EFT (Tapping), Human Design, and Tarot with other certifications including Healing Touch, Manifestation, Reiki 1, and Trauma Resolution. A Priestess of the Lotus, Cat Mom, full time Barefooter and lover of lattes, Quintina's unique approach and grounded energy will guide you back to your own sacred power.
Sequoia, Herbalist
Sequoia is a 21 year old herbalist who specializes in biomedical health & nutrition. She has spent the last 4 years in self-study over holistic healing practices, primal nutrition, medicinal herbs, and native flora. She seeks to bring the body back to its ancient alignment, returning to the inherent health given to us before modern maladies. She is currently a student at Traditions School of Herbal Studies and she will graduate as a clinical herbalist. For now, she teaches and offers her services in a unique manner that combines the physical & spiritual realm that brings harmony to the body, mind, and earth.
Val,
Chaos Magician
Vallerie is a 20 year old Chaos Magician local to the Tampa Bay area who specializes in Candle Magick, Sigil Magick and reading Tarot. Having practiced magick for 5 years, they excel in bringing any manifestations to life, whether it be related to wealth, love, protection, success, enhancing creative flow, and more! If you are seeking answers for what the future holds, Vallerie offers 10 min tarot reading sessions that show a personal timeline of your past, present, and future. Having vast knowledge of crystals, they can also help you find the right crystals that you need to align with your intentions as well.
Ronnelle Fortin, Reader and Shop Associate
Ronnelle was born and raised in Southern California before relocating to Florida with her young family over a decade ago. It was during this transition that her spiritual journey began to deepen in meaningful ways. As she explored how best to nurture and support her children—each with their own unique gifts—she came to discover her own.
Today, she is an Intuitive Channeler and Reiki-certified healer. Through these practices, she offers personalized readings, using oracle cards to channel messages from the Divine. Those who have experienced her work often describe it as far more than a typical card reading—it’s a powerful activation, opening a deeper connection to their own spiritual path.