About One Sanctum
One Sanctum is an initiative born from the longing to remember who we are together—woven through intimacy, authenticity, and the courage to expose what matters most. It is a call to gather, to share breath and presence, to rediscover our common humanity in the spaces between us.
Here, we slow down. We listen. We enter conversations that touch what is real and tender. We open new doors of awareness. One Sanctum is a sanctuary—an invitation to growth and understanding, to self-compassion and the embrace of the natural world. It is a place where trust and openness allows us to step into the vastness of one another.
Through circles, stories, and gatherings of intention, One Sanctum seeks to soothe and soften what divides us. It invites empathy to take root, it celebrates the fierce beauty of community, and honors the truth that belonging is found not in perfection or condition of any kind, but in the courage to show up as we are.
This is a movement of remembrance: that in our shared vulnerabilities lies the luminous essence of life—made more vibrant when carried in unity.
Lara Tambacopoulou
One Sanctum Founder
Lara Tambacopoulou was born in Switzerland, grew up in Greece and pursued her studies in business management and photography in England. She contributed to the Greek press as a photographer and writer until 2012, when she moved with her family to Vancouver to study counseling at the University of British Columbia and remained there until 2018.
Influenced by her unique family background—her mother was married to Timothy Leary
in the 1970s —alongside her extensive research as well as her friendship and mentorship under
Dr. Gabor Maté, Lara embarked on a path into the field of therapeutic studies, with a particular interest in the healing potential of expanded states.
Lara has received training in multiple therapeutic modalities, amongst them, she is a certified facilitator through the Centre for Systemic Constellations in London and has completed a 3 year training in Psychedelic Studies with the Awe Foundation.
Dedicated to fostering psychological and spiritual growth, Lara works with individuals seeking to deepen their awareness, personal development and spiritual realisation and is passionate about bringing people and important causes together to weave what is asking to emerge in these times. She resonates deeply with concept of unconditional belonging for all living beings into the sacred ecosystem of life.
She continues to train and work under the guidance of pioneers of this work.Lara frequently travels and immerses herself in the wisdom of indigenous communities in Central and South America, learning from their ancestral traditions. Through the use of entheogens and sacred rituals, these communities safeguard practices that reconnect humanity to its rightful place within nature's ecosystem. Today, they stand as some of the rare and vital reminders of what it truly means to be deeply embedded within the cosmos.
OUR Collaborators
Dr. Gabor Maté
Hungarian-born Canadian Physician, Speaker, Best-Selling Author & Compassionate Enquiry Founder
Gabor Maté was born in Budapest in 1944 and immigrated to Canada as a child, where he grew up in the shadow of war and displacement. After earning his medical degree at the University of British Columbia, he spent over two decades practicing family medicine and palliative care before dedicating himself to the treatment of addiction, trauma, and mental illness in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. His extensive clinical work, combined with years of research, gave rise to a groundbreaking perspective on the interconnection between childhood adversity, stress, disease, and human suffering. Drawing on his own life experience and decades of therapeutic practice.
Gabor developed a unique approach that integrates medical science with compassion, spirituality, and an understanding of the mind–body unity. He is the author of several internationally acclaimed books, including In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, When the Body Says No, and The Myth of Normal, through which he has illuminated the hidden dynamics shaping health, illness, and emotional well-being.
Deeply influenced by both Western psychology and the wisdom traditions of indigenous cultures, Gabor advocates for a holistic vision of healing—one that embraces authenticity, connection, and the innate human need for belonging. He has also become a leading voice in exploring the therapeutic potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness, supporting research and practice in the careful, respectful use of psychedelics as a means to access profound healing and transformation.
Today, Gabor continues to teach, write, and guide communities worldwide, offering insights that bridge science, soul, and society. His work resonates with those seeking to understand the roots of suffering and to reclaim the wholeness of life within the wider web of existence.
Apostolia Papadamaki
HELLENIC WISDOM CARRIER & ANAMNESIS FOUNDER
She graduated with honors from the National School of Dance and spent five years in New York studying choreography and performance art. Supported by scholarships from the A. Onassis Foundation and the Goulandris Foundation, her time in New York deepened her artistic vision and honed her craft.
In addition to her mastery of choreography, her interest in healing and spirituality led her to lifelong studies that span Water Healing, Music, Voice, Physical Theater, AiKiDo, Scuba Diving, Craniosacral Therapy, Breathwork, and Reiki, reflecting a diverse and holistic approach to her art and teachings.
During the first 15 years of her career, Apostolia choreographed numerous productions of Ancient Greek Tragedy, skillfully blending Logos, Melos, and Orchesis (Word, Music, Movement) with a deep understanding of ritualistic performance. As the founder of The Happiness Retreat since 2016, she integrates her expertise in movement, healing arts, and spirituality to lead transformational workshops, retreats, and experiences.
Among her major achievements are Drops of Breath, the world’s first underwater dance performance; Synergy, the globally broadcast opening ceremony of the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games; and From Darkness to Light, the first overnight performance at a Greek archaeological site. Featured in over 40 international festivals, Apostolia continues to inspire and empower through her visionary teachings and transformative performances.
Apostolia is a ceremonial performance artist, embodied spirituality mentor, and Hellenic wisdom carrier. Her life’s work, Anamnesis, bridges the performing arts with ancient Greek mythology, philosophy, and history. She creates contemporary rituals that activate sacred sites and evoke collective remembrance. Apostolia views ritual as the living enactment of myth, transforming participants into part of the narrative through her experiential ceremonial performances, presented at major archaeological and sacred sites across Greece. These works invite audiences to reconnect with their origins and honor the profound bond between Humanity, Nature, and the Divine.
cynthia jurs
BUDDHIST LAMA & FOUNDER, GAIA MANDALA
Cynthia has also studied and practiced deeply in the Vajrayana tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1990, she met a 106-year-old Lama living in a remote cave in Nepal, known as Kushok Mangdon (Charok Rinpoche). The question she asked him was, what can we do to bring healing and protection to the Earth? In response, she received the practice of the Earth Treasure Vases.
For 30 years, Cynthia traveled around the world to places of need with these holy vessels, and through her dedication, this ancient Tibetan practice has come alive for these times. In 2018, she was recognized as an honorary Lama at Tolu Tharling Monastery in Nepal. Inspired by her years of pilgrimage into diverse communities and ecosystems to bring healing to the Earth, today Cynthia is forging a new path of dharma in service to Gaia—a path deeply rooted in the feminine, honoring indigenous traditions, and teaching an embodied sacred activism devoted to collective awakening.
Cynthia Jurs, author of Summoned by the Earth: Becoming a Holy Vessel for Healing Our World, became a student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in the 1980s and in 1994, received his transmission to become a Dharmacharya (Dharma Teacher) in the Order of Interbeing.
Michael ryoshin sapiro
Ordained Zen Buddhist Monk & Poet, Clinical Psychologist, Author, and Meditation Teacher.
Integrating spirituality, science, and psychology. Michael Ryoshin Sapiro, PsyD, is an ordained Zen Buddhist monk and poet, clinical psychologist, psychedelic psychotherapist, author, and meditation teacher. His book, Truth Medicine, on psychedelic psychotherapy will be published by Hachette Go in 2025. He is a Fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, and is core faculty in the Psychedelic’s Today Vital psychedelic certification program.
Dr. Sapiro teaches internationally on the art and science of transformation, expanded human capabilities, psychedelic psychotherapy, and futuremaking. He leads retreats internationally, and offers Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy sessions for first responders, special operations combat veterans, and community members. His work is dedicated to personal awakening for the sake of collective and planetary transformation.
One Sanctum stands for more than personal healing. At this very difficult time for so many human beings, we are deeply committed to global well-being. A portion of all proceeds supports War Child and their mission to save, protect, educate and empower children affected by conflict all-over the world.