Local Resources Are Available for Palisadians Seeking Support This Holiday Season

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

With the holidays underway and the one-year anniversary of the Palisades fire approaching, there are several avenues where community members can find extra support. From grief groups to local events and “gentle practices” to try, here are a few options.

Dr. Zelana Montminy

Palisadian Dr. Zelana Montminy is a behavioral scientist and clinical psychologist who specializes in “resilience, the nervous system and the emotional toll of modern life.”

“January 7 changed so much for us,” Montminy shared. “Like many families, we lost our kids’ two schools, their dance studio, our doctors, and the parks and fields they grew up on, so many of the everyday anchors that made life feel familiar. Someone was thankfully able to save our house structurally, but the inside was covered in ash and toxins like lead, so we spent nearly a year displaced while we remediated and renovated. Most of our closest friends lost their homes entirely, which added another layer of collective heartbreak.”

She described it as a “rare kind of layered loss” that “affects not just your belongings, but also the entire ecosystem of your life.”

“The places you go every day, the people you see, the rituals and routines that quietly hold your family together … suddenly gone all at once,” she continued. “It creates a sense of disorientation that’s hard to articulate.”

She described that through all of it, she has “never felt more supported” or “connected” to her community, with people showing up “in ways that still bring” her to tears.

“My kids have modeled a kind of resilience you can’t teach; you only earn it by living through something hard,” she described. “We’re grateful to have moved back to the Palisades a few weeks ago, and in many ways, it feels like we’re pioneers returning. But the emotional impact of that day is still unfolding. Healing from something like this isn’t linear; it comes in waves.”

As the holidays approach, Montminy explained that the people are feeling a “mix of exhaustion, gratitude and emotional whiplash.”

“There’s pressure to be festive while still carrying a year’s worth of unprocessed grief,” Montminy described. “For many, the holidays bring up what they lost, whether it was a home, a sense of safety, community rhythms or simply the version of themselves they were before the fire.”

Montminy shared a “few gentle practices” that can “make a meaningful difference” through the holidays:

Name what you’re feeling. Grief gets heavier when we pretend it’s not there. Even saying, “This season feels complicated” can ease the emotional load.

Regulate your body. Grief lives in the nervous system. Hydration, morning sunlight, movement, steady breathing all help reset stress signals.

Lower the bar. This may not be the year for elaborate traditions. Choose what feels nourishing rather than performative.

Create small anchors. A walk with a friend, lighting a candle for what was lost, a pause before the day begins … rituals help the body feel contained.

Stay connected. Co-regulation is very real. Spending time with grounded, supportive people helps calm the nervous system in ways we often can’t do alone.

“I want Palisadians to know that whatever you’re feeling right now is completely valid,” Montminy said. “Recovery isn’t linear, and grief doesn’t follow a schedule. You’re not ‘behind,’ you’re not overreacting and you’re not alone. Our community has shown remarkable strength not by pretending everything is fine, but by continuing to show up for one another through one of the hardest years we’ve ever lived. If this season feels heavier than you expected, it doesn’t mean you’re going backward. It means you’re human. And you’re still healing.”

With the one-year anniversary of the fire approaching next month, Montminy noted that “anniversaries of trauma activate the nervous system.”

“Even if someone isn’t consciously thinking about the date, the body often remembers,” she explained. “I expect an uptick in anxiety, irritability, sleep changes and emotional tenderness. Some people may feel heavy without knowing why; others may feel unexpectedly proud of their resilience and shocked that they’re still processing everything. There is no ‘correct’ reaction. For some, the anniversary will resurface grief; for others, it will highlight gratitude for what’s been rebuilt. For many, it will be both.”

When it comes to her work, Montminy said it brings together psychology, neuroscience and tools to help people navigate stress, grief and attention in a “world that constantly pulls us in every direction.”

“In recent years, my work has centered even more on attention, nervous system health and the emotional residue that follows major stressors or communitywide events like what our town has experienced this past year,” Montminy explained.

Beginning in January, Montminy will create a “more intimate space” where she will host live conversations, Q&As and a monthly book club. She will also be holding a private monthly Zoom focused on rebuilding attention, grounding the nervous system and strengthening “our sense of community after such a destabilizing year.”

She shared that she has something “really exciting in the works” that she is not at liberty to share yet, but will offer a “space for deeper conversations, stories and perspectives.”

“Follow me on Instagram (instagram.com/dr.zelana) to be part of that announcement,” Montminy said, “and to join a built-in community navigating this year with honesty, science and real support.

She also offers free resources on her website (drzelana.com), with plans to release “more substantial downloadable tools over the coming months” to help people “process overwhelm, grief and the emotional aftershocks of this experience.”

“I’ll continue offering community conversations, workshops and in-person gatherings because healing alongside others who truly understand what you’ve lived through is incredibly powerful,” she said.

Montminy will join fellow Palisadians Dr. Dolly Klock (founder of ADOLESSONS) and Michelle Villemaire (designer, TV host and creator of UNBURNABLE: Women of the Palisades Fire) for a panel discussion “From Ruin to Resilience: Grief, Focus and the Future We Choose” at Calvary Christian School on January 8, 2026, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

For more information or to RSVP, visit eventbrite.com/e/from-ruin-to-resilience-grief-focus-and-the-future-we-choose-tickets-1835599009049.

griefHaven

Founder and CEO of Pacific Palisades-based nonprofit griefHaven Susan Whitmore spoke on grief and trauma following the fire.

“Sometimes people are told they are only ‘things,’” Whitmore said. “Yet many of those things come with deep and profound memories. The fires not only destroyed a home and its contents, but it also changed an entire world of safety, comfort, a community, lifestyle and much more. It’s grief and trauma, regardless of how it came about.”

GriefHaven is offering free grief and trauma support via Zoom twice per month for people who lost their homes in the Palisades fire.

Whitmore and Dr. Denise Mandel have been facilitating the groups for five months. Whitmore described the groups as a “loving, confidential and educational place to deal with the impact of the fire.”

“No one should walk through this kind of loss and trauma alone,” Whitmore said. “A griefHaven grief and trauma support group offers connection, tools and the reminder that healing is possible, even after the unimaginable.”

Whitmore said that in a “highly confidential” griefHaven group, a person “learns to better understand what is happening to them, specific techniques to deal with those experiences, be with others who ‘get it,’ and figure out how to rebuild life in a healthy and effective way.”

It is a drop-in group, so people can “come as needed” and “meetings vary in size.” The meetings include writing prompts, educational information about grief and trauma techniques, and time to share.

“This is not a place for people to exchange information about rebuilding,” she explained. “This is a therapeutic meeting for people to talk about their grief and trauma from the fire.”

Based in the Palisades, griefHaven lost its office space in the fire. It has been temporarily relocated to Water Garden in Santa Monica.

The next meetings will be Monday, December 15, and December 22, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. To get on the mailing list for the Zoom group, email hope@griefhaven.org or call 310-459-1789.

Los Angeles Fire Support Group

Friends of the Palisades Library is partnering with UCLA Psychology Clinic to offer Los Angeles Fire Support Group: Processing and Moving Forward with Loss.

“Join UCLA Psychology Clinic’s therapy group on processing and moving forward with loss among individuals who have lost their homes from the 2025 fires in the greater Los Angeles area,” read information. “This 10-week group will meet weekly and be facilitated by two doctoral students in clinical psychology.”

The group will cover topics in grief and loss, as well as “explore strategies for making room for difficult emotions, building a sense of empowerment after loss and moving forward in line with valued priorities.”

“You are not alone,” Friends of the Palisades Library wrote. “Come connect with others with shared traumatic experiences in a safe, nonjudgmental space.”

The group will meet once per week (either Wednesdays at 9 to 10:30 a.m. or Thursdays from 5:30 to 7 p.m.) virtually via Zoom. Those who would like more information can call 310-825-2305 and say they are interested in the Palisades fire support group or fill out a form at hushforms.com/referralform1.

Despite Losing Multiple Teaching Spaces in the Palisades Fire, Yoga Instructor Kim Harrington Keeps Her Community Grounded Through Classes Across the Westside

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Though she has pivoted where she practices and teaches following the Palisades fire, Kim Harrington continues to foster community at various venues across the Westside through a series of yoga classes.

Harrington lost or has been displaced from several venues where she previously taught, including her Marquez Knolls home, Palisades-Malibu YMCA on Via De La Paz and MAVVEN on Antioch Street.

Originally from Scotland, Harrington said she grew up with an “incredible childhood and family.” Her mom was a yogi, exposing her to the practice at a young age before she ran “into the world,” studying international business at university before traveling for a year.

Harrington described meeting her husband, traveling some more before getting married and having kids. Then they lived in Santa Monica where he was offered a job, before going to Amsterdam, then returning to the Los Angeles area.

When deciding where to live, Harrington said they chose Pacific Palisades after becoming familiar with the area while their children attended Canyon Charter Elementary School.

“Palisades offered us a community,” she described. “It was absolutely beautiful, we could just see ourselves living there. We were very fortunate that a house came up in our budget. The rest was kind of history, [we] felt incredibly at home, incredibly grateful.”

Harrington has been teaching on Zoom since she moved to the area from the Netherlands in 2019, as her clients there wanted to continue practicing with her. She continued to offer classes virtually through the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as in her garden.

Harrington moved her at-home classes indoors from the garden after her daughter, who attends Palisades Charter High School and is a member of Theatre Palisades Youth, asked if they could host a cast party at the house. She talked to her husband about emptying a room of furniture to accommodate the party.

“We emptied it, we had this party, it was a success,” Harrington described. “And then we were like, ‘I can use this for yoga.’”

Harrington said she was able to host up to 12 people for classes inside. The rental home survived the fire but has not been remediated. Harrington said that at this stage, they are unsure if they will return or not.

“I had a community of people who lived in the Palisades, some in Santa Monica also came to me,” Harrington said. “I was teaching five days a week in that studio.”

In addition to teaching clients privately, Harrington also taught chair yoga at the YMCA, she described, introducing yoga to people for the first time in their 70s and 80s in some cases.

“I taught teenagers as being one of my specialties, having children who were teenagers and having started yoga as a teenager, I focused on that group” Harrington said. “I did teenage classes twice a week at the YMCA.”

Following the Palisades fire, Harrington has continued teaching on Zoom, renting from Fancy Feet Dance Studio in Santa Monica, Palisades Studio and Collins & Katz Family YMCA.

“That’s been meaningful,” Harrington said of the programming at YMCA, “because I see a lot of clients from the Palisades.”

She said the connection with Fancy Feet happened “organically,” as her daughter dances with the studio. Harrington described “hanging on” to studio Owner Emily Kay Tillman’s emails after the fire, when Tillman was working on securing a space at the time to get the group back dancing together.

After running into each other at the post office, Harrington and Tillman connected about Harrington using the converted warehouse space during the day to teach yoga.

“It’s been incredibly healing because it’s given us a sense of community,” Harrington described of continuing to see clients. “It’s given us a place to meet. It’s given us a sense of gratitude. It’s given us gratitude because we’re practicing. It’s a practice we’re familiar with … we have this practice where for an hour, we’re transported somewhere else.”

Harrington described clients being able to empathize with one another, and also use the space to share resources, like contractors, as well.

“The mat is our symbolic home,” Harrington said. “This is coming home to yourself, everything else seems unfamiliar, but this is really familiar … this is you coming home to yourself.”

She said this has also been reflective of her own journey—staying in Airbnbs and on friends’ couches—and that practicing yoga has helped her see she is OK and gives that “resilient strength.”

“A lot of the time, when we’re in stress, trauma, panic, we’re in our heads,” Harrington described of practicing yoga. “So what yoga does is it brings us back into our body. It offers a physical practice, but in a gentle way that we’re not jarring the nervous system.”

One place where Harrington has been able to teach at before and after the fire is Rustic Canyon Recreation Center, where she offers chair yoga classes. She also gives private lessons in the Palisades with residents who have returned.

Heading into the holiday season, Harrington commented on the restorative nature of yoga, especially for a community who has faced so much in 2025.

“Yoga supports the nervous system in a way that talk alone often can’t,” Harrington said. “After the year our Palisades community has been through, especially heading into the holidays, many of us are carrying stress in our bodies as much as in our minds. Yoga offers an opportunity to breathe again—to slow down, reconnect and gently restore. We’re a resilient community and healing doesn’t happen all at once, but it becomes lighter and more possible when we do it together.”

For more information, including a complete list of classes and offerings, visit yogawithkim.info.

How Pacific Palisades Scouts Found Strength and Purpose After the Wildfires

Submitted by JAMES HUFF| Patrol Leader

This year, the Kahunas Patrol of Troop 223 in Pacific Palisades has faced challenges few could have anticipated. In January 2025, wildfires swept through the community, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.

Many members of Troop 223 lost their homes, while others saw their neighborhoods and routines upended. For the Scouts, these were not just news stories—they were personal losses, etched into their daily lives.

Finding Shelter in Scouting

In the aftermath of the fires, as families navigated uncertainty and grief, Troop 223 emerged as a haven of normalcy and togetherness. Meetings continued, albeit sometimes in borrowed spaces or makeshift settings.

The familiar rhythms of Scout life, setting goals, earning merit badges and sharing stories around a campfire, offered comfort and structure. For many Scouts, the troop became more than an extracurricular activity; it became a support system, a place to rebuild not just routines but also hope.

Learning Resilience and Adaptability

This year tested the Scouts’ core values like never before. Resilience and adaptability, often discussed in lessons and activities, took on real-world significance.

Scouts learned to adapt to new housing arrangements, to work together despite emotional strain and to support one another through acts of kindness, big and small. The troop leaders encouraged open conversations about loss and recovery, fostering an environment where Scouts could process their experiences and draw strength from their shared journey.

Carrying the Torch of Tradition

Despite the upheaval, the Kahunas Patrol refused to let adversity define their year. In the fall term, they continued their tradition of three signature outings: Career, Good Turn and Fun trips. These excursions were more than just a break from the routine, they were opportunities to reconnect, engage with the broader community and rediscover joy.

Career Trip: A Visit to an Architecture Firm

The Career Trip took the Scouts to a local architecture firm, HGA Architects, where they learned about design, sustainability and problem-solving. The experience was particularly meaningful this year, as the Scouts saw firsthand how architects help communities rebuild after disasters.

They toured model homes, discussed the importance of resilient structures and even sketched their own visions for future neighborhoods. For some, the visit sparked dreams of one day helping to design safer, more fire-resistant communities.

Good Turn Trip: Supporting Fire Survivors and Veterans

In the spirit of service central to Scouting, the Kahunas Patrol organized a Good Turn Trip focused on sorting supplies at the American Legion Ronald Reagan – Palisades Post 283 Fire Relief Distribution Center.

Working side by side, they supported the organization’s efforts to aid the community. For many, the day underscored the importance of service, especially when their own community had relied so much on the generosity of others during the wildfire aftermath.

Fun Trip: Trampoline Skills and Teamwork

Amid the seriousness of the year, the Scouts made time for laughter and camaraderie with a much-anticipated Fun Trip. At a local trampoline park, they practiced their flips, synchronized jumps and friendly competitions. The outing was a reminder that joy and togetherness are vital parts of healing. For a few hours, the Scouts left worries behind, cheering each other on and celebrating the simple pleasure of play.

Looking Ahead with Hope

As 2025 draws to a close, the Kahunas Patrol of Troop 223 stands as a testament to the power of community and the enduring spirit of youth. The challenges they faced would have daunted many, but these Scouts have emerged stronger, more empathetic and deeply connected.

Through career exploration, service and shared adventure, they have not only rebuilt their routines but have also played a role in rebuilding the fabric of Pacific Palisades itself.

The Scouts and leaders of Troop 223 extend their gratitude to the wider community for its support. They invite all to join them in celebrating not just survival, but the remarkable resilience and hope that grows when neighbors stand together.

For information of how to join, contact Greg Frost at frostfamily@frostinvestigations.com.

By SARA G. MARTI | Contributing Writer

Despite gray skies, steady drizzle and rain-related evacuation warnings, students from Palisades Charter and Santa Monica high schools gathered at the entrance of the Santa Monica Pier on Friday afternoon, November 14, for a youth-led strike urging state leaders to advance SB 684 and AB 1243, parallel California bills known as the “Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act.”

During the strike, several students held QR-coded flyers linking to a petition supporting AB 1243 and SB 684, legislation that would require “the largest fossil fuel polluters,” according to SB 684 author Senator Caroline Menjivar, to fund climate recovery and adaptation efforts.

The rally was part of a coordinated Global Climate Strike aligned with Fridays for Future and the U.N. COP30 Climate Summit taking place in Brazil, with students across the world participating at the same time.

Marching across the intersection at Colorado Avenue and Ocean Avenue, the students held handmade signs. Dozens of signs included messages such as “Our Planet Is Worth More Than Oil Company Profits,” “Save Our Planet Save Ourselves,” and “Kill Pollution or It Will Kill Us.” Several students held bilingual banners calling on legislators to pass the bill, with one sign reading “Aprobar la Ley Contaminadores Paguen.”

Large printed banners with the words “Look Listen Decide: Break Free from Fossil Fuels” framed the crowd at the blue archway marking the entrance to the pier. One protester held a sign with a dinosaur graphic that read “Stop Burnin‘ Our Bones.”

Students from both schools took turns speaking through megaphones, their voices carrying over the traffic and the sound of surf. Speakers included Pali High junior Anna Ghaemi, SaMo High senior Mark Schneeman, Pali High senior Maria Knierim and SaMo High senior Eugene Naruse.

Ghaemi explained that the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act was written to shift the financial burden away from taxpayers and onto corporations.

Knierim, who lost her home in the Palisades fire and is now preparing to move for the seventh time since January, described barely escaping with her family and watching her neighborhood disappear.

“This is a crucial moment for youth climate activists across town and across the globe to unite together and demand change,” Knierim said. “We call on the Santa Monica City Council, Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur and every municipality in Los Angeles County to publicly endorse this bill. Our future is at stake.”

The demonstration drew support from adult allies such as Resilient Palisades, Climate Action Santa Monica, Third Act SoCal, Peace and Climate Justice and Fridays for Future, whose members helped amplify the students’ voices.

Several of the student-made banners carried an added layer of meaning: One was painted with pigments made from ash and charcoal collected after the January fires. Some of the ash came from the homes of Resilient Palisades members Sara G. Marti and Aleksandar Pavlović, who, like thousands more, lost all of their belongings.

Organizers said they intend to continue gathering signatures, and are encouraging city officials and state representatives to publicly support the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act.

The legislation faces a California Assembly committee vote in January.