Our Story Begins With Connection
ROOTS Alaska grew from one family’s experience and a truth that became impossible to ignore: people need to feel safe before they can speak honestly, connect deeply, and grow. That truth became the foundation for work designed to strengthen families and communities through connection, education, and prevention.
From One Family to Many
ROOTS began during a season when our family faced circumstances that made it impossible to keep living as we had been. We made hard decisions, changed the shape of our family, and chose a healthier path forward. Through intentional co-parenting, stronger communication, and a shared commitment to protecting our children’s well-being, we learned that families do not have to remain the same to remain whole.
That journey led me to study what helps people feel safe, understood, and connected—and to turn what we learned into work that supports others. ROOTS grew from one family’s story into a commitment to help families strengthen relationships, navigate difficult transitions, and make courageous choices that lead to healthier children, families, and communities.
Why ROOTS?
Just as a tree’s health and growth begin beneath the surface, many of the ways we connect, respond, and move through the world begin with our earliest experiences.
Our roots influence how we understand safety, trust, relationships, belonging, and ourselves. Even when we are not consciously aware of them, early experiences can continue to shape our patterns, reactions, and choices. But our roots are not our destiny.
When we understand what is beneath the behavior, we gain the awareness and support needed to respond differently. Through safe relationships, connection, and practical tools, people can strengthen what supports them, repair what has been wounded, and create healthier paths forward.
That is why we are called ROOTS. Because lasting change does not begin with correcting what appears on the surface. It begins by understanding and supporting what lies beneath it.
When we understand the roots, we gain more choice. And more choice creates healthier outcomes for individuals, families, and communities.
Training & Professional Experience
Cassie is a TBRI® Practitioner trained through the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development, a trained facilitator of Making Sense of Your Worth and Parenting for Positive Self-Worth through HALO Project, and a Peer Support Professional (PSP1). She is also a Certified Life Mastery Consultant through Brave Thinking Institute, founded by Mary Morrissey.
Cassie is currently completing the Rural Human Services program through the University of Alaska Fairbanks, with anticipated graduation in spring 2027. Her studies deepen her understanding of human services within Alaska’s rural communities and strengthen the community-centered foundation of ROOTS.
Together, her professional training, education, and lived experience support a practical, relationship-centered approach grounded in safety, awareness, connection, self-worth, personal growth, and choice.
The ROOTS Way
Every person deserves to feel safe enough to become who they were created to be.
We believe awareness creates choice, curiosity comes before judgment, and behavior is communication. Connection and felt safety create the conditions for growth.
Every person has inherent worth and dignity. No one is defined by their hardest chapter. We value honest reflection, healthy boundaries, personal responsibility, and repair.
How ROOTS Makes a Difference
ROOTS helps people understand what may be happening beneath behavior. Through education, speaking, and workshops, we translate relationship and brain science into practical tools that strengthen connection, felt safety, trust, communication, and emotional regulation. These protective factors help families and communities respond earlier, build healthier relationships, and prevent challenges from becoming crises.