Meet the Team
-
Sandy Valenzuela (She/Her)
Cofounder
I’m a student in Counseling Psychology, passionately committed to creating inclusive spaces where everyone is seen and valued. My work is rooted in feminist and decolonial care principles, alongside anti-capitalist self-care. I’m dedicated to supporting the 2SLGBTQI+ community and advocating for disability justice, with a firm belief in the transformative power of community care to spark collective healing and liberation. Central to my approach is fostering neuroaffirming spaces that celebrate diverse ways of thinking and being.
-
Ryan Schebek (He/Him)
Founder
Ryan is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, educator, and activist with a focus on the intersections between mental health and systemic oppression. He is passionate about launching Care Beyond Capital, a project aimed at helping clinicians deepen their understanding of the structural roots of mental wellness and expanding access to community-based care for those most in need. In addition to his work with Care Beyond Capital, Ryan offers individual therapy for people experiencing anxiety, depression, grief, and addiction.
-
Rachael Cruickshanks (She/Her)
Cofounder
I'm a counselling student at Adler University with over eight years of experience working in healthcare and mental health settings. As a cofounder of Care Beyond Capital, my work is grounded in empathy and social awareness, with just a touch of humour. I’m passionate about intersectional healing and envisioning anti-capitalist approaches to care that centre dignity and collective wellbeing.
Where We Stand
Community.
Community is not just about proximity. It’s about shared care and connection. We believe community means showing up for one another outside systems requiring payment, productivity, or perfection.
Anti-Adaptive.
To be anti-adaptive is to reject the idea that survival under oppressive systems is a sign of wellness. Rather than encouraging people to "adapt" to burnout and exploitation, we seek to name and resist the conditions that cause harm.
Decolonial.
Decolonial work means challenging colonial ways of relating, knowing, and healing. It involves centring Indigenous knowledge systems and. rejecting Western hierarchies of health. We want to dismantle the settler-colonial structures that shape mental health and care.
Mutual Aid.
Mutual aid is the practice of people supporting one another directly, based on solidarity, not charity. It’s care that flows horizontally, without gatekeeping or conditions, and recognizes that everyone has both needs and offerings.
Burnout.
Burnout is not just exhaustion — it's a profound, systemic depletion caused by prolonged, stressful exposure to pressure and lack of autonomy. We understand burnout as a collective and political condition, not an individual failing.
Care (as Resistance).
Care, in our context, is more than kindness — it’s a refusal to let systems define our worth. Offering care that is non-extractive and accessible is a form of resistance to capitalism, colonialism, and ableism.