Samphire Savage

President & Founder, Nerd Somatics

Website

LinkedIn

About Samphire:

Samphire Savage (they/them) is a social worker, somatic practitioner, and creative systems thinker. For over 20 years, they have woven embodiment, public policy, and art to help people and organizations live and work with greater connection, creativity, and care. A certified Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, Sam integrates body-based trauma resolution tools into work that spans games, art, and community practices.

An immigrant, queer, neurodivergent foster care alumnus, Sam brings lived experience and deep curiosity to every space they enter. Their work is rooted in equity and accessibility — creating environments where all bodies and identities are welcomed.

Highlights & Milestones

  • Founded and led three nonprofits and two businesses

  • Partnered with SAMHSA, the New Jersey Department of Children & Families, Rutgers University, and others

  • Published works include Tarot for Transformation, Queer Magic, and Flux: Life After Foster Care

  • Created large-scale community art installations such as the Temple of Belonging

  • Formerly a licensed social worker, Sam now practices as a bodyworker and is a member of the Association of Massage and Bodywork Professionals (ABMP)

1:1 Coaching

Practical, reflective support for educators, designers, planners, and practitioners navigating growth, accountability, and complexity.

Professional Resilience Course Catalog

Services

Facilitation

Participatory sessions that help teams move from friction to flow, strengthening trust, consent, and collaboration.

Workshops

Embodiment Embedded Course Catalog

Training & Consultation

Creative Container Course Catalog

Evidence-informed workshops and custom curricula on trauma-informed practice, consent-centered design, relational skills, and inclusive program design.

Sam’s work


Queer Magic
Power Beyond Boundaries

Contributing author

Residential Interventions for Children, Adolescents, and Families

Contributing author

The System of Care Handbook: Transforming Mental Health Services for Children, Youth, and Families

Contributing author

Gorgon’s Garden (co-author): A co-created game about myth, monsters, and subverting creepy power dynamics. Launching October 21st, 2025. Selected for Kickstarter’s Witchstarter arts collaborative. Check out the kickstarter here.  

Flux: Life After Foster Care

Contributing author