About the Founders
H. E. Wong, M. Ed., ACC
Heather Wong (she/they) is a queer and neurodivergent Austin-based writer, entreprenuer, and yoga and somatic practitioner (RYT 500, RPYT, E-RYT 200, YACEP) whose work weaves creativity and community care. A longtime public educator, Heather has spent nearly two decades designing learning experiences that center presence, connection, and human growth—both in schools and beyond them.
As a writer, Heather explores themes of belonging, leadership, and healing within education and community life. Her work spans personal narrative, local Austin media features, and national wellness platforms, where she uses storytelling as a tool for reflection and advocacy—amplifying the voices of teachers, parents, and creative nurturers navigating change.
Parenthood marked a profound turning point in Heather’s creative journey. The experience of caring for her two young children reconnected her to the cyclical, embodied rhythms that underlie both teaching and artmaking. Through that season of transformation, she rediscovered her creative voice and began imagining new ways of holding space for others who create deeply and care deeply.
That vision led to the founding of SunRoot, a creative-wellness initiative she co-created with musician and community builder Kate Priestley. Together, they designed SunRoot as a refuge for creative nurturers—parents, caregivers, educators, artists, and community organizers—to reconnect with their creative well, replenish their energy, and remember that creativity itself is a vital source of life.
Outside of SunRoot, Heather maintains a private practice where she offers presence-based coaching to parents, creatives, and leaders.
Balancing parenting, writing, and community work, Heather continues to explore how creativity and care move in rhythm—sustaining both vitality and purpose in a world that often asks us to choose between them.
Kate Priestley
Kate Priestley is a British-born, Austin-based singer-songwriter, mother, and community builder with deep roots in the city’s creative scene. As a performer, she’s graced stages at ACL, SXSW, and in various projects opened for icons including Sting, Snoop Dogg, The Flaming Lips, and Questlove—sharing her signature blend of soulful vocals and raw, poetic storytelling through projects like KP and the Boom Boom and other beloved Austin bands. Her current music project, Lou Priest, continues that evolution, weaving together authenticity, emotion, and artistic freedom.
After becoming a mother, Kate experienced the profound shifts that come with navigating identity, artistry, and motherhood. That transformation became the seed for her new venture, SunRoot, which she co-founded with Heather Wong to help individuals reclaim their creative center throughout life’s changing seasons.
Before launching SunRoot, Kate combined her background in the arts with her passion for community, programming, and collaboration while working for a local Austin music nonprofit. Over the years, she has also contributed to Austin’s cultural initiatives, serving on the City’s Peer Review Panel for multidisciplinary arts grants and representing Visit Austin across the U.S. through her music.
A lifelong student of personal and spiritual growth, Kate has trained in facilitation and leadership through The Empowered Heart and Facilitation Strengthening Skills courses, and most recently completed a Women’s Circle Facilitator Training. She has been a regular participant in Lujan Matus’s internal practice programs, which have deepened her intuition and strengthened her purpose to lead from the heart space. Her work continues to be guided by a deep commitment to creativity, connection, and conscious leadership. With SunRoot, she is joyfully stepping into a new chapter—one that honors both the creative spirit and the sacred journey of motherhood.