A Dedication and Tribute to
The People Who Made Wild Willpower Possible
Whether our time was short together, or we spent years collaborating,
each has a powerful place in my life, and in Wild Willpower’s history
by Sondra Wilson. Written July 15, 2025.
Some were teachers, some students, some collaborators, and some simply lent a hand to help the cause. As many who’ve followed my work know, I’ve often lived in destitute poverty—not because I wasn’t working, but because this world, in the era I’ve lived, has been cruel beyond words to transsexual women. So few understand the internal struggles we endure in our pursuit of happiness and peace.
Over the years, I’ve had to come to terms with my spirituality, as we all must at some point. There were times I questioned my path — but through sincere prayer, time and again, I heard and felt with every fiber of my being: “This is your path.” It has never been the whole of my journey, nor would I describe it as a cross to bear — but it has shaped much of my experience, and is the primary reason for the sustained poverty I endured. Still, I never stopped researching, creating, and pressing forward — stitch by stitch, day by day, moving the work along.
The individuals listed below are woven into the fabric of Wild Willpower. They are at the heart of it. I do not know all their stories — only that they touched mine profoundly. And when I had little else, even when they had little to give, they gave.
The first seven people are no longer with us. Each of them lived with purpose, and when they passed, I realized they had given me more than I could comprehend while they were alive. I also realized, upon their passing, that each of them carried a torch that lain on the ground beside them once they were gone. Having the skills sets I possess, I find duty in honoring each of them, to make sure their flames shine bright for all the world to see. When people said we could not change the world: that humanity was doomed: that God ordained this planet to be destroyed, like Prometheus, we challenged the odds.
The second list includes those who walked with me for a time — who picked me up while hitchhiking, donated a few dollars, offered a shower, a meal, a kind word, or a warm place to rest. That spirit — that generosity — is the energy Wild Willpower is built on. That energy now surges through me, and that is why I know this organization cannot fail.
I do not know what all of them would say about me. I’m sure not all of it would be flattering, good, or even true. But I hope most feel the same way about me that I do about them: with respect, with gratitude, and with a shared sense that we were working toward something bigger than ourselves.
I have not sought personal success so much as to build a legacy. If transsexual women can live with more peace and dignity because of this work; if Native American communities can rise and heal; if people reconnect with the Earth, live a little freer, and carry more goodwill in their hearts toward their fellow beings — then my mission on this planet will have been fulfilled.
In loving memory…
In the order they passed away; with each of them, my world fell out from beneath me.
Alexis Rivera (October 28, 1977 – March 28, 2012) —section in making
Frank Cook (June 9, 1963 – August 19, 2009)— Founder of Plants and Healers International: https://www.plantsandhealers.org/about-frank-cook/
Frank Schiavo (September 16, 1939 – January 26, 2010) —Frank wasn’t just a professor—he walked his talk, combining activism, innovation, and education. Whether confronting city officials, redesigning his home, or teaching students, he left a blueprint for sustainable living that still resonates today… VISIT WILD WILLPOWER’S TRIBUTE PAGE.
Ashawna Hailey (October 8, 1949 – October 14, 2011)—F
Bill Hill (1943-2024)—F
Ladonna Brave Bull Allard (1956-2021)—F
Myron Dewey (1972–2021)—F
The People who went Shoulders In for Wild Willpower—Tatiana Berendei, Richard Lonewolf, Jason Baker, Joy Sassoon, TICOR, Randall Schiener, Kevin Ray Byrd, Mere Thompson, Sessy Bird, Emma Vincent, Natasha Lavdovsky, Karecat, Sue Christensen, Maytrelli Diaz,