Meet some of our Instructors

Our visionary, January, has spent over two decades designing, marketing, leading and delivering programs in corporate-walled rooms, and although she still beats to this drum,  her soul has kept tugging her toward a different kind of classroom—one with creaking floors, shared cushions, and neighbors who learn by laughing together. Nearly a decade in the making, her passion for community started with Blackbird, and her legacy continues on with the latest venture, Aerie Commons. Aerie Commons is the love letter the tug toward community and learning has become. Here, the expertise forged in corporate corridors melts into warm, hands-on workshops and experiences where curiosity is contagious and every voice belongs. Her passion for lifelong learning beats at the center of each session and event, inviting us all to grow, give, and carry new light back into the wider world. Inviting local instructors in to share their wisdom, art, or craft - whatever their passion. Housed in the historical Wil-O-Paw Inn in Coloma, Michigan - a labor of love unfolds as January and her family continue to restore the property and give back to this thriving community.