Our Team
Lladira Aguilar, MSW
Lladira is the kind of person who packs snacks and vision into every meeting. As a Program Facilitator with GROW+ON and shaped by her social work background, community, culture, and collective care, she approaches each project with the belief that healing, justice, and joy can - and must- coexist.
With Social Work degrees from the University of Houston–Downtown and Baylor University, Lladira brings a sharp eye for systems, a soft heart for people, and a steady hand for organizing chaos into purpose. Whether she’s building out trauma-informed policies, supporting community health workers, or holding space for deep transformation, she shows up with intention and a whole lot of love.
When she’s not co-creating liberatory spaces or sharing laughs with mentees, you’ll likely find her lifting weights at the gym, enjoying brunch with her favorite women ( her mom, sister, and tias) or soaking up the sweetest moments with her daughter.
Lladira believes that change is possible, healing is contagious, and community is everything. She lives by this quiet, persistent truth: We are not meant to do this alone.
Eveling Crisostomo, LCSW
Eveling Crisostomo is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Program Facilitator at GROW+ON. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Houston. She is also a certified coach through Inner Glow Circle.
Rooted in compassion and cultural awareness, Eveling’s work centers on walking alongside individuals as they heal, grow, and reclaim their sense of wholeness. Through her therapeutic work with children, teens, and young adults, and her leadership in the Latino Social Workers of Greater Houston (LSWGH), Eveling is committed to creating spaces where BIPOC individuals feel seen, supported, and empowered.
Whether she’s facilitating workshops, mentoring, holding space in a therapy room, or organizing community initiatives, Eveling leads with intention, believing that transformation happens when people feel safe enough to be fully themselves.
When she’s not creating space for growth and healing, you’ll likely find her out exploring, trying something new, or planning her next big adventure. She’s on a lifelong journey to figure out how to actually slow down, still convinced that rest might be an extreme sport in disguise. She also loves curling up with a good book, moving her body, playing with her fur baby, and spending time with her big family (she’s a proud tia to 11 nieces & nephews).
She believes deeply in the power of community and lives by this truth: “When we heal in connection, we grow in ways we never could alone.”
James Lynn
James Lynn (also known as BreathCoachJames) is a seasoned breathwork facilitator, wellness mentor, and community speaker who brings both heart and science to every session. Based in Houston and grounded in his roots from the small town of Marlin, TX, James blends somatic wisdom with lived experience to guide youth and adults toward resilience and calm.
He is certified in breath coaching, personal training, nutrition, and boxing. He’s also a 2x TEDx speaker with talks titled “If you knew this, you would breathe better” and “Conversation Rules the Nation.” His own health crisis—surviving a collapsed lung in 2018—became the turning point on his journey toward healing through intentional breath and rhythm.
James is thrilled to bring his strengths-led and deeply embodied approach into youth programming—empowering participants to breathe, reset, and connect on a profound level. He’s also passionate about youth mentorship, safe space creation, and using movement, rhythm, and breath to support young adults in growing stronger and more grounded.
Esther Argueta, LCSW
Esther Argueta is a Program Facilitator at GROW+ON. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with her bachelor’s degree from Texas State University and her master’s from University of Houston. Most of her social work experience has been working with immigrant youth and their families through schools, juvenile probation, and non-profit settings.
She believes in providing space for young people to feel comfortable being their authentic self and to help them feel heard. There is not one path to healing, and we all carry in ourselves the solutions to heal and grow. She believes that helping youth find/build their community will help them find purpose and a sense of belonging to help navigate their life journey. Audre Lorde’s teachings help reinforce those beliefs “Without community, there is no liberation.”
Outside of community building, Esther loves to spend time with her partner and toddler son. She loves plants and has a jungle on her patio where she likes to spend time reading a good book when she's not running around with her toddler. Occasionally, she does engage in her guilty pleasure of watching reality t.v. :-)
Jennifer Connatser, LMSW
Jennifer Connatser, Program Director & Founder, is the kind of person who brings the sign in sheet to a dance party, not to stop the fun, but to make sure we keep the party going. With dance moves that will make you cringe, Jennifer has dedicated her career to helping young folks find their spark, their stride, and their sense of direction, especially if it starts with a deep breath and a good snack.
As a social worker from University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, she's spent years turning “how are we going to make this happen” into “we got this.” She believes in restorative practices, generational healing, and the radical power of simply showing up.
When she’s not mentoring brilliant young minds or sprinkling structure onto big, beautiful ideas, you can find her sipping hot coffee like it’s a personality trait, budgeting for funsies, and quietly convincing the world (and herself) that there really is enough - enough time, enough grace, and enough resources to go around.
She tries to live like this messy, magical world matters, holding tight to the words of Ta-Nehisi Coates:
“I would not have you descend into your own dream. I would have you be a conscious citizen of this terrible and beautiful world.”
Danielle Niksch, LCSW
Danielle Nisksch, Program Director & Founder,