Our Team & Contributors
Sage Nestler, MSW
Pronouns: He/They
Founder & CEO of Releasing the Phoenix
Sage Nestler, MSW, is an experienced mental health specialist and leading educator on borderline personality disorder (BPD).
He is neurodivergent and is a survivor of multiple serious mental and physical illnesses. They use their lived health experiences and identity as a queer person to guide their work.
Sage applies a whole-person approach and diverse skills in their mental health work.
They are also passionate about providing continuing education for professionals on highly stigmatized disorders and unique mental health concerns within the queer community.
A Wheeler
Pronouns: They/Them
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) Educator & Advocate
A Wheeler (They/Them) is a neuroscientist and public health practitioner in training. They graduated from Drake University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience. They are pursuing their Master’s in Public Health and will graduate in May 2026.
A is passionate about dissociative identity disorder (DID) and autism.
Lazarus Klein
Pronouns: They/He
Certified Master Canine Behavioralist & Intersex Advocate
Lazarus lives in southeast Michigan (the Detroit area). While their area of expertise is focused on dogs with behavioral and health concerns, they offer guidance for various other needs - including Service Dog (SD) and Emotional Support Animal (ESA) topics.
Virtual Consultant: Lazarus provides personal & individualized consultations through video calls that generally last 30 - 60 minutes. They work on a sliding scale but typically charge $100 for basic evaluation & consultation. However, Lazarus is willing to do charitable cases that have a high level of need.
Consultation is available for any point in the SD or ESA journey - from consideration to training to detailed resources and problem solving, as well as navigating specific things.