MEET THE TEAM

SONYA PASSI

Founder and CEO

She / Her / Hers

Sonya Passi is the Founder & CEO of FreeFrom, a national organization transforming our society’s response to gender-based violence so that survivors and their families can thrive. To date, FreeFrom has served over 30,000 survivors and successfully changed policy to support the financial security of over 5.3 million survivors in the US.

Sonya has been an anti-violence activist since she was sixteen years old. During high school, she started an Amnesty International Community Group, and, while working on their global violence against women campaign, discovered her life’s work.

While earning her law degree at UC Berkeley, she launched the Family Violence Appellate Project (“FVAP”). Based in Oakland, California, FVAP provides free appellate legal services to survivors of intimate partner violence in California and has fundamentally transformed the legal landscape in California. Sonya also holds a B.A. and MPhil from the University of Cambridge (Trinity College).

For her work in the field, Sonya was awarded the 2024 Elevate Prize, listed in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Class of 2017 For Law and Policy, and has served as an Ashoka, Roddenberry, Draper Richards Kaplan, and New America California fellow. She has presented her work to the UN, White House, members of Congress and federal agencies, several major corporations, and various city and state agencies and commissions. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, Marketwatch, Business Insider, and other leading news outlets.

In addition to her advocacy work, Sonya is the co-founder and CEO of CHANI — the tech and media startup behind the eponymous viral astrology app that became profitable on day one of its launch. Under her leadership, CHANI has transformed from a simple blog to a successful hub for self-discovery, mindfulness, and healing with over 2.5 million users.

Listen and read more from Sonya:

“How FreeFrom And Gifted Are Helping Survivors Soar” — by Afdhel Aziz for Forbes

“Sonya Passi: ‘The Number One Obstacle to Safety for Survivors is Economic Insecurity‘” by Pivotal Ventures

“How the Workplace Can Be a Safe Haven for Domestic Abuse Survivors” – by Lux Alptraum for DAME Magazine

“Chani Nicholas and Sonya Passi Are Building a Business to Last” – with host Samhita Mukhopadhyay for the In Her Shoes podcast

“What is period leave? The complicated push for a new employee benefit” – by Samantha Leal for Fast Company

“How Can Chani Afford to Give Its Employees 7 Weeks of Paid Vacation?” – by Gabrielle Bienasz for Inc. Magazine

“What’s The State Of Intimate Partner Violence in the U.S.? with Sonya Passi” – Curious Now with Jonathan Van Ness podcast

“What’s The Cost Of Intimate Partner Violence? with Sonya Passi”– Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness podcast

“Sonya Passi Goes to the Beach Every Damn Day” – Lady Don’t Take No podcast with Alicia Garza

“Investing in Survivor Wealth” – Forbes interview led by Ashoka

“Treating Humans Like Humans: It Works” – Let’s Make Work Human podcast with Moe Carrick

Sonya Passi’s Culture of Care Profile – by The Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley

Building Financial Capability for Victims of Domestic Violence – Keynote at the Prosperity Now 2018 Summit

“What an Astrology App Looks Like From the Inside with Chani Nicholas and Sonya Passi” – Girl Boss Radio podcast with Avery