Mission
Transform lives through holistic wellness for those impacted by incarceration — inside facilities, in families, and among staff.
Our Story
Calm is a form of justice.
Reaching Beyond Bars was founded on a simple conviction: the people most pressed by the carceral system deserve the same access to deep, restorative healing as anyone else.
The Beginning
Born from witness.
Our founder — a certified professional aromatherapist and sound practitioner trained in Solfeggio frequencies, tuning forks, and binaural beats — spent years watching loved ones move through incarceration. What she saw was a sensory desert: harsh lighting, constant noise, stripped-down spaces. What she knew was that the nervous system can be reached, even there. Debbie Pullens is a trained scientist of scent and sound, a community healer, and the founder of both Proper Xchange and Reaching Beyond Bars. After a serious injury introduced her to the profound effects of Frankincense essential oil, she pursued certification through the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA) and built a practice that blends clinical botanical knowledge with deep human compassion. Today she formulates every Proper Xchange product with therapeutic-grade oils and a healer's intuition, believing that calm, rest, and restoration should never be reserved for those who can afford a luxury spa
Reaching Beyond Bars grew out of that conviction — first as informal Wellness Within Kits sent to facilities, now as a full program of aromatherapy, sound, and mindfulness practices serving incarcerated individuals, their families, and the correctional staff who hold the day-to-day.
Vision
A correctional system where calm, dignity, and sensory care are baseline, not exception.
Values
Compassion without condition. Craft over performance. The body as the first place healing lands.
Leadership & Team
The people behind the program.
Debbie Pullens
Executive Director · Certified Aromatherapist & Sound Practitioner
Debbie Pullens is a trained scientist of scent and sound, a community healer, and the founder of both Proper Xchange and Reaching Beyond Bars. Today she formulates every Proper Xchange product with therapeutic-grade oils and a healer's intuition, believing that calm, rest, and restoration should never be reserved for those who can afford a luxury spa
As a Sound Healing Practitioner, Debbie incorporates crystal singing bowls, binaural beats, and tuning forks into immersive wellness experiences. In 2013 she founded Reaching Beyond Bars to bring that same care behind the walls of correctional facilities, serving incarcerated individuals, correctional staff, and returning citizens through the Wellness Within program. Every kit she sends is a reminder that dignity and healing can reach even the hardest places.
Kara Walls
Program Lead · Correctional Wellness
Kara Walls brings a strong background in wellness program activation to her role as Program Lead at Reaching Beyond Bars. Her experience designing and launching initiatives that meet people where they are — particularly in high-stress and institutional environments — shapes how the program is delivered inside correctional facilities. She understands that a successful wellness program is not just about the products; it is about consistent presence, accessible rituals, and trusted relationships.
Previously with Gaia, Kara helped scale wellness content and engagement strategies that reached broad audiences. At Reaching Beyond Bars, she channels that expertise into building structured, sustainable activations for correctional wellness, ensuring that aromatherapy, sound, and mindfulness practices land with clarity and care for both participants and staff.
Louie Harrison
Virtual Assistant
Louie Harrison serves as the Virtual Assistant for Reaching Beyond Bars, keeping the day-to-day operations behind the program running smoothly. From scheduling and coordination to communications and administrative support, Louie is the quiet engine that helps the team stay focused on delivering care where it matters most.
Contracting through Neway Nexus, Louie brings reliable, professional remote support to mission-driven organizations. His work ensures that partnerships, outreach, and program logistics move forward without friction, allowing the Reaching Beyond Bars team to spend less time in the inbox and more time in the room.
Stillness in Motion
Water remembers what calm feels like.
Like flowing water, this work moves where it is needed — softening hardened spaces, one breath, one drop, one room at a time.
Sister Organization
Proper Xchange
Reaching Beyond Bars is the nonprofit arm of Proper Xchange, a woman-owned wellness company. Together they share a single belief: that beautifully made, deeply considered wellness should be available to everyone — without exception.
See our work →