Our Story
“You need a tribe of women around you who are endlessly devoted to helping you succeed. There’s power in that.”
– Ann Shocket
* We hate this photo. And it's authentically us. So we're going with it.
Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. There may be an ache, a loneliness, something missing that you just can’t put your finger on. For us, this was the beginning of our journey toward one another.
The serendipity that allowed the five of us to find each other was a long time in coming and a short time in loving. And while we have not known each other long, we now know each other well. Perhaps that has been our greatest gift.
We know that women's connections are vitally important to the health and well-being of women. And we know that we, the five of us, are forever changed by being willing to be seen and known by each other.
Because this process – of seeing each other and allowing ourselves to be seen – has been incredibly transformative in our lives, it feels vitally important to help other women access the beauty that comes with cultivating deep connection with other women. Not only does connection allow us continuous transformation with each other, it transforms and heals relationships beyond the five of us. A Butterfly Effect, perhaps.
Of course we can stick with the alternative: the continued ache and emptiness, which we can live with for a long, long time. Many do. The good news is that we don’t have to. It takes courage and is at times terrifying to take the road less traveled. But it is in that traveling that we discover what we didn’t know we needed, but somehow longed for. The thing that's missing is no longer out of reach. And now that we cannot unknow this truth, we don’t ever have to turn back.
I hope that you will go out and let stories, that is life, happen to you, and that you will work with these stories from your life – not someone else’s life – water them with your blood and tears and your laughter till they bloom, till you yourself burst into bloom. That is the work. That is the only work.
- Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Our Team
Our facilitators are wise women who understand – who have been in your shoes. They will guide you through a variety of interactive sessions and experiential activities, cultivating opportunities for impromptu instruction and intimate discussion. It’s all geared toward empowering participants to live life more boldly, more authentically.
Lisa Coyne, PhD
Peer Reviewed ACT Trainer
Founder, New England Center for OCD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School,
Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Lisa Coyne, PhD
Lisa is a licensed clinical psychologist who has worked to improve the psychological well-being of children, teens and families for nearly 25 years. Obsessed with treating OCD, Lisa has gone so far as to found the New England Center for OCD & Anxiety (NECOA), as well as the McLean Child and Adolescent OCD Institute (OCDI Jr.) at Harvard Medical School.
When she's not encouraging people to make space for unpleasant feelings, Lisa loves to write and has published an arsenal of peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and books on anxiety, OCD, and parenting. She also spends way too much time with her horses, Mac and – you guessed it – Cheese, on her brand new digs: Mudflower Farm just outside of Boston. Lisa is also surprisingly short. But despite her diminutive stature, she somehow seems larger than life.
Miranda Morris, PhD
Miranda is a psychologist and Peer Reviewed Trainer in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Her "day job" is co-founding and working at True North Therapy and Training, a group practice in Bethesda, MD that's all about bringing evidence-based therapies to the people. But Miranda doesn't just stop at being a therapy boss. Nope, she's constantly staying involved in the ACT community through service roles like doing committee and executive board work in ACBS.
Eight years ago, Miranda brought her life down to the studs, and she has been happily remodeling ever since. From guiding clients to doing way too many workshops, this firecracker lives by the motto "say yes." With her bright spirit and unwavering commitment to making the world a better place, Miranda Morris makes for good company.
Shawn Costello Whooley, PsyD
Owner/Founder, Stillpoint Journeys LLC
Coaching I Training
Peer Reviewed ACT Trainer
w: https://stillpointjourneys.com
Shawn Costello Whooley, PsyD
You know that friend who's always up for an adventure, whether it's scaling a mountain or exploring the depths of the human psyche? That's Shawn Costello Whooley, in a nutshell! This woman is a force to be reckoned with, juggling her roles as a PTSD Clinical Team psychologist at the Baltimore Veterans Affairs, a private practitioner helping adults tackle life's curve balls, and the fearless leader of Stillpoint Journeys – an ACT-based guided trekking experience that's all about real-time behavioral change on the hiking trail. Talk about multi-tasking!
With her infectious enthusiasm, boundless energy, and unwavering commitment to helping others find their path (both literally and figuratively), Shawn is the kind of person you just can't help but want to follow – whether it's up a mountain or through the depths of your own personal journey.
Holly Yates, MS, LCMHC, LPC
Certified Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) Trainer
Raleigh, NC
(919) 931-3270
Holly Yates, MS, LCMHC
Holly is the kind of therapist you wish you could bottle up and keep in your pocket for those challenging moments in life. With her MS, LCMHC, and Certified FAP Trainer credentials, this powerhouse has been slaying (with love) since 2004. Whether she's working one-on-one with clients or leading transformative workshops, Holly does it all through the lens of third-wave therapies, with a particular focus on Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). When she's not busy changing lives locally, you can find her jetting off to present FAP and ACT workshops around the world, because why should North Carolina have all the fun?
With her down-to-earth approach and unmatched expertise, Holly Yates is the kind of therapist you can't help but want to be best friends with. She's the cool aunt you never had, but always wanted.
Temple Morris, LCSW-C
Cofounder, True North Therapy & Training
Cofounder, Perspective Retreats
301-706-9924
Temple Morris, LCSW-C
Temple is a co-founder of True North Therapy, where she and her identical twin sister, Miranda, take turns confusing clients and colleagues alike in the waiting room. Temple also moonlights as a clinical investigator on psychedelic trials at Sunstone Therapies and as a co-founder of Perspective Retreats, a small, value-based business that organizes ACT/CBS informed psychedelic training retreats for mental health professionals.
Temple's passion is connecting people, especially women. This drive led her to WomenSummit, where she can indulge in her favorite pastime of building community, all while pretending it's not work.
Temple is also the proud mama to a poorly trained rescue pitbull, proving that even behavioral experts can fail spectacularly at home.
Sophia Lucarelli, BA, Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Program Assistant, Women Summit
240-753-8667
Sophia "Soph" Lucarelli
Soph – a recent college graduate with a bachelor's degree in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies – is basically our team's secret weapon. When we need to communicate anything remotely complicated in Spanish, we all just point at Soph and hope for the best .
Currently working toward becoming a self-defense instructor, Soph is passionate about empowering marginalized communities through both verbal jujitsu and the regular kind. Her study abroad experience in Cusco, Peru not only upgraded her Spanish skills but also made her the teams's undisputed potato expert—ask her about the 100+ varieties!
Fair warning: Soph's perpetually sunny disposition and irrepressibly friendly nature make it impossible to have a bad day around her. Her laugh is so infectious that we briefly considered adding "Sophia's giggle" to our website's "How Will I Benefit" Section.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Our retreats aim to foster growth and self-discovery in a safe, inclusive environment. We actively promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, believing these principles enhance the retreat experience for all participants. This aligns with our core values of empowerment and mutual support. By reducing barriers to participation, we hope to create a rich, diverse community where everyone can reflect each other's light and grow together.
We strive to make our retreats accessible to women from all backgrounds, especially those from underrepresented or marginalized communities. Our efforts include:
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offering scholarships to those facing financial barriers
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implementing culturally sensitive practices
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supporting local, women-run, non-profit organizations
We encourage potential participants to inquire about scholarship options during the application process.