Our Team

Tara Dougan

Owner/Founder, Integrative Wellness & Energy Healing Practitioner

Tara is an international retreat leader and holistic healing guide who believes true transformation begins with connection—to self, others, and purpose. With over two decades in recovery, she brings true compassion and lived experience to her work, meeting others exactly where they are—with zero judgment and wholehearted support.

She holds certifications as an Integrative Health and Wellness Coach (IIN), a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher, a Reiki Practitioner in the Usui Method of Natural Healing, and a Divine Resonance Sound Healer through Hudson Mind Body Spirit.

Whether you're feeling stuck, craving more balance, or ready to reconnect with your true self, Tara offers a grounded and nurturing path forward.


Curious about working together? Reach out—she’d love to walk this journey with you.

Katie Rivenbark

Katie is a retreat host, mental health professional, and community-builder who finds joy in discovering the beauty of life—and sharing it with others! With a deep appreciation for life’s smallest details, Katie is passionate about creating safe, memorable, and meaningful spaces for women to connect, heal, and grow.

She has been leading her own women’s retreats for over five years and brings eight years of experience in the mental health field. Her personal journey with healing gives her a unique depth of compassion and understanding, allowing her to hold space with care, strength, and empathy.

Through Awaken Your Essence, Katie is excited to offer experiences that inspire self-love, grounded presence, and authentic connection. She believes that when we take time to nurture ourselves, we show up stronger—for both ourselves and others.

She can’t wait to walk alongside you, hold space with you, and celebrate your unique path! If you are interested in learning more about Katie, connect with her here!

Creative Director & Facilitator

Sasha Morningstar

Photographer, Akashic Reader & Energy Worker

Sasha is a ceremonial guide, intuitive healer, and artist whose work lives at the intersection of thresholds of transformation, and creative expression. Trained in Shamanic practices and certified in the Akashic Records, she holds space for deep inner work through intuitive guidance, shadow work, soul retrieval, ancestral or soul lineage healing, and energetic clearing. Sasha works alongside her guides and those of her clients to help others reconnect with their wholeness, by gently illuminating the patterns, stories, and wounds that ask to be seen and transformed. Her work invites participants to release what no longer belongs to them, reclaim lost or forgotten parts of themselves, and to step more fully into their own power, truth, and sacred purpose of being themselves.

Alongside her intuitive healing practice, Sasha is a photographer and creative facilitator who uses art, movement, and ritual as pathways back to the body and the present moment. Since childhood, the camera has been her way of witnessing the beauty and complexity of being human. In group retreat and 1:1 spaces, she weaves photography, movement, intuitive guidance and creative exploration into ceremonial containers that allow people to process emotion, honor their stories, and be deeply seen. She believes that many of us are longing to be witnessed in our fullness, especially in times of grief, loss and transition. Through art and embodied practice, Sasha invites participants to remember that they belong to themselves, that their stories matter, and that it is safe to take up space exactly as they are. Interested in connecting with Sasha? Click HERE!

Manny Leigh

Manny is a passionate and creative chef with over 25 years inside the food industry, developing her talents, knowledge and skills in multicultural kitchens starting with her family's restaurant. Supporting theraputic retreat and holistic healing by providing nourishment made with intention aligns with her mission of uniting people of all backgrounds around the table with authentic resonance.

She is ServSafe certified with continuing education courses thru her position as kitchen manager for NHCS School Nutrition. She has spent the last 2 years developing international menus as resident chef at Dram Tree Tavern, and is a classically trained pastry artist.

Catering with Awaken Your Essence, Chef Manny is grateful to share creative dishes elevated by her diverse background with the intention of nuturing sanctuary.

Do you have any dietary needs or nutritional questions? Interested in consulting Chef Manny's catering services? Please reach out here @Manny Leigh 

chef & caterer