Our Team
Tara Dougan
Owner/Founder, Integrative Wellness & Energy Healing PractitionerTara 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
Creative Director/Facilitator & Energy Healing PractitionerKatie is a retreat host, mental health professional, reiki practitioner 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!
Sasha Morningstar
Photographer, Akashic Reader & Energy WorkerSasha is a ceremonial guide, intuitive healer, and artist working at the intersection of transformation and creative expression. Trained in Shamanic practices and certified in the Akashic Records, she supports deep inner work through intuitive guidance, shadow work, soul retrieval, ancestral healing, and energetic clearing. She helps others reconnect with their wholeness by illuminating the patterns and wounds ready to be seen and transformed, inviting them to release what no longer belongs and step into their power, truth, and purpose.
She is also a photographer and creative facilitator, using art, movement, and ritual as pathways back to the body and present moment. In retreats and 1:1 spaces, she weaves these elements into ceremonial containers for emotional processing, honoring personal stories, and being deeply seen. Sasha believes we all long to be witnessed—especially through grief, loss, and transition—and invites others to remember they belong to themselves and it is safe to take up space 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
Marie Macrone
wellness retreat host & herbal medicine enthusiast Marie is a wellness retreat host devoted to guiding others back to the healing rhythms of nature. A cancer survivor, her journey reshaped her understanding of the body—not as something to fight against, but as something to nourish, listen to, and trust.
Rooted in her passion as an herb enthusiast, Marie weaves together ancient plant wisdom with modern holistic practices. She believes deeply in food as medicine, crafting experiences that are not just nourishment, but intentional acts of healing drawn directly from the earth.
Marie creates spaces where people can slow down, reconnect, and rediscover their own inner resilience. Whether foraging wild herbs, sharing grounding rituals, or simply breathing in the quiet of natural landscapes, her work invites others to remember: healing doesn’t come from outside us—it grows, patiently and powerfully, from within.