Welcome to Cassia Collective 

Mia holds two masters degrees, one in Applied Theatre Arts and one in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Jungian Depth Psychology. She has worked as a psychotherapist and drama therapist for the past 15 years with various population groups including addiction, co-occurring disorders, trauma and psychosis. She has always prided herself on being an imaginative, soulful and playful healer who deeply trusts our natural healing processes. ​ Read less Mia has been running sacred circles and facilitating ritual since 2018 but her experience in these settings began during her undergraduate degree with her professor and mentor Evelyn Diaz Cruz. Mia has continued her studies of the power in creative community work for healing ever since in places such as Los Angeles, New York City, Santorini and Rwanda. She is currently studying shamanism practices with Katherine Skaggs in Fort Collins, Colorado. Mia is native to California and moved to Colorado with her husband, two young girls and her dog Olive in 2021. She opened her first private psychotherapy practice assisting people with trauma, depression, anxiety, spiritual connection, meaning making and navigating life transitions. She started the High in the Sky Women’s Circle after attending Heidi Whitehead’s women’s retreat, Hustle and Flow in April of 2023. Mia was introduced to Heidi through her sister in-love Zoe Levine. (Both are now members of the Vision Council!) Six months later, Mia’s brother Mattew suddenly passed away. She decided to take a leave of absence from her private practice to focus on her grief and healing. In a healing session led by Christina Ifurung she was gifted with the vision of starting a non-profit organization which would allow access to healing and the time for that healing to all women who were in need of it. Healing is not a privilege, it is a basic human right. Mia brought her idea to her Women’s Circle and upon hearing about it, a few members stepped up to offer their time and resources to manifest the vision into reality. Those members are now our HSWC Vision Council and the High in the Sky Women’s Circle became the High in the Sky Women’s COLLECTIVE. We have been coming together to share our wisdom, insight, passion and dedication ever since. When Mia isn’t trying to save the world one woman at a time, you can find her exploring her new home state with her family, cozying up with a huge stack of books and her dog or at a wild dance party. Mia holds each of you in the deepest of gratitude and warmth for being on this journey with her.

Emily Stuber is a birth doula, yoga instructor and mind body transformation coach who seeks opportunities to co-create embodied transformation in all the work she does. As a DONA trained birth doula, Emily has supported over 100 families in Denver metro in varied settings, she specializes in mind-body connection and breath work in the birth space. Emily's two children were born with the incredible support of a doula and this inspired her to immerse herself in the birth world. Emily has also led multiple doula trainings and is the former Administrative Director of a birth center. ​ Read less Emily has taught yoga and movement for over 10 years with experience in self myofascial release, prenatal and postpartum yoga, restorative and vinyasa yoga. Emily also offers mind body coaching for individuals or groups seeking to tap into their inherent somatic intelligence to work towards their true purpose. As a coach she specializes in women's empowerment coaching, transition coaching, parenthood/fertility journey support, and leading women's circles. Emily has a master's degree in human development and counseling and applies this training to all her work supporting humans to remember the best versions of themselves. Emily is a mama of two kiddos who keep her busy skiing, exploring, answering questions about the world, and reminding her to stay present. She lives in Littleton with her kids, husband, and husky pup. Emily enjoys hiking, sitting in circle with other inspiring women, reading books that make her think, and drinking a good cup of tea. ​ Emily is thrilled to be the Co-Founder of HSWC. Her connection to Mia and this opportunity started as a "what if" conversation that has blossomed into "we must". Emily dreams big and supports the dream in everyone, her super power is to take a dream and turn it into action and she is beyond excited to step into that journey alongside Mia and the Vision Council.

Lauren Deck Abdosh grew up in the woods of Vermont and Maine, earned a Bachelor's degree in Arts and Business, and spent over a decade in Los Angeles working as a program director for arts education non-profit organizations. Lauren is a Council circle facilitator (as taught by Beyond Us and Them and and has led circles in various settings, including for corporate and nonprofit leadership teams, at teen youth retreats, for virtual teams, and in private settings, including hosting an ongoing in-person monthly women’s circle started in June 2022. Read less Lauren currently lives in Highlands Ranch, Colorado with her husband, son and little dog, works for a virtual events and operations company, and enjoys taking nature walks, gardening, dancing, painting and spending time with family & friends. ​ Lauren is thrilled to join the HSWC Vision Council, as a believer in the power and necessity of women coming together to listen and be heard, and to make change in the world. Lauren is eager to utilize her leadership skills, energy and empathy to continue helping women find their way toward deeper connections to themselves, each other and beyond.

Artist, educator and mama, Lexis facilitates workshops to connect women to the creative process and help them discover their own color + joy. With a background in graphic design, marketing, illustration + fine art, she uses her 20 years of creative experience + her deep rooted call to create to help women connect to creativity, heal themselves through art and feel more grounded, calm and present. Read less As an introvert by nature, life-long creative + color loving soul, Lexis believes we are all creative, so she seeks to bring out the artist in everyone. Creating has consistently been her way of healing her shadow parts and celebrating her light. It is how she feels most like her natural self + feels like a homecoming. Joining the Vision Council seemed like the natural progression on her path to remembering who she is and claiming the light she has to offer the world. Lexis is excited to help cultivate a community to support woman to grow into their most natural, vibrant selves.

Zoe Levine has been a dancer most of her life and a movement educator for over 2 decades. She is the creator of Strong As A Mother, a PT and midwife recommended postnatal fitness program, and the daily dance experience called The RISE Collective. Her practice is informed by her work as a professional dancer in NYC, mama of 2, personal trainer, yogi, advanced MELT Method(™) instructor, and a Restorative Exercise Specialist. Read less Mia has had many exciting adventures in her career including owning a personal training studio in Brooklyn, leading and teaching at retreats and conferences, dancing on rooftops (and really all over NYC!), creating a year long corporate wellness program, and even being featured on Good Morning America. She loves helping people reclaim their bodies, get out of pain, and feel empowered to keep it that way. She knows what it feels like to feel broken and loves showing people that there is a way out and a path to deep healing, connection, transformation, strength, and PLAY! The HSWC women's circles have been such a powerful consistent anchor in Mia's life. She would probably enjoy building just about anything with this powerful, wise, and inspiring group of women, but she's especially excited about building community, learning and growing alongside other women, and creating a welcoming space for women to nurture mind, body, and soul.

Lesley Loftis, MA, LPC, CHHC is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Holistic Health Coach who guides others to connect to their inherent wholeness and purpose by working through a comprehensive mind/body/spirit approach. In her individual and group work with clients she incorporates cognitive exploration, somatic techniques, nervous system regulation, and psychoeducation around health & well-being. Read less Lesley applies her trauma-informed clinical training to help clients work through their blocks - such as anxiety, depression, burnout, codependency, life transitions, and emotional eating - and emerge with greater energy, clarity, and joy. She attended the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to become a Certified Holistic Health Coach, and pursued her Master’s in Counseling Psychology at Regis University. Lesley has been an active member of Women's Circles for the past 15 years, and studied Reiki, intuitive development and sacred feminine principles. She is passionate about bringing this work to the world and is sharing it with ever widening circles within HSWC!

Heidi Whitehead hails from Denver, Colorado. She is an entrepreneur, an educator, and mother of two young men and one teenage daughter. She shares her life and world with her beloved partner and co-conspirator, Trish Morris. A creative spirit, community builder, and connector, she is deeply moved by the sacred sisterhood of circling with women and is part of no less than three regular women’s circles. Read less Over the last year, she has taken a brave leap into the unknown waters of a new career. She is on a mother-lovin’ mission as the director of Family Village Cooperative’s new Denver coworking, childcare and community care space. ​ Heidi' path has led her to HSWC! She's excited to heed the call to discover what lies ahead, to collaborate with the visionary sisters who are also called to this creative place and time. She is ready to help usher in the movement, to create a sacred container, to find her next teachers and share the wisdom she's unearthed so far. This is what she's here to do.