We were lucky to catch up with Staci Levine recently and have shared our conversation below.

Staci , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I owned a fashion PR & marketing agency for 25+ years working with renowned, global brands, living the corporate dream, grinding away, traveling the world, and while I was passionate about it at the time, eventually, it no longer served my soul. I had fallen in love with yoga and was becoming very passionate about the wellness industry, I just didn’t know where I fit in.

One day in 2018 I sat in a women’s circle and found it to be profoundly moving. I had never experienced a more supportive and uplifting community of women and I really leaned in. At that same time I began on a personal healing journey, entrenching myself in the healing arts like breathwork, meditation and soundbaths.

I started co-hosting women’s circles around Los Angeles for the next year, and in 2019 co-hosted my first retreat in the So Cal desert. The retreat business seemed like a wonderful way to foster community, inspire women and travel the world in a more spiritual capacity. By 2020 I decided to put my whole heart into Sacred Woman Collective and end my PR & marketing chapter. I wanted to create meaningful partnerships and collaborations with various facilitators including yoga teachers, sound healers, and wellness specialists as a way to offer the community an array of experiences and to support women working in the wellness space.

I have since realized that my life’s purpose found its way to me just purely by taking chances and saying yes to new experiences.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

ABOUT OUR COMPANY: Sacred Woman Collective is a leading global retreats and events company that believes in the transformative power of kindness, acceptance, and non-judgment. We are on a mission to make a lasting impact in the world by creating empowering experiences that inspire personal growth and foster a sense of compassion and understanding.

We offer weeklong, weekend, and one-day wellness retreats where women can embark on a journey of self-discovery, connection, and empowerment, where all walks of life come together in community to support each other. We believe that by nurturing the spirit of compassion within ourselves and fostering connections based on understanding and empathy, we can create a powerful ripple effect of change in the world. All of our events are co-hosted by leading yoga teachers, sound healers and other wellness practitioners in order to offer you a wide array of experiences and as a way for us to support amazing women in the industry. If you’re interested in collaborating with us, reach out anytime.

Through immersive workshops, guided meditations, women’s circles, Council (an ancient form of communicating where we pass a talking stick), rejuvenating wellness practices, and heartfelt community building, we empower women to embrace their unique strengths and celebrate their authentic selves.

It is our hope that this community carries the lessons they learn during our retreats into their daily lives, spreading kindness and acceptance in their communities. We like to think of ourselves as agents of kindness, shepherding more agents of kindness so that we might live in a kinder, gentler world. Join us on this transformative journey and together let’s create a brighter, more compassionate future.

ABOUT OUR FOUNDER: Founder, Staci Levine is a certified sound healer and breathwork facilitator. She founded Sacred Woman Collective with a mission of bringing women together to inspire, uplift and support each other through elevated retreats, gatherings, and events. Staci combines her love of travel, building community, health and wellness, with her passion for creating beautiful and inspiring events to offer women a place for support and connection.

A public relations and marketing veteran with over 25 years of experience in building brands through her agency SLPR, Staci discovered a renewed purpose for life in 2019. Prior to launching Sacred Woman Collective, Staci was co-owner of one of the most notable fashion PR firms on the west coast, leading PR programs for globally recognized brands such as Vans, G-Shock, OluKai, Blunstone and countless others. A public relations and marketing executive, Staci is an avid yogi, vegan and health enthusiast and is on a mission to inspire women to be kinder and more accepting of one another. She believes that gathering on retreat, sitting in circle together, being vulnerable and sharing our life stories with one another will create more meaningful, deeper connections, more acceptance, less competition, and less judgement. And ultimately make for a better world.

Staci is an eternal optimist, a manifesting generator, a natural connector, and visionary who advocates for unity, love and kindness for all.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Pivoting my career wasn’t easy. I had been doing the only thing I knew my entire 30+ year career, but I began burning out and the industry had changed so much that I was no longer passionate about it. I just didn’t know where else I fit in or what to do. I was also in my early 50’s which comes with a whole bunch of limiting beliefs and self-sabotaging stories which do nothing for our personal evolution.

I began by exploring my inner world, meaning I tapped into what lit me up, made me happy, what got me out of bed. It turned out that it was yoga and the healing arts. I leaned into all of it, said yes to things that were a little uncomfortable – either because of the newness, because I didn’t know anyone, or whatever story I told myself – but I did it anyway. I eventually experienced something that felt right and without letting fear get in the way, I dove in. I didn’t have confidence and I dealt with imposter syndrome every step of the way, and still do! But I feel in my soul that this is exactly what I’m meant to be doing and it’s no longer scary. I am so grateful I took the leap and found my dharma. I now mentor other women in taking the leap, because the only thing that stops us from taking chances is ourselves – limiting beliefs that get in our way from living our best lives.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had been working in a competitive corporate environment my entire career – and being in the healing arts couldn’t have been more different. It took some time to realize that I could have a kinder, more gentle approach to business – which was actually a more comfortable way of working of course, it was just a relearning of what I instinctively already knew. It’s such an incredible contrast now, everything is all about authenticity and kindness and I’ve really become quite comfortable in this space. I know that we can build successful businesses without being cut throat :)

The other thing I’ve learned is how to take a more spiritual approach to business – a trusting in the process. It’s all about having confidence to release the grip and allowing what is meant for me to flow to me. I know it sounds woo woo but I have been witness to the power of this, it’s a mindset that if it’s meant for me, it will be mine. It allows for a less stressful work environment, yet of course I am still keenly aware of the importance of hard work and commitment. Setting intentions, taking action and then trusting.

Contact Info:

• Website: sacredwomancollective.com
• Instagram: sacredwomancollective
• Facebook: sacredwomancollective
• Other: TikTok – sacredwomancollective

Image Credits
Joel Barhamand