Women’s Wellness Festival
PRESENTERS & facilitators
RUTH LANGFORD
Aboriginal Wisdom & Indigenous Medicines
Ruth draws upon the cultural knowledge of her Yorta Yorta mother and the Aboriginal Community of Tasmania where she was born and continues to live. With a diverse background in culture/arts/environmental/ social justice/ youth work and Indigenous Medicines Therapy, she divides her time between endeavours that reflect her passion for uniting ancient traditions and modern innovation in order to promote caring for that which sustains and invigorates life.
Combining over twenty years traveling the world sitting with Indigenous Healers, Elders and World Wisdom Teachers, Ruth Langford’s vision is to connect people to the ecological and spiritual understanding of ancient wisdoms supported by modern scientific knowledge delivered in a relevant context.
LISSIE TURNER
Perimenopause ~ Harnessing the Four Phases from a Yogic Perspective
Lissie is a Senior Yoga Teacher and Internationally Certified Yoga Therapist specialising in addiction recovery, endocrine health, hormonal and cyclic education, and any pathologies, lifestyle choices, dietary details related to restoring or building better menstrual, ovulating, pubescent, perimenopausal or menopausal health.
Lissie is also the CEO of The Prana Project, a global initiative that connects people back to environment, using the reinvigoration of wounded landscapes as the tool to help people thrive. The Prana Project is the culmination of Lissie’s life’s work in addiction recovery, women’s health, as a vigorous environmentalist, passionate surfer, professional communicator, author, Mother and Grandmother.
STEPH TRETHEWEY
Motherland Australia ~ Connecting Rural Women
Stephanie Trethewey is a visionary leader who has transformed personal challenges into a nationwide movement to support rural mothers across Australia. She is CEO and founder of Motherland, a charity that fervently advocates for the mental health and well-being of rural mothers, and celebrates and connects them to the support they need.
2024 Australian of the Year for Tasmania, keynote speaker and advocate, Stephanie's message comes from her lived experience and transition from life in the city as a successful television journalist, to embracing farm life and rural motherhood in Tasmania
Monica Francia
Herbal Tea Making for Stress & Anxiety & Panel Guest ‘From Soil to Soul’
Monica (she/her) is a queer Naturopath, Nutritionist, Herbalist and Trained Teacher in Natural Fertility. She’s the co-coordinator for Hobart Herbalists Without Borders, a non-profit organisation who run Free Naturopathic Clinics in lutruwita/Tasmania.
In clinic her main focus is hormonal and menstrual health (especially Endometriosis, Menopause and PCOS), vaginal/vulval helath and oncology support.
Lucy st jack
Festival MC & Panel Host
Lucy is a visionary women’s health and systems change advocate with over a decade of experience as an integrative naturopath specialising in women’s health. She founded the‘CAM Connect’ project, a local initiative advancing integrative healthcare in the Huon Valley. She is founder and President of the Huon Women’s Health Collective, which hosts the festival.
She is also a mother and organic blueberry farmer.
Run move connect
Pop up Pilates & Strength Sessions
Run Move Connect is a community based health group aimed at getting individuals active whilst meeting new people and feeling part of their local community.
Run Move Connect is a child friendly environment and space for families to share, connect and feel a sense of belonging within their community.
Hannah and Paige will be providing a pop-up pilates and strength session on the day, focussing on developing body and pelvic awareness, empowering women to feel strong in mind and body and developing connection through movement.
EBONY & ABBY
ReWild Dance Journey Facilitators
Ebony Prins & Abby Aquila are the co-creators of the Embodied Woman Retreats, that have been on offer in Tasmania since 2018. Ebony is the founder of Embodied Living and is a Remedial & KaHuna bodyworker, Breathwork Practitioner, Yoga teacher and somatic guide. Abby is a Spiritual Wilderness Guide, Ka Huna Bodyworker, Elemental Medicine Weaver, Intuitive Dance Facilitator and a Holder of Sacred Spaces. Together, Ebony & Abby offer up a unique combination of their practices, to take you into a place of presence and communication with your body, breath & being.
SARAh HONEY
Women’s Mysteries Facilitator & Panel Guest ‘Myth Busting Women’s Health’
Sarah Honey is a highly skilled health and wellness professional, holding a Bachelor's in Nutrition and Human Health Sciences and certification as a Fertility Awareness Practitioner from the FEMM Institute. As the founder of Arc Woman and author of two books, she runs a clinic dedicated to helping women globally manage hormone imbalances, including PCOS and endometriosis.
ruth lees
Women’s Mysteries Facilitator & Birth Stories
Ruth is a Registered and Endorsed Midwife and Childbirth Educator working in Hobart and the Huon Valley. She has been supporting women in birth in hospitals, birth centres and at home for over a decade.
Ruth is a passionate Birth Rights advocate and believes women should have choice and support, whichever way they wish to birth.
She is passionate about birth education, working in partnership with women through rites of passage, and empowering women to experience the transition into motherhood feeling nourished, supported and without fear.
Kristan Lee Read
Women’s Mysteries Facilitator & Menopause Stories
In 2010, Kristan began as a student of the Four Seasons Journey with The School of Shamanic Womancraft and went on to train as a teacher of the program, graduating in 2016.
She more recently completed her Masters in Social Work.
Kristan is a teacher and facilitator of the one day workshops Moonsong, Becoming a Woman, The Shamanic Dimensions of Pregnancy and Autumn Woman Harvest Queen.
She offers one-to-one private sessions using the modality of Shamanic Womancraft.
Kristan has participated and presented at festivals and conferences within Australia and internationally.
Her work has been published in the Squat Birth Journal, BettyMag, Birth Matters and Midirs.
GAYLE NEWBOLT
Somatic Movement for Nervous System Healing
Gayle is a skilled facilitator of embodied healing. Offering trauma-informed, nervous system-centered yoga since 2017, her work now focuses on body-first models of care for individuals and groups. Gayle currently leads trauma-informed yoga at Risdon Prison and Hobart Women's Shelter, runs Dialectical Behaviour Therapy groups for The Link Youth Health Service, supporting clients with trauma recovery and somatic healing in her private practice.
FLICK HORSELY
Outdoor Movement & Circus Play
Flick is a Tasmanian-born performing artist, wellness guide, and movement facilitator with a passion for rewilding, creativity, and authentic self-connection. A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts with a Postgrad Diploma in Animateuring, Flick also trained in acrobatics at the Beijing International Arts School and clowning at the John Bolton School.
With over 20 years experience guiding children’s creativity and well-being across diverse landscapes her extensive background in physical theatre, puppetry, somatic movement, and mind-body medicine creates a dynamic foundation for her teaching and facilitation. Flick brings a unique blend of joy, depth, and empowerment to her work.
TakeTina ~ Moving, Rhythmic Meditation
This festival wouldn’t be possible without the tireless work of the elders who’ve gone before us and Gai has contributed hugely to the Cygnet community. As a long term performer, community artist, one of the originators of The Cygnet Community Arts Council and as the first woman to direct the Cygnet Folk Festival, Gais’ vision is always to support, facilitate and inspire the Arts in all its forms within and by the Cygnet community - Creativity is after all a foundation of health and wellbeing.
Gai is also a TakeTina rhythm meditation leader and has a long term Shamanic practice as a healer, and more recently as a teacher of Shamanic methods, having trained for many years with the Foundation of Shamanic Studies.
GAI ANDERSON
CORALEE WILLIAMS
Botanical Fabric Dyeing
Coralee is an artist and workshop facilitator who explores the deep connection between art and nature. Her focus on natural printing highlights the stories of place by showcasing the beauty of locally sourced materials. Inspired by nature and guided by sustainable practices, Coralee creates art with purpose, inviting others to reconnect with the world around them.
Emmabelle Smallwood
Live Visionary Art
Emmabelle is a visionary/ imaginative realism painter who works in acrylic or oil and lives in Southern Tasmania with her family, tucked away in her bush studio. From 11 years of age she received mentorship with Lyn Cran, a talented life drawer who introduced her to advanced materials and techniques. In 2001 she completed a Diploma of Fine Art in 2001 and more recently trained with Imaginary Realism painter Christopher Remmers. Her practice is inspired by the power and magic humanity can experience through its connection to the natural world.
Centering on themes such as the unseen, energetics, presence, observation, the spiritual realm, and the quest for human spiritual revolution through connection to nature and our natural selves. Currently her work is focusing on the rising of the feminine energy and women as a powerful, wise, embodied force.
MELI SWAN
Art Therapy Table
Meli Swan is an art therapist and educator based in Lutruwita, Tasmania. A music teacher for 20 years, she began noticing patterns of emotional dysfunction amongst teachers, regardless of the school they were teaching in. As a response to this, Teachers Who Art was born. Now she runs several, affordable, online group courses, helping people to process basic, human-common emotions and emotion related habits Melinda is passionate about the effect 'shitty image making' and a little self-reflection can have on the nervous system and encourages people to partake in creativity everyday.
KARLYN DIGITALIS
The Importance of Pleasure
Specialising in trauma-sensitive Breathwork, Bodywork and Pleasure Education, Karlyn weaves together multiple modalities to offer a transformative therapeutic space for folks to heal and empower themselves.
With almost 20 years experience in the field of complimentary health, she draws upon her training in Breathwork Mastery (Dip. in Health), Life Coaching, Yoni Mapping Therapy, Tantric Bodywork and Sexual Awakening, Pleasure Education, Yoga, Conscious Birth and Blue Knot Foundational Trauma-Informed Practice.
Karlyn (she/her) sits as Vice President of the Huon Women’s Health Collective and works with Health Consumers Tasmania.
Mandi Wheatley
The Importance of Pleasure & The Psychedelic Cervic
When not skinny dipping, Mandi is voraciously researching women's sexuality. She holds a special interest in the prostate, Bartholin's gland, Mary Magdelene and humanity's longest serving spiritual expression - goddess worship.
As a Cygnet based local, Mandi’s passion is for women to experience the fullness of sensual connection to themselves and in turn the world. With a degree in Social Ecology and decades of experience in community development she is now turning her hand to sex education as a psychedelic cervix practitioner and menopause doula.
Never heard of the ‘psychedelic cervix’? Come and be illuminated! It’s all about the incredible power and spiritual connection you can access within your own body.
JESS CHERRETT
Wild Weed Walk around Cygnet
Jess is a Naturopath, Mother, Healer and Storyteller based in Southern Tasmania.
As a child, Jess made potions and medicine from her garden and this love evolved alongside her obsession with stories. Over time, they wove closer together; plants became friends and she began connecting with their story.
In her clinical practice, Jess weaves storytelling into her work and loves offering a universal approach to healing and healthcare in her workshops.
HEATHER MAC
Wild Weed Walk around Cygnet
Witch. Animist. Poet. Plant friend. Seed servant.
Heather is an experienced permaculture educator, community facilitator and farming/gardening mentor, supporting people to engage in reciprocity with the land they live on. She is co-creator and a main facilitator for the Earth Apprentice course.
Heather believes in the power of stories and cultural change as a way for humans to transcend our paradigm of exploitative relationships with each other and the living world.
She coordinates and stewards seeds for the Cygnet Seed Library, and supports the growth of other non-monetary, gift economies.
