Small Business Ownership is a Journey. It can be full of Magic, Beautiful Experiences, Travel, Freedom, Connections, & Endless Possibilities.
If you’re an Entrepreneur, Private Practice Therapist, or a Small Business Owner, and you want MORE out of life, then this experience was designed exclusively for YOU.
It's so easy to dream about growing and scaling your business, and it's even easier to convince yourself that YOU don't deserve it. How often have you thought about expanding beyond 1v1 therapy, or pursuing your creative vision, only to step back and shrink inwards, telling yourself that it's TOO BIG, TOO RISKY, or TOO BOLD?
This conference takes place at the Portland Regency Hotel & Spa in beautiful downtown Portland Maine.
Imagine landing in Maine➡️➡️➡️, overlooking the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. Think lighthouses, jagged Atlantic coastline, lobsters, and more.
Maybe you’re wandering the streets of the historic old port, or maybe you're hanging out in hip, artsy, East Portland, overlooking the ocean. In this moment, you realize that your business journey can be different and that you get to create the lifestyle that you deserve, and the business that you LOVE.
Oh, and did we mention that you'll also receive up to 9 NBCC CEs? You'll get 1 NBCC CE for each speaker presentation that you attend.
Beautiful Maine + 9 Prolific industry experts, 9 NBCC CEs, and life changing connections await you.....
Registration includes 3 days of this Destination Summit, 9 NBCC CEs, and group lunches on summit days. The perfect time for you to connect with other attendees and speakers, and relax and enjoy.
Escape the Ordinary. Elevate Your Impact.
3-Day Summit • Portland, Maine • Sept 1–3, 2026
Hosted by Empowered Escapes LLC
Imagine three days away from your inbox, your therapy room, and the predictable rhythm of your daily grind. Instead, you’re in a vibrant, inspiring destination – surrounded by peers who get it – learning strategic tools, shifting your mindset, and creating a new vision for your business and life.
This is more than a conference. This is a curated experience for ambitious mental-health professionals, coaches, and entrepreneurs who are ready to break free from the 1:1 treadmill and build a business (and life) that aligns with their values, energy, and purpose.
Who this is for
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You’re a therapist, coach or practitioner who loves what you do – but you’re tired of trading hours for dollars.
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You have a vision for a business beyond private practice – leveraging podcasts, retreats, books, speaking, group work – but you haven’t yet built the pathway.
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You’re ready to show up fully – neurodivergent, high-energy, values-driven – and you want a space that honours that.
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You want connection—with other change-makers who will support you, lean in with you, and push you forward.
What you’ll walk away with
🔹 Clarity & Strategy
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A concrete action plan to diversify income: including podcasting, speaking, retreat hosting, and book-writing.
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Frameworks that take you beyond the “what if” to the “here’s how” – how to turn ideas into income streams you control.
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A refreshed vision for your business shape, so you step into the next chapter with confidence.
🔹 Connection & Community
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Deep cohort-style dialogue with peers who understand the unique challenges of scaling a values-driven practice.
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Real-life case studies and candid conversations from hosts and participants who’ve walked the path.
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Space to be seen as you are—neurodivergent, ambitious, imperfect—and to build friendships that last beyond the event.
🔹 Experience & Inspiration
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Set in Portland, Maine—a place of scenic beauty, calm energy, accessible airport travel and boutique charm.
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Between sessions, time to stroll, reflect, connect: coffee shops, harbour walks, local food, and relaxed evenings that restore you.
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Memories, momentum, and the kind of spark that doesn’t fade when you go home.
Why this summit is different
We’re not doing another generic conference. Empowered Escapes curates experiences from the ground up—bold, immersive and built for you. You’ll leave not only with ideas, but with a roadmap, a tribe, and a fresh version of yourself. As our mantra goes: “Doubt Yourself, Do It Anyway.” If that’s you—this summit is your next move.
What’s included
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Three full days of immersive training, breakout sessions, masterminds and strategy labs.
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Meals, networking events, and a local-experience infusion (details to come).
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A safe, neurodivergent-affirming, inclusive environment built for creators, thinkers and risk-takers.
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Access to post-event resources to help you translate your learnings into action.
Investment & Registration
Spaces are limited. Because of the intimate and high-impact nature of this summit, we cap attendance to preserve meaningful connection and accountability. Registration secures your spot.
[Insert registration button / link]
Early bird pricing ends [insert date]. Don’t wait—this will fill.
Next steps
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Click the registration link and secure your spot.
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Block your travel and lodging (we’ll provide recommendations).
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Commit now to showing up present, ready, and willing to grow.
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Bring your questions, your dreams, and your guts. We’re doing the rest.
Ready to transform?
Your future self thanks you already.
Join us in Portland, Maine.
Let’s build the income stream you deserve—and the business that lights you up.
Who This Summit Is For
This experience is designed for helpers, healers, and creative entrepreneurs who are ready to expand what’s possible — professionally and personally.
You’ll feel right at home if you are:
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🧠 A therapist, coach, or mental-health professional who wants to diversify your income and move beyond 1:1 work.
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🌍 A values-driven entrepreneur craving community with other heart-centered, Neurodivergent, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC-affirming professionals.
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🎙️ A creative thinker or risk-taker who’s been sitting on ideas for retreats, podcasts, speaking, or writing — and needs structure and support to finally make them happen.
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🔥 Someone who’s ready to play bigger, show up fully, and make business decisions from alignment rather than fear.
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🤝 Looking for connection and collaboration, not competition — people who “get it,” share your drive, and want you to win.
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🪞 A professional who values authenticity, vulnerability, and learning in spaces that honor lived experience over performative perfection.
If you’ve ever thought, “I know I’m meant for more, but I’m not sure how to get there” — this summit was built for you.
Who This Summit Is Not For
Empowered Escapes experiences are intentionally curated — immersive, honest, authentic, and community-driven. This may not be the right fit if you are:
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❌ Looking for a highly clinical, traditional CE conference focused solely on diagnosis or treatment models.
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❌ Uncomfortable with open, vulnerable discussions about fear, failure, and the realities of entrepreneurship.
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❌ Expecting a passive learning environment — this is participatory, relational, and experiential.
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❌ Not ready to challenge scarcity thinking, perfectionism, or the “shoulds” that have been holding your business back.
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❌ Seeking a cookie-cutter roadmap; we believe in building strategies aligned with your unique neurotype, strengths, and values.
If you want a predictable, academic-style event — this isn’t that.
If you want an inspiring, real, and radically affirming space to grow your vision — you’re in exactly the right place.
What You’ll Get From the Empowered Escapes Summit
Three days. One powerful reset for your business, your confidence, and your creative direction.
This isn’t just a professional event — it’s an experience built to reignite your passion, expand your possibilities, and give you the strategy and support to build what’s next.
You’ll leave Portland with:
🔹 Clarity & Direction
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A step-by-step framework to diversify your income through retreats, coaching, speaking, podcasting, and writing.
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Clarity on how to leverage your clinical skills in new, creative, and sustainable ways.
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An actionable roadmap for scaling your business without burning out or betraying your values.
🔹 Confidence & Momentum
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The courage to finally take imperfect action — even when imposter syndrome tries to hold you back.
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A renewed sense of self-trust, motivation, and excitement about your work.
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Real-world guidance from people who have actually done it — not just theory or fluff.
🔹 Connection & Community
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Meaningful relationships with fellow therapists, coaches, and entrepreneurs who get you — the kind you can text months later when you’re launching something new.
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An inclusive, neurodivergent-affirming space where you don’t have to mask, overexplain, or “tone it down.”
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Shared meals, deep conversations, laughter, and collective inspiration that remind you why you started this journey.
🔹 Integration & Support
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Tools and templates you can use immediately after the event to start implementing what you’ve learned.
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Ongoing access to post-event resources and community opportunities for accountability and continued growth.
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Time and space to reflect, recharge, and integrate — because sustainable success starts with nervous system safety.
You’ll walk away with…
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A redefined vision of what success looks like — on your terms.
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A clear, customized action plan for the next phase of your professional evolution.
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A community of like-minded professionals walking beside you as you grow.
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And most importantly… the renewed belief that you can do big, bold things — even if you doubt yourself along the way.
How often do you find yourself checking the clock, thinking about all of the other creative projects you could be working on?
The Freedom to travel, The Autonomy to make your own decisions, & The Ability to create something different awaits you.
Join us for our 3rd annual Doubt Yourself Do It Anyway Summit---- Only $999 for an incredible summit opportunity
You deserve everything you want out of life----and we're going to explore the world together, helping you achieve your dreams.
Why This Summit Is Different
You’ve probably been to conferences before — fluorescent lighting, endless PowerPoints, rushed hallway conversations, and information overload that fades the minute you get home.
This is not that.
The Empowered Escapes Summit is intentionally different. It’s designed to be immersive, experiential, and transformational — a space where real connection meets practical business strategy.
🌿 We trade lecture halls for lived experience.
You won’t be sitting in rows of chairs passively taking notes. You’ll be engaging in honest conversations, interactive workshops, and creative brainstorming sessions that spark action. Every session is built to meet you where you are — and give you tangible tools to move forward.
💬 We go beyond business — we build belonging.
This summit is about more than revenue or reach. It’s about remembering why you started, and creating a professional life that honors your humanity.
Here, you’re surrounded by other therapists, coaches, and entrepreneurs who share your values, your quirks, and your drive to make an impact without burning out.
🔥 We create safety for authenticity.
You don’t have to mask, perform, or pretend to have it all figured out. This is a neurodivergent-affirming, inclusive space where vulnerability is seen as strength — not weakness.
You can show up fully, exactly as you are, and still feel like you belong.
🌊 We blend strategy with soul.
Yes, you’ll leave with business clarity, marketing plans, and income-diversification frameworks — but you’ll also leave with emotional clarity.
You’ll reconnect with your creativity, confidence, and capacity for joy — the things that fuel sustainable success long after the event ends.
Why It’s Worth the Investment
You’re not just buying a ticket to a summit — you’re investing in the next version of yourself and your business.
💼 The ROI is exponential.
The strategies, collaborations, and mindset shifts you gain here can open doors to entirely new income streams — from retreats and speaking to online programs, writing, and partnerships.
Just one idea implemented from this weekend can pay for the event ten times over.
🤝 The connections are priceless.
The people you meet here won’t just inspire you — they’ll walk beside you. Attendees often leave with future collaborators, referral partners, podcast guests, and lifelong friends.
🧭 The clarity is life-changing.
You’ll go home with more than inspiration — you’ll have a concrete plan, renewed confidence, and the motivation to actually execute it.
❤️ The experience stays with you.
Empowered Escapes events are unforgettable because they’re designed to transform how you see yourself — as a creator, a leader, and a business owner capable of extraordinary things.
So yes — it’s an investment. But one that changes everything about the way you work, earn, and live.
Maine is a beautiful part of the country, full of inspiration and wonder. You'll surround yourself with innovators in the industry while building lifelong connections and absorbing entrepreneurial wisdom and motivation.
We've hired 9 Industry Experts To Speak On:
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How Trauma Impacts Your Business Decisions
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How to regulate your nervous system and rewrite your story
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Becoming a Prolific Speaker
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Evidence Based Strategies to Help You Shatter Self Doubt & Perfectionism
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Leadership Strategies and Industry Innovation
This summit is designed to inspire you to think bigger, to pursue your goals, and to stop playing small. Doubt Yourself Do It Anyway is sprinkled in throughout the entire event.
There are the things that show up in our entrepreneurial journeys that hold us back, that limit us, that keep us playing small, despite our successes and abilities----We're here to shatter these beliefs
The Doubt Yourself Do It Anyway Summit is geared towards all entrepreneurs who are too often held back by self-limiting beliefs.
As therapists, small business owners, and entrepreneurs, we don’t always practice what we preach.
We have all of these great ideas but most of them only exist in our minds, never to be seen by the world.
Our own fears and insecurities convince us that we should play it small, that we should shrink back inside of ourselves, and that we will inevitably FAIL.
We Call BULLSHIT! This Summit will help energize and empower you to create your dream life.
It's Time To Doubt Yourself & Do It Anyway
A Neurodiversity-Affirming, Accessible Experience
At Empowered Escapes, we believe that professional growth should never come at the expense of comfort, safety, or authenticity.
This summit is intentionally designed to honor neurodivergent needs — because the way you learn, connect, and recharge matters.
🌈 Come Exactly as You Are
We know that the typical conference environment can feel overwhelming — bright lights, crowded spaces, and unspoken expectations. That’s not how we do things here.
This event is built to be sensory-friendly, flexible, and affirming of every way of being.
🪑 Sensory- and Accessibility-Conscious Space
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Multiple seating options — chairs, floor cushions, standing tables, and quiet corners — so you can find what feels best for your body.
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Gentle lighting and low-stim zones for decompression.
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Designated areas to pace, stim, stretch, or move freely during sessions.
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Fidget toys and sensory tools available throughout the space to help with regulation and focus.
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Visual agendas and clear communication for predictable flow and reduced overwhelm.
🧠 Connection Without Pressure
Eye contact is never required or expected.
Participation is always invitational — you choose how and when to engage. Whether that means joining in discussion, taking quiet notes, or stepping out to self-regulate, your boundaries are respected and supported.
🤝 Community That Gets It
This is a space where masking isn’t needed and difference isn’t “other.”
We center inclusivity for Autistic, ADHD, and otherwise neurodivergent attendees — as well as those with sensory sensitivities, anxiety, chronic illness, or simply those who prefer a more mindful pace.
You’ll be surrounded by people who understand that accessibility isn’t an afterthought — it’s the foundation of belonging.
Call it impostor syndrome. Call it insecurity. Call it self-doubt…
Whatever you call it, we are going to work through it together and OBLITERATE it so that it no longer prevents you from putting your GREATNESS into the world.
Doubt Yourself But DO IT ANYWAY!
Register Here!
We didn't want to host a summit in a tourist trap, or big city, as we want to ensure you are able to immerse yourselves in the local culture, have beautiful green spaces to decompress in, and have the experience of a lifetime. We love to travel like locals, and let me tell you, Portland and the surrounding area are like stepping into a beautiful coastal city. For all of you foodie fans, you'll absolutely love this city!
We think that the best places to travel to are the hardest to find. We believe that travel is one of the most important things that you can do during your lifetime. Not only do you push yourself out of your comfort zone but you also grow as a human being, seeing the world through a completely different lens.
Travel tests you. It’s not always pretty and it's often messy. But the experiences you have, the people you meet, the pictures you take, the food you eat, and the landscapes you walk, create memories that last forever.
We are going to spend our time in historic downtown Portland, living among the people, eating delicious food, and truly experiencing the magic that the Northeast has to offer.
The breathtaking views are literally everywhere you look.
This is a quirky, historic, coastal city. There is an old-world charm, which is a part of the beauty of this experience.
We are limiting the attendance to 150 total guests.
You can be a mental health entrepreneur, a small business owner, or someone who wants to travel and grow. We don't care, as long as you want to have this incredible life-changing experience.
Earn up to 9 NBCC CEs!!
You’ll be with other like-minded, INCREDIBLY talented human beings in an “Incubator” in this historic, coastal, New England City.
How can it possibly get any better than that?
Oh… did I mention you will get to write most of this off on your taxes? That’s a nice added bonus as well. (Obviously, talk with your accountant about what percentage is deductible).
Speaker Topics Include But Not Limited To:
How to become a TEDx Speaker
Strategies on overcoming Entrepreneurial Self doubt and Impostor Syndrome
Overcome Self Doubt & Do It Anyway
Creativity & Strategic Business Planning
Neurodivergent Entrepreneurial Strengths
How Trauma Impacts Your Business Decisions & How to Work Through It
**Earn up to 9 NBCC CEs**
During this experience, we’re going to combine work and play with a little bit of history. Here's what's included:
9 Incredible Speakers offering you strategies, tips, and inspiring stories to help you jump start your business dreams.
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We are going to stay in a beautiful, coastal city, surrounded by wonderful food, the beautiful ocean, history, and amazing landscapes.
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We are going to have a welcome party with delicious drinks and opportunities for connection.
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Group experiences like karaoke, drag shows, and more
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We are going to have daily breakfasts and lunches together at our beautiful Portland Regency Hotel & Spa.
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9 Hour Of Training From Industry Experts and 9 NBCC CEs
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We’ll be working on your dreams, goals, aspirations, and ideas.
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Want to finally write that book? Let’s work on the mental blocks to help you get started.
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Too fearful to start that coaching program because no one would ever buy it? Screw that noise. We’ll help you work through that self doubt.
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Wondering how to become a more confident speaker so that you can start booking gigs? Done and Done!
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Simply want to fine-tune things in your business and just be a part of the process and collective energy… You Do You, Boo!
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You’ll have access to amazing leaders in the mental health and entrepreneurial community during group lunches. Explore your passions and pitch your ideas.
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Surrounded by KICK ASS, Brave Mental Health Therapists and Entrepreneurs
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20% Equity + Accessibility Discount for members of BIPOC, LGBTQIA2+, Neurodivergent----Use code EQUITY20
**Travel + Accommodations not included**
Registration includes 3 days of the Summit, 9 NBCC CEs, and daily lunches.
This event is approved for 9 NBCC Credits!!
Presentation Descriptions & Learning Objectives for the Maine 2026 Doubt Yourself Do It Anyway Summit
Presentation DescriptionsWe have lined 9 incredibly dynamic speakers and thought leaders to help inspire you into action so that you can pursue your dreams.
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Maine 2026 Summit Hosts & Instructors
![Patrick Casale, MA LCMHC [Co-Host]](https://kajabi-storefronts-production.kajabi-cdn.com/kajabi-storefronts-production/file-uploads/themes/2157608795/settings_images/761dea3-1af-24ec-7c6-d11100e471ed_patrick-casale.png)
Patrick Casale, MA LCMHC [Co-Host]
Owner of All Things Private Practice LLC & Resilient Mind Counseling
TEDx Speaker| Entrepreneur | Therapist | Podcast Host x 2 | Business Coach | Group Practice Owner | Retreat Host | Author
Patrick Casale is an AuDHD Business Coach who leads retreats, summits, and coaching programs, helping entrepreneurs work through impostor syndrome, self-doubt, and debilitating perfectionism.
He is the founder of All Things Private Practice LLC, and the hosts of the “All Things Private Practice Podcast, and the Divergent Conversations Podcast.” Patrick also owns a group psychotherapy practice in Asheville, NC.
With experience in both the clinical mental health world and the business world, he has helped hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs around the world start and grow their businesses while staying aligned to their values and dreams.
Patrick lives in Asheville, NC w/ his wife Ariel and their dog, Hudson. He loves to travel, Lord Of The Rings, Anthony Bourdain, great cold brew coffee, and craft beer.
![Jennifer Agee, LCPC [Co-Host]](https://kajabi-storefronts-production.kajabi-cdn.com/kajabi-storefronts-production/file-uploads/themes/2157608795/settings_images/2a6af1b-ae71-56a6-073b-f24312c6433_24038473-e041-4d7f-9c51-e5ea6fd6a362.png)
Jennifer Agee, LCPC [Co-Host]
Owner of Counseling Community Inc.
Entrepreneur | Therapist | Podcast Host | Business Strategy Coach | NBCC CE Provider | Speaker
Jennifer is a Licensed Mental Health Therapist, Professional Entrepreneurial Retreat Host and Coach, host of the "Sh*t You Wish You Learned in Grad School" podcast, an internationally known speaker, and owner of Counseling Community, Inc. and Jennifer Agee Counseling & Consulting.
Jennifer has training in EMDR and Hypnotherapy and specializes in Inner Child Work with clients.
She has a passion for helping therapists not only become excellent clinicians but solid practice owners, and she offers online and destination continuing education opportunities to therapists.
![[KEYNOTE SPEAKER] Yunetta Smith, LPC-MHSP, NCC, EMDR Certified Trainer & Approved Consultant](https://kajabi-storefronts-production.kajabi-cdn.com/kajabi-storefronts-production/file-uploads/themes/2157608795/settings_images/33b5ff-884-1c2-4a8a-15c6fe8767d_Yunetta-Smith.png)
[KEYNOTE SPEAKER]
Yunetta Smith, LPC-MHSP, NCC, EMDR Certified Trainer & Approved Consultant
CEO and founder of Spring Forth Counseling & Ground Breakers Coaching and Consulting
Trauma Specialist| EMDRIA Approved Trainer | Author | Media Expert | International Speaker | Self-Care Strategist| Podcast Host
Yunetta Spring Smith is a thriving Therapreneur, blending her expertise as a therapist and entrepreneur. She is the owner of Spring Forth Counseling, Ground Breakers Coaching and Consulting, and the founder of the first BIPOC EMDR Therapy Directory.
Yunetta is a Licensed Professional Counselor, EMDR-certified therapist, approved consultant, trainer, and international speaker. Specializing in supporting the healing of resilient children residing in adult bodies, Yunetta helps clients navigate intersections of historical neglect, coupled with childhood, racial, and religious trauma. Passionate about BIPOC and marginalized communities she emphasizes the importance of race, culture, and identity in her consultations, training, and overall therapeutic approach.
Nationally recognized as a mental health media expert, she spreads awareness through the “Talk It Out Tuesday” mental health segment on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, her upcoming rebranded podcast “Rewired, From The Ground Up,” and her self-published self-care workbook, “Take the Struggle Out of Self-care: Six Weeks to Create Your Self-care Strategy.”
Yunetta is a groundbreaker, stigma breaker, and cycle breaker who plants seeds of encouragement with every encounter. She strives to cultivate spaces where individuals can realize they aren’t broken—they are breaking through
Shaelene Lauriano Kite, LPC, RYT, DBT-LBC
Owner of Rebelmente
Therapist | International Speaker | Group Practice Business Coach | Yoga For Trauma Educator
Shaelene (she/her) is a 4x entrepreneur not limited to her work as a counselor, yoga teacher and practice owner. She leads a group practice of 20+ that has continued to grow rapidly since its opening in 2018. Her practice, DBT of South Jersey earned its first $1 million plus in revenue in just two short years after opening its doors, and continues to grow steadily in subsequent years.
Shaelene is a DBT Expert and Trainer, Yoga for Trauma Educator, International Speaker, and owner of Rebelmente-a mental health training and consulting company. In 2024 Shaelene launched The Rebel Minds Learning Collective, an all inclusive DBT training membership supporting providers in becoming kick ass DBT therapists. Shaelene also co-created the groundbreaking program Stabilize and Scale with her business partner Katie May in order to help visionary group practice with the business side of running a thriving practice.
When not working, you’ll find her at a concert or traveling, taking a long walk with a good podcast, and spending time with her two Christophers (one big, one little) and her weiner dog- Lucy.
Gabrielle Juliano-Villani, LCSW
Founder of GJV Consulting and Training, LLC
Entrepreneur | Therapist | Speaker | Business Coach for the SBA | Trainer | Sound Healer
Gabrielle Juliano-Villani is a licensed clinical social worker, consultant, coach, entrepreneur, and educator based in Sarasota, FL. She has been in the mental health field for over a decade specializing in stress, chronic health conditions, and trauma.
After realizing her own burnout in 2021, she sold her thriving group practice and made it her mission to educate others on the impact stress has on our everyday lives. Gabrielle pulls from her experience as an EMDR and Polyvagal Informed therapist to utilize mind/body approaches to help others implement everyday strategies to manage stress and live their best lives.
Gabrielle is an international speaker, retreat leader, and has been featured in Authority Magazine, The Daily Om, Bustle, and the Everyday Woman TV Network. When she's not working, Gabrielle is teaching Zumba, surfing, or reading a psychological thriller at the beach.
TJ Walsh, LPC
Owner of TJ Walsh Coaching & Consulting, LLC
Entrepreneur | Therapist | Art Therapist | Artist | Coach | Speaker | Podcast Host
TJ Walsh, BFA, MA, LPC, NCC, CCTP is an innovative painter, badass Clini-Coach®, and dynamic psychotherapist, educator, brand strategist, and higher education administrator based in Philly.
TJ has worked at the colorful intersection of creativity, art, therapy, and education for over 20 years and is an expert in creativity, relationships, fear, and procrastination. He received his BFA in Graphic Design from The University of the Arts, Philadelphia and his MA in Clinical Counseling Psychology from Eastern University, Saint Davids, PA.
He believes every human being is inherently creative – particularly when they access their authentic selves – and is passionate about helping people understand who they are and what their vision, mission, and purpose is as a creative. He’s also a mega fan of connecting people via his expansive network.
TJ is the Board Chair for InLiquid, a nonprofit arts organization, and the Philadelphia Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy (PCEFT). He currently lives in Philly with his wife and two sons, a dog and cat, 65 houseplants and counting, and a robust and growing collection of artwork from emerging artists.
Cindi Miller, MS LCMHC
Entrepreneur | Therapist | Perfectionism and Coping Skills Specialist | Mindset and Confidence Coach for Athletes | Copywriting Coach for Therapists |
Cindi, is a licensed mental health counselor at Patrick Casale's group practice in North Carolina and also has her own private practice in Indiana. Her specialty as a therapist is on body image, perfectionism, and eating disorders.
As a former high level volleyball coach, Cindi has worked with high achievers, perfectionists, and folks riddled with imposter syndrome for a long time. She is dedicated to helping individuals cultivate a positive relationship with themselves, build confidence, and make lasting changes to better their lives.
Cindi stumbled into a passion for copywriting for other therapists through Patrick’s early private practice coaching groups. She loves getting to know a therapist's authentic self, the “why” for doing what they do, and helping them create their marketing profiles and website copy - words that make their ideal clients say “damn, this therapist gets me!”
Cindi is a lover of sports, her cats, travel, and is a seeker of justice and advocacy. Cindi is also trained in Human Design, a holistic system that uses differentiation as its guiding principle, a process for detaching from what society thinks is right for us, and instead, re-establishing our individuality.
Maureen Werrbach, LCPC
Owner of The Group Practice Exchange
Entrepreneur | Therapist | Group Practice Coach and Extraordinaire | Group Practice Owner | Speaker
Maureen developed her coaching program, The Group Practice Exchange, based not only on her own experience with starting her private practice but also growing it into a successful group practice.
She spent countless hours researching how to start a private practice (the legal and procedural steps) and then many more hours learning how to grow it into a group (again trying to figure out the appropriate steps). Through trial and error, she learned what works and what doesn’t in running a counseling group practice.
Maureen thoroughly enjoy helping clinicians become confident and organized group practice business owners.
Blaise Harris, LCMHC, NCC
Owner of G Squared Consulting and Counseling Services
Author | Entrepreneur | Podcaster | Speaker | The Dope Black Therapist
Blaise is a LCMHC (licensed clinical mental health counselor) and EMDR certified therapist. With almost 15 years’ experience as a firefighter, Blaise became a fixture in the Fire and Life Safety Education world. Although he is no longer part of the fire service, his ties run deep. Blaise became The Dope Black Therapist, initially, because he wanted to be a therapist for first responders. He knows that we will not talk to just anyone and we want to talk to someone that actually “gets it.” Blaise later realized that he wanted to be a voice, an ear, and support for Black males and people of color dealing with their mental health. After going through his own problems with depression, divorce, and grief, Blaise brings a unique perspective to how he does therapy. Blaise’s focus is trauma and he utilizes several treatment modalities in sessions including expressive and martial arts. Blaise is a published author of Becoming The Dope Black Therapist, runs a men’s support group every other Thursday in his hometown of Bunn, and hosts a bi-weekly podcast called, The Dope Black Therapist.
✈️ Don't Miss Out... ✈️
Save your spot for the Maine 2026 Doubt Yourself, Do It Anyway Summit!
Testimonial:
Patrick & Jennifer create incredible events. As a member of the LGBTQIA2+ community, I was amazed at how safe and supportive the Portugal experience was. 10/10....Highly Recommended.
-Heather
Testimonial:
I've come to 5 of Patrick and Jennifer's events since 2022. These have been life changing, especially because I've traveled solo to all of them. I always leave feeling inspired, and with new friends. I keep coming back for a reason, and I highly recommend these retreats.
-Leah
Testimonial:
Ever since I found out about these retreats from a friend, I've gone to 3 of them. Every time, I am blown away by how carefully curated they are, and how much value they offer. I always leave feeling inspired, creative, and connected. Traveling the world like this has become a dream come true.
-Jessica
A Special Thank You To All Of Our Sponsors
Register Today!!! Only $999.
Earn up to 9 NBCC CES!!!
Don't Miss Out----- Secure Your Spot Today
Secure Your SpotFAQs
What is the itinerary for the summit?
What is not included in the price?
Can my partner/guest attend the summit?
Are payment plans available?
Where are we staying in Maine?
What is the cancelation and refund policy?
Is airfare included?
Is there a hospital in the city center?
Is there a pharmacy in the town?
Can my allergies/diet be accommodated?
Are there handicap accessible rooms?
Are hotel accommodations Included?
Is this area safe for BIPOC/LGBTQ+?
What is the weather like in September
Will there be CEs?
Which airport should I fly into?
Do I Need To Be A Therapist To Attend?
Accessibility Statement
The Empowered Escapes Summit is a neurodiversity-affirming, sensory-friendly, and accessible event.
We offer multiple seating options, quiet spaces for pacing or stimming, and fidget tools throughout the venue.
Eye contact is never required, participation is always invitational, and you’re encouraged to show up exactly as you are.
If you need specific accommodations, please email jennifer@empoweredescapes.com by August 1, 2026 so we can support your comfort and participation.
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BECOME A SPONSOR FOR THE SUMMIT
