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Our Story

The vision for Call To Lead came to Kelsey after speaking at a women’s conference. She shared her story, but also heard the stories of countless other inspiring women and noticed how people lit up when presented with an opportunity to offer something for the collective. It was clear that people desired to share their gifts, but struggled with feeling worthy to do so or how to bring it to life. She noticed how most retreats often featured the key leaders surrounded by a larger group of attendees. What if instead, a retreat could be a collaboration - where everyone was both a leader and an attendee, where the collective could create something magical that gave each person the opportunity to contribute their gifts and feel the impact of leading?

 

At a sister gathering, Kelsey shared this concept with Ariel, who had always had a big vision to design her own retreat sanctuary and create healing spaces for people of all different backgrounds. Ariel sat with the Call To Lead vision for a few months and kept feeling the call to book a venue in Joshua Tree. Together, Kelsey and Ariel partnered to bring the first Call To Lead retreat to life in June 2024.

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As with many first ventures, Call To Lead grew organically, and not always in the way we would have expected. We were repeatedly reminded throughout the planning process to surrender and trust. What came through was the most incredible group of women who leaned in, shared their stories, and offered their gifts for the collective. While the retreat experience was profound, the transformation remained long after with many now desiring to host their own Call To Lead retreats in future.

 

With this vision, it’s not just about the retreat, it’s about who each person becomes as a result of being witnessed in their brilliance, and the lives that will be touched long after because they answered the call to lead.

Call To Lead Retreat in Joshua Tree, California

Your Founders

Projector

Aries Sun, Gemini Moon, Leo Rising

Worthy - Jaime Kern Lima

Be Yourself!

Facial, Bubble bath, Charcuterie Board, 90s Rom Com

 

HUMAN
ASTROLOGICAL

CURRENTLY
GO TO 
SELF CARE

design

sign

mantra

routine

reading

Kelsey Linden - Call To Lead Co-Founder

Generator

Cancer Sun, Pisces Moon, Virgo Rising

Becoming the One - Sheleana Aiyana

Where focus goes, energy flows

Daily morning walks around Lake Hollywood, a solo movie date & the occasional cold plunge

 

HUMAN
ASTROLOGICAL

CURRENTLY
GO TO 
SELF CARE

design

sign

mantra

routine

reading

Ariel McNeely - Call To Lead Co-Founder

Kelsey

Ariel

Co-Founder

Born and raised in Minnesota, Kelsey loves her Midwest roots but has always felt a calling to be in the California sunshine. She moved to Los Angeles in 2008 and built a loving home and community with her partner Daniel. As a Summa Cum Laude graduate from UCLA in English Literature, she has a deep love for reading, and writing, and has produced many published works with many more on the horizon. She is a new mother to her 1-year-old daughter Annalise. Before giving birth, she became a Doula and Hypnobirthing Educator to help fellow parents feel connected, excited, and prepared for birth and postpartum. For a while, Kelsey remained out of the spotlight trying to understand how to share her gifts with the world, but she recently reembraced her power, and now, all she wants to do is help women do the same. 

Co-Founder

Ariel is an East Coast native, whose love for design and aesthetics is shaped from years of living in Connecticut, Los Angeles, and traveling the globe. She feels most aligned at the crossroads of designing and hosting events which foster deep connection and love. Graduating from the University of Connecticut with a degree in Communications & Psychology, Ariel felt drawn to the Event & Design industry which prompted the cross-country move to Los Angeles. Through years of working with venues and event design she has deepened her connection to her creativity. Within her self-growth journey, Ariel has learned to embody her dualities - the joyful, heart-centered, magnetic being who is also complex, cyclical, dark, and powerful. Ariel’s desire is to help other women embrace their truth, cherish their unique individual gifts, and stop hiding from the world.

Lead Facilitators

Kate

Gina

Kate Slaymaker - Call To Lead Spiritual Embodiment Coach
Gina Brown - Call To Lead Yoga Instructor

Breathwork Facilitator & Spiritual Healer

Kate is a trauma informed spiritual lifestyle and embodiment coach; as well as, a certified Breathwork Facilitator, Yoga Teacher, Reiki Master and Soul Purpose Activator. 

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Kate holds space for you to journey through your body and mind, connect with the divine, to find and embody your soul. Kate is passionate about empowering you to come home to all the parts of yourself and alchemise your life from the inside out. 

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Kate believes you are your own best guru and is nurturing, thought provoking and empowering. Kate believes the root of all healing comes from within and that in today’s world it is fundamenal to learn to regulate our nervous system and work with ntural energies within and around us. 

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She is passionate about anchoring you into who you came here to be, breaking free of collective conditioning and growing strong held in community.

Yoga Instructor & Reiki Master

Gina fell in love with yoga by accident when she needed a haven away from being a waiter/actor (in that order) in Los Angeles. From Minnesota, she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BFA in Acting from UMD and drove herself to LA. Through all the hard "life stuff," yoga kept on gently finding her and gifting her a steady, healthy purpose. 

 

Gina is a 500 hour RYT and a Reiki Master. She teaches at Equinox in Hollywood and privately and finds so much joy in seeing her students grow. She is committed to showing up fully so that her students can feel safe to do the same. She invites her students to meet themselves where they're at and with as much self compassion as possible. She likens her teaching style to the message of the Coyote: a balance of wisdom and folly. 

 

Yoga for her isn't just a physical practice - it is an intentional, spiritual way of being that she hopes to inspire others to find for themselves.

"Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self." - Bhagavad Gita

Serene Yoga Studio

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