Meet The Team
Our Core Team: Experienced Guides in Sacred Plant Medicine
At Gaian Rhythm, our retreats are held by a deeply connected circle of space holders, facilitators, and artists who have been walking this path together for years. We are not just colleagues, we are family, forged through ceremony, seasons, and shared purpose. Our core team has held every retreat side by side, creating a container that is rooted, consistent, and steeped in mutual trust. That bond lives in everything we do, from the way we move together in ceremony, to how we support each other and our guests through every stage of the journey.
Each team member brings years of experience in their own right, from Shipibo-trained ayahuasca facilitation, to somatic and trauma-informed therapy, sacred firekeeping, ritual music, and nourishment as prayer. But it is our collective rhythm that holds the deepest medicine. We move in harmony, like the cycles we honor, each retreat aligning with the turning of the wheel, the seasons of the earth, and the inner transformation they reflect.
This is more than a gathering. It is a living prayer carried by a team that is committed not only to the medicine, but to each other, and to holding you, with integrity and care, every step of the way.
Stormie
Founder & Medicine Carrier
Stormie's path with ayahuasca began in 2018, sitting regularly in ceremony and doing the kind of sustained personal work that doesn't resolve quickly. By 2021 she had begun helping out behind the scenes, and by 2022 that had grown into something much more total.
From 2022 forward, she built and ran Gaian Rhythm in full: designing the seasonal philosophy and retreat framework, structuring every schedule, screening every participant, writing every email, managing staff and supplies. In ceremony, she sat at the altar alongside the medicine carrier, sang in every circle, held the space energetically, smudged, and was the primary point of contact for any participant needing support during a difficult experience. If the medicine carrier stepped out, she was in charge. She knew every person in that container and was responsible for reading the room.
In 2024, she began more formal dieta work in Peru to deepen her relationship with the medicine and to train as a backup if the situation ever called for it. Later that year, unexpected circumstances placed her in the serving role earlier than she had planned. Rather than cancel on a community that had already committed and paid, she stepped forward.
Her formal training has been with Don Enrique Lopez, a Shipibo curandero who comes from a multi-generational line of healers and has been working with the medicine for over 30 years. She has completed multiple month-long dietas under his guidance and continues to return for deeper work. Don Enrique knows she serves medicine and has been supportive of her continued path. Her entire team has committed to completing a dieta together in 2026.
She does not describe herself as a “Curandera.” That title belongs to a lineage and a lifetime of work she respects too much to claim prematurely. What she will say is that her relationship with this medicine spans eight years, that she has sat in hundreds of ceremonies, that she continues to return to the jungle to deepen her practice, and that she holds what she does with the seriousness it deserves.
Stormie also brings a foundation in esoteric studies, astrology, and the Wheel of the Year that shapes how Gaian Rhythm relates to ceremony as part of a living seasonal rhythm rather than an isolated event. That framework is her own, and it runs through everything the organization does.
Ayahuasca Integration Practitioner | IFS-I Trained | Somatic Processing
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Ayahuasca Integration Practitioner | IFS-I Trained | Somatic Processing
Kate is a seasoned integration practitioner with a deep background in trauma-informed care, somatic practices, and spiritual healing. She weaves together training in Internal Family Systems (IFS-I) parts work, somatic processing, and plant medicine integration to offer grounded, heart-centered support for those navigating the transformative realms of ayahuasca and spiritual experiences.
With years of experience in confidential client care within the mental wellness field, Kate brings grounded and intuitive insight to her work. Her approach is rooted in compassion, curiosity, and a deep respect for the inner healer within each person. She holds space for the full spectrum of what arises in integration — from shadow material and re-patterning to mystical breakthroughs and ancestral remembrance.
Drawing on her studies in plant medicine traditions, depth work, and earth-based spirituality, Kate bridges indigenous and Western frameworks to guide clients into embodied, soulful integration. Whether supporting first-time seekers or long-time journeyers, she helps people reconnect to their inner wisdom, repair their nervous systems, and anchor spiritual insight into meaningful, sustainable life changes.
Musician and Retreat Chef
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Dale – Musician, Retreat Chef, and Ceremonial Support
Dale is a lifelong professional musician whose journey into medicine work began with rhythm. With decades of experience in performance, recording, and soundcraft, he brings a deep musical presence to the Gaian Rhythm container. In ceremony, his guitar offers medicine songs that soothe, uplift, and connect—each note carrying intentionality and reverence. His music helps weave the unseen threads of the night, creating a bridge between the seen and the sacred.
Outside of ceremony, Dale also nourishes the body through his role in the kitchen. With a heart for hospitality, he prepares meals that are grounding, clean, and made with care—helping participants feel supported in every sense. Whether by flame or fretboard, Dale’s offerings are a vital part of the rhythm we walk together.
Assistant Event Coordinator
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Assistant Event Coordinator & Ceremonial Support
Teddy is the one who quietly makes everything run smoothly. At every Gaian Rhythm retreat, he oversees logistics with calm precision—ensuring the space is cared for, the schedule flows, and guests have what they need to feel held outside of ceremony. If you’re wondering where something is or when something’s happening, chances are, someone’s already said, “Ask Teddy.”
In ceremony, he brings a strong, grounded presence that many guests describe as quietly comforting. While his work often happens behind the scenes, his energy is felt throughout the container. Teddy’s consistency, steadiness, and devotion to the experience are a core part of what makes Gaian Rhythm feel like home.
Retreat Operations & Technical Support
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Retreat Operations & Technical Support
Nathan is our resident “McGyver,” the one we call when something goes sideways and a solution is needed fast. A Marine Corps veteran with a master’s degree in engineering from Purdue, he brings both discipline and ingenuity to every retreat. Known for his creativity and steady hands, he’s the problem solver who keeps things running, whether that means troubleshooting technology, repairing what’s broken, or stepping into the kitchen to lend support.
His adaptability extends into the ceremonial space, where he not only contributes with live music but also anchors the circle with a strong, grounded presence. Reliable and resourceful, Nathan thrives on meeting challenges head on and finding ways to make the impossible work. His presence is a solid pillar in the container, ensuring that both the practical and the unseen details are cared for. A true jack of all trades, he holds the threads together so the flow of our gatherings remains uninterrupted, allowing the deeper work of the medicine to unfold in safety and ease.
Additional Retreat Support & Ceremony Team
in addition to our core facilitation team, each retreat is supported by a group of dedicated co-facilitators who help hold the container with care, presence, and deep respect for the medicine. These team members assist with ceremony setup, tending to the fire, creating a grounded atmosphere, and ensuring logistical and physical needs are met throughout the retreat.
Their continued presence across multiple retreats contributes to the strength and consistency of the space. Each one brings their own unique gifts and sense of service to the circle, helping us maintain the integrity and flow of the container from arrival to departure.
