“It was the first time I'd ever said the words to another person,
and the sound of them broke open my heart.”
Sue Monk Kidd – The Secret Life of Bees
The Front Porch Series was co-created by Mindy Danylak & Shannon Price, two friends who have worked with women from sea to shining sea, literally...from the rocky beaches of Washington & Oregon to the woods of Alabama & South Carolina, and all around the world -- North & Central America, Europe, Asia, Indonesia, and the Caribbean.
Mindy is a spiritual director and group facilitator with The Selah Center. She has a background in law and psychology. She finds contemplative spirituality to be a support toward presence in the midst of busy family life as well as a rich pathway for individuals and communities toward growth and transformation through intimacy with God. Mindy is a trained certified spiritual director and meets with individuals in-person in the Seattle area or online. She enjoys travel, photography, art museums, long walks, and the perfect park bench. Mindy loves cooking and gathering friends and family around the table. She and her husband live in the Seattle area with their son.
Shannon has a master's degree in spiritual nurture and serves as an athletics chaplain. She loves traveling, volunteering, diving, and searching for the perfect beach. After medical school she worked as an optometrist for several years before following her heart's call to focus her time on mentoring college women and young moms. She loves to dance and is a certified Zumba instructor. She and her husband live in Seattle with their children.
We both grew up in small towns and have a heart for the needs of poor and exploited people around the globe, particularly women trapped in international and domestic sex trafficking. We have worked together to raise scholarships for students in the Philippines, and each have our own way of responding to and supporting women.
We met in 2002 and started working together in 2007 on endeavors including individual and group mentoring, book groups and workshops (values, relationships, body image, personality, spirituality), writing retreats and story circles. We've met with men and women of all ages, from entering college to entering retirement, and around topics as diverse as marriage and family, friendship, body image, infertility, adoption and childbirth, sexuality, creativity, grief and loss, death and dying, illness and vitality, abuse and violence, spiritual abuse, and more.
We launched The Front Porch Series after consistently hearing women express how participating in our groups and gatherings helped them feel known, valued, more aware, and less lonely. We have designed and facilitated a variety of styles of gatherings and have thousands of hours of experience meeting and talking about life with people in ways that are nurturing, encouraging, spacious, and connective, grounded in listening well.
We are based in Seattle and are highly portable -- if you're unable to attend a local offering let us know what you're dreaming of...we can always consider travel to your region!
Welcome to the Porch!
