Hi, I’m dr. Naomi watkins

Providing Women with Grounded Tools for navigating Radical Change

I guide women who are navigating radical change—grief, career shifts, major loss—to intentionally root, rebuild, and rewrite their stories. My mission is to ensure that a period of change doesn't lead to burnout, but instead transforms into the most powerful, grounded era of your life.

The Sequoia Circle is built on one core truth: Change isn't a crisis; it is life's only constant. Since upheaval is inevitable, our work focuses on giving you the grounded tools to meet every shift with resilience. Our central program, The Cycles of Grounded Change, is the home for this work, teaching you to thrive by accessing ancient wisdom and developing new embodied practices rooted in the natural world.

The Source of Wisdom: The Ocean, The Sequoia, and The Circle

In an early therapy session after I was assaulted, years after leaving organized religion, I confessed to my therapist that I was utterly exhausted. The pain of my trauma was too much to carry alone, but I couldn't bear to hold it any longer.

She asked: "What can you do with this pain right now?"

I closed my eyes, and the answer arrived as a vision. I let the ocean hold me and scream all that pain into its dark, deep abyss, visualizing the earth absorbing every bit of it. A wave then carried me to a giant sequoia—a scar on its trunk, an opening. Enveloped by that great tree, I felt safe and warm. As the water nourished its roots, I merged with its trunk, becoming part of its enduring strength.

I then saw myself standing tall in a large circle of sequoias. Our branches swayed, nodding in recognition of our similar journeys. We stood in counsel, in solidarity. Collectively strong.

My healing has not involved any one thing or followed a linear path. Community supports me. Therapy delivers me. Myth and story reveal possibilities. And nature holds and guides me. She reminds me that this beautiful natural world—a world that has endured abuse and violence—has shown me how to let old things die, to rebuild, to regrow, and to thrive with magnificent splendor.

The Methodology: Blending Structure & Embodiment

The problem is, we usually try to hustle our way through change, frantically trying to rebuild a new life with the very tools that led to the collapse. The Sequoia Circle offers the antidote. This program will teach you how to shift out of hustle by embracing the natural rhythm of the seasons and developing a new, reliable toolkit of embodied practices to achieve grounded, sustainable transformation.

My guidance blends rigorous academic structure with embodied, ancient wisdom:

As a Ph.D. in Education and an educational leader, I know how to structure the most complex emotional work into clear, actionable Cycles of Grounded Change. I teach embodiment by showing you how to use the wisdom of your breath (as a certified facilitator) and the natural world (as a certified Forest Therapy Guide) as your most impactful teachers. We use archetype and myth as powerful tools to give voice and shape to your inner transformation.

My commitment to community is proven through co-founding the non-profit Aspiring Mormon Women, which gave many women the courage and support to make a significant leap or change in their professional lives.

Core Values

These principles define the culture and commitment of the Circle:

  • Radical Authenticity: We commit to dropping the masks of perfection. We seek honesty over comfort, believing your messy, true self is your most valuable tool.

  • Grounded Presence: This is the practice of anchoring your attention in your body and breath, which is the core source of your resilience against chaos.

  • The Power of the Collective: We are anti-guru. The wisdom in this work is shared, ensuring you never feel isolated in your change.

  • Ethical Container: We approach all work from a trauma-informed perspective. This is not a replacement for medical care or clinical therapy. We encourage all members to maintain professional therapeutic support as needed.

Logistics and PlaCE

The Structure of Our Work Together

You can join us for long-term programs like The Cycles of Grounded Change (delivered through digital content and online community), or connect through our in-person workshops and events.

Honoring Place

My own deep rooting is in Salt Lake City, Utah, on the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Shoshone and Ute Tribes. This connection to place informs the wisdom I bring to my practice and every teaching.

Credentials and Qualifications

The Invitation

One lone sequoia is a wonder. But a circle of sequoias? That’s a miracle worth investing in. I invite you to stand and grow with me and other survivors in The Sequoia Circle, spreading our branches and wisdom into the possibilities of the future.