Welcome to
Living Kindness
Where nature meets community, and no one walks alone!
THE HEART OF OUR COMMUNITY
Living Kindness is a welcoming community for people loving someone through a difficult mental health journey. Many in our circle are supporting a loved one struggling with substance use disorder or recovery; here, all who seek connection, understanding, and renewal are welcome.
our vision:
A world where no one loving someone through a difficult mental health journey feels alone, and where connection and compassion help individuals and families flourish.
our mission:
Living Kindness offers connection through creativity, mindfulness, and community—in nature, in circles, and online—for those loving someone through a difficult journey, including substance use disorder and recovery, so joy returns and no one walks alone.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
- Supportive Community: Connect with others who understand your journey, offering mutual support and encouragement.
- Authentic Dialogue: Promoting open, honest dialogue and genuine relationships among community members, creating a safe space for shared experiences.
- Personal Growth: Discover joy and gratitude amidst challenges, and learn to trust your inner wisdom.
- Holistic Wellness: Explore diverse self-care practices integrating mind, body, and spirit for overall well-being.
- Positive Impact: As you heal, empower others facing similar challenges, creating a cycle of support.
Join us to find strength, hope, and holistic growth as you navigate this path. Together, we’ll nurture your well-being and uncover moments of joy.
OUR CORE VALUES
Kindness: Extending genuine care to oneself, others, and the environment.
Community: Creating a supportive and authentic community.
Compassion: Practicing empathy, understanding, and acceptance through honest, open dialogue.
Hope: Inspiring optimism and belief in the possibility of recovery and healing.
HOW TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
Together, we embrace wellness and empower one another.
THE LIVING KINDNESS RETREAT
Our retreat experiences are intentionally small and intimate, with group sizes not exceeding
fifteen people. Together, we’ll navigate this journey, and you’ll never have to feel alone.
Nestled in the serene woods just outside Madison, WI, the Living Kindness Retreat offers a warm and inviting home-like environment where you can connect with others who share similar experiences. Our retreat provides a tranquil escape from the demands of daily life.
Operated by Christine Quinn, a seasoned facilitator with extensive experience in leadership and coaching, Living Kindness brings together a diverse team of practitioners to offer a wide range of healing and wellness services.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
Connection
Forge meaningful connections with individuals who understand your challenges.
Wellness
Discover inner peace through activities like artistic expression, energy medicine, nutritious cooking, and yoga.• Nature: Reconnect with the healing power of nature.
Support
Access ongoing support and coping skills to reduce stress and increase resilience. Our retreat experiences are intentionally small and intimate, with group sizes not exceeding fifteen people. Together, we’ll navigate this journey, and you’ll never have to feel alone.
Join Us at Living Kindness operated by Christine Quinn, a seasoned facilitator with extensive experience in workshop leadership and coaching, Living Kindness brings together a diverse team of practitioners to offer a wide range of healing and wellness services.
CHRISTINE J. QUINN
Christine Quinn, Ph. D is a visionary leader in higher education, a certified coach, and an energy healer driven by a profound commitment to meaningful and compassionate endeavors. Her journey began in a nurturing, empathetic family that instilled in her a deep sense of service from a tender age.
But it was her personal experience, supporting a loved one through the trials of substance misuse, that ignited an unyielding determination within her. Christine’s mission goes beyond her own lifetime; it’s a movement designed to thrive through the unwavering dedication of healing professionals and volunteers who will carry its torch forward. Her story is one of transformation and an unwavering belief in the power of compassion to change lives.
MARNI HESS, Ma, LPC
Marni Hess Is a psychotherapist and crisis stabilization clinician. She is passionate about being present for and empowering adults who struggle with mental health and substance use issues. She utilizes years of both professional and personal experience to assist and support individuals as they work towards self love and a healthier way of living. She has a deep gratitude for the life she has been given and is called to continue learning how to heal and bring light to those she serves. Her deep belief in the miraculous healing power of spirit guides her and positively impacts the lives she touches. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her fur babies, grandchildren, friends and family.
LORI FRISON, MS, LPC
Lori Frison is a Psychotherapist and Certified Relationship Coach. She is passionate about helping women experience greater love in their relationships, both with others and with themselves. Lori believes that self-love creates the foundation for all other relationships. This led her to develop the Redefining Love coaching program which guides women to stay centered, speak their truth, and set healthy limits with others all from a place of kindness and respect. She enjoys meditation, spirituality, and all things nature. She is an ongoing student of love in her marriage of 30 years and with her three grown children, who she adores.
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MAUREEN LIEN
Maureen Lein is an abstract artist, retired reading teacher, and lifelong farmer-shepherdess. Her journey is one of constant exploration and connection. Through her art, she paints emotions and dreams; as an educator, she has shaped young minds, and on her farm, she has nurtured life. But beyond the tangible, Maureen’s spiritual journey spans decades as she seeks inner peace and harmony through various practices, all while embracing the abundant spirit of Mother Earth.
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Jessica Riphenburg
Jessica Riphenburg is a Shamanic Practitioner and founder of Be The Light Shamanic Healing, where she offers group and one-on-one work. She revels in facilitating uplifting and safe environments for participants to find inner peace, transformation, and soul aligned community through empowering experiences that center emotional, spiritual & energetic healing. Her mission is to help all that join her circle to connect more deeply with their personal spiritual nature while respecting cultural boundaries and walking lightly on our Mother Earth.
Born into a family of natural intuitives, mediums and clairvoyants, brushes with the spirit world have always been a normal part of life for her and her family. In her late teens, supernatural occurrences and health issues intensified in ways that are typically known as “The Call” to step into the role of Healer. However, while her family had retained their lineage’s natural gifts, the wisdom of their ancestors had been stripped away in previous generations, and without that framework, those experiences were pathologized for years before she found spiritual mentors that understood. Jessica has since received training in both Core & Peruvian shamanism, and has been walking the shamanic path since 2011.
Join Us at Living Kindness
Where kindness, compassion, and community come together to create a brighter journey ahead. You are not alone in this.
Together, we embrace wellness and empower one another.
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