Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashleigh Hakes.
Hi Ashleigh, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I often say that my life has been a journey of remembering who I am.
As a little girl, I was always asking questions. I questioned the beliefs I was handed, I searched for deeper meaning, and life gave me experiences that challenged my sense of safety, identity, and belonging at a very young age. As I grew older, I experienced trauma, an abusive marriage, heartbreak, and several seasons where I truly believed I was starting over. What I didn’t realize at the time was that every one of those experiences was preparing me for the work I do today.
For almost two decades, I’ve immersed myself in the study of human development, transformational leadership, ceremony, community building, experiential design, and conscious business. I’ve had the privilege of leading retreats, breathwork, ceremonies, workshops, masterminds, and immersive experiences while serving in leadership roles for retreat centers, festivals, and conscious communities.
Through all of that, I discovered that transformation isn’t taught, it’s experienced.
That’s what led me to become an Immersive Experience & Retreat Architect and Strategist. Today, I help purpose-driven leaders build experiences that transform lives. I mentor retreat leaders, facilitators, yoga teachers, sound healers, and entrepreneurs in bringing their visions into tangible reality by creating retreats and immersive experiences that foster authentic belonging, meaningful transformation, and lasting impact.
At the heart of everything I do is one simple belief that every person is here for a reason. My mission is to help people remember who they are, embody divine purpose, and create ripple effects that transform the lives of others.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road.
My journey has included childhood trauma, growing up in a home where fear and control shaped much of my early life, and learning very young what it felt like to have my voice and sense of safety disrupted. Then at 21, I entered a marriage that became abusive, and leaving it required me to rebuild not only my life, but my identity.
There have also been painful endings in business, friendships and romantic relationships, and community. Shutting down one of my all time favorite things I’ve ever done in 2023 felt like losing a dream I had poured my entire self into. Then a few months later, the intensity of the Texas Eclipse experience (a story for another day) less than one year later, came a another reset and then a conflict within another community I helped build two years later, brought me back into yet another season of uncertainty and reinvention. But life goes on.
One of the hardest parts has been continuing to trust myself when something I believed in and poured my whole heart into falls apart. There have been many moments when I questioned whether anyone would sign up for my things, whether my work mattered, or whether I had the energy to begin again.
And what I can say is that each chapter taught me that I was never truly returning to square one. I was returning with more experience, discernment, resilience, systems, and a deeper understanding of what it means to lead with integrity.
The struggles shaped the way I work today. I care deeply about emotional safety, transparent leadership, sustainable systems, and creating spaces where people feel genuinely seen and supported. My work is not built from theory alone. It has been shaped by living through loss, rebuilding repeatedly, and learning how to turn pain into purpose without pretending the pain was easy.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I help purpose-driven leaders build experience-led businesses.
What I mean by that is this… instead of simply selling information, products, or services, I help people create and personally create transformational experiences that become the heartbeat of their business. Whether that’s a retreat, workshop, community gathering, immersive event, or leadership experience, my work is about designing environments where people don’t just learn something, they leave changed.
I’ve produced and supported hundreds of transformational experiences for thousands of people, from intimate circles to large-scale retreats and festivals. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside facilitators, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, Indigenous leaders, and conscious communities around the world. Through that journey, I’ve discovered that unforgettable experiences don’t happen by accident. They’re intentionally designed.
Today, I mentor leaders who want to build, fill, and facilitate experiences that people trust, remember, and return to again and again. We work on everything from vision, messaging, and event design to facilitation, logistics, community building, and creating a business that grows through meaningful human connection.
What I’m most proud of isn’t the number of events I’ve produced. It’s seeing someone who once doubted themselves confidently step into leadership and create spaces that genuinely change lives. Watching that ripple effect extend into hundreds, or even thousands, of other people is what inspires me every day.
I think what sets me apart from any business, artist, or professional is that it is all three in one. I bridge strategy and transformation, art and business. I care just as much about the participant’s emotional journey as I do the space, the registration page, the schedule, the marketing, and the operations. Beautiful experiences require both heart and structure. When those come together, an event becomes more than something people attend; it becomes something they carry with them long after it’s over.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I’ve coined the term experience-led businesses and I truly believe we’re entering the era of experience-led businesses.
For years, businesses have competed on information. Today, information is everywhere and becoming increasingly commoditized. You can Google anything. And, with AI making knowledge more accessible than ever, what people are really searching for is connection, belonging, transformation, and real human experiences.
I think we’ll continue to see a shift away from transactional business models, and we’ll go more toward communities that gather in meaningful ways. Retreats, immersive workshops, membership communities, live events, and transformational experiences won’t just be marketing tools; they’ll become the core of how brands build trust and long-term relationships.
At the same time, I believe the bar is going to get much higher. As the industry grows, people will become more discerning about who they trust with their time, money, and emotional well-being. Leaders will need to develop not only great marketing but also the skills to create safe, well-designed, and deeply impactful experiences.
I’m excited about that future because it means authenticity, integrity, and thoughtful facilitation will matter more than ever.
My hope is to help shape that future by equipping purpose-driven leaders to create experiences that don’t just fill seat. They genuinely change lives. When we design experiences with intention, everyone benefits when the leader builds a sustainable business, and the community leaves more connected, empowered, and inspired than when they arrived.
Pricing:
- Free Resources: Identity Playbook and educational content to help purpose-driven leaders gain clarity and begin creating transformational experiences.
- Workshops & Masterclasses: Free community trainings and paid workshops starting around $50–$500, depending on the format and depth.
- 1:1 Strategy & Experience Design: Custom consulting and mentorship for leaders building retreats, workshops, and community experiences. Pricing begins at $500.
- Experience-Led Business Mentorship: Ongoing mentorship for purpose-driven leaders who want to build, fill, and lead transformational experiences. Investment varies based on the level of support.
- Custom Event Production & Facilitation: Pricing is tailored to the scope, size, and complexity of each event.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ahempowers.me
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleigh.hakes.empowers
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theashamaleigh
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleigh-hakes/
- Other: https://www.sacredexplorer.life
