Building Spiritual Community

Kellee White

Kellee White, LMFT is an internationally recognized Spiritual Medium, licensed psychotherapist, author, and transformational guide who bridges psychology and spirituality to help individuals navigate grief, trauma, life transitions, and soul healing. She integrates psychotherapy, mediumship, Vedic astrology, numerology, and Destiny Card guidance to support healing and personal transformation. Kellee hosts Ask Me Anything with Kellee White, co-hosted Life After Death & Beyond with James Van Praagh for over 180 episodes, and currently co-hosts Psychology & the Soul with Dr. Shirley Impellizzeri, PhD. She collaborates with teachers including Janelle Campbell, offering classes focused on grief, healing, and spiritual connection. Kellee is the Amazon #1 bestselling author of Cracked Open: Discovering the Unseen World and creator of the Whispers from the Soul community.

Dani Van de Velde

Dani Van de Velde is a passionate advocate for living a spiritually aligned life in the modern world. She is a meditation teacher, Reiki Master, psychic medium, and author of Spirited. She is the founder of Spirited Living and Spirited Business online communities, a broadcaster on News for the Soul Radio, and host of The Modern Crone podcast. Her broader studies include advanced mediumship training at Arthur Findlay College in the UK, extensive Jungian and alchemical studies through the Centre for Applied Jungian Studies, long-term initiations in Indigenous wisdom traditions, and more than 20 years of Satyananda and Hatha Yoga practice. Dani also holds degrees in Commerce and Arts, grounding her spiritual work in strong analytical, financial, and communication skills. At the heart of Dani’s work is a commitment to empowering self-trust, inner authority, and embodied wisdom, offering spirituality that is alive, practical, and deeply human.

DeAnne Sweeney

I founded the Queen of Wands Psychic Fair in 2020 to create an inclusive, judgement‑free space where people could explore spirituality in a way that feels authentic to them. What began as a small local gathering has grown into one of South Australia’s most recognised spiritual events, supporting hundreds of practitioners, healers, readers, artists, and small businesses, and welcoming thousands of visitors each year. My focus has always been on celebrating diversity - offering a platform where many modalities, cultures, and perspectives can be shared with respect and integrity. Queen of Wands has become a place for learning, connection, healing, and community, where people can discover what resonates with them. Seeing friendships, collaborations, and support networks form has been one of my greatest rewards. I’m honoured to be nominated and deeply grateful to everyone who has helped bring this vision to life.

Jodie Mehrtens

What an incredible honour to be nominated for the Spiritual Leaders Awards International in the category of Building Spiritual Community. My name is Jodie Mehrtens, and I'm the founder of The Healing Bower. When I first began this work, I never imagined that one of the greatest joys would be bringing people together. Creating spaces where people feel safe enough to explore their intuition, ask questions, heal, and simply be themselves has become the heart of everything I do. Through Woo Woo Lounge, we gather to share energy healing in all its forms. Through Tarot Lounge and my free online Tarot circles, I have the privilege of supporting both experienced and emerging readers as they develop confidence in their gifts. My Reiki and Tarot courses are designed not just to teach techniques, but to help people trust themselves, find their own unique voice, and step forward to serve others with integrity. One of the things I'm most proud of is seeing people who once doubted themselves now offering readings, healing, and guidance within their own communities. Watching that ripple effect unfold is one of the greatest rewards of this work. At the heart of my philosophy is a simple belief: I believe every one of us carries wisdom, every one of us has something to teach, and every one of us has something to learn. When we come together with humility, curiosity, and compassion, we create communities where healing belongs to everyone. I feel incredibly grateful to be able to do this work and to be surrounded by so many beautiful people who continue to show up for themselves and for each other. This nomination isn't just a recognition of me, it's a recognition of every person who has walked through the doors of The Healing Bower, joined a circle, taken a course, shared their gifts, and helped build a community where everyone belongs. Thank you to the organisers for this wonderful honour, and congratulations to all of the nominees. It is a privilege to stand alongside you.

Narelle Walsh

I believe communities are not built around a brand or a figurehead, they are built around the people within them, held together by genuine, connection and a shared desire to grow. As a connector, empowerer, and spiritual community builder I've witnessed over a decade of impact on the Sunshine Coast and beyond. After leaving a stable corporate career to follow my intuition, I drew on my executive marketing and journalism roots to build a practice grown entirely through word of mouth. Over the years, I've supported countless organisations, events scale from 200 to 2,500+ attendees, guided entrepreneurs into confident leadership, and watched lasting collaborations be born within the communities we've built together. A yogi for over 15 years with a daily spiritual practice, I see myself leading from beside - holding space, opening doors, and seeing potential in people before they see it in themselves. Where others build audiences, I build belonging.

Wayne Pina-Roozemond

Over the last roughly 20 years I have worked within the Spiritual and Pagan communities, initially starting up and running the You Can Heal Yourself Expo and then moving across to the Pagan community roughly 10 years ago and started the First Beltane - Community gathering at Gympie in 2018, and this year will celebrate our ninth gathering on the Sunshine Coast. Five years ago, I started the Witches Market which travels around all of Southeast Queensland to help normalise and demystify what it is to be a pagan and witches in general. I genuinely feel that this has helped many people understand what it is to be Pagan and help them explore new realms

Peggy Richards

Bec Raven Stark

Norse animist, vọlva, torch bearer, way shower. Bec Raven Stark brings the Northern tradition to Southern lands with a deep reverence for spirits of land, sea & sky. Her teachings take you to the centre of Self and the Self of Others, strengthening relation to human and more-than-human beings in this realm & beyond. Bec Raven leads Norse pagan blót and rituals across Australia and is an international mentor in the Norse shamanic practice of Seiðr. She guides Seekers to connection through the Elder Fuþark runes, Rún Valdr healings, Norse Mythology and Northern traditional spirituality and folk magick. Bec Raven is the creator of the Norse Goddess Rune Oracle, published by Blue Angel Publishing, and is the proud birther of her heart-centred business, Stark Raven Runes.

Jasmine Smith

Kia ora my name is Jasmine Smith, I began building my spiritual community through my own healing journey, the friendships made through mutual understandings are ones I cherish deeply, I never knew the path I was travelling would be filled with uncertainty and blessings, I know life is filled with hope and I continue to love life with my family and mokopuna.

Deb Macintyre

Deb Macintyre is an internationally recognised Shaman, Spiritual Teacher, Healer, Retreat Facilitator, Spiritual Leader, & Mentor dedicated to guiding others through healing, transformation, and spiritual awakening Born in Kolkata, India, and raised in Western Australia, Deb’s ancestral Shamanic lineage extends through Tibet, Nepal, India, and Africa. Her gifts were passed down through her matriarchal line, particularly her Grandmother, a Nepalese Shaman of royal lineage With over 35 years’ experience across corporate, healthcare, education, and community sectors, Deb bridges ancient wisdom with grounded modern practice. Through retreats, healing, mentoring, sound healing, and Shamanic practices, she empowers people to release trauma, reconnect with themselves, and step into aligned, purpose-led lives Deb has facilitated transformational retreats and spiritual immersions throughout Australia and internationally, impacting thousands through her teachings, leadership, and healing work

Jo Rolfe

I’m Jo, a transformational coach, intuitive healer, and somatic practitioner grounded in lived experience and professional training. I guide people through profound inner shifts, helping them reclaim power, clarity, and purpose through trauma‑informed healing, ceremony, and embodied wisdom that creates real, lasting change.

Jo Watkins

I began reading with the Rider Waite Smith Tarot deck in the early 1990’s. This led me to my love of teaching beginners Tarot using the RWS deck, which began in 2008. I have taught throughout Perth, TAFE adult learning centres, and the Southwest. Currently teaching from the comfort of home on a one-on-one basis. I am proud of all my students and the levels they have achieved, especially the exceptional ones who are now considered professional readers within Perth and the surrounding areas. In 2018, I became a professional member of The Tarot Guild of Australia, and in 2019, I opened the first branch of The Tarot Guild of Australia in Perth, Western Australia. In 2020, I created a hand-drawn Tarot deck- self-published and based on the RWS deck, proudly printed in Australia, which a copy features in the Tokyo Tarot Museum in Japan. In 2023, I held the first Western Australia Tarot Conference and have held it annually since.

Emma Stawicki

Hi, I'm Em Stawicki The Spiritual Rebel, Psychic Medium, Spiritual Mentor and founder of Modern Mediumship Academy. I'm on a mission to bridge the gap between life and death through modern mediumship while challenging the beliefs that keep so many people doubting themselves and their abilities. Through my teaching, mentorship programmes, retreats and online community, I've helped hundreds of aspiring mediums realise they don't need to spend a decade sitting in circles to connect with Spirit. My work blends mediumship, shadow work and trauma-informed practices because I believe mediumship isn't just about connecting with loved ones in Spirit, it's a powerful healing modality that brings comfort, closure and hope. Most of all, I'm passionate about creating a space for the misfits, sensitive souls and spiritual rebels who never quite felt they belonged. Because spirituality shouldn't be about following the rules, it should be about finding what feels true to you.

Jeanette Holland