THE JOYFUL COVEN
A circle for women and femme-identifying folk who are tired of carrying it all on their own.
20-22 November 2026 – Community Room, Abbotsford Convent– Melbourne
Home each night – $1050 full price | $950 early bird (solidarity discounts and payment plans available)
Registration closes Friday, 14 November 2026
Is this you?
You’ve done everything that was expected of you. Ticked the boxes they told us to tick. Tried to fit yourself into the boxes they insisted we sit in. You turn up for others (because of course you do). You put others first, even when you’re running dry. You’re the one people rely on because you always do what’s right and you do it well.
And somewhere along the way, life stopped feeling good and started feeling empty.
Maybe you’re a bit numb. Maybe you’re grieving the person you used to be and the things you used to love. Maybe you’re boiling with rage at everything around us. And maybe, like so many of us, you’re awake at 3am asking yourself: is this it?
You might feel like you’re living in two worlds – the one that keeps running the way it always has (no matter how it hurts you), and the one that’s calling you towards something different.
You’re not alone.
That’s why the Joyful Coven was created.
First up, there is nothing wrong with you.
You’re not broken and you’re not what needs fixing. You don’t need to be endlessly optimised (like a product). You’re exhausted because you’ve been carrying the weight of everything on your own in a system that isolates us from each other and then tries to sell us solutions in pretty packaging.
You don’t need yet another methodology for fixing yourself.
And you don’t need anyone’s permission to feel joy.
What you need is a circle.
(No steak knives included).
What is The Joyful Coven?
The Joyful Coven is a circle of women and femme-identifying folk, held by two skilled facilitators. Nobody is an expert on your life. Everyone in the circle brings with them wisdom to share. Everyone is invited to trust their intuition. We’ll laugh together. We’ll scream and swear if we need to. We’ll dance, drum and call in our joy. And we’ll accompany each other on the path to the matriarchy with kindness and care. We won’t hand you a five-step plan. We’ll bring the compass and the key, and a warm, safe space to use them. You’ll be supported by all those in the circle with you and you’ll have a chance to support and witness them in turn.
What happens in The Joyful Coven?
(stays in The Joyful Coven)
Friday, 20 November – Opening the Circle – 6.00pm-7.30pm (optional but recommended). We’ll gather at Abbotsford Convent on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin Nation to welcome you in, open our circle and connect. You’ll meet the women travelling with you so you’re not walking into the weekend with strangers.
Saturday 21 November – Curiosity & Creativity – 10.00am-6.00pm. We gather, drum, draw, dance and play. We’ll meet what’s been holding you back and learn how to move with it, not push against it. You’ll discover the archetypes that light you up and begin creating your Map of Joyful Becoming.
Sunday 22 November – Courage & Compassion – 10.00am-6.00pm. We explore what happens when we take small steps in the direction of joyful matriarchy. You’ll be guided through a process to identify the one Joyful Step that you can take once you’re back in your day-to-day. We’ll share the stories of who we’re becoming as a collective, practice self-compassion and close with a ritual of celebration to honour how far we’ve come together.
We’ll go deep, but we’ll also get playful. So be prepared to cackle. You don’t need any spiritual experience, but you may find there’s a little witch inside you already.
Why now?
Late November is the last quiet gap before December arrives: the gatherings, the gifts, the end-of-year deadlines. Then we hit the new year. You can walk into it running on fumes and hope for the best or meet it with a circle of support at your back, your Map of Joyful Becoming in hand and clarity around your next step. This isn't about topping yourself up so you can do more for everyone else. It's about meeting the new year as someone who's being looked after too.
What you leave with:
Your Map of Joyful Becoming.
Yours to keep and return to whenever you need it.
One Joyful Step.
A clear commitment to carry into December and beyond, so the weekend doesn’t get swallowed.
A month of WhatsApp support
to help you bring it home through the busiest time of the year.
A circle of women who have met the real you
and an invitation to keep gathering with them in monthly facilitated circles.
Who’s holding the circle
Vasiliki (Vicki) Kyriakakis is a storyteller, creative guide, witch and circle holder who weaves myth, story, strategy, improvisation, spirituality and ritual to help big-hearted people reconnect with their joy. With almost 30 years’ experience in facilitation and guiding transformation, she creates spaces that are deeply held and joyfully alive. She is the founder and creative director of The Story Shaman. You may also know her from ABC Radio Melbourne's Spin Doctor Program with Charlie Pickering.
Merrilee McCoy is a facilitator and experience designer with 15+ years of creating spaces where people feel safe enough to be themselves, from theatre stages, corporate learning environments and festivals, to The Moth StorySLAMs and women’s circles online and in person. She trusts the circle to know what it needs, and she's usually the one cackling first.
What it costs
$1050 full price | $950 early bird (before 31 October 2026)
The price for this course has been carefully calculated so that we can ensure that we are properly resourced to create the best possible experience for you. We’re together for 17.5 hours of fully facilitated activity and the cost includes lunch and catering on both days. It also includes a month of WhatsApp support after our weekend together is finished. The full-price rate for our in-person time together comes to just $60/hour per participant. At the early bird price, it comes to just $54/hour.
Payment plans
Payment plans are available for everyone. And our commitment to you is that you will never pay a higher price for selecting that option. At the check-out you can choose to pay over two months ($525 per instalment at full price) or over three months ($350 per instalment at full price). Instalment options are also available at the early bird price if you book in before 31 October.
These will automatically charge to your account monthly until the cost is fully paid.
Solidarity discounts
We’re building a matriarchal business and that means doing things differently. It’s important to us that this experience is also accessible for women and femme-identifying folk who are from marginalised communities. So, we have a limited number of spots in this circle offered to BIPOC and First Nations women at discounted rates.
Click here for more information.
To keep the energy in this circle respectful, please only request a solidarity discount if you really need it and qualify. Solidarity places are limited, so if a payment plan would work for you, please choose that instead and leave these places for those who need them most.
Your questions
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No. All you need is your curiosity, an open mind and a willingness to play.
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Women and femme-identifying folk who are tired of the status-quo and ready for something different. You don't need to know what that something is.
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You'll never be asked to share anything you don't want to. Many activities are done in pairs or are creative rather than spoken. We're experienced facilitators, and keeping the room safe is our job.
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Yes. You get to sleep in your own comfy bed. The circle opens Friday 6.00–7.30pm, then runs 10.00am–6.00pm on Saturday and Sunday.
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Yes. The journey is designed across the whole weekend, and being there for all of it is how the circle forms.
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Not mandatory but recommended. It's how you meet your circle before the journey begins.
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It's heading into the busiest, which is exactly why we've put it here. December asks a lot of you. You can go in depleted and hope for the best, or go in with your own circle, your Map of Joyful Becoming, and a month of support in your pocket.
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Unfortunately we can’t offer refunds. Our ability to plan depends on being able to count on the income we receive to run it. However, if you are sick on the weekend of the circle or an unavoidable emergency comes up and you are unable to make it, your payment will count towards a future workshop at a date of your choosing.
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Something that brings you joy to share with the group, comfortable clothes you can move in, a water bottle, and a journal and pen. We will provide lunch on both days and tea and snacks.
WHAT WOMEN ARE SAYING ABOUT THE JOYFUL COVEN