The You Project: Austin – From Shadows to Sunlight
“You've lived long enough in the shadows. Let's see what happens when you walk toward the light.”
The You Project: AUSTIN
If you're exhausted by your own patterns—tired of feeling like life is happening to you instead of being lived by you—you're not alone. Maybe on the outside things look fine, but inside it feels like a half-lived story. You give great advice to others but can't seem to follow it yourself. You’re living a life that looks great on paper, yet on the inside you still feel unfulfilled.
You've read the books. Maybe even gone to therapy. But here you are—still circling the same habits, thoughts, and self-sabotage.
Enter The You Project: Austin.
What Can You Expect?
This is a space for change. Here, we do more than talk about it—we create it.
You'll begin to dissolve outdated stories and shift from autopilot to awareness, from resignation to possibility. You'll start to release the narratives that have kept you playing small. You'll feel it in your body. In the way you pause before reacting. In the way you finally say what needs to be said. In the way you stop apologizing for taking up space. And in the way you begin to trust yourself again.
You'll laugh, squirm, move, maybe cry, probably swear. You'll surprise yourself more than once. You'll start showing up differently in your own life—lighter, sharper, clearer.
This isn't about focusing on what's broken. It's about reconnecting with the parts of you that trauma and conditioning couldn't touch. It's about rediscovering the person you were before you learned to dim your light. The spark you've been hiding. The deep knowing that you are, and have always been, enough.
No guru speak. No toxic positivity. No pretending everything's fine when it's not. Just a real space for real people who are tired of their own story and ready to step into something bigger.
Not "new you" — just the real you, without the walls.
You don't have to believe this is possible yet. You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to be tired enough of staying the same and curious enough to show up. We'll take it from there.
What Is It?
12 weeks. In person. No fluff. No "fixing." Just a chance to finally do something different.
Rooted in both Eastern wisdom and modern neuroscience, this dynamic workshop-style program weaves together practical tools, embodied practices, and real conversations that spark transformation in your body, your mind, and your daily choices. We’ll work with the patterns and beliefs that once served you but now keep you small. We’ll disrupt the survival strategies that have become prisons—not by force, but through steady, grounded practice.
If you struggle to see the light within—we can help.
How is it Structured?
The Three Phases: From Shadows to Sunlight
This journey unfolds in three phases, each one building on the last.
Resilience, where you uncover the patterns of your past and learn to work with your nervous system, body, and mind;
Resonance, where we heal together in relationship and community; and
Radiance, where you return transformed—free to choose how you want to live and who you want to become
What Makes This Different?
Root-first approach – We don’t just manage symptoms or swap habits; we get underneath patterns to where they start—in the nervous system, body, and beliefs.
East + West integration – A true blend of Eastern philosophy and Western psychology, treating both as equal partners in change.
Whole-pattern rewiring – Lasting change only happens when every layer of a pattern is addressed—mind, body, emotions, behaviors. We do that work.
Three-phase journey – A guided arc from Resilience → Resonance → Radiance so you know exactly where you are and where you’re headed.
Experiential, not theoretical – This isn’t a lecture series or “therapy light.” You’ll do the work in real time—through body-based practices, interactive exercises, and collective processing. You won’t just talk about change—you’ll practice it, feel it, and live it.
Community as catalyst – This isn’t a room full of strangers; it’s a collective care system where you’re seen, supported, and challenged.
Non-pathology lens – You’re not broken. We start from your humanness, not a diagnosis.
Integration built in – Tools and practices are woven into your daily life so the shifts continue long after the program ends.
Small group, big depth – With only 20 participants, there’s space for real connection, honest conversation, and personal attention.
….A program that doesn’t overpromise or underdeliver.
Is This for You?
Healing doesn’t happen in isolation.
Ready to explore what's possible when you give yourself the support and tools you need? If you're ready to make meaningful changes that actually stick, we invite you to join The You Project—a 10-month journey of practical learning and genuine support. Each month builds on the last as you learn to recognize old patterns, develop new practices, and connect with others who are doing this important work alongside you.
Forging new neural pathways.
A place where you belong.
What You’ll Get
Weekly immersive sessions (1.5 hours)
Access to recorded workshop segments
Embodied practices and experiential tools
A collective care system and accountability
A space where your whole self is welcome
Cost + Enrollment
$50 per session (billed weekly)
12 week commitment
20 participant cap
In-person at 1209 Parkway, Austin
Recordings available for missed sessions
Tuesday evenings 6p-7:30p
Program Breakdown
Weekly 1.5-hour sessions for 12 weeks. Meetings are in person.
Details:
Group capped at 20 people
$50/session (weekly)
Tuesday evenings 6:00p-7:30pm
Location: 1209 Parkway, Austin
Miss a session? We record the workshop portion
Meet Your Guides
Brenda Lee Gauthier
(she/her) LCSW, LCDC, SEP, RYT-500
Brenda isn’t your typical therapist—and that’s exactly the point. With a background that spans fifth-grade teaching, bartending, producing reality TV, and strategy consulting, her path to mental health wasn’t linear—it was earned.
Now, with 13 years in the field and a fire for trauma healing, she brings a no-nonsense, deeply compassionate approach to guiding people home to themselves. Whether she’s leading breathwork, working with complex trauma, or helping someone gently challenge the patterns that no longer serve them, Brenda does it with one core belief: you already have everything you need to heal. She’s just here to help you uncover it.
Her approach blends neuroscience, somatic therapies, Internal Family Systems, Brainspotting, yoga, CBT, Toltec wisdom, and a whole lot of intuitive listening. But more than tools, it’s about the trust and truth she brings into the room.
She doesn’t do savior complexes. She does sacred partnership. She believes in therapy that eventually makes her obsolete—and you fully rooted in your own wholeness.
Gioconda Parker
(she/her) ERYT-500, MTP
Gia has been practicing and teaching yoga for over 25 years, but don’t let the timeline fool you—she’s not here to impress you with a résumé. She’s here because she’s lived this work. After just five classes, she knew teaching yoga was her path, and dove headfirst into a 5-year mentorship that shaped her approach to practice, presence, and people.
Her story includes deep study, travel across India and Thailand, founding yoga trainings, and leading global retreats. But her most powerful transformation came not in a classroom or training—it came from walking away from a spiritual community that no longer aligned. That choice lit the fire for the work she brings now: grounded, embodied, wise, and deeply human.
Gia is certified in Somatic Experiencing, has a master’s in Spiritual Psychology, and teaches everything from breathwork and ayurveda to Thai massage and trauma-informed yoga. But her real gift? Making space where people can fall apart and fall in love with themselves.
She’s also a dog mom (shoutout to Ash), a paddleboarder, and the co-founder of Sama Yoga Hause, where she trains teachers across the globe. Gia doesn’t teach from a pedestal—she teaches from the mat, the mess, and the miracle of lived experience.
FAQs
Is this therapy?
No, but it’s therapeutic. It’s designed to complement deeper healing work or stand alone.
What if I miss a session?
No worries. We record the workshop portion so you can catch up.
Is this religious?
No. We honor all spiritual perspectives and believe in respectful inclusivity.
Do I need experience?
Nope. Just curiosity and willingness to show up.
Phase One: Resilience (You)
Here is where you meet your roots. The shadows of old stories, patterns, and beliefs that took hold early and still shape how you live today. In this phase, guided by the first three chakras, you learn to listen to the body—the nervous system that has been both protector and prison. Resilience means learning to work with yourself instead of against yourself, uncovering the programming that keeps old shadows in place, and beginning to disrupt the cycles that have kept you stuck. As you do, you’ll discover how your challenges have shaped unique strengths, transforming your story from one of survival to one of empowerment. You will identify the patterns, practice interrupting them in real time, and discover that you do have a choice. Each new choice lays down a different pathway—rewiring your brain, reshaping your habits, and reclaiming your power to live differently.
Phase Two: Resonance (We)
Here the heart becomes our teacher. As shadows of disconnection and over-connection come into the light, we begin to notice the ways we’ve learned to protect ourselves—sometimes by pulling away, sometimes by giving too much. Guided by the heart chakra, this phase is about choosing a new way of relating: one that balances openness with boundaries, compassion with clarity. In community, we learn to heal the wounds of disconnection and to experience what it feels like to live in resonance rather than isolation. We practice co-regulation, connection, and the brave act of letting ourselves be seen without losing ourselves. Resonance is where we discover that we get to choose how we show up in relationship—and that real healing happens in the space between hearts.
Phase Three: Radiance (You Transformed)
This is where you step into the light. Guided by the upper chakras, Radiance is about releasing the shadows of who you were told to be and choosing how you want to live, how you want to show up, and who you want to become. It’s the shift from surviving to living, from silence to authentic voice. Here, you learn to express truth with courage and discernment, to stand in your wisdom without collapsing into old roles or others’ expectations. Radiance invites you to live from the courage to shine brightly, sharing your unique gifts, and trusting in your inherent worth. When you embody this choice, your light not only frees you—it inspires others to do the same.
