The people behind Women's Healing Sanctuary
Women’s Healing Sanctuary is guided by founders, a board, and trusted facilitators who hold a calm, supportive space for women. This page introduces the people who care for the Sanctuary and the women who visit.
If you are exploring a retreat for yourself, considering a referral, or thinking about supporting our work, we want you to know who we are.
Our founders
Led by lived experience
Women’s Healing Sanctuary was co-founded by Sharalyn Drayton and Janine Hanna. The Sanctuary grew from their own experiences, and from a shared belief that women deserve a safe place to pause, rest, and feel cared for.
Sharalyn Drayton, co-founder. The feather in our logo is a quiet reminder of Sharalyn’s son. Her experience of grief, and her understanding of how much women need space to simply be held, shaped the heart of the Sanctuary.
Janine Hanna, co-founder. Janine’s work supporting terminally ill cancer patients and their families taught her the value of stepping away to rest and restore. That understanding sits at the centre of what the Sanctuary offers women today.
Together, their lived experience underpins a retreat that is supportive, grounded, and never clinical.
Our team
Looking after our community voice
Kelly King leads marketing and communications for Women’s Healing Sanctuary. Kelly is the person behind much of what you read here and in our emails, and she works closely with our founders and board to make sure every message reflects the Sanctuary’s care, warmth, and honesty.
Governance
Our board
Our board provides stewardship, accountability, and care for the Sanctuary’s purpose. As a registered Australian charity with Deductible Gift Recipient status, we are accountable to the women we support and to the community that helps make our work possible.
Sharalyn Drayton and Janine Hanna
Co-founders and directors. Sharalyn and Janine established Women’s Healing Sanctuary from lived experience, shaping a retreat that is supportive, grounded, and guided by genuine care for the women who visit.
Lisa Daw, Sue Heins and Gael McKenzie
Directors. Lisa, Sue, and Gael each bring their own experience and commitment to the Sanctuary’s mission. Short biographies for each director will be added here soon.
Darryl Drayton and Deb Ryan
Directors. Darryl and Deb support the Sanctuary’s governance and long-term sustainability. Short biographies for each director will be added here soon.
Our facilitators
Facilitators who hold space at the Sanctuary
We work with experienced facilitators who lead workshops, retreats, and gentle restorative sessions at the Sanctuary. Each brings their own care and approach, and each understands the importance of creating a calm, emotionally safe environment for the women who visit.
Sarah Tolmie
Sarah facilitates our grief workshops, including the Transforming grief into hope retreat. Guests describe her as someone who brings clarity, warmth, and understanding to the room.
Simmone Fellows
Simmone facilitates yoga, healing sessions, and sound journeys. Her sessions are designed to be gentle and accessible, with no pressure to participate beyond what feels right for each woman.
Our wider facilitation team
Additional facilitators support our morning teas, wellness weekends, and seasonal retreats. We will introduce more of them here as the Sanctuary grows.
A supportive space, not a clinical one
Women’s Healing Sanctuary is a place to rest, reflect, and reconnect. We are not a clinical treatment facility, a medical service, or a substitute for therapy or crisis support.
Our facilitators and team hold space with care, and we work alongside referral partners and support services so women can feel held in whatever way is right for them.
Get involved
Join the people behind the Sanctuary
If our work resonates with you, there are gentle ways to be part of it. Volunteers, partners, and supporters help us extend access to more women, and we welcome conversations with people who share our values.