FROM PILGRIMAGE TO PRACTICE : A JOURNEY OF BECOMING

Walking Beside Women Who Are Waking Up

Close up of dried grass symbolizing sensitivity and intuition of women in midlife, perimenopause and menopause

You are not broken…you are in the middle of becoming

I work with women in midlife who are wise, creative, and deeply feeling. Women who may look steady on the outside, but inside are navigating deep questions, transitions, and stirrings they can no longer ignore.

My approach is relational, body-based, and soul-honoring. I use Internal Family Systems (IFS), Somatic Therapy, and decades of experience walking beside women as they shed old skins and come home to themselves.

I believe healing is not about becoming someone new. It’s about remembering who you are underneath the noise. Beneath the shoulds. Beyond the old stories.

My work is trauma-informed, justice-rooted, and non-pathologizing. I honor the ways you've learned to survive, and I walk with you as you learn to thrive—on your own terms.

You are not too much. You are not too late.

You’ve already come so far. Let’s see what unfolds from here.

Zoe Benoit Psychologist for Women in Midlife in San Francisco Bay Area, California, and East Bay

A Midlife Journey Requires a Midlife Guide

I’m a psychologist, guide, and mentor who has spent over 20 years supporting people as they heal from trauma and reconnect with their innate wholeness. I’ve walked alongside clients through deep emotional landscapes—grief, transformation, rediscovery—and always with the belief that healing is less about fixing and more about becoming.

A couple of years ago, I felt something shifting and stirring inside. I didn’t know exactly what was changing, only that it was time to pause and listen.

I stepped away from my practice for a year—not to abandon the work, but to explore it more honestly. I wanted to question what I had been taught, revisit what had become automatic, and reimagine how I could serve from a place of greater alignment and embodiment.

That exploration led me inward—and outward.

In the fall of 2023, I traveled alone to Spain and walked the Camino de Santiago for 34 days. It was a profound pilgrimage—one that unfolded not only across landscapes, but also through my own inner terrain.

I had heartfelt conversations, connected with people who felt like kindred spirits, and came into contact with something quiet and true inside myself.


What came from that was a sense of clarity.
A feeling of being more rooted in who I am and what matters.
A growing trust in the simple power of presence, ritual, and real connection.
And a deep pull to walk alongside other women as they navigate their own seasons of change, awakening, and coming home to themselves.

Today, my work is rooted in this evolution. I offer therapy and mentoring for women in midlife who are ready to listen to the deeper callings within them—to step into a more aligned, honest, and embodied life. My own journey has shaped what I offer, and I bring that lived experience into the room with warmth, humility, and reverence.

You don’t have to do this alone.
If you're standing at the edge of something new—whether known or still unfolding—I'm here to walk beside you.

WHAT MATTERS TO ME

  • EMBODIMENT

    I do this work because I know when we develop the capacity to come home to our bodies things change. Not only on the inside but also in our relationship with others and our care for this earth.

  • INTERCONNECTION

    I do this work because I believe we do not need to figure this all out on our own. We are deeply interconnected and sharing in widening circles supports our growth, healing and expansion.

  • TRUTH TELLING

    I do this work because I want to invite people to stand in their truth. Moment by moment by moment. I too will share my truth. I believe we all need to be met and invited to speak what is most true and notice how that supports our flourishing and growth

feather to symbolize intuition women in midlife

Professional Background

I am a licensed clinical psychologist with a doctorate from the California Institute of Integral Studies. My doctoral research explored the impact of parental support on the well-being of children who identify as gender-fluid, transgender, or genderqueer.

In addition to my formal training, my work is deeply influenced by a lifelong dedication to Authentic Movement, especially Five Rhythms, as well as long-term engagement with Buddhist and Insight Meditation practices and teachings, and the Diamond Approach. These embodied and spiritual practices have shaped how I meet clients with presence, curiosity, and openness.

My early clinical experience includes two pre-doctoral years at the California Pacific Medical Center, where I focused on trauma, grief, and loss. I completed my post-doctoral training with the Prevention and Recovery of Early Psychosis program (PREP) and its UCSF affiliate. I later continued my work at the UCSF Early Psychosis Clinic and the Prodrome Assessment Research Team (PART), offering both clinical care and research to transitional-age youth navigating early onset psychosis.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with people across the lifespan—adults, adolescents, and older adults (65+). My work has involved supporting individuals through early traumas such as sexual and physical abuse, neglect, and loss.

I approach all my work with deep compassion, respect, and an embodied awareness that honors each person’s unique journey.

Post Graduate Training

Mirroring the Four Shields of Human Nature: The Art of Storytelling and Listening School of Lost Borders - 2024

Ceremony and Rites of Passage Training with Katie Asmus and Haaweatea Holly Bryson - 2024-2025

The Neuroscience of Change with Coaches Rising - 2024

Writing Down the Soul: An Archetypal and Mythological Approach to Memoir Writing - 2024

The Power of Awareness - Mindfulness Training - 2024

The Coaching Way with Tara Mohr - 2024

MDMA assisted therapy with Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) - 2021

Healing Complex Trauma and Dissociation with Colleen West - 2020

Internal Family Systems - Level 1 IFS Institute - 2020

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for Complex Trauma and Dissociation with Janina Fisher - 2019

EMDRIA Approved Attachment Focused EMDR with Parnell Institute - 2018

Professional Skills in Hakomi Mindful Somatic Therapy - 2016

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy -2015

Curious to find out more. Please feel free to reach out to schedule a complimentary 20 minute phone call. I’d love to connect

From Heather Bradley to Zoe Benoît: A journey of transformation

You may have known me as Heather Bradley. After deep reflection, I recently embraced a new name: Zoe Heather Benoît. Zoe (meaning life or aliveness) has been calling to me for many years, and it felt right to listen. Benoît is my mother's maiden name, a meaningful choice to honor both my French roots and the reawakening of the feminine lineage in my family.

Although this shift had been unfolding over time, it fully claimed me during a Vision Fast with the School of Lost Borders in July 2024. It was in the wilderness that my new name took root and felt fully aligned with who I am becoming.

My full name is now Zoe Heather Benoît, but please feel free to call me Zoe. (And Benoît is pronounced - Ben-Wah)

HERE’S HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER

leaf with water drops symbolizing transformation through psychedelic assisted therapy