Thistle Farms Walk with Her Conference 2026
Tuesday, June 23
8am - 4pm
Registration and Information Desk Open
Symphony Foyer
8:30am - 9:30am
Breakfast Buffet
Symphony Foyer
9:15am - 10am
The Journey Ahead
Plenary Session
Symphony Ballroom
10am - 2pm
Deep Roots + Thistle Farms
Pause Lounge
Symphony Foyer
10:00 - 10:30 AM
Aromatherapy Workshop
Symphony Foyer
Workshops
10:45-11:30AM
Heal
Peer Support & Survivor Leadership in Recovery Models
Symphony Ballroom 3
This workshop explores how survivors serve as mentors, healers, and guides in each other’s journeys. Through a trauma-informed, peer-led lens, participants will learn how shared experience builds trust, strengthens recovery, and fosters community. Attendees will gain practical tools to support survivor leadership and integrate peer mentorship into their programs.
House
She Rises - Financial Program
Symphony Ballroom 2
The program aligns survivor-centered goals—from personal development and financial readiness to long-term independence, ensuring participants have the tools for true freedom and sustainable success after graduating.
Employ
From Resident to Professional: Pathways to Leadership
Symphony Ballroom 1
This workshop explores how organizations can intentionally create pathways for residents and program graduates to transition into meaningful professional and leadership roles. Centered on equity, lived experience, and organizational growth, the session will examine common barriers to advancement—such as gaps in training, confidence, access, and systemic bias—and offer practical strategies to remove them.
Respond
Our Inner Landscape
Blackbird Room
This workshop will be around our ability to respond. We will use narrative practices to have meaningful conversations among the participants to make visible that we are all experts in our own lives and able to respond in so many ways to any situation. This conversations will contribute to enhance our own agency and self consciousness about who we really are, what are the stories that we tell ourselves and that we don’t need anymore. We will rather discover other stories that live within us and we haven’t make enough space for them to flourish.We will use the time wisely to create a space to support each other by sharing our own stories in teams of 2 or 3, and discover new stories that can help us all be stronger, and respond better to our contextual challenges. In this way all the participants will learn techniques from Narrative Practices that could be used in their own communities.
11:30am - 12pm
Connect + Share Break
hosted by Champions of Love
Symphony Foyer
12pm - 1:30pm
Guided by Her Luncheon
Symphony Ballroom
Workshops
2pm - 2:45pm
Heal
Restorative Yoga & Aromatherapy
Symphony Ballroom 3
Rituals, reflection, and grounding for staff and survivors alike.
House
Housing as Advocacy: Policy Solutions for Systemic Gaps
Symphony Ballroom 2
This workshop examines how housing can serve as a powerful form of advocacy for individuals navigating systemic barriers. Participants will explore the policies, practices, and partnerships needed to close critical gaps in access to safe, affordable, and supportive housing—especially for survivors of trafficking, justice-involved individuals, and those experiencing chronic instability. The session will highlight real-world strategies for influencing policy, strengthening cross-sector collaboration, and designing housing models that prioritize dignity, choice, and long-term sustainability. Attendees will leave equipped with actionable insights to advocate for systems change while expanding equitable housing opportunities in their communities.
Employ
Rethinking the Bottom Line
Symphony Ballroom 1
Dr. Nicholas Hitimana established Ikirezi Natural Products in 2005 to improve the livelihood of communities in Rwanda, restore the land, and heal after the genocide. Through the production of essential oils, Ikirezi centers the well-being of small-scale famers and creates the opportunity for healing. Dr. Hitimana planted the phrase "friendship-first" when describing the need to shift power in the global supply chain and continues to be an advisor and friend in the Thistle Farms Shared Trade Network. This workshop will share the story of Ikirezi and challenge you to consider why friendship matters as we rethink the bottom line of business.
Respond
From Survivor to Plaintiff: The Civil Litigation Path to Justice and Recovery
Blackbird Room
This workshop provides an overview of the legal landscape for trafficking survivors, including the differences between criminal and civil cases and how the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) is used in civil litigation. Participants will gain insight into the legal process, what clients can expect, and the critical role of victim advocacy and trauma-informed care throughout representation. The session will also highlight how our team integrates trauma-informed practices, our ability to serve clients nationwide, and how to refer potential clients for free, confidential consultations.
2pm - 3pm
Book Signing
with Becca Stevens
Symphony Ballroom
3pm - 4:15pm
Closing Keynote
Becca Stevens with Special Performance by Marcus and Levi Hummon