The Full Story
The Rising Phoenix Collective
The Rising Phoenix Collective began with a runway.
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Dominique Cousin, founder of The Phoenix Journey, envisioned The Rising Phoenix: A Runway Experience — an event that would allow people whose lives had been changed by illness, adversity, and unexpected circumstances to step onto a runway and be seen for more than what they had been through.
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As that vision began taking shape, Catherine Darsey saw something larger inside it. What if “rising” did not have to be a single moment on a runway? What if it could become an ongoing experience — a place where people could discover who they were becoming, strengthen what had carried them through, restore what life had depleted, and ultimately come together to celebrate the journey?
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That idea became The Rising Phoenix Collective: an expanding collection of experiences built around the belief that transformation is not one moment, one event, or one story. We rise in different ways, at different times, and often because someone else reminds us that we still can.
Mission
The mission of The Rising Phoenix Collective is to create meaningful, immersive experiences that give people the space to reflect on where they have been, recognize the strength and value within their stories, and consider who they are still becoming. Through thoughtful experiences, honest storytelling, meaningful conversation, and genuine connection, the Collective encourages people to deepen the relationships that matter, discover new perspective, and move forward with greater purpose, resilience, courage, and hope. We believe transformation does not always require becoming someone entirely new; sometimes it begins by seeing your life, your relationships, and your possibilities differently. The Rising Phoenix Collective exists to create the kinds of spaces where that reflection, connection, and forward movement can happen—and where people are reminded that no single chapter has to define the rest of their story.
Vision
We envision a community where life's hardest chapters do not get the final word—where people recognize the strength in their stories, discover who they are still becoming, deepen the relationships that sustain them, and find the courage to move forward with purpose and hope.
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Because rising doesn't always mean starting over. Sometimes it means seeing your story differently, recognizing what remains, and choosing what comes next.
Discover Your Purpose
Discover Your Purpose creates immersive experiences that give women the space to look at where they've been, recognize who they're becoming, and consider what comes next. Through story, reflection, meaningful conversation, and connection, women are encouraged to recognize their strengths, values, gifts, and purpose—and move forward with greater clarity, courage, resilience, and intention.
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​Driven By Purpose creates intentional experiences that help couples slow down, reconnect, and have meaningful conversations they may not have had on their own. Through real stories, humor, shared experiences, and honest conversation, couples are invited to better understand one another, navigate life’s changes together, and continue building the relationship they are capable of having.
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Driven By Purpose
The Phoenix Gathering
Celebrate
Where those stories and communities come together.
The Phoenix Gathering is where the stories of The Rising Phoenix Collective come together. Once each year, our community gathers for an immersive celebration of connection, impact, resilience, and transformation. Guests are invited to explore the Phoenix Marketplace, experience powerful stories and conversations, gather around the table for our Dinner Awards Ceremony, and witness The Rising Phoenix: A Runway Experience — where real stories of strength and transformation take center stage.
More than an event, The Phoenix Gathering is a homecoming. It is a place to reconnect with people we have met along the journey, discover new voices and stories, celebrate those making a difference, and remember that none of us rises entirely alone. We may arrive from different experiences and different chapters of life, but for one evening, those stories become part of something larger — the Phoenix community.
Discover Your Purpose and Driven By Purpose are journeys.
The Phoenix Gathering is where the journeys meet.
