Mary Louise McCullough
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My Mission
All change is experienced as loss. And we are living in a time of massive change. Stress, loneliness and anxiety can play outsized roles in our daily lives, in spite of our best efforts. Traumas old and new can claim a hold on us too strong to toss off.
As a powerful speaker who has been a spiritual advisor and speaker for 30 years at the intersection of science, religion and the spiritual wisdom of the mystics, Mary Louise breaks through resistance to change and helps professional women discover the reservoirs of peace and healing just beneath the surface of their lives. She has lived this story herself and wants to help you live your story with passion and joy.
Meet Mary Louise
Mary Louise is a Spiritual Director, Jungian Dreamwork Facilitator, Workshop Leader and former pastor who works with individuals and groups as they discover wholeness and inner strength. Through speaking, teaching and mentoring she exposes the ways traditions, workplaces and families often teach us to value perfectionism while neglecting the truth of our embodiment and capacity for connection and joy. She facilitates deep listening, creativity and visioning to connect self and Divine, and has studied ancient and living mystics. Mary Louise holds MFA, M.Div. and D.Min. degrees and certificates in Conflict Management, Family Systems Theory, Spiritual Direction and Jungian Dreamwork. She is a Mentor in the Haden Institute Spiritual Direction Training program and loves enjoying nature, music and art with her husband, grandchildren, family and friends.
Mary Louise's Talks
Burnout as a Wake-Up Call: Access the Healing Power of the Inner Life
It may sound strange but exhaustion can be a portal to the sacred within us. It helps us admit that our overachieving egos do not have all the answers, that the life within knows what we need. In this tender but humorous and experiential journey, Mary Louise shares how and what she has learned and teaches 3 practices that will change your life.
The Inner Compass: Navigating Life Through the Wisdom of Dreams
Through 3 practical exercises you’ll see how decoding dream symbols and engaging with your inner world helps you access the deep wisdom that resides within. Whether you're seeking emotional insight, creative inspiration, or spiritual direction, your dreams are not just stories—they are maps and sources of direction and affirmation.
Spiritual Direction
I have always had a love for asking deep questions to better understand myself, other people and our lives together, and the Divine. When I sought help for my own childhood trauma I discovered that the sad parts of my story could not overwhelm the gift of grace which I also found. I was raised in and left the southern Baptist church in my teens but never stopped seeking different understandings of God, humanity and creation.
In college I was an English major and creative writer and became a journalist, wishing for a graduate degree in psychology. I learned to play many roles, leave home behind me, and look for the right job, confident on the outside while scared inside. I produced a radio show for long haul truckers while working at a Chicago PR firm and left a lucrative corporate communications job to raise my son until divorce led me back to a newspaper in my hometown. But this time, I began to understand the deeper spiritual dimensions of my life. We lived for a while in an ecumenical retreat center in Virginia where I discovered the Christian mystics, Thomas Merton, centering prayer and Spiritual Direction. I trained as a Spiritual Director and followed a call to go to seminary in San Anselmo, CA across the bay from San Francisco, where spirituality was a strong focus.
Twenty years as a pastor later, I retired to work one on one with clients on Zoom and in person, teach Spiritual Direction and Dream Work for the Haden Institute, and enjoy the gift of family, especially my grandchildren.
My work is my passion - guiding individuals eager for deeper self and divine awareness, holding space for them as they heal and find their place in a world which deeply needs our gifts.
