Meet the Pastor
and the Priestess
Kind words about our work
The Pastor – JT Smiedendorf, M.Div.
JT is passionate about discovering and practicing new, evolving, and potent ways of being and leading spiritual community. He is constantly asking how we might bring the best of the established wisdom traditions together with the best of what is emerging now.
Ordained in 2001 as a pastor in the United Church of Christ (UCC), JT has served churches in Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon, and Washington. Since 2019, he has served as an Interim Minister for churches in transition.
JT is a veteran retreat leader with 20 years’ experience facilitating men’s work programs through the Men’s Leadership Alliance. He currently serves as a senior facilitator with the Inner King Training.
He holds a certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research from the California Institute of Integral Studies, has trained in advanced shadow work through Shadow Work Seminars, and is a certified 4Gateways Coach.
His mentors include men’s work pioneers Tom Daly and Jeffrey Duval, and his theology is inspired by Christian thought leaders such as Matthew Fox, Richard Rohr and Cynthia Bourgeault.
JT is a graduate of The Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado.
The Priestess – Allison Conte, MS
Allison is passionate about blending ancient and modern wisdom in new ways that serve life. As a priestess in the Sophianic lineage of the Sacred Feminine and a shamanic practitioner, she is actively remembering and being remembered by The Mysteries.
Allison was ordained in 2013 as a priestess in the Sophia Lineage of the Sacred Feminine, a lineage that has largely been forgotten as it was kept underground for centuries. The Remembrance of this lineage is primarily received through direct mystical experience.
For over 25 years, she has trained with indigenous wisdom keepers, spiritual teachers, and energy healers from a variety of traditions. She works with a shamanic approach to shadow-work, spiritual counseling and energy healing that is informed by depth psychology and trauma studies.
Allison has been recognized as a master teacher by her mentor, Grandmother LánéSaán Moonwalker, Rev. Canon, a lineage-holder in the Native American Apache tradition. Other mentors and teachers include Trevor Hart, Lynda Caesara, Sofia Diaz, Barry Johnson and Ken Wilber.
In addition to her work at the Sanctuary for Sacred Union, Allison is founder of Sophia Leadership, a spiritual and professional development journey for women change-leaders who want to deepen in their embodiment of feminine leadership.
She is an instructor of executive leadership programs at Harvard Business School and, for over 20 years, has served as a leadership advisor/executive coach to large and global organizations.
Allison holds a masters in Positive Organization Development from Case Western Weatherhead School of Management. She is a certified Gestalt practitioner and Spiritual Intelligence coach, and holds mastery certification in Polarity Thinking. Other certifications include developmental psychology, appreciative inquiry, and emotional intelligence.
Allison is co-author of three books: The New Feminine Evolutionary, Pioneering the Path to Prosperity, and AND Volume 2: Applications, Making A Difference by Leveraging Paradox, Polarity or Dilemma.