Top Row, Left to Right: Natasha Holder, Callista O'Hara, Kristy Mattingly, Nakia Short, Sara Sharpe, Naomi Fyffe, Brenda Caudill
Bottom Row, Left to Right: Alyssa Hilterbrand, Kristi Worley, Bekah Short, Shania Weaver
Not Pictured: Arianna Anders

A Session to Remember

There are moments in this work that stop you in your tracks and remind you exactly why NOSW exists. Our June Two-Week Residential Session was one of those moments.

On June 8th, we opened our doors and welcomed twelve remarkable women into the program. They came from different places, different seasons of life, and different walks of their own unique journeys. Some carried grief. Some carried trauma. Some carried burdens they had been holding for so long they had forgotten what it felt like to set them down. Some said they had lost themselves along the way. Others were not sure they had ever truly known themselves at all. They came wanting different things and hoping for different outcomes, but they all arrived carrying the same quiet thread woven through each of their stories. They were ready for change.

And change came. Day by day, we watched small, tentative steps grow into breakthroughs, and breakthroughs grow into leaps and bounds. The work was hard and it was heavy, and there were moments that asked everything of them. But these women showed up every single day without fail, for themselves and for one another.

By the time graduation day arrived on June 22nd, something powerful had taken place within those walls. These women had not just worked through their pain. They had rediscovered themselves. Their worth. Their voices. The incredible women they had always been, just waiting to be found, and in those two weeks, they discovered that the one who had been searching for them all along was themselves. And perhaps just as beautifully, they had found each other. A circle of women locked in and ready to steady one another through whatever comes next. A true sisterhood.

Twelve women walked across that stage. Twelve stories of courage, resilience, and transformation. Every single one of them a force to be reckoned with.

Photo Credit to Ariana Jordan Photography

Bekah Short
Richmond, Kentucky

I graduated NOSW with better coping skills, lifelong friendships, and an irrational distrust of shower curtains, random knocks, and chairs that move on their own. Somewhere between the hard conversations, the laughter, and the cabin chaos, I found a stronger version of myself. I also got to share my love of butterflies—and somehow turned one beetle story into something everyone will probably remember me for.

To every instructor and staff member, thank you for your patience, honesty, encouragement, and for believing in us even on the days we struggled to believe in ourselves. You challenged us to grow, celebrated our victories, and reminded us that we're capable of more than we realize. I'll always be grateful for the lessons, the memories, and the impact you've had on my life.

Photo Credit to Ariana Jordan Photography

Shania Weaver
Morehead, Kentucky

My favorite thing about session was connecting and making new friends and stepping out of my comfort zone. One impactful thing I took from session was to just always be unapologetically you!

Photo Credit to Ariana Jordan Photography

Kristi Worley
Berea, Kentucky

When I began my internship with the New Opportunity for School of Women (NOSW) in December 2025, I already held a deep appreciation for the program and its mission. However, participating in the June 2026 two-week residential program completely transformed my understanding of our work... and myself.

Those two weeks, through the many classes... even the ones that were more "fun", like creative writing and Appalachian Literature, I did a lot of soul-searching. The entire experience allowed me to drop the "mask" I realized I had been wearing for others. Through the program, I gained profound clarity on my personal values, learned how to set healthy boundaries, and redefined what I truly want out of my life while showing me the steps to take to accomplish those goals. I am incredibly grateful for this journey of self-discovery and look forward to bringing this renewed passion and authentic perspective to my role supporting other women. 

Kristy Mattingly
Bardstown, Kentucky

During my time at NOSW, although all of the classes and curriculum were very impactful, the one that stands out to me the most was Grief, Loss & Making Room: Honoring What you've been through with Crystal Burton.

During this session through my opening up about my relationship in my marriage, I was told I was in an abusive relationship. This was something I felt in my 23 years in the relationship, but anytime I spoke this truth to my husband he would laugh and tell me everyone at his work said I was crazy that he wasn't a narcissist. But finally, I had someone that told me that was what was happening to me. It about broke me that day. I took the rest of that day and even into the next for me to pull myself back out of it, but I did and I worked the program.

Upon the day of graduation, I was no longer the person I started the program as, I was new, I was becoming the person I lost many years ago. I found myself and I found my voice.

Naomi Fyffe
Flat Gap, Kentucky

When I went to New Opportunity School for Women this time, I went to find my voice. I always took care of everyone else but never me and I didn't know how to say no.

After getting to know the other women, I was able to talk about some of the things that happened when I was young and I found some peace with what was going on with me. This helped me leave without such a burden on my shoulders.

The day before Graduation Day we created a super-hero. I wasn't able to talk about mine without crying, so I wrote it down. In it was my story. I let Crystal [NOSW Program Director] read it. She said she would have never guessed all of that was in my past and she was proud of my growth. That was an important part of session for me because it was the first time I was able to share all of it with someone else and it was because I was healing.

Since leaving NOSW, my days aren't so painful, and I finally know that I have a right to have a voice. 

Photo Credit to Ariana Jordan Photography

Alyssa Hilterbrand
Berea, Kentucky

I used to answer for other people before I even asked myself what I wanted. That's the plainest way I can say it. My voice was in there somewhere, but I'd buried it so deep I stopped looking for it.

Boundaries class was the first crack in that. Somebody finally said out loud what I didn't know I needed permission for, that "no" doesn't make me a bad daughter, bad friend, bad anything. It makes me a person. I sat with that for days after.

Re-Writing Your Story hit different though. It made me look at the version of myself I'd been carrying around like it was fact, when really it was just the story I kept repeating. Nobody made me rewrite it. They just showed me I could. That I was allowed to put the pen back in my own hand.

And Jennifer West. I keep coming back to that afternoon on Career Day. Not because of what she said, exactly, but because she was sitting right there, a graduate, a sister, somebody who'd been exactly where I was sitting. That's a different kind of proof than anything you can put on a poster. She gave me her time that day and I don't think she knows what that meant.

I owe a lot to the instructors who showed up for us over and over, and to the sisters who sat next to me through all of it, the hard classes, the tears, the laughing so we didn't cry again. This was not a solo trip. I couldn't have found my voice alone in a room. I found it because of the room full of people who kept handing it back to me.

What's next is mine now. Career, boundaries, whatever comes. I'm not walking into it quiet anymore.

Photo Credit to Ariana Jordan Photography

Nakia Short
Richmond, Kentucky

When I began my journey with NOSW, I was a lost girl trying to find her way. I was insecure, afraid of being alone, and spent so much of my life hiding inside a shell that I wasn’t sure who I was outside of it.

One of the most unexpected gifts the program gave me was my voice. I’ve never considered myself a writer, but during a creative writing exercise, I wrote a line that has stayed with me ever since: “Loneliness is damning, but damn is it beautiful.” Those words came from a place I had never been brave enough to explore. They reminded me that loneliness isn’t just something to survive—it can also be the place where we meet ourselves. To my surprise, that line resonated with many of my NOSW sisters, and realizing that something so deeply personal could make others feel understood showed me the power of vulnerability and connection.

The transformation I experienced wasn’t only reflected in my words but also in my confidence. By the end of the program, I received the lighthearted “Most Likely to Demand Dessert—and Deserve It” award after jokingly advocating for dessert when it was accidentally forgotten one day. While the award still makes me laugh, it symbolizes something much more meaningful. The woman who arrived afraid to take up space became someone who wasn’t afraid to speak up, be seen, and embrace joy.

NOSW gave me more than tools for healing—it gave me a sisterhood that reminded me I never had to walk through life alone. It taught me that vulnerability is strength, that authenticity creates connection, and that growth often begins where comfort ends. I arrived searching for myself, and I left with something I never expected: the confidence to believe that my voice matters. For that, I will always be grateful.

Photo Credit to Ariana Jordan Photography

NaTasha Holder
Danville, Kentucky

When I attended NOSW I had issues with trauma, grief and boundaries. The school does work with the participants in these areas as well as emotional art to express your feelings and to show what you represent. We also created resumes to help us get jobs after the program. The instructors that worked with us were funny, kind, and always supporting the participants in any way they offer support. We actually went on a trip to Kentucky Kingdom and to the beauty academy to get our hair done, which was all paid for by NOSW. A highlight as well is that I made some good friends at the program that I talk to still. 

Photo Credit to Ariana Jordan Photography

Brenda Caudill
Berea, Kentucky

I walked into the June Session as an incomplete puzzle, longing to become whole. Some pieces were heavy with baggage, painful triggers, and deep struggles with self-worth. Others reflected the coping skills and tools I had gained through years of therapy and ministry. There were also empty spaces filled with potential. Yet too many spaces remained empty because parts of me had been stolen, damaged, or violated.

NOSW gave me a brave space to rearrange the pieces I already had, let go of the ones that no longer served me, receive new pieces through classes and activities, and create new ones of my own. For the first time, I could see the picture God had been restoring all along. I am grateful for my June Session experience. I now choose to focus on the beauty of the puzzle rather than the damage it has endured.

Photo Credit to Ariana Jordan Photography

Sara Sharpe
Berea, Kentucky

I applied for the June Residential Session at NOSW because I knew I needed change in my life. I was exhausted from carrying the emotional weight of everyone around me. Over the years I had eventually lost my ability to relax, to play, to laugh. I had lost myself.

During session I learned how to put into action the concepts that protect my peace and keep my cup full. I learned that "No" is a complete sentence. I learned how to formulate appropriate boundaries and how to stick to them.

Every class we took and activity that we did was insightful and offered lasting growth, but possibly the most impactful parts of session for me were working on our inner critic. Our Program Director, Crystal taught this in a way that truly helped me to silence that negative voice that was holding me back. By the end of session, I was thankful for every area of growth, all of it rooted in change within myself. All of these changes have allowed me the freedom to relax, play, and laugh again.

I have finally rediscovered myself; the woman I once knew and loved. And not only do I have her back, but I gained a sisterhood of women that I now have in my daily life. Women who love and support me no matter what comes. I could never express my level of gratitude for what the New Opportunity School for Women has done in my life.

Photo Credit to Ariana Jordan Photography

Callista O'Hara
Middlesboro, Kentucky

Photo Credit to Ariana Jordan Photography

Ari Anders
Cincinnati, Ohio

Every residential session runs on the dedication of our staff, but there is a special layer of support that participants experience throughout their time with us, and that comes from our House Sisters. These are NOSW graduates who have walked the same halls, done the same hard work, and come out the other side. They apply to serve, are carefully selected, and show up for each session as living proof that the transformation NOSW offers is real and lasting.

During the June session, our House Sisters were woven into every part of the participants' experience. From transporting them to and from classes, joining them on outings, sharing meals, caring for our spaces, and being present for every late night and hard moment, they were there. They were not just support from the sidelines. They were fully in it, right alongside our participants, building real friendships and a genuine sisterhood with each and every one of them.

We are so honored to introduce you to the women who served in this role during our June Two-Week Residential Session and to share a little bit of their hearts with you in their own words.

Teresa Braden
NOSW Graduate, June 2024
Olivehill, Kentucky

I had come to the NOSW in June of 2024 because my confidence and self-esteem were pretty low. After going, I have found my voice and more of myself that I hadn't realized I had lost. 

I became a House Sister for the June 2026 session. When I first got there, I got to meet 12 wonderful women. I saw them on the first day, and saw that they were nervous, scared, and excited. My part in this was to be there if they needed someone to talk to, and to let them know that it was okay to feel the way they felt, and that they didn't need to hide it. I wanted them to know that it was okay to be themselves, and to find the "you" you never knew you had inside of you. I became a House Sister to give back, and to help future sisters who were going through the program. I especially wanted to let the women know that they were not alone, and that there were many other women who had been through the program. They were going to be part of a wonderful sisterhood.

Photo Credit to Ariana Jordan Photography

Karen Morales
NOSW Graduate, June 2008 and November 2021
Mt. Sterling, Kentucky

My favorite part of being a House Sister is for me to serve others. I believe that is my calling to do so and I love doing it. I love to meet the ladies when they all come to the cabin for session and I especially love to hear their laughter that rings through the hallways at NOSW or at the cabins. You know being there makes their lives brighter and they are taken care of. Most are used to being the one to take care of others, so they can let their hair down and relax. I love seeing their excitement of what's happening next on the agenda and how much each lady grows at graduation when they give their speeches. It makes me proud to see how much they've grown in those 2 weeks and that they conquered their fear and finished the program.

We Appalachian women are fierce. They showed up and did the work. The NOSW planted the seeds and it's up to the ladies to keep watering it and watch it grow. 

The days were long, the schedule was full, and every bit of it was intentional. There was a lot of ground to cover, and this June, we had the honor of watching twelve remarkable women cover every inch of it. While we cannot begin to give it all to you here, we've done our best do give you a window into their stay with us.

A significant portion of the 14 days was dedicated to therapy-adjacent coursework that got to the heart of what so many of these women had been carrying. Classes like Healthy Communication, Healthy Relationships, Self-Esteem, Accountability Pathways, and Grief and Loss created space for our ladies to look honestly at their lives, their patterns, and their pain, and begin working through them in a safe and supportive environment. We watched them show up for every single one.

Woven throughout were classes that honored their Appalachian roots, including Appalachian Culture, Literature, Storytelling for Change, as well as creative outlets like Creative Writing, and more. Several days were also dedicated to their futures, with sessions like, "Is Education in Your Future?", Financial Literacy, and Career Day with mock interviews, giving each woman practical tools to begin mapping out her next chapter. Integrative Health and Women's Health were woven throughout as well, tending to the whole person every step of the way. 

On graduation day, each woman stood before an audience and delivered a speech she had written herself. And while those speeches were powerful beyond measure, some of the most profound moments of the entire two weeks did not need a stage. They happened quietly, inside those classroom walls, in the middle of the hard and holy work of discovering yourself. These women did that work, every single day, and that is something no one can ever take from them.

Welcome Day

Appalachian Cooking with Jennifer Escobar

Creating Appalachian Cloth Dolls with Susan Jordison

Painting "Piece for Peace" with Alfredo Escobar

Geology of Kentucky with Professor Suzanne Birner at Berea College

"Stop the Bleed" Certification with Lloyd Jordison

Resume Writing with Angel Short

Re-Entry Day with Crystal Burton, preparing to carry everything learned in session back into everyday life

"Returning to NOSW as a Career Day facilitator was one of the most meaningful moments of my journey. As a Fall 2019 graduate, I once sat in those same seats, uncertain of what my future could hold. NOSW believed in me before I fully believed in myself, and that experience helped shape the woman I am today. Coming back to encourage the next class, share my story, and remind these incredible women that their past does not define their future was a true full-circle moment. It was an honor to pour into them the same hope, confidence, and encouragement that NOSW poured into me. I will always be grateful for this community and the opportunity to give back."
- Jennifer West
Painted Grove Recovery

Because transformation does not only happen inside the classroom, our ladies stepped outside those walls and experienced life in new ways, together. They screamed through roller coasters and splashed through a water park, finding their way back to the simple, forgotten joy of playing freely. They stepped into the quiet darkness of a cave deep in the earth, and for some, that meant facing a fear they had carried for a long time. They were treated to a sound bath, surrendering to the gentle, healing vibrations that washed over them. They learned to defend themselves, and the laughter that erupted from that self-defense course with the Berea Police Department was so legendary it inspired their group name, Disco Shrimp Sisters, which they later learned to screen print onto their own t-shirts. 

At the close of Re-Entry Day, they gathered at the bell tower of First Christian Church, where each woman took her turn ringing that bell out over the whole town, a declaration that she was leaving her old self behind. And on the morning of graduation, they were pampered at Berea Beauty Academy and visited Berea Salt Cave and Arts, as a reminder that every woman deserves to treat herself like a queen sometimes!

Every outing was chosen with purpose, every moment of fun was well earned, and the memories made along the way belong to them forever.

A Day of Pure, Carefree Fun at Kentucky Kingdom

Exploring Great Saltpetre Cave Preserve in Livingston, Kentucky

Relaxing Sound Bath courtesy of Abby Lee

Self-Defense Training with Berea Police Department

Printing Personalized Sisterhood T-Shirts at Good Impressions Print and Design with Alfredo Escobar

Entrepreneurship Class and Professional Photo Shoot with Ariana Jordan Maddox at Maddox Made Portrait Studio & Artisan Market

Bell Ringing Ceremony

Queens for a Day, Thank You to Berea Beauty Academy

Soaking in the Stillness and Relaxing Atmosphere
at the Berea Salt Cave and Arts

We are also incredibly grateful to each of the generous donors who contributed meals to our ladies throughout the session. Your kindness did not go unnoticed, and it meant more than you know. Please join us in thanking each of them!

Food is never just food. It is comfort in an unfamiliar place, warmth around a shared table, and the kind of fellowship that brings people together in ways that words sometimes cannot. During our June session, Lindsay Sebastian served as our full time cook, and she poured herself into every single meal. Along the way, she had a little help from staff and House Sisters who were happy to pitch in. Home cooking was what our ladies needed, and dessert was something Lindsay believed they deserved. She made sure they had both, right alongside the lemonade and sweet tea. Those Appalachian roots run deep, and Lindsay served it all up with every bit of love to match.

"I really enjoyed cooking for the ladies during session. Everyone seemed to appreciate the food that was provided to them. I received good feedback from staff and participants during and after session. I look forward to being kitchen manager for the October session."

-Lindsay Sebastian
Program and Operations Intern
New Opportunity School for Women

"They came carrying what they'd survived. Two weeks. Twelve Appalachian women. One truth kept showing up: the hardest thing to learn was never the material. It was believing they were worth showing up for. You can't pour confidence into a cup that's been taught it doesn't deserve to be full. This session, twelve women found out the cup was never the problem.

They came in with walls, built high to hide the broken, the lost, the beat down. They left with fences instead. A fence isn't a wall. A fence has a gate, and now they hold the key. They're not hiding anymore. They're leaning into their truth, living their own values, and they know they deserve to be here, to take up space, to rebuild. The gate is open, and they control it: who and what gets in, and who and what gets kicked out for good.

Twelve Appalachian women. They left carrying who they are."

-Crystal Burton
Program Director
New Opportunity School for Women

You have just read their words. You have heard their stories. And if something inside of you stirred while you were reading, please do not brush it off. That feeling matters. That quiet nudge, that whisper that says, "this could be me," that is worth listening to.

Maybe you saw yourself in one of their stories. Maybe you have been carrying something heavy for a long time and you are tired. Maybe you have been waiting for a sign, something to finally push you toward the change you know deep down you are ready for. If any part of this newsletter reached into your chest and grabbed hold of something, we are asking you to dig deep and be honest with yourself about what that means.

You deserve what these women found. Your voice. The peace. The freedom. The sisterhood. Yourself.

Applications for our October Two-Week Residential Session are open now, and we would love nothing more than to see you walk through our doors. We know you have questions. Your job, your kids, your life, it all feels like it has to be figured out first. Give us a call. Let us tell you what we have to offer and how hard we work to help you navigate every one of those things. We will meet you right where you are, and we will figure it out together.

This could be your October. Click below to apply.

And if someone came to mind while you were reading this; a friend, a sister, someone you know who has been quietly searching for herself, forward this their way. Sharing this could be the nudge that changes everything for someone you love.

You Were Her Once, Sister

After reading about Teresa and Karen Sue's experience, are you feeling that pull? If you are an NOSW graduate who is ready to give back, to walk alongside the next group of women the way someone once walked alongside you, we would love for you to consider applying to serve as a House Sister for a future residential session. It is not an easy role, but it is one of the most rewarding ones there is. Click the button below to learn more and apply!

"Walking alongside these women for two weeks, I watched women who walked in with their heads down leave with their shoulders back. It's the reason we keep showing up for this work. Every woman who stands at that podium at the end of the Immersive Retreat is standing tall on a foundation that donors built. Their courage gets them here. Our donors' generosity is what makes 'here' possible at all. That partnership is the whole engine of this work. Donors don't just fund two weeks. They fund the moment a woman realizes she was capable of this all along. That's not overhead. That's the mission."

-Angel Short
Executive Director
New Opportunity School for Women

To view a full calendar of our 2026 schedule and events, please visit www.nosw.org/calendar/