About

I train people in the art of intimacy.

Emotional intimacy that moves you to tears. Sexual connections that are passionate, ecstatic and light you on fire. Authenticity that makes you feel radically alive and free.

You can have deeper connections than you ever imagined — in romance and sex, with family, friends and strangers… even with your coaching clients.

You can develop the capacity for deep intimacy and relationality that will change your entire life.

Most importantly, you can find unshakable confidence in who you are and draw on a wellspring of self-love and self-awareness that allows you to feel at home wherever you go.

 Welcome! I’m Alexis. I’m so glad you found me.

I am a women’s empowerment coach, a men’s intimacy coach, and a master Circling teacher. I have a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and have been facilitating transformation and authentic relating for men and women, couples and singles, coaches and facilitators for more than 15 years. My style is inspired by integral and transpersonal psychology, masculine and feminine dynamics, communication, leadership, yoga, and meditation. Basically, I’ve been diving deep into the human experience–both personally & professionally–for a long time.

I am one of the founders of the Authentic Woman Experience (AWE), a series of life-changing programs that support women in full self-expression, radical self acceptance, and the art of creating profound intimacy in their lives. I love coaching women to discover their confidence and radiance, design lives they love, own their gifts, find their voice, and lead in powerful, authentic, feminine ways. When women love themselves and have lives filled with pleasure, they become lighthouses for the whole world. 

I also love coaching men! Especially regarding how to live with power and intentionality, how to unapologetically express their vulnerability and desires, and how to create the emotional and sexual intimacy they are longing for. Having men like this in the world inspires me.

I am also one of the founders and original thought leaders of “Circling,” a dynamic relational practice and form of deep coaching. Circling, also known as “intersubjective meditation,” is an organic, in-the-moment, interpersonal process that is designed to allow a visceral experience of connection to and understanding of another person’s world. It is fun, dynamic, and often deeply moving. In 2006, I co-created the first-ever Circling training program, creating a whole body of work that transformed this once ambiguous and experimental process into a distinct relational practice and method of facilitation.

I have trained hundreds of people in the art of Circling and have seen my students bring Circling to family, friends, lovers and strangers in a way that completely transforms their relationships. Many have gone on to create thriving coaching practices and brought circling into the corporate arena, non-profit work, traditional psychotherapy, and every sector of life. This work has spread around the globe to impact countless people, and you can find Circling and Authentic Relating companies and practice groups based on my original work in most major cities in the world. I feel so grateful for how this has benefited my life and the lives of so many people.

One of my passions is mentoring coaches, therapists, circlers and facilitators on how to start and deepen their practices, build circling and related skills, and harvest opportunities for personal growth available to them in their work. I mentor those who aspire to make a bigger difference in the world.

Alexis Shepperd

In addition to my professional pursuits, I am also a spiritual practitioner, a passionate auntie, a health nut, and a devotee of lazy mornings, coffee, parties and adventure. I have been known to spontaneously circle people over margaritas and make a whole room full of strangers fall in love. I have been lucid dreaming and having mystical experiences since I was a child, which has informed my work. My roots are Eastern-European Jews and Texan cattle ranchers, and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Ultimately, I am inspired to live what I teach and to support men and women, coaches and clients, in cultivating relationship as a spiritual practice.

Credentials and Training:

  • PhD in Clinical Psychology, Sofia University – 2006 (formerly the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology)
  • Coach, facilitator and teacher for women and men, singles and couples, groups and organizations – 2003 – Present
  • Cofounder & owner of Authentic Woman Experience LLC – 2005 – 2021
  • Cofounder & owner of The Circling Institute LLC – 2014 – 2017
  • Co-creator & Senior Trainer of the “Art of Circling,” a 1 year coaching & circling training program – 2006-2017
  • Senior Trainer for Authentic World & the Integral Center – 2012-2014
  • Cofounder & owner of AuthenticSF LLC – 2005-2009