An online conference for Catholic women
Learn how to get better at saying “no” to people-pleasing,
so that you can say “yes” to God and your own needs
January 30 – February 1, 2026
Watch the video below to learn how this FREE event will help you discern the things you don’t actually want to do, and begin saying “no” when you need to.
Saying “no” to people-pleasing takes much more than physically saying the word “no.” First you have to find the courage to do so.
Which is a lot easier said than done when…
- You care deeply about loving God and loving others well.
- You try to be patient, kind, generous, and faithful, and show up for the people entrusted to your care.
- And you’re sincerely trying to live your faith with integrity and take Jesus’ commandment to love one another seriously.
And at the same time… You find yourself overwhelmed with to-dos, exhausted from keeping so many plates spinning and taking care of everyone else’s needs.
Maybe right now you...
Still find yourself saying “yes” when you want to say “no,” even after praying about it.
Overcommit out of obligation – then procrastinate, resent it, or avoid it altogether.
Apologize excessively – even when you’ve done nothing wrong.
Downplay your needs, preferences, or limits out of fear that honoring them would be unloving or selfish.
Avoid conflict – even when honest communication would ultimately lead to greater clarity and peace.
If any of this sounds familiar, then you do not want to miss the Holy “No” Summit!
Meet the Speakers + Summit Schedule
We’re proud to present a variety of Catholic mental health professionals, life coaches, and spiritual guides to help you discover insights and practical steps to say “no” to people-pleasing!
Day 1:
Discover how people-pleasing really shows up in your life. You might be surprised!
Catherine DiNuzzo The Sneaky Role that Anxiety Plays in People-Pleasing
Kylie M. Hein
When Too Many Yeses Leave You Overwhelmed: Making the Next Right Choice
Laura Aguirre
How to Identify & Ask for What We Need When Others Aren’t the Best Listeners
Jean MacKenzie
Jesus Got Angry: Righteous Anger and the Courage to Set Loving Limits
Judith Pereira
How People-Pleasing Shows Up in Singleness & Dating, and How to Change that for Good
Jenny Teeters
From Approval to Authority: Reclaiming the Daughter’s ‘No’
Claudine Noel
How People-Pleasing Shows Up in Our Nervous System + How to Calm It
Erika Ubiera-Medrano, LGPC
When Sacrifice Becomes Self-Neglect: A Look at Catholic Womanhood and Healing with a Mental Health Therapist
Day 2:
Discover the story behind why we want to please others & how to start rewriting it.
Colin Priest, LMHC
When Yes Costs Too Much: Redefining Boundaries in Family & Relationships
Angela Ponce, M.Psy, LPC
How Every “Yes” is a “No” to Something AND Every “No” is a “Yes” to Something Else
Lydia Zielinski
How Mary’s Yes Inspired My “No” to Others’ Expectations
Margaret Heifner, M.S., LPC
The Cost of Always Being the Strong One: Burnout, Attachment, and God’s Care
Dana Nygaard, M.A., LPC
Why Avoiding Conflict Actually Costs Us
Lisa Sojourner
Boundaries: The Owners Manual for “Yes” and “No” in Your Life
Stephanie Fazio, LPC, EMDR-Certified
Discovering the Deep-Rooted Reasons Behind Our People-Pleasing
Mary Sutarik
Healthy Boundaries for the Modern Catholic Woman
Day 3: WHAT We Can Do About People-Pleasing
This will be an integration day where we tie everything that you’ve learned together. You’ll discover your own specific next steps going forward from the summit.
Attend Mass
on your own time!
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As you can see from these amazing value-packed presentations, this is an event you do not want to miss. Click below to grab your free ticket and join us for The Holy "No" Summit!
It really is possible to say “no” to people and tasks that you don’t have time for, without feeling guilty, anxious, or worse - backtracking and doing it anyway.
How would it feel to...
Say “no” calmly and confidently, without spiraling into guilt or second-guessing yourself afterward.
Discern when a “yes” is truly loving vs. when it’s coming from fear or an unhealthy sense of responsibility.
Feel at peace after setting a boundary, knowing it’s the right thing for you to do.
This is exactly what The Holy "No" Summit will help you do!
During The Holy “No” Summit, you'll learn how to begin saying “no” to people-pleasing, so that you can say “yes” to God and your own needs.
Join us for The Holy “No” Summit, to learn how to recognize the sneaky ways people-pleasing shows up in our day-to-day lives, understand why it’s happening, and make shifts to help you start saying “no” when you need to – from 18 Catholic experts on mental and spiritual wellbeing!
Meet Your Host
Hi, I’m Samantha Stefaniak!
I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and founder of Rooted Soul, Grounded Mind, on a mission to help Catholic women across the world heal inner wounds and grow through life’s challenges. I love creating self-help tools using my clinical background and integrating it with the amazing depth of our Catholic faith.
I have a lot of lived experiences I draw upon as well, so a lot of these resources are created through my own life struggles – and because I use them too, I know they really help!
Grab your ticket and join me and 18+ Catholic mental & spiritual well-being experts for a one-of-a-kind event that will help you start saying “no” to people-pleasing and say “yes” to God and your own needs.
I can’t wait to see you there!
What to expect at the Holy "No" Summit:
WHEN AND WHERE
The Holy “No” Summit will run from January 30 – February 1, 2026, with a variety of presentations to choose from each day.
This event is entirely virtual, so you’ll be able to attend from anywhere in the world with internet access.
Keep an eye on your email inbox each day of the summit for links to access each day’s presentations!
EXPERT SESSIONS
Attend presentations from our lineup of 18+ speakers with training on:
- Why anxiety fuels people-pleasing behavior
- How we adjust our personality to fit others’ expectations
- Why it can be so difficult to say “yes” to God and our own needs
- How to heal people-pleasing tendencies for the long-term.
Your free ticket includes 48-hour access to each presentation during the weekend of the summit.
PRIVATE SUMMIT COMMUNITY
Join our private Facebook community and connect with Catholic women like you who are also discovering how to say “no” to people-pleasing and “yes” to God and their own needs!
This is where you’ll be able to connect with the speakers and other attendees before and during the event!
UPGRADE FOR A VIP EXPERIENCE!
After registering, you’ll have the chance to upgrade to The Holy “YES” All-Access Pass. This includes ongoing access to the presentations after the summit wraps up, a private podcast feed to enhance your summit experience, exclusive live events during the summit, premium bonuses from our speakers, and more!
You’ll get all the details (and a special offer) after grabbing your free ticket!
SCHOLARSHIP
I truly want to help you start saying “no” to people-pleasing. Since this is an ongoing process and often requires continued healing and growth, I want to make the process as easy as possible. To help, you’ll hear about my Rooted & Grounded in Love online community here and there throughout the event. On the final day, two lucky (and engaged) attendees will be selected to win a 6-month scholarship to Rooted & Grounded in Love to support your continued journey toward saying “no” to people-pleasing and “yes” to God and your own needs. Stay tuned for details and your chance to apply!WHAT MAKES THIS EVENT UNIQUE:
The Holy “No” Summit was specifically created for Catholic women who care deeply about the people in their lives and want to honor God’s commandment to love others – just like you.
This is for women who…
- Sincerely want to love well, live their faith with integrity, and show up generously for their families, parishes, and communities — but who are truly exhausted from always being “the dependable one.”
- Are faithful, thoughtful, and self-aware — yet find themselves stuck in patterns of overgiving, guilt, and anxiety around boundaries.
- Don’t want to become selfish or hardened, but who know something has to change if they’re going to live with peace, clarity, and freedom.
- Are ready to stop confusing self-sacrifice with self-abandonment, and instead learn how to say “no” in a way that is prayerful, discerning, and deeply aligned with God’s will.
Instead of only getting spiritual advice that generally tells you to pray more and simply “offer it up” when you feel the weight of too much self-sacrifice, this summit is about helping you:
- Understand the psychological background behind why we people-please as Catholic women
- Identify how people-pleasing shows up uniquely in your life
- Discover specific tools you can use to start saying “no” when you discern you need to do so
- Take away specific next steps you can take to discern what God is really asking you to say “yes” to instead.
You're ready to experience the peace that comes from saying "YES" to God and your own needs!
It’s time to stop praying for change alone and finally understand the motivations behind your “yesses” and “nos,” so that you can heal the inner wounds keeping you stuck doing things you don’t actually want to do.
Grab your free ticket by clicking the link below and join us for The Holy “No” Summit!
HAVE QUESTIONS? WE’VE GOT ANSWERS
If you’re a Christian woman who cares deeply about loving God and others, but feels exhausted, anxious, or guilty around boundaries — this summit is likely for you.
If you’re curious about learning how to say “no” without fear or shame, and how to discern God’s will from peace, without overcommitment or people-pleasing, this event was created with you in mind.
We’ll be speaking primarily to Catholic women and will reference practices and traditions of the Catholic Church (such as certain prayers, discernment, references to the saints and sacramental life). However, the psychological insights and spiritual principles shared throughout the summit are relevant and helpful for Christian women of many backgrounds.
If you desire greater emotional and spiritual freedom, and a more peaceful way of saying “yes” to God, please join us!
The main portion of the summit runs from January 30 – February 1, 2026 with pre-party sessions happening the week prior. You’ll also be able to join our private Facebook community as soon as you register, so you can join in on the fun right away!
While most of the presentations for the summit are pre-recorded, there are some live elements, and the pre-recorded presentations are only available for 48 hours with your free ticket. So we encourage you to attend live if you can! We would love for you to set aside some time during the summit week to attend the live sessions, watch the pre-recorded presentations, and participate with others who are learning to say “no” to people-pleasing.
However, if you’re not able to attend all of the sessions live, go ahead and grab your free ticket, and you’ll have the opportunity to upgrade to The Holy “YES” All-Access Pass for extended access.
Your free ticket includes 48-hour access to each of the presentations. If you need more time, you can always upgrade your ticket to The Holy “YES” All-Access Pass after registering, which will give you extended access to the presentations along with premium bonuses from our speakers and more!
To avoid tech glitches, give you the best possible experience, and keep things easy for the speakers, the presentations are pre-recorded and will be released at a scheduled time during the summit. However, the speakers will be hanging out in our private Facebook group with dedicated threads where you can connect with them and ask your questions! There will also be opportunities to join us for bonus live events throughout the week.
No. When you register, you’ll be added to the Rooted Soul, Grounded Mind email list so we can send you updates for the event and links to each day’s presentations. After the summit is over, you’ll continue to hear from us, but you can unsubscribe at any time.
Each of the speakers will have free resources available that you can access by providing an email address, but the speakers will not get your email address unless you choose to give it to them specifically. That way, you only hear from the people you really love and don’t have to worry about getting added to 20+ email lists that you’re not interested in.
You can learn more in our Privacy Policy.
Yes. All presentations have closed captioning, and notes are also available for each presentation with our upgrade options that you’ll see after registering for the event.
Please reach out if there’s anything we can do to ensure you’re able to enjoy this event.
If you still have questions, we encourage you to go ahead and sign up. Your questions will likely be answered during the event or in the Facebook community, which you’ll be able to join right away after grabbing your free ticket. However, if you need to ask us a question before registering, feel free to send us an email at [email protected].
