Coming Out And Coming Home

Sharing Stories, Gathering Strength:

Celebrating Late-Bloomers, Long-Timers,

And Everyone In Between

Thursday, May 22, 3:00-5:00 p.m. Pacific Time

$1.00 Trust and Safety Fee For Newcomers

Free To All Who've Purchased Any Past Academy Class

Sign Up Here For $1.00

Supporting each other, hearing each other's stories, loving and being loved

are more important now than ever. Our love is a healing force!

The Conscious Girlfriend Academy warmly welcomes all self-identified women and

adjacent non-binary people who love women, or want to --

whether you've been out for decades, or just realized you might not be straight.

I remember nights lying awake in a panic. It felt like saying the words, "I'm gay," would be like dropping a bomb that would destroy my life.

I worried about so many things. What if I was wrong about what I felt? What if I never found someone to love me? Would the lesbian community even accept me? What if I said it and then regretted it forever?

I spent years trying to stop thinking about women. Googling "How to know if you're really a lesbian." I even went to therapists who promised to "ungay" me. I was afraid of destroying my husband, my children, my family. Myself.

But you know what? When I finally did it, it was SUCH a relief. I promise you: you can do it too.

Love,

Finally Me

P.S. What I didn't expect was how amazing the lesbian community would actually be. The Conscious Girlfriend Academy welcomed me with open arms and helped me get the confidence and the tools to live my new life.

Coming Out?

Let us be your welcoming committee.

Join us for the support you need

to live your way into your true self and your new community.

Hear From A Few Of Our Members

M I C H E L L E

"I'm a late-in-life lesbian, and was married to a man for 23 years... I met my current partner a little over a year ago, and things are going very well. I attribute much of that to the skills I learned in the Academy."

After being involved with the Aademy for several years, Michelle chose to go through the Coach Training. Now, along with her partner Donna and other Academy members, Michelle now supports other late-in-lifers as part of a Conscious Girlfriend Academy Buddy Group.

J A S M I N E

I need to thank you for all the support and insights I have received from you and the wonderful group of women in the Academy. Thanks to the wise advice and support, I had the courage to say the three magic words, “I like you,” to the woman I felt attracted to, and the rest was history. My first lesbian relationship and the confirmation of what I always knew: that I love women!

It's been very hard for me to find lesbian community locally, so the Academy has been a lifeline for me. Without you, I can't even imagine how alone I would feel.

S A L L Y

"I never thought about being attracted to women until after my marriage ended. I found myself looking at men and feeling completely disinterested. I realized I felt so much more alive around my women friends... But it was my daughter who gave me the courage to come out. She was depressed for years, and then finally told me she was trans. I wanted to support her in every way I could. Then it dawned on me, how could I support her when I wasn't even living my true self?!"

ONLY OFFERED ONCE PER YEAR

Celebrate Pride Month 2025

With Our Coming Out Class!

Coming Out & Coming Home

4-Week Intensive

Thursdays, June 5, 12, 19 & 26

3:00-5:00 p.m. Pacific Time

Optional Add-On:

Deep Dive Group Coaching, 5:00-6:00 p.m. Pacific

Week 1:

Embrace Your True Self

Were you ever really straight? Are you pansexual, bisexual, queer or a lesbian -- and what if none of the labels fit?
Understand the true complexity of sexual and romantic desire, and tell your story in ways that honor your process.
The past you had, the past you didn't get to have, and how to live fully in the present and future.

Week 2:

Lesbian Culture 101

Get up to speed on lesbian lingo and dating and mating conventions, including:

The whole "butch-femme" thing
Lesbian dating and mating conventions, herstory and community
Lesbian prejudices and fears, and how to handle them
Why "an army of ex-lovers cannot fail" -- or can it?
Becoming a culture creator in your new community.

Week 3:

Lesbian Dating For Newbies

Lesbian dating is very, very different!

Avoid "lesbian sheep syndrome" and overcome shyness
Distinguish "friend dates" from "date dates" -- and what to do if you have romantic feelings for a friend
Why chemistry and connection can get you into trouble, and how to date in smart-for-your-heart ways
Why lesbian sexual inexperience can actually be an asset

Week 4:

Navigating The Rest Of The World

Public, private or need-to-know basis: how, whether and when to share your new life with others
Courage and vulnerability as a bridge to a new world
Transmuting fear into courage: sources of inspiration to support your coming out in politically oppressive times

Tuition: $299 - Class Only

Class + Four Group Coaching Sessions: $399

Sign Up For Your Welcome To The Lesbian Community

There's Room For Your Story Here.

Sharing Stories Creates Hope & Courage.

"I knew even as a kid, but I couldn't bear the thought of living on the margins of society. Now I'm stronger, but I wonder, is it too late for me?"

"I never thought about being attracted to women until after my marriage ended. I found myself looking at men and feeling completely disinterested. I realized I felt so much more alive around my women friends, one of them in particular. And then it happened..."

"It was my daughter who gave me the courage to come out. She was depressed for years, and then finally told me she was trans. I wanted to support her in every way I could. Then it dawned on me, how could I support her when I wasn't even living my true self?!"

"I never thought I could be gay because I didn't fit the stereotypes. It wasn't until I saw two feminine women together that I realized it just looked more right to me than a man and woman ever had."

"I was married for over forty years, and it was a good marriage. But after my husband's death, I started spending a lot of time with a woman in my church. Eventually, neither of us could deny that there was chemistry between us. She got scared and cut the friendship off, which devastated me. Where does that leave me now? Am I bisexual? Am I a lesbian? Is it even possible to come out at 68 years old?"

"I told myself I had to wait until my parents died before I could even think about it. Now I feel like I've wasted so much of my life. How can I forgive myself?

"I never liked my husband touching me. I used to fantasize about women to get myself in the mood. But it felt terrifying to imagine actually becoming one of those women. It took decades to realize that the thought of not ever living my true self was even more terrifying."

"I liked men just fine. Penises, sex, no problem. But I feel so much more with women."

Not Ready To Date?

That's great.

Some women in the class are actively dating; others want to date in the future; and some aren't sure they ever want a relationship.

We honor you where you are, and help you

gain clarity and skills for the future.

Meet Your Teacher

Ruth L. Schwartz, Ph.D.

Ruth is the author of eight books, including the Amazon bestseller Conscious Lesbian Dating & Love, and is founder and director of the Conscious Girlfriend Academy.
Ruth's formal training includes a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology and certification as a Somatica Sex & Intimacy Coach, Clinical Hypnotherapist, and Applied Shamanism practitioner. She has taught at eight colleges and universities.
Academy participants describe Ruth as compassionate, wise and incisive, and call her classes life-changing. Ruth says, "I teach the classes I always needed, and could never find."