Who are we?
Earth Within Girls (EWG) was founded in 2020 and works to inspire adolescent girls and women to connect their internal cycles to the natural environment by providing accessible, prevention-based cycle education so they can thrive. Many girls and nonbinary people are accustomed to feeling shame and stigma around their cycles and are unaware of how to use natural remedies to find more balance. The majority of what we learn doesn’t address positive body awareness, hormonal balance or holistic approaches to menstruation.
Why Earth Within Girls?
Many girls and nonbinary people are accustomed to feeling shame and stigma around their cycles and are unaware of how to use natural remedies to find more balance. The majority of what we learn doesn’t address positive body awareness, hormonal balance or holistic approaches to menstruation.
We envision a future where girls are confident and equipped to navigate the challenges of adolescence and become stewards of their reproductive health as they age. Through after-school programs, summer camps, and workshops, we use plant wisdom and self-care practices to build confidence, creativity, and resilience in a safe and inclusive space. We approach our cycle education by using nature as a model.
Our Values
The following values are informed by how we approach our work as a staff, board, and in the community.
Intergenerational: Our work is intergenerational. We recognize our focus on cycles inherently connects across generations. We have separate programs for girls and women, and also care-taker daughter programs that allow generations to learn and share together. Our programs connect young girls with women of all ages, fostering mentorship and shared learning experiences that celebrate the wisdom and knowledge of different generations.
Collaboration: We actively engage with a wide array of community members, organizations, and individual practitioners. We have a long list of partners including indigenous tribes, schools, health centers, and other nonprofit organizations.
Environmental stewardship: We incorporate principles of sustainability into our curriculum, encouraging participants to appreciate and protect, while also connecting with the natural environment as a teacher –constantly demonstrating the wisdom of cycles. Our curriculum includes building relationships with local plants and learning sustainable harvesting practices.
Inclusion: We prioritize creating a welcoming space for all individuals, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds, by ensuring our programs are accessible and relevant to diverse experiences. We facilitate a safe space for those that may not have a period as we all embody the unique natural cycles that women and girls experience outside of menstruation.
Melissa Lafontaine
Our Story
Earth Within Girls (EWG) was founded in 2020 by Melissa Lafontaine, who was inspired by her journey in healing hormonal imbalances through plant knowledge and self-care. The organization emerged from her Master’s program in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana, where she focused on educating children through plant-based learning. Initially part of the DIY community workshop series offered by her sustainable floral design business, Earth Within Flowers, EWG quickly gained traction after hosting its first guardian-daughter workshop, which coincided with International Women’s Day and received media attention.
Recognizing the growing demand for educational content about hormonal health and menstrual cycles, EWG expanded its offerings to include after-school programs, summer camps, and workshops. The organization emphasizes the importance of cycle literacy, aiming to empower adolescent girls and women by connecting their internal cycles to the natural environment. EWG advocates for a future where young girls are confident stewards of their hormonal health and provides a safe and inclusive space for diverse participants, including female-identifying and non-binary individuals.
Through its dedicated team of board members, who bring a wealth of knowledge in education, health, and wellness, EWG continues to foster community wellness and resilience. The organization remains committed to using nature as a model for cycle education and promoting inclusivity within all of its programs.
Our Team
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Carter Daume
Board Member
After graduating from college in Washington, Carter moved to Missoula to be closer to her family and the mountains. Carter has a background in early childhood education and program coordination and is a certified Reproductive Health and Fertility Awareness Educator. She teaches body literacy classes for girls and women from menarche through menopause, as well as courses on the Sympto-Thermal Fertility Awareness Method both for contraceptive purposes and family planning. As an avid trail runner, mountain biker, and skier, Carter has developed a special interest in female specific exercise physiology and its interplay with the menstrual cycle.
Carter became interested in this work when she realized just how little she knew about her own body and how disconnected she felt from it. Her dream is to empower women of all ages and walks of life by sharing with them some tools and knowledge to understand and connect to their own bodies.
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Sarah Hawkins-Pinchers
Board Member
Sarah was born and raised in northeastern Iowa and comes from humble, country beginnings. She came to Montana on a nature-loving whim in 2014 after living in England for 2 ½ years with her husband. Her struggles with fertility and starting a family led her to find nutritional health coaching and fertility awareness. She healed her hormone imbalances through diet and lifestyle and was able to get pregnant naturally in 2018 and 2022. She is a full-time stay-at-home mom to two thriving children ages 4 and 1. Sarah is passionate about sharing her story and knowledge of women’s health. She is versed in women’s menstrual cycle health and cycle tracking as a means of tuning in to the innate intelligence that our bodies hold. She is a teacher at heart and taking care of people comes naturally to her as evidenced from a long history of jobs in customer service and being a mother for 4+ years and a loving wife of 14 years.
She holds a B.A. in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Northern Iowa. She is a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and founded her coaching business, Thrive Feminine, in 2021. She teaches adult education classes focused on healthy cooking and baking at the Lifelong Learning Center in Missoula, MT.
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Mary McDonald
Board Member
Mary is a depth psychotherapist, who integrates creativity, movement, and mindfulness into her practice with clients. Using a feminist lens, Mary has helped those who struggle with cultural oppression access their inner wisdom and strength. Her academic research and writing offer insight into how the therapeutic use of imagination can increase body awareness and reduce the symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and PMS.
Mary's educational background includes a BA in both special education and elementary education from Western Washington University, and an MA in culturally responsive pedagogy from Western Governors University. After teaching high school for nearly a decade, she switched careers. She was called to attend Pacifica Graduate Institute where she earned an MA in Counseling Psychology with additional certificates in OCD, somatic therapy, and eating disorder recovery.
Like most Missoula residents, Mary is a nature lover. She enjoys spending her free time painting or writing poetry while sitting by the river.
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Dana Solge
Board Member
Dana, originally from the bustling East Coast, happily landed in Missoula after hopping around gradually further and further out West.
She enjoys empowering individuals to build strength, confidence, and self-awareness through movement. Dana has focused her career in pelvic health physical therapy, offering hope and relief in a typically vulnerable realm. Her passion for learning a holistic approach to women's health has led her to explore ways to connect identifying women and girls to their deep-seated bond with nature's restorative powers.
Dana is in her element rotating between Montana’s seasonal activities such as trail running, backpacking, gardening, and skiing. Yet, she is equally fulfilled slowing down to bask in the sun with her dog, Frankie.
Her education includes a B.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland and a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of New England. She is certified as a pelvic health specialist through Herman & Wallace Pelvic Health Institute and is a Wilderness First Responder.
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Kara Stansbury
Board Member
Kara is a Somatic Family Therapist and has been working in the therapeutic field for nearly 20 years. She got her start guiding wilderness trips for at-risk youth and their families in the mountains of western North Carolina and deserts of eastern Utah. In 2010, she pursued her masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Appalachian State University. Since then she has worked in a variety of therapeutic settings with adolescents, adults, couples and families. She holds additional certifications in Somatic Experiencing, Perinatal Mental Health, and Trauma Informed Yoga.
Currently, Kara has a private practice, Birthrite Healing, where she specializes in somatic trauma work and supporting women and their families in the perinatal period. Kara loves EWG because it blends many of her favorite things- education, community, nature, and supporting women and girls throughout the lifespan.
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Lily Sussman
Board Member
Lily has spent her career moving between direct-service work as a teacher, yoga instructor and herbalist, and systems work, as a public health and nonprofit professional.
She's had a lifelong interest in women and girl's health, inspired by her late mother who questioned popular paradigms and sought to integrate natural ways of healing and modern practice. Lily is on a constant journey to integrate the embodied, human-centered perspective with systems change work.
She holds a MSPH from Johns Hopkins and a MAT from National Louis University. She is a certified herbalist via Green Path Herb School, and a yoga teacher, certified in Children's Yoga and Trauma Informed yoga.
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Jillian Wagner
Board Member
Jillian was born and raised in Flagstaff, AZ and moved to Montana after falling in love with Glacier National Park.
She is passionate about sustainability and connecting with nature--two things she believes are the cornerstones for our future. As someone with many incredible mentors, she knows the importance of role models and how crucial it is for generations to pass on the torch and teach young people about themselves and the world around them.
Jillian earned her B.S. in Environmental Sustainability Studies from Northern Arizona University and has a rich history serving different nonprofits. She is a freelance marketer for women+ owned organizations and is on the road to grad school where she will get her Masters in Social Work. She hopes one day to be a grief counselor, where her passion for connection can serve others in a deeper capacity.