The District House is a weekly gathering and core benefit of District216. Guests are welcome to arrive for part or all of the evening to meet community members, connect with visiting speakers, and engage in thoughtful conversations across psychedelics, wellness, creativity, and conscious culture. 💜
Topic: "Growing Your Psychedelic Church or Community"
Description: Courtney Close, founder of Hummingbird Church, brings a rare combination of corporate leadership experience and nearly a decade of ceremonial facilitation to an honest conversation about what it actually takes to build a thriving psychedelic community. Drawing from her own journey growing Hummingbird Church, Courtney will explore the real business, legal, and community challenges that ceremonial facilitators and psychedelic practitioners face, from navigating the laws and setting boundaries to social media strategy and the logistics of running an entheogenic practice. This talk is designed for anyone who has started, or is considering starting, a church, ceremony space, or psychedelic business and wants clearer footing on how to grow with integrity. Come ready to share where you're stuck, because Courtney is here as much to listen and understand the community's needs as she is to share what's worked.
When: Wednesday, July 15, 2026 from 5pm to 9pm (Speaker at 6:30pm)
Where: LoDo Studios, 216 E. Gutierrez Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(Please only park across the street on the Office Max side of the lot.)
Members are Free to attend The District House evenings, and are prioritized when we reach capacity.
Guests Welcome to purchase $25 tickets to The District House evenings.
Note: We will be filming the speaker for the District216 Change Your Lens Series. Refreshments provided.
SPEAKER BIO
Speaker: Courtney Close, Founder, Hummingbird Church
Courtney Close is the founder of Hummingbird Church and a ceremonial facilitator dedicated to helping individuals reconnect with themselves, nature, and community through sacred plant medicine practices and intentional gathering. For nearly a decade she has organized ceremonies, retreats, and community events across the United States, Peru, Brazil, and Bali, creating supportive containers where people can explore healing, personal growth, and meaningful connection. Before founding Hummingbird Church, Courtney spent more than two decades in the corporate world, most recently as Vice President of Insurance Operations and Vendor Strategy, where she led large operational teams, managed multimillion-dollar partnerships, and specialized in compliance and strategic organizational development. Today she blends that operational depth with her passion for healing work, designing thoughtfully structured retreats and events that bring together experienced facilitators, musicians, and bodyworkers in service of deep personal transformation.
