Harvest Goal Collective: Community Lifeline

Harvest Goal Collective didn’t begin with a business plan, a strategy deck, or anyone calling themselves a “founder.” It began quietly, the way many meaningful things do. In this case, with one woman, Stephanie Exner, searching for connection, accountability, and a place to grow.

The seeds were planted after Stephanie’s divorce when a friend suggested she join a group facilitated by Michael P. Frank, the highly respected past president of the Los Angeles Group Psychotherapy Society, Group Psychotherapy Association of Los Angeles. 

Every single Friday for five years, strangers gathered in a room to grow through the raw, unpredictable process of group reflection. Members became mirrors for one another, offering what Stephanie calls “a collective pop-up angel on your shoulder.” Even outside of group meetings, accumulated support built by the group resonated. Stephanie recalls “hearing” the exact words someone else in the room would say if they were sitting beside her in her hardest moment. And everyone else experienced similar “encouragement echoes.” Their time together nurtured far-reaching positive impacts. 

When they eventually disbanded, the group joked that they were like baby birds leaving the nest. But they still met regularly for brunch, still pulling momentum from what they’d created together. 

The experience taught Stephanie the power of shared growth, shared accountability, and shared witness. 

Years later, she found herself craving the feeling of doing life alongside people who wanted more for themselves. Not therapy. Not coaching. Something in between. Something real. One afternoon, an accountability phone call with a friend helped her think through the early stages of a business idea: What if we had a group version of this one-on-one accountability call, free of shame, posturing, or imposter syndrome? What if more women could access and provide support from each other to realign, again and again, with their intentions?

In early December 2022, she posted the idea to Facebook. She proposed a simple gathering where each woman could set goals, share progress, and be gently, honestly held to the things she said she wanted. Nothing fancy. No curriculum. “It’s not rocket science,” she says. “Just basic accountability.”

And women showed up.

They logged into Zoom from living rooms, offices, parked cars. Some curious, some bashful with a cat on their lap, some barely keeping it together. Come as you are so you can authentically step into what you want to be. Stephanie facilitated until the gathering grew so large that other members stepped up as group facilitators. Every week, they went through the same simple ritual: each woman took 8–10 minutes to read her list of what she’d done, what she hadn’t, and what she hoped to do next. An accessible bar with a powerful impact.

Some came wanting to quit drinking. Others were in couples therapy, trying to keep commitments they’d made, trying to find their voice. Many were small-business owners wrestling with the trenches of entrepreneurship. Many needed help with marketing, social media, or updating their websites. And somehow, in the rhythm of weekly check-ins, mutual listening, and mirroring back each other’s truths, these women started doing things they hadn’t been able to do alone.

The group grew. Then grew again. Members log in from all over the world, including a woman in Berlin who stays up past midnight because she says, “I need this.”

The Goal Collective was becoming a living thing.

In time, the online calls blossomed into real-world gatherings: in-person events across LA County, a monthly Mariposa meet-up, a hike and pizza night in Ventura, crafting circles, and morning walks. More and more, it became clear: this wasn’t a professional networking group, though networking happened. It wasn’t therapy, though it felt therapeutic. It wasn’t coaching, though change was happening.

It was life, done together.

Eighteen months ago heralded a shift when Stephanie’s co-founder left. There followed some uncertainty whether this experiment would hold. But instead of collapsing, the community rose. Members stepped up. People offered to help. Leadership became distributed, organic. The Harvest Goal Collective took on a heartbeat of its own.

Today, Harvest Goal Collective offers two membership tiers: a monthly plan at $79 and a premium tier at $149. Dues support the structure, including a woman on the team who handles marketing, RSVPs, and in-person event coordination; ongoing programming; and the stability members rely on.

The women who join range in age from 23 to 92. Some have no family. Some aged out of the foster system. Some are CEOs. Some are rebuilding. All are looking for community.

The Collective now even extends beyond its members. Through Bold.org, Stephanie established a $500 scholarship for high school seniors and college women. The application prompt? Write about your pie-in-the-sky goal — and the steps you’d take to reach it. Over 1,000 young women have applied so far, and there’s still time! The scholarship closes in February.

Harvest Goal Collective is young, but strong. Casual, but intentional. Modest, but deeply, quietly transformative. It asks only that members come as they are. Camera on. Heart open. List ready.

And in return, it offers not only the powerful feeling of not doing life alone, but the practice of community. 

Visit Harvest Goal Collective's website to learn more or get involved.

Jessica Cole