Stacey Simmons is a psychotherapist and former television production and animation professional who helps writers move beyond the Hero’s Journey to craft powerful, sovereign female stories.
Stacey Simmons is a writer, psychotherapist, and former animation and visual effects professional whose work bridges storytelling, psychology, and women’s narrative power. Raised in New Orleans and now based outside Los Angeles, Simmons holds a PhD in social psychology and is fluent in French, with deep interests in neuroscience, myth, and women’s empowerment.
After leaving a career in animation and VFX, Simmons became a psychotherapist specializing in creative professionals. Her graduate research led to the discovery of an alternative to the Hero’s Journey for female-driven stories—a structure she calls The Queen’s Path. She has since spoken at writers’ groups and conferences on how traditional story models fail women and how new frameworks can unlock more authentic female characters.
Her book The Queen’s Path: A Revolutionary Guide to Women’s Empowerment and Sovereignty was released in November 2024. Simmons is also a certified psychedelic therapist and the first American clinician formally trained in Auto-Induced Cognitive Trance (TCAI) at the Trance Science Research Institute in Paris. She currently practices and supervises clinicians at Hope Therapy Center in Burbank and Newhall, California.
Stacey Is Appearing In These Sessions
16:00 The Divided Woman: A New Story Map for Female Characters with Stacey Simmons
Why do traditional story structures so often fail female protagonists?
