who we are

“it takes a village.”

— proverb

The WasherWoman Collective

Talented individuals who have volunteered their time, effort, and support to bring WASH! and its multitude of forms to life.

  • Maria Seddio

    Creator & Vision Holder

  • Pia Tempestini

    Producer

  • Teresa Grella

    LMFT Advisor

  • Denise Foerst

    Advisor

  • Loretta Vosseler

    Financial Advisor

  • Fran Cardiff

    Advisor, Sponsor

  • Donald Cardiff

    Sponsor

  • Ruth Wieder

    Graphic Artist, Advisor

  • Nancy Cohan

    LMFT Advisor

  • Marissa Wilcox

    Communications Advisor

  • David McQueen

    Advisor, Sculptor

  • Diane Russo

    Vocal Artist

  • Jamie Russo

    Advisor

  • Rachael Boone

    Advisor

  • Juliet King

    Art Therapy Advisor

  • Bella Hillebrand

    Intern

  • Emily Hillebrand

  • Carroll Scribner

    Advisor

  • Melanie Segain

    Advisor

  • Pashelle Clayton

  • Jessica Burlingame

  • Jill Elliot

  • Fabienne Bressot

  • Hope & Christina Nance

Maria Seddio

Maria Seddio, Found WASH!

Vision Holder & Creator

Systems thinker, storyteller, family therapist, activist, and a washerwoman. Maria comes from a long line of washerwomen and she is here to tell you, you do too. We all do.

Beginning as a metaphor that sprang from a poem she wrote dedicated to her mother, WASH! evolved into a rich and dynamic body of work that encompasses art, spoken word, poetry and storytelling. It is an exploration of feminist consciousness and call to render visible the contributions of our mothers and foremothers.

She has been studying the cultura lavandaia for over 20 years, examining the intersection of women’s labor, cultural traditions and the need to step into our stories of origin. Over the years she been privileged to listen to wash stories shared by many of all generations from all parts of the worldwide.

  • She is an advocate for women everywhere, supporting them to break through to bold visions and become the leaders they were meant to be. Maria inspires women to tap into the force of their power through art, poetry, and storytelling. 

    Her clinical training in family-therapy, systems thinking and narrative change contributes to her keen interest in how our stories and conversations shape our lives and her core belief that when we “liberate our stories, we liberate our leadership.” Maria hosts intimate conversations to large scales events celebrating women and their contributions to the world. 

    The founder and principal CorpTalk, she is expert in the Art, Science, and Practice of Conversation and is committed to building egalitarian work places and spaces. Her executive coaching and organizational development consulting work, advises C-level executives and teams on ways to stay ahead of the curve.

The Washline Community

Our Washline Community has been building since the early days - over decades. It continues to evolve into an incredible, intergenerational, thoughtful group of people who are dedicated to building community and supporting each other. WASH! stands on the shoulders of our foremothers and those who have shown the way through their hard labor, perseverance and genuine care. They remind us that we wouldn’t be where we are today without each other.

in memoriam

  • Muriel Singer

  • Ken Ludmer