Racheal Hebert has big shoes to fill.
But the Houma native says her new role as the executive director of local nonprofit The Red Shoes is a calling.
The Red Shoes, located on Government Street, is dedicated to enriching the lives of women through spirituality, personal growth and community. And with more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit leadership through the Stop Rape Crisis Center, IRIS Domestic Violence Center and most notably as the founder and former CEO of Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response (STAR), Hebert says The Red Shoes’ work fits her life mission.
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“I have always been called to supporting women,” she says.
For the past four years, Hebert has been running her own therapy practice for individuals and couples as a licensed clinical social worker in addition to serving as an adjunct professor at the LSU School of Social Work.
Her work as a therapist emphasized what she describes as an “epidemic of loneliness.” She recalls thinking that gathering places like The Red Shoes could help fill the gap.
Hebert worked as a program assistant for The Red Shoes years ago, and was one of outgoing executive director Wendy Herschman’s first hires. Hebert says she felt pulled to return to her roots when she learned Herschman’s position would be opening up.
“More and more I feel like this was meant for me right now,” Hebert says. “The Red Shoes is all about bringing us together through what unites us instead of what divides us, and I think that’s such a powerful thing in this moment for our country.”
The nonprofit celebrated its 25th anniversary last year and also saw the death of its founder and visionary, Roberta Guillory.
“It started as this idea of: When women gather together, what could happen?” Hebert says.
In her new role, Hebert wants to keep promoting Guillory’s founding principles while also growing The Red Shoes’ reach.
While the nonprofit centers around women’s experiences, men are welcome and often attend many of The Red Shoes’ programs, Hebert says. The emphasis is always on the individual.
Hebert also wants to make the space more accessible to younger people who might enjoy its many offerings—like meditation, yoga, astrology and journaling workshops—or are just looking for connection.
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“My vision is to get more people here, to get more awareness of what we do,” Hebert says. “And (to) hopefully be a sacred space of healing where so many community spaces might feel fractured.”
This article was originally published in the May 2025 issue of 225 Magazine.