About us
Cuddlist launched in late 2015 as a collaboration between co-founders Adam Lippin, an entrepreneur, and Madelon Guinazzo, a consent expert. The simple goal was to create a space where people can be themselves in the company of another person while working to discover what makes them feel secure and connected. By developing and training practitioners in the Cuddlist Method, they saw a flood of transformative healing experiences.
Cuddlist brings together those who need healthy meaningful connection (and that would be just about all of us!) with trained, professional practitioners who are experienced, safe, well-versed in consent and follow the Cuddlist Method protocols that sets the conditions for a great session.
Now, the Cuddlist mission and team have grown to support both practitioners in their entrepreneurial path, and clients in their pursuit of quality care. The evolved mission with the direction of the new CEO, Keeley Shoup is this:
Cuddlist’s mission is to establish the highest standard of quality for client-lead cuddle therapy. We define that standard through our somatic consent & boundaries based training, principled customer service, and resource rich technical platform. We are committed to mindful accountability and stewarding a diverse community of wholehearted practitioners.
This evolution now means that we can both impact individual people’s lives, and we can impact a global landscape of healthcare and support.
Co-Owner & CEO Keeley Shoup
Keeley has practiced as a full time Cuddle Therapist since 2015, supporting clients in both individual and group settings. She is a certified Cuddle Party facilitator and has taken every training program that exists for professional cuddlers. She continues her education in IFS, EFT, somatic experiencing, embodiment practices, the wheel of consent, and racial equity. In 2017, she became the Director of CuddleXpo, the first ever professional cuddlers convention. The 3 day educational event hosted over 100 professionals and participants from all across the world. Keeley has been a fierce advocate via her social media platforms (YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok). She has been featured on dozens of domestic and international print, television, radio, and podcast media; reaching international audiences as she works to destigmatize mental health, promote education on boundaries and consent, and increase access to this groundbreaking therapeutic modality.
Keeley is fostering an interdisciplinary community within the field of mental health professionals. As co-owner and CEO of Cuddlist, Keeley works to increase the company’s visibility, further the high standard of quality within Cuddlists’ community of practitioners, increase practitioner’s accessibility to supportive resources, and champion the Cuddlist mission across the globe.
Co-Owner & Director of Training Michelle Renee
Michelle has been a pioneering force in the field of professional cuddling since joining Cuddlist as a Cuddle Therapist at its inception in late 2015. She is a certified Cuddle Party facilitator and trained surrogate partner, bringing a wealth of expertise to the intersection of relational touch and therapeutic practices. From 2016 to 2020, Michelle served as Cuddlist's Director of Operations. In 2023, she returned to Cuddlist leadership as the Director of Training and officially became a co-owner in early 2025.
A sought-after speaker at national conferences, frequent podcast guest, and guest lecturer for graduate programs training future therapists, Michelle is a passionate advocate for the transformative power of platonic, consensual touch. She champions its role as the "missing link" in talk-based therapeutic modalities, making her a leading voice in the touch therapy movement.
In her private practice, Michelle specializes in trauma recovery through relational-based touch, working closely with talk therapists to support clients on their healing journeys. Her vision for Cuddlist is to become a familiar and respected touch modality in the therapeutic world, much like surrogate partner therapy and Somatic Experiencing are.
