A word from our founder

Stepping into wholeness

If someone would have told me two years ago I would start a business that would require me to be seen more-- you know, like a blazing golden plant who knows its job so blooms so others can find it as its commitment to the whole of creation, I would have told you flat out-- no way, not happening. In fact, when someone suggested I might be an entrepreneur five years ago, that was basically my response. 

But then 2020 happened and the culmination of my life experiences had me wondering about how people were doing, how all living beings were doing, and did we recognize how we connect and work together? And then it dawned on me-- when you talk about no two people have the exact same experiences so all perspectives help us see the whole better— than doesn’t that also apply to you? What can you do with what you see and know at this point in time?

You see, my preference would be to fade into the background, pass notes and ideas to others who love to be seen or at least don’t mind, live life without having to go on a stage of any sort. But then, I watched so many people-- amazing, salt of the earth, incredibly talented people question their worth.

This opened all of my senses more and more to how things really get done in life and I simply could not sit on the sidelines as a silent observer. At the very least, I felt compelled to reflect back the light so clearly shown by others that for a variety of reasons they could not recognize in themselves at this time. And, this also meant listening to the reflections of how my own light affects others so I could regroup to figure out my next steps.

I was seeking the calming ways of Mr. Rogers, the wise observations of those like Paul Wellstone-- “We all do better when we all do better”, the know it in my bones connection that comes from Alice Walker’s reminder that we don’t need more meat people (people who seem to be merely bodies without the light of our spirits shining from them). 

When the solidago plant appeared in my life-- it went from background to foreground in an instant. It was literally growing as my neighbor by a pond and I had never noticed it. When I did and learned it means “to make whole”, my next steps became clearer, and the name for my LLC was born-- Solidago Ventures and Consulting. It also served as a wonderful reminder that the answers and solutions we seek are likely already here— we sometimes have to adjust our perspectives to find them.

Like all of you, I wear many hats and have several roles. Sometimes several of those hats are all being worn at the same time while attempting to wear just one-- sometimes we can shift our focus to wear just one hat and mostly we all have a stack of hats on at one time, in a world that often asks us to act as if that isn’t happening. Not only do I believe this is not all that helpful, 2020 made it clear ( no pun intended by me, but I’m not so sure it wasn’t intended by the universe) it is not effective. 

We all impact each other, whether we walk on land, crawl below it, or fly. We depend on each other, we mean different things to different collaborators depending on our roles with one another and I will not spend one more day pretending that is not true. If you’re reading this-- you’re invited to accept this invitation to stop trying to achieve the impossible too. 

So what’s next? I believe each of us tending to what we need to in order to step into our wholeness is ongoing. In our consistent commitment to doing so, we recognize who we are and the roles we play, no matter what season of life we are in. For me, that begins with honoring how I may be of service to you and others by letting you know how we might benefit each other and following what you have to share with this world.

My Background

My health care career began as an addiction counselor, which has allowed me to notice and recognize what addictive systems look and feel like. We’ll talk more about what this means for all of us on the blog, but for now— know it will be an important aspect of one of the lenses through which I understand the world.

This also was the beginning of over 20 years of experiences facilitating groups, individual and community conversations that get at “What do I do now that, XYZ”? This question that all humans answer many times led me to become an occupational therapist— where the art and science of every day living is the focus to being a partner in navigating how to live life in any situation, especially those that are unexpected or change the very ways we know how to live.

Since then I’ve served rural to urban communities, pediatrics to geriatrics, and in administrative to management capacities. Those experiences have shown me we all share common goals and feelings with many different factors and causes. It has been a great privilege to bear witness to the stories and whole range of emotions that come with being human. It is clear that humans are brilliant, loving, social beings who act very different when we live disconnected.

So I’m here-- blooming like Solidago to say-- I believe in you, I believe in our communities to find our way, I am listening and I stand ready to be your partner in navigating your next steps as individuals, teams, and/or communities.

Services

You’ll learn more about the services offered at Solidago very soon and until then— feel free to reach out through our Connect page if you have questions or ideas for collaboration.