Homegrown Solutions for a Patchwork World - The Skills, Talents, and Mindsets of Changemakers

About the AuthorPatricia Talbot( CEO and Co-Founder )Patti cultivates homegrown changemakers prepared to step into their power and work with others to create the world they want to live in.  Get in touch to find out how you can grow the social changemaker in yourself and those you serve with Blue Roads Changemaker YOU. 

Sitting next to MaryBeth Hyland the first day of a new session at Heroic Public Speaking in Lambertville, New Jersey, I could feel the warm and generous energy radiating from her very being.  I knew right away this was someone I needed to get to know.  What I’ve learned is that MaryBeth is an incredible changemaker who teaches people about the importance of aligning the work they do with their core values so that our daily activities fill us up instead of draining our energy and leaving us depleted. As you follow MaryBeth’s journey in the video recording, via the podcast linked here, or by reading the summary below, take a moment to reflect on how you show up in life and what kind of energy you are projecting. Are you, like MaryBeth, drawing people toward you with the warmth of your presence? Are you taking good care of yourself in the process? You might be kind and accepting of others, but do you also offer yourself permission to be fully human?

Homegrown MaryBethMaryBeth grew up in Washington DC, and was often visited by her great uncle. He was a full-time cowboy and a master woodworker whose expertise was invaluable when it came to building things around the house.  MaryBeth loved visiting his ranch in Idaho as a child. There, she became fascinated with horses, cowboys, and the mountains around her. Later, as an adult, she started going back to that ranch as a place to replenish and regroup. As she puts it . . . 

I started to go there on my own to detox from technology to reconnect to my own humanity in a way I didn't even know that I needed so desperately.

During one of her trips, she heard voices on the property and discovered a cattle woman and her daughter gently moving cows back to the herd. MaryBeth was intrigued. This moment started her toward her own quest to learn more about the lifestyle of a cowgirl. The woman she met that day was named “Chyenne.” Chyenne soon became MaryBeth’s “cowgirl mentor”.  She invited MaryBeth to work alongside her to learn the ins and outs of managing a herd, a dream come true that brought MaryBeth back to horseback riding and fond memories of adventures from her childhood. 

MaryBeth’s PatchworkMaryBeth’s life as a child in Washington D.C. was the polar opposite of those rare experiences on the Idaho ranch with her uncle.  So, too, was her life in the suburbs of Baltimore.  In D.C., she had attended an international school where her first language was Spanish.  Moving to the suburbs made her feel like an outsider, uncertain about her identity and sense of belonging. I remember my first birthday party when we moved, I had Alicia come. She’s the woman who had essentially been a second mother from El Salvador. She made pupusas for this big birthday party for me. All my friends came, and nobody would even try the pupusas because they didn’t know what they were.As she grew older, MaryBeth began to embrace experiences like this as valuable learning. Growing up, speaking different languages, and being comfortable with diversity shaped her significantly.  

Today, MaryBeth uses what she’s learned to help people connect with their true selves in order to be a vessel of love, light, and possibility. She reminds us all that embracing who we are is our greatest gift to the world. When we shed programmed beliefs to find freedom, well-being, and abundance, we can take ownership of our identities and our destinies. 

One of the things that my grandfather used to always say to me...was that you have no true wealth unless you have traveled and unless you have experienced other ways of living.

MaryBeth believes in the power of diverse perspectives to create connections and generate abundance. Early in her career, she ran programs for young professionals. In this role, she made a point to ensure the inclusion of minorities and people of color in decision-making with a focus on depth and connection rather than mere “representation.”

One of the things that I know was key to the strength and power of that community was that everybody was celebrated for the perspective they brought.

In her current work with organizations, MaryBeth provides scholarships for minorities interested in participating in her programming because she knows that diverse voices enhance the quality of the experience for everyone involved. She works to bring people together through shared values while embracing their unique lenses and life experiences.  

Changemaker MaryBethMaryBeth challenges us to extend the same grace and kindness we offer to others to ourselves.  She acknowledges that this is not often the norm in the workplace where there is so much pressure to become a “superstar”.  Her book Permission to be Human encourages recognition and acceptance of our imperfections by offering compassion to ourselves while suspending judgment, honoring boundaries, and giving ourselves and others permission to be unapologetically human.    

MaryBeth relates this to the growing dilemma around the role of artificial intelligence (AI). She sees the rise of AI as another opportunity for humans to focus more on their own humanity and what it means to simply be… “a great human”. 

She believes we are at a tipping point where more people are recognizing the need to take care of themselves better and live a more connected life by embracing their humanity.

Among the exercises MaryBeth teaches are a number of processes to help you identify your core values, be it in the workplace or in your personal life. One such strategy she shared was what she calls the “Fill and Drain” process. She advises us to take a notepad and identify the happenings that fill you with energy throughout the day and what, on the other hand, saps your energy dry. In your list, MaryBeth points out, you will find that the things you list that FILL YOU with energy are things that align with your values. However, the things that DRAIN your energy should tell you that those situations actually conflict with your values. This exercise can help you identify patterns in your life and help you seek more fulfilling experiences instead. To learn more, visit MaryBeth’s website https://sparkvisionnow.com/about-us/ or take her free values profile quiz at https://corevaluesquiz.com/.  Also, check out her book, Permission to Be Human, as a powerful resource to support you in creating a culture and a life in alignment with your values.

Leading by example, MaryBeth is now working on an early retirement plan to align with her own values.  That plan includes opening a retreat center with Chyenne that combines MaryBeth’s facilitation skills with Chyenne’s expertise as a cattlewoman to create a community focused on values, nature, animals, food, and energy.  The tiny home she and her husband have dreamed about has been delivered to the ranch and they are splitting their time between city life on the east coast and ranch life in the west.  Every day she is aligning her identity and her work with her core values and showing us how to do it, too!   

MaryBeth’s work in values alignment and inclusion of every voice to create a world that accepts humans where they are is crucial to attaining the UN Sustainable Development Goals.We can easily see her work advance Goal #3 – Good Health and Well-Being, Goal #4 – Quality Education, and Goal #11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities. Her work with inclusivity is also vital for Goal # 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, Goal #10 – Reduced Inequalities, and Goal 16 – Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. I hope you’ll get in touch to let us know what YOU and people you know are doing to realize these Global Goals by the year 2030.  We can get there if we all work together and take our place as Changemakers! CHECK OUT our CHANGEMAKER YOU course to help you get started today! 

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About the AuthorPatricia Talbot( CEO and Co-Founder )Patti cultivates homegrown changemakers prepared to step into their power and work with others to create the world they want to live in.  Get in touch to find out how you can grow the social changemaker in yourself and those you serve with Blue Roads Changemaker YOU. 

Changemaker Nadine Marshall helps her clients develop themselves holistically so they can move from merely surviving and striving to thriving in their own efforts to make a positive difference in the world.  Tune in via the video recording below, listen to the podcast version or read the summary here to learn how she does it!  

Homegrown NadineNadine was born in Greymouth, a small town on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Her childhood was filled with imagination and play within the beautiful rugged nature of her hometown. She loved to play outside amongst the natural bush and in the ocean with her brothers and friends.    

Nadine came from a family of coal miners. During her childhood, coal mining was a central part of the town’s economy and to a lesser degree today remains a key aspect of the culture, a deeply rooted way of being based on values of hard work, determination, and warmth.    There’s a real resilience and resourcefulness of West Coast people, but also a real deep friendliness and welcoming nature to them when people visit.Female role models were a big part of Nadine’s growing up years.  Her mother and grandmother were a consistent guiding presence in her life helping her develop a natural ethic of caring and compassion as well as her own resourcefulness and creativity. 

Nadine’s PatchworkAs Nadine grew older, she benefitted from opportunities to interact with people from many different walks of life and cultures including the Maori and Pasifika people. I think that our diversity creates the ability for us to hold space for everyone and for everyone to feel that there’s a place for them. Each of us has our unique gifts and strengths that we can offer, but also, at the end of the day, we are connected through our spirit, through our connection of who we are at a real deep essence.Whether she’s working with people in farming communities, small towns or urban centers, Nadine believes in the importance of creating spaces where everyone feels valued and can contribute their unique gifts and strengths.

Solution Focused NadineNadine’s deep connection to nature has become her guide when it comes to her work. Since she was a teenager, she has felt her purpose was to help people grow and unleash their potential for the betterment of all.  She is inspired by working with mission-driven organizations that aim to make a positive impact in the world and help individuals discover their own gifts and areas of genius. This has led her toward involvement with organizations in what she describes as a period of disintegration. In these situations, Nadine uses her skills to help the organization, and the people within, to understand and navigate their way through challenges to find new ways of being and working to better meet the human needs at the heart of any project worth doing.  I see us as spiritual beings having a human experience and that the idea of our work is a place in which we can self-actualize and bring our best gifts to ourselves and for the benefit of everyone. 

Changemaker NadineNadine envisions a new way of approaching work, where individuals can thrive rather than just survive or strive for financial success. She uses her multiple talents and passions from spiritual healing, counseling, yoga teaching, consulting, facilitation, and lecturing to weave programming unique to the needs of the clients she serves.  These days, she credits motherhood with having a profound influence on how she’s designed her work around her life.  It’s a perspective that motivates her to help others find new ways of working that align with their priorities and values as well.  In doing so, Nadine helps people dissolve shame and find new ways of being in their work, supporting their self-actualization and growth. For her, being present for her now teenage children during their formative years and actively supporting them in their activities and growth into adulthood is paramount. By modeling her values in this way, she helps free others to make decisions that are right for them without the burden of societal definitions of “success”. I really want people to connect to the idea of metaphor and being able to be free of some of the construct of the way that we work, whether we work as entrepreneurs or inside organizations. 

Today, Nadine is evolving her business, “Poetic Enterprise,” focusing on metaphor and freedom from restrictive work structures that do not serve the deeper needs of people. She offers coaching for individuals exploring their relationship with work, family and their own positive impacts in the world. Reach her via email [email protected] or LinkedIn for exploratory conversations or to connect and share experiences. 

Nadine’s work in weaving spirituality with work is critical to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that as Changemakers we are working for the 2030 target!Nadine’s philosophy helps advance Goal #8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, Goal #9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, and Goal #11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.These efforts can also create a positive impact on Goal #10 – Reduced Inequalities and Goal #3 – Good Health and Well-Being. After all, when we create positive environments that allow for personal and professional growth for the humans who do the work, everyone thrives. Please reach out to let us know what YOU and people you know are doing to realize these Global Goals by the year 2030.  We can get there if we all work together and take our place in the world as Changemakers! CHECK OUT our CHANGEMAKER YOU course to help you get started today! 

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About the AuthorPatricia Talbot( CEO and Co-Founder )Patti cultivates homegrown changemakers prepared to step into their power and work with others to create the world they want to live in.  Get in touch to find out how you can grow the social changemaker in yourself and those you serve with Blue Roads Changemaker YOU. 

During my discussion with Dr. Navjeet Kaur, I was struck by something she said. So often when we are physically unwell, we are often quick to announce it. However, when the discussion turns to mental health, many people are still afraid to share what is ailing them. I am very glad to have had this opportunity to meet Navjeet where she came up to me after my speaking engagement in New Delhi, India for International Women’s Day.  She’s doing important work at her College for girls there and now, in fact has her own show on the Win Win Women multimedia network.  I am pleased to have the opportunity to introduce you to her here.  

In this episode of “On Your Own Terms,” Navjeet shares her “Homegrown Solutions for a Patchwork World”. I encourage you to watch the video of our conversation, listen to the podcast, and read the summary below!

Homegrown NavjeetDr. Navjeet Kaur was born in India. Her father was an Air Force man which gave her the opportunity to move often as a child. Navjeet grew up shy and introverted. At first, she believed her behavior and personality traits were inherent and unchangeable, but she eventually felt the need to transform herself.

During that time, I was timid. I couldn't communicate properly, and I thought it was my behavior, I wouldn't be able to change it.

But Naveet changed her mind about that.No, I need to change this.Navjeet wanted to push herself to grow and communicate effectively, so she joined the Indian Army as a nursing officer as a young woman. At first, she focused on physical health, but, over time, she realized the great importance of addressing mental health as well. 

People are very comfortable talking about their physical health, like having a fever or surgical issues. They don't mind talking about these problems. But when they're facing any problem with their mental health, they are very reluctant to speak to others.

I thought I needed to do something because we can heal.Solution-Focused NavjeetRecognizing the lack of awareness and attention given to mental health, particularly among young people, Navjeet decided to pursue a career in teaching psychology. Her aim was to equip her students with the knowledge to lead happy and fulfilling lives. Motivational books proved insufficient, so Navjeet pursued the mastery of neurolinguistic programming (NLP).  This framework allowed her to develop techniques for building confidence, reframing painful memories, and achieving clarity of thought.

I have seen in India many students committing suicide because they feel that they are not competent and not able to achieve their goals in their lives.

We need to work on these issues!

Navjeet says the mind is like a computer. If you add unnecessary files to a computer, it will become slower over time.Likewise, a person who does not maintain their mental health will eventually become less focused and efficient.

Navjeet’s PatchworkNavjeet’s interactions with people from diverse backgrounds have given her many insights into varying perspectives that contribute to her own self-awareness and personal growth. This new knowledge helps her to encourage individuals who feel they don’t fit societal norms to embrace themselves and learn from others while emphasizing that growth and success are achievable through perseverance and alternative approaches.

Navjeet advises people to develop confidence, enjoy every moment of life, express gratitude, and remain thankful for their blessings. By cultivating a positive attitude and mapping your own path forward, we can all grow in positive directions. We can learn things, we can model others, and be a model for others. We can learn from others. If others can do it, you can also do it.

Changemaker NavjeetNavjeet encourages individuals to believe in their ability to achieve their goals and emphasizes the importance of perseverance and trying different approaches to overcome problems. She aims to reach out to youth globally through educational institutions and through her show It’s Okay to Not be Okay.  There she teaches us all how to build greater confidence, improve self-esteem, and achieve our goals. Navjeet reminds us that if we are struggling with anxiety, depression, or stress, it need not be “the end of the world.” By seeking a supportive environment and building our social awareness, we can find places where we can share mental health challenges without judgment, and the road to healing can begin. 

If you want to reach out to Dr. Navjeet Kaur, you can email her at [email protected] or fine her on Instagram @navjeetkaurholistichealing. 

Dr. Navjeet Kaur’s message on mental health is so important in this era of burnout and unreasonable expectations of ourselves. That is why her message is key for many of the SDG goals. The biggest impact of her work lies in Goal #3 – Good Health and Well Being and Goal #4 – Quality Education. With strong mental health we are able to advance Goal #8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, Goal #9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, and Goal # 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.I also hope you’ll get in touch to let us know what YOU and people you know are doing to realize these Global Goals by the year 2030.  We can sure do it if we all work together and take our place as Changemakers! CHECK OUT our CHANGEMAKER YOU course to help you get started today! 

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About the AuthorPatricia Talbot( CEO and Co-Founder )Patti cultivates homegrown changemakers prepared to step into their power and work with others to create the world they want to live in.  Get in touch to find out how you can grow the social changemaker in yourself and those you serve with Blue Roads Changemaker YOU. 

Where does a person’s potential begin as a changemaker? Changemaker Emmalou Penrod knows, it usually starts with the family unit. In this rich conversation, Emmalou examines how her upbringing catapulted her forward and now helps parents learn the skills, including emotional regulation, so they are equipped to share their tools to help their children grow.

In this episode of “On Your Own Terms,” Emmalou shares her “Homegrown Solutions for a Patchwork World”. Watch the video of our conversation, listen to the podcast, and read the summary here!

Homegrown EmmalouEmmalou was raised by two educated, compassionate parents who were very involved in her life. Her father was a veterinarian and worked for the Department of Agriculture. Her mother was college-educated and loved working with numbers but did her work from home so she could care for the children.  She enjoyed doing income tax returns and would work on them while the children were in school. Her father’s job took the family to live in a number of different places including Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Virginia, Maryland, and California.  This exposure gave her a natural curiosity about different places. 

I loved seeing different parts of the country, especially living in Maryland. The Smithsonian was just an hour’s drive away!

Growing up, Emmalou was greatly influenced by the deep relationship between her parents. She observed their communication and treatment towards one another.  They were always respectful, even during disagreements. Her father often praised her mother, setting a strong example of womanhood for Emmalou.  Solution-Focused Emmalou

The solutions I want to offer are ways we can strengthen families. Perhaps because I loved my family of origin and I saw how it shaped me, I want to help other families.

Looking back, Emmalou sees how her upbringing has been powerful in her journey as a Changemaker. She emphasizes that education begins at home, and parents play a crucial role in shaping their child’s subconscious mind.She acknowledges the challenges modern parents face and recognizes the unrealistic expectations placed on them. With so many forces pulling at parents today, it is easy for them to get bogged down with criticisms and have their efforts ignored.We’ve all heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Emmalou encourages us to adjust that. 

I like to modify that saying to… ‘It takes a village to support the parents so the parents can raise their child.’

Emmalou spent 24 years as a school teacher, 23 of which were in special education. She learned the importance of parental involvement in a child’s education and encourages parents to take an active role. She emphasizes the importance of teachers listening to parents.  From her observations, no one understands their kids better than the parents do. The parents know the child’s strengths, weaknesses, and motivations. For this reason, Emmalou also strongly encourages parents to volunteer at their child’s school. Emmalou believes parents should be free to explore different educational options (public, charter, private schools, co-ops, homeschooling) based on their child’s needs and family structure. She also believes that parents under financial constraints and in emotional distress should be supported to find the help they need.  Except in extreme cases of abuse and neglect, research shows that children fare better when they stay with their family of origin.  This can happen when extended family and community resources are leveraged to help a struggling family turn things around.   Emmalou’s PatchworkParenting is a universal facet of life regardless of culture, background or socioeconomic status. Emmalou acknowledges the diversity of family experiences and emphasizes the importance of understanding and validating those different upbringings while maintaining that children deserve the opportunity to grow up in a nurturing environment no matter what the situation. For this reason, she encourages parents to take good care of themselves so they are equipped to take good care of their children and families.  

You can’t teach your children to believe in themselves if you don’t believe in yourself and teach your children how to manage their emotions if you haven’t learned how to manage yours.

Emmalou offers an online class called “Use Your Emotions Rather than Let Your Emotions Use You,” based on the book Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. She also recommends the book Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child, by John Gottman, PhD. Emmalou believes in harnessing the energy of emotions to reach goals. Even though anger is an uncomfortable emotion, it can be leveraged to motivate needed action and right wrongs in society.Anger can propel us to join a mob, pick up bricks and start throwing through windows. Or we can choose to write letters to elected officials to participate in activities that are helping to right this wrong that we see.It’s important for parents to start with themselves, and that’s where I like to start.Emmalou’s program starts with an assessment to understand the current state of family life. As Emmalou aptly puts it, We don’t need to be afraid of our emotions. We just need to learn from them and wisely choose the action that will bring us the result we want.She helps parents understand that children often communicate their feelings through behavior, especially when they lack the verbal skills to express themselves. She emphasizes the importance of unconditional love and the the recognition that misbehavior is often a cry for help.At the toddler stage, parents can earn their child’s trust and lay a strong foundation for the future. As children grow older, parents need to gradually let them do more on their own while standing strong as a trusted mentor, especially during the challenging teenage years.Changemaker EmmalouEmmalou envisions a world where every child is part of a nurturing family that teaches them values and prepares them to become self-reliant adults who contribute to society. She encourages parents to maintain their unconditional love, even if their children make choices that deviate from their expectations or values. 

What would happen if every child had the opportunity to be part of a family that nurtured them, loved them, taught them values, and prepared them to become a self-reliant adult who gave back to society?

Picture this: Dropping a pebble in the water and just watching it move out.

Can you see how neighborhoods would change?

Nations would change...?

In this way, Emmalou believes internalized equality and the value of every human life would lead us to higher integrity, reduced corruption and crime, and, ultimately, world peace.For Emmalou, strong families are at the core of making these changes happen. 

Healthy families are critical to healthy communities, making Emmalou’s efforts vital to advancing the sustainable development goals. 

Healthy emotions are powerful tools to bring about the realization of Goal #10 – Reduced Inequalities, Goal #11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Goal #16 – Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. 

These big impacts will also ripple out and advance goals like Goal #1 – No Poverty, Goal #3 – Good Health and Well-Being, and Goal #4 – Quality Education. 

Do get in touch to let us know what YOU and people you know are doing to realize these Global Goals by the year 2030.  We can sure do it if we all work together and take our place as Changemakers! 

CHECK OUT our CHANGEMAKER YOU course to help you get started today! 

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About the AuthorPatricia Talbot( CEO and Co-Founder )Patti cultivates homegrown changemakers prepared to step into their power and work with others to create the world they want to live in.  Get in touch to find out how you can grow the social changemaker in yourself and those you serve with Blue Roads Changemaker YOU. 

Get ready to channel your curiosity about people with Changemaker Nancy Marshall! Nancy has a passion for connecting people together so that they can bring their gifts to the world. A curious mind makes for genuine relationships that can lead to positive change in every community.  Nancy never starts a conversation thinking, “What’s in it for me?”  Instead, she reaches out through her love for people and genuine interest in who they are, what they are passionate about, and what they hope to be able to do. 

In this episode of “On Your Own Terms,” Nancy shares her “Homegrown Solutions for a Patchwork World” that includes her genuine interest in the other changemakers around her.  You can catch up on the video here, by listening to the podcast, or by reading the summary below!

Homegrown NancyLooking back, Nancy is grateful that she was blessed with a truly wonderful childhood. Her parents were committed to giving her the best upbringing they could. Nancy’s mother was the youngest of three children, so she knew from firsthand experience that kids could get into trouble when they were bored. Determined to keep her inquisitive daughter on the straight and narrow, Nancy’s mother always kept her busy. I feel lucky because I assumed that everybody in the world had a great childhood, but then as I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that isn’t necessarily the case.

Growing up, Nancy was involved in many activities from school sports, church group, and choir to Brownies. She was a very social child who was encouraged to swim from dock to dock at their summer cottage, just to chat with all the neighbors.  

Active and into new adventures, Nancy joined the Pony Club where she learned about horseback riding and holistic horse care.  By the age of 15, she bought a horse with her savings from babysitting and her father helped build her a barn.  

When I went away to college, my mom learned to ride and take care of the horse, too.

Nancy also spent many hours at Sugarloaf, a Ski resort in Maine near the Canadian border. The active lifestyle suited her well alongside the studious nature encouraged by her parents.  It’s a lifestyle she soon shared with her own children and continues to enjoy today. 

Solution-Focused NancyAfter college, Nancy went back to Sugarloaf Ski Resort as their Director of Communications. The management at the ski resort recognized Nancy’s ambition, and offered her a contract if she would start her own business. Using her extensive network of contacts, she quickly acquired several clients in outdoor recreation. That’s how Nancy got started with her own public relations agency in 1991. 

Now that I've had my agency for over 30 years, many of our clients are (still) in the outdoor recreation space.

Today, Nancy continues to run that PR firm and hosts the PR Maven Podcast.  More recently, she has begun to accelerate her public speaking career as well.  She believes building a personal brand and a supportive network is key to professional success and personal happiness. To achieve this, Nancy does all she can to encourage people to honor their own way of being and to connect with others every chance they get.  With this in mind, she works with journalists and pitches stories to the news media on behalf of her clients and writes for publications such as Forbes while keeping a vibrant Facebook community called PR Maven Nation alive with her thought leadership.  

Nancy’s PatchworkThrough it all, Nancy enjoys and values the patchwork of diverse relationships she has cultivated.  One example comes from her skiing adventures as a young person where she was exposed to French Canadians who piqued her interest in the French language.  During college, Nancy spent a year in France, where she made a close friend named Michelle. Michelle was from Haiti and could not speak English.  This relationship motivated Nancy to improve her own French to be able to communicate with her new friend. This kind of motivation to go the extra mile to connect with people has served Nancy well all her life. 

It just energizes me to make these connections!

Nancy’s recommendation is to bring curiosity into every relationship.  She’s always on the lookout for commonalities on which to build. There was a time in her life when Nancy tried to suppress her extroverted nature because she was criticized for being so outgoing and chatty.  She’s now learned that her way of being is a gift to the world to be put to good use as a positive changemaker.  Like the rest of the patchwork, Nancy has something unique to celebrate and share. 

Changemaker NancyAt this stage, Nancy feels both limitless possibilities and a sense of urgency to make the most of her life. She hopes to inspire other women to see life as full of opportunities and not feel limited by their circumstances. Nancy models this outlook with her exuberant advocacy for a number of important causes. One organization close to Nancy’s heart is the American Lung Association. For years, Nancy has participated in a 3-day, 180-mile bike ride that serves as a significant fundraising event in support of clean air and healthy lungs. Good health and an active lifestyle have always been important to Nancy, but lung cancer also took her mother’s life in 2022 making this mission doubly important to her personally.It gives me great joy to be involved with the event and pride actually that I’m a connector at heart. I’ve brought several of my clients on board to support the Trek across Maine as sponsors.  

So again, put yourself out there and figure out what your superpower is that you can share with others and be an inspiration to others to help them achieve their goals and dreams.

She is also working with the Maine Maritime Museum to promote an exhibit about the warming of the ocean, particularly off the coast of Maine. Nancy believes public relations can play a significant role in educating the public about global warming and its dangers.Another powerful example of Nancy’s advocacy shows up in her excitement about the book below.  Nancy helped her friend, Lisa Wentzell, write a children’s book about her son’s adventures experiencing life as someone with a rare chromosomal disorder. The book, “A Dog and His Boy: The Adventures of Spillway and Scotty,” is written from the perspective of Scotty’s stuffed dog, Spillway. The book’s message is about accepting and befriending those who are different. It’s already making a difference in her own community and beyond. 

Nancy believes in the power of asking for what you need and encourages others to do the same. She feels blessed to have started a business at a young age, to have cultivated her talents in ways that help others, and to have carved out a life that brings her great joy every day.If you would like to learn more about Nancy Marshall, the PR Maven, you can visit her website at https://marshallpr.com/ or connect with her on LinkedIn.

The love and compassion for people Nancy models for us is critically important in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Her work in PR and voluntary efforts advance Goal #3 – Good Health and Well-Being, Goal #4 – Quality Education, and Goal #13 – Climate Action as well as Goal #8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth. 

All of these efforts can help advance Goal #11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities and most importantly, Goal #17 – Partnership for the Goals. 

Please get in touch to let us know what YOU and people you know are doing to realize these Global Goals by the year 2030.  It can happen if we all work together and take our places as Changemakers working to make the world work better for everyone.

CHECK OUT our CHANGEMAKER YOU course to help you get started today! 

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About the AuthorPatricia Talbot( CEO and Co-Founder )Patti cultivates homegrown changemakers prepared to step into their power and work with others to create the world they want to live in.  Get in touch to find out how you can grow the social changemaker in yourself and those you serve with Blue Roads Changemaker YOU. 

What makes an empowering mentor? This is the question that changemaker Beth Hendricks asked herself after having several mentors assigned to her tell her that she didn’t measure up. Then, one day, she had a new experience. A mentor sat with her and asked the question:How can I help you be successful?Beth realized that in a world where many people are so focused on outshining each other, we often forget that we can actually grow together in support of one another’s success. This realization set her on a journey to become an empowering mentor for others. 

As you watch the video below, listen to the podcast, and read the summary of this Changemaker’s Homegrown Solutions for the Patchwork World we share, think about the mentors you’ve had who helped you reach your goals.  What made these mentors special to you and aided in your development? 

Homegrown BethBorn in Rexburg, Idaho, Beth’s philosophy in life was largely influenced by her father. He was a rancher and a farmer who enlisted in World War II and returned to attend law school, an extraordinary move for someone from rural Idaho. His philosophy? Hard work is critical to success. Beth has applied this philosophy throughout her own life, too.She remembers her dad saying,  I may not be as smart and don’t have that pedigree, but I can outwork them all! 

When Beth had 3 children of her own, she decided to go against the norm at the time and pursue an MBA (Master’s in Business Administration). Very few women were getting MBA’s in the 80’s and everyone told me to get a degree in something like education because it would be easier. I knew that I had to get a degree that would set me apart. After helping her kids with their homework, she would put them to bed so she could complete her own homework for graduate school, sometimes staying up until 2:00 in the morning.Despite this kind of commitment and determination, Beth had a female mentor who told her that she would never be able to compete with men. 

I was usually the only woman in my classes and subsequently in the organizations, departments, and universities where I worked...I had the highest GPA, a straight 4.0, 

She was also nominated to several national and regional honor societies because of that high grade point average. Solution-Focused BethAs you can imagine with that level of academic success, being told she would not be able to keep up with her male peers did not sit well with Beth. The suggestion from women leaders that her children might somehow get in the way was bewildering.  Why would women stand in the way of progress for other women?  Beth decided she wanted to change the dynamic. Fortunate to have a more positive male mentor, she became deeply interested in what makes a successful mentor/mentee relationship.   She learned a lot along the way to benefit the next generation of business professionals. 

I put together a course that teaches people about mentoring and marketing.

Beth wants to teach people, especially women, that it is possible to create a meaningful career and be an influential mentor for other women and men following behind them. She’s pleased to hear that her mentorship has had a positive impact on many of her former students and colleagues.  One former student who now works in Silicon Valley specifically cited her mentorship from nearly 20 years ago during his time at BYU-Idaho in a recent article.  It’s gratifying for Beth to know he is doing so well and still remembers their work together after all these years. 

Sometimes other faculty did not understand the tremendous time and commitment Beth gave to her students.  They said they would never drive students to competitions or spend time mentoring them like I did. They made fun of me because students would come to my office and they could hear my laugh from down the hall as I would talk to students.While many just wanted to teach their classes and go home, Beth knew that these were the moments that helped create change. By getting to know each person’s strengths and challenges, she could help them develop the tools they needed to succeed. Beth conducted a survey to help her understand the characteristics of effective mentors.  Her questions focus on the experiences people have had with positive mentors.  Most  participants said their mentors wanted to create a positive impact on them and help them succeed. She also learned though that some mentees lack the motivation needed to create their own success.  The main takeaway from her research is that both parties – the mentor and the mentee – must be committed to success.  

Michael Nichols said, ‘True success is when your successor is more successful than you.’

Beth says this has become her mantra.  While she’s discovered that quite a few mentor/mentee relationships fail due to jealousy, she knows that combination is a recipe for failure for all involved.  Beth recommends a relationship that comes together with the express purpose of lifting one another up.  By recommending what she calls “reverse mentoring,” Beth demonstrates the healthy reciprocal relationship that develops when mentees in turn teach mentors a thing or two. 

Beth’s PatchworkBeth values diversity and believes it helps people grow and understand the world.  During her undergraduate studies, Beth took the opportunity to travel to Israel to learn more about other cultures and perspectives. She recognized that her hometown was not a diverse place, and therefore, she needed to get out of her comfort zone and see the world.Diversity makes you better; it makes you understand people. That’s what I found in my mentoring research, was that diversity helps you grow.

Beth is pictured here at the Taj Mahal with Patti Talbot and Lynn Whitbeck on a recent trip to India where we met. 

With these experiences, Beth continues to ask herself the question, How would I like to see the world be made better?Her answer usually comes back to mentorship.  By creating healthy and mutually supportive relationships, success becomes possible for everyone.  She finds great delight in hearing from people she has been fortunate to mentor over the years.  

I hope that I have more people write and say, thank you. You mentored me. You took the time to listen to me, and now my life is better.

That's really what we all should be doing, making other people's lives better.

Changemaker BethLooking back at the mentor that made the most significant impact on her, Beth realizes that a truly empowering mentor sits with you and takes the time to listen and push you to grow. Her mentor was someone who managed by objectives. He knew the company’s goals and his team’s personal goals. 

In fact, he came in the second day after he hired me and sat down in my office and said, "Beth, how can I make you successful at this job? How can I help you to become successful?"

Beth believes that women can be empowering mentors if they can shift their focus from outshining others to supporting one another. There is no room for growth when people are rude, snide, and hurtful to each other. It takes more energy to put someone down than to lift them up. Beth wants to help others grow to a point where they can go onward to empower more people through their own mentorship circles. She is currently teaching an online class called Beth Hendricks Beyond Marketing. Beth would love for you to participate in her mentorship survey, too!  Below you will find a QR code linked to her survey where you will be able to enter your own feedback about mentors in your life. If you cannot scan the QR code, feel free to click the link here. 

To learn more about Beth Hendricks and her changemaking work cultivating effective mentors, I encourage you to follow her and reach out to her on  LinkedIn here.

Beth’s passion for mentoring helps push all of us forward in many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Remember we are pushing to achieve these goals by 2030!Beth’s efforts advance Goal #4  – Quality Education, Goal #5 – Gender Equality, and Goal #10 – Reduced Inequalities. Indirectly, she is also advancing Goal #8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, Goal #9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, and Goal #11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities. To top it off, all of her work is built on partnership instead of competing against each other which is Goal #17 – Partnerships for the Goals.Please do get in touch to let us know what YOU and people you know are doing to realize these Global Goals by the year 2030.  We can get there if we all work together and take our place as Changemakers! CHECK OUT our CHANGEMAKER YOU course to help you get started today! 

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About the AuthorPatricia Talbot( CEO and Co-Founder )Patti cultivates homegrown changemakers prepared to step into their power and work with others to create the world they want to live in.  Get in touch to find out how you can grow the social changemaker in yourself and those you serve with Blue Roads Changemaker YOU. 

Sometimes the biggest change in the world begins with a change within yourself.  That is the power behind Changemaker Lynn McLaughlin’s story.At an early age, Lynn experienced trauma and abuse creating a deep-seated need for escape.   As she grew older, she learned to recognize her past as proof of her tenacity and capacity for resilience. Over the years, she’s learned that the road to growth does not begin with how things “should be”, but rather, acceptance of the way things are.  That space of acceptance is where change begins. 

In this episode of “On Your Own Terms,” Lynn shares her “Homegrown Solutions for a Patchwork World”. Watch the video of our conversation, listen to the podcast, and read the summary here to find the wisdom gained through this changemaker’s lived experience and how she’s transformed that experience for the benefit of others. 

Homegrown LynnMost of my guests on the show, “On Your Own Terms,” begin by sharing where and when they were born, but this changemaker gives voice to the many moving pieces that contribute to who we become as adults.  For Lynn, a major piece of her homegrown background is the personal trauma from abuse she experienced growing up.  As she’s matured, Lynn has learned to separate that trauma into two areas of impact – the systemic and the individual.  She’s also learned to have great respect and admiration for the strength of the little girl she once was who found brilliant and intuitive ways to survive.  

I looked at the way I navigated life...Now I understand the power of breath and how my little girl figured that out.

By learning how to hide and control her breath, Lynn learned to keep herself safe from harm for a time.  Later as a young teen, she turned to substance abuse as a different way of sheltering.  

In the area of trauma or abuse, we internalize. We say this happened because of me...

When we instead internalize a new message…I survived because of me! There is such great power in that.Solution-Focused LynnLynn’s experiences as a child led her to build her life’s work around helping others be real with one another. She wants to help people by allowing them to show up and accept themselves exactly as they are. Lynn isn’t trying to diagnose or fix anyone. Instead, she is giving people an opportunity to show up and “be real”.   

I see you, and I hear you, and I don't want you to change. If you choose to change, I'm still going to think you're valuable.

Lynn’s work uses a peer-to-peer model of support instead of a clinical model. This model requires that we honor and accept others just as they are – sitting in front of us in all of their humanity. Parents, family members, friends, romantic partners – they all are people who can be honored as they are. If we shift our perspectives from seeing individuals as broken people to “be fixed,” we will be able to accept them as fully human just like the rest of us. There is validation in being fully present with someone in pain and letting them know simply, “I see you, and you are in pain.”Trauma happens when we are not seen and heard when something really difficult happens. And sometimes out of good intention, people try to shift us out of it because being with someone who’s in pain is really hard. We don’t want people to be in pain. And there’s beautiful empathy in that.

If a person chooses to change their lifestyle, Lynn will say, “How can I support you with that?” In this way, Lynn models her belief that humans should not be valued only by what they “produce” or what they “do.” Everyone has innate value and that can never be taken away. 

Lynn’s PatchworkTrauma is healed when it is witnessed. Lynn shared examples of this truth from her anti-racism work.  One specific school principal she knows also comes to mind. This high school principal makes it a point to practice this form of presence with his students. If a student is sent to the principal’s office, the student is not punished. Instead, the principal allows himself to be present with the student. I am not going to punish you… What is going on?”When this approach is taken when a student is in pain, healing can begin.  How powerful it would be if… 

...we could slow down and see people's pain and recognize that there's nothing wrong with them. Something happened that created the way that they're responding to life.

Changemaker LynnLynn’s biggest dream as a changemaker is to create spaces where people can go when they are feeling disconnected.  These spaces, she calls “Community Living Rooms,” offer another human to be present with a person in their hour of vulnerability and need.  Her work also provides training in how to support people as they experience the wide range of human emotions.  Two of the programs she facilitates are called “Emotional CPR” and “The Missing Piece.” 

How do we recognize our comfortability with emotion? How do we recognize our comfortability with others' emotions?

Lynn reminds us that humans will make mistakes, be awkward, and act irrationally. That is okay. It is part of the human experience. We don’t have to try to fix each other. Instead, we just need to be there for each other and offer support as needed to create an environment of healing and growth.

For so many years, I felt like a dandelion, like the weed, the bother on the lawn. Through my healing, I came to understand how beautiful dandelions are. They're nutritious, and they have mystical qualities to them.

In the spirit of the mystical dandelion flower, Lynn now brings nourishment and healing to the world through her organization called the “Dandalliance”, through her children’s book, “The Dandelions Gift,” and as part of the Ebb and Flow Connections Cooperative all linked here for your easy reference.  To learn more about Lynn’s work, visit her website at https://dandalliance.com/. 

Sometimes the biggest change in the world begins with the change within ourselves. That is the power behind Lynn’s changemaking philosophy of accepting who you are as a person and supporting others to do it, too. Lynn’s efforts are essential in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. Her philosophy of accepting yourself is critical in Goal #3 – Good Health and Well-Being, #4 – Quality Education, and Goal #11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.One goal that Lynn’s work advances that may not come to mind is Goal #17 – Partnership for the Goals. After all, when we take the time to be present with one another, we are able to create positive ripples in the world that lead to meaningful change. I hope you’ll get in touch to let us know what YOU and people you know are doing to realize these Global Goals by the year 2030.  We can get there if we all work together and take our place as Changemakers! CHECK OUT our CHANGEMAKER YOU course to help you get started today! 

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About the AuthorPatricia Talbot( CEO and Co-Founder )Patti cultivates homegrown changemakers prepared to step into their power and work with others to create the world they want to live in.  Get in touch to find out how you can grow the social changemaker in yourself and those you serve with Blue Roads Changemaker YOU. 

Often the people in need of help in our community are right in front of us. Leading the charge to maintain the dignity of each individual is Changemaker Judy Diggs. Throughout her career in education, Judy has constantly kept an eye out for how she can  offer support and advocacy to marginalized groups and those in need. Judy has a big heart and loads of experience creating the conditions necessary for humans to thrive.  As she says it, Sometimes the opportunity to help comes out of nowhere! In that moment, it helps to be ready so you can make a difference in someone’s life. 

In this episode of “On Your Own Terms,” Judy shares her “Homegrown Solutions for a Patchwork World”. Watch the video of our conversation, listen to the podcast, and read the summary below. 

Homegrown JudyJudy Diggs was born in Christiansburg, Virginia, and has lived in Montgomery County for most of her life. She began her career as a speech therapist in Roanoke City before a stint in Front Royal, Virginia. But eventually, she moved back to the close-knit community of her origins. Judy is the eighth in line in a family of ten children. Her father was a Methodist minister and she describes her mother as a “social worker without a degree”.  Her mother modeled caring for the needs of those in her community first as a volunteer and later on working for the local Community Services Board. 

It took me a long time to embrace the size of my family because growing up I didn't have many peers that also had nine siblings

Judy is now proud of her big family as they were important in shaping the kind of person she would become.  Growing up, Judy learned early that she could make a difference in the world. She spent the first two years of her education in segregated schools and did not attend schools with people who looked different than her until she was in the third grade. At the time, the Civil Rights movement was in full swing. She says she didn’t fully understand what was happening at the time, but she had people who made the transition easier for her.

My dad was a minister, but he was also an activist in this community. People knew that about him. He was not going to take a backseat.

Judy’s father sent two of her older siblings to the local public schools early on. Doing so helped pave a path for all African American children in Montgomery County.Unfortunately, her father passed away when Judy was only eleven years old.  Her mother continued to raise the children on her own keeping the activism legacy of their father alive.  Her mother’s ability to form relationships and provide support to marginalized populations inspired Judy and several of her family members to pursue careers in teaching, law enforcement, and the ministry. 

Solution-Focused JudyThroughout her 40 years in education, Judy moved from her role as a speech therapist into various leadership roles within the school division.  Through it all she maintained a passion to see that all children, regardless of circumstance or disability, found success and dignity in their learning environment.  Judy believed that she needed to get to know students and their families in order to serve them best and advocate for their needs within the schools. Once she understood the “homegrown reality” of her students, she found ways to help their teachers build better relationships and better serve their needs as individuals. 

It was always a goal of mine to see all children be successful and recognize that all children have the potential to reach their own levels of success to become contributing members to our community.

Judy believes there is a place in the world for everyone. Even though she’s now “retired” from the school division, she still finds ways to focus on lifting others up – particularly those who are marginalized or have fewer opportunities. The model provided by her parents as well as her spiritual beliefs still play a prominent role in the way she lives her life of service. 

By acknowledging the privilege of having folks who supported her to move forward along her own journey, Judy finds an extra dose of inspiration to provide that support to others.  While she might consider herself an “introvert”, she pushes herself to build relationships and to speak up on behalf of children and families who may be less able to speak up for themselves.  She looks for opportunities to support marginalized populations, including those facing homelessness and food insecurity. 

I don’t try to go in and be anybody’s savior. That’s not what people are looking for. Everything has evolved into me understanding that it’s important to have those interactions, but to do it in a loving and trusting kind of way.

Judy’s example of service is rubbing off on some very important people in her life!   

Judy’s Patchwork Throughout Judy’s career, she found many opportunities to connect with people from all backgrounds. Her last position was as Director of Equity and Inclusion in Montgomery County Public Schools.  She describes this role as the natural culmination of her professional journey.  But she’s not done yet! Judy still advocates for equity and opportunities for all students to be included and get what they need when she’s called upon to do consulting work for the Virginia Department of Education. 

I am always looking for equity. I am always looking for opportunities so that all students are included, that they get what they need when they need it.

Judy believes in embracing human dignity and showing respect and grace to others.  She offers this grace even when there are disagreements. This is how the world is changed. 

Changemaker JudyJudy encourages people to get involved in their communities to impact change. Her participation in the Education Committee of the local Dialogue on Race and organizations like the NAACP contribute to minimizing the impact of societal barriers on marginalized populations and offering support and assistance wherever possible.  This includes influencing school policies that may further marginalize students and families and stand in the way of equitable opportunities for a quality life experience. 

She is proud of the influence she has had on her children, who are also involved in giving back to their communities. She encourages people to get involved in their communities and to use their passions to influence change.

You don’t even really have to go somewhere to find somebody that’s in need necessarily. Sometimes it smacks you in the face in a moment when you don’t expect it. And if you have that passion to encourage and empower and embrace, use it. Be ready to use it at that moment.

Judy’s consistent message of advocacy, equity and service are at the heart of what it takes to make positive change in every community.  That’s is where world change begins – in our own homes and in our local communities.  Don’t overthink it! Often the people who need help the most are right in front of us. 

Judy’s actions make waves in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.  You can too by following in her footsteps. Notice how Judy’s efforts are advancing Goal #1 – No Poverty, Goal #3 – Good Health and Well-Being, and Goal #10 – Reduced Inequalities. 

In addition, she is also helping create a space to advance Goal #11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities and Goal #16 – Peace Justice and Strong Institutions. 

Please get in touch to let us know what YOU and people you know are doing to realize these Global Goals by the year 2030.  We can sure do it if we all work together and take our place as Changemakers! 

CHECK OUT our CHANGEMAKER YOU course to help you get started today! 

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About the AuthorPatricia Talbot( CEO and Co-Founder )Patti cultivates homegrown changemakers prepared to step into their power and work with others to create the world they want to live in.  Get in touch to find out how you can grow the social changemaker in yourself and those you serve with Blue Roads Changemaker YOU. 

Loy Campbell’s professional work in healthcare and community work for racial justice are inspirational examples of how we can show up as changemakers in all facets of our lives.  Read on to check out what you missed “On Your Own Terms” or, if you prefer, go straight to the audio version here:    

Homegrown LoyLoy Campbell was born in Blacksburg, Virginia. Blacksburg is a college town where the university is a big part of community life. She credits her desire to do something bigger than herself to her upbringing in a tight-knit community where there were lots of events and activities close by. Loy’s parents, Nurse Practitioner Anne Campbell and Attorney Greg Campbell, modeled both professionalism and a commitment to community all her life.

Blacksburg is a community that really values learning.

Living close to two sets of grandparents influenced her greatly and contributed to her desire to work with the elderly in her adult life. 

Solution-Focused Loy

As Loy grew older, she became more aware of the many challenges facing us all. Having grown up in a fairly homogenous community, Loy realized that she needed to take action and stand up with those who were not fairly represented. Today, she focuses on two main issues: working with older adults, especially those with dementia, and promoting racial justice.

So I've worked with a group called the Equal Justice Initiative. One of the things that they're doing besides working with people who are unjustly incarcerated is that they're helping community groups called Community Remembrance Coalitions.

Through the Community Remembrance Coalitions, Loy works to educate the community in Alamance County, North Carolina about the history of racial terror and lynching in the area. 

Loy’s Patchwork

Loy says her awareness of racial injustice started to grow when a friend invited her to read the powerful book, The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson.  

It's a book about three different people who are leaving the south during the Great Migration, where many black people left the south from about the twenties to the sixties to escape Jim Crow terror.

Reading the book had a profound impact on Loy, as it helped her connect to the problem of racial injustice. She realized that she, like many white Americans, has benefitted at the expense of others. She, therefore, feels a responsibility to be part of the solution. Getting away from Blacksburg to work for a time in California and now in North Carolina has given her more opportunities to engage with diverse groups of people as both coworkers and clients.  Loy credits this exposure for enriching her life and her perspectives so she can now help others of us to understand how racial injustice and issues around disability affect everyone.  When people outside those communities get involved, it makes us all function better and more inclusively as a nation.

Changemaker LoyLoy has seen firsthand how the healthcare system advantages people of privilege. Working in a hospital as an occupational therapist allows her to see the range of need across diverse backgrounds, races, ethnicities and languages as well as those experiencing life challenges such as addiction, homelessness and paralysis.  

EVERYONE goes to the hospital!

Before she worked at a hospital, Loy had not met people without insurance or a roof over their heads. She hadn’t met undocumented immigrants. New exposure to humans struggling to get by broadened her perspective and connected her deeply with the side of her that was raised to help and try to make a difference where she is able. 

“It's made my life a lot richer by seeing a diversity of people in all the ways that people can be diverse because hospitals just bring that out.”

Loy hopes that through her work she can help others see that people with dementia are still human beings who deserve care and respect. People need to be accepted for who they are rather than what people wish them to be. In her practice as an occupational therapist and dementia care specialist, she helps families and caregivers learn to work more effectively with their loved ones. Recently, Loy has expanded her work to include advocacy and training for communities to become more involved with dementia care as a community effort that includes support for primary caregivers and affordable day centers.  You can learn more and gain access to Loy’s programs through her private consulting business, Campbell Care Consultants.  Reach out here: https://www.campbellcareconsultants.com/.

Loy’s efforts with dementia care and racial justice are easily connected to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals including Goal #3 – Good Health and Well-Being and Goal #10 – Reduced Inequalities. The long term impact leads other advancements as well.  Goal #9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, Goal #11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities and Goal #16 – Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions can all be impacted when people are cared for and treated fairly. I hope you’ll get in touch to let us know what YOU and people you know are doing to realize these Global Goals by the year 2030.  We can get there if we all work together and take our place as Changemakers! CHECK OUT our CHANGEMAKER YOU course to help you get started today! 

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About the AuthorPatricia Talbot( CEO and Co-Founder )Patti cultivates homegrown changemakers prepared to step into their power and work with others to create the world they want to live in.  Get in touch to find out how you can grow the social changemaker in yourself and those you serve with Blue Roads Changemaker YOU. 

Changemaker Annie Dickinson is proof that our roots do not dictate where we plant ourselves. Annie’s life transitions have led her to far-flung places, including moving abroad. Annie found a way to embrace BIG change and welcome transformation, even when it’s terrifying and encircled with deep grief. Through living her one wild and precious life, Annie’s experiences have taught the criticality of prioritizing our own self-care so we can show up in our aspirations every day. Her journey has revealed the immense power in the connections among women; to enrich our own life while impacting positive change worldwide.Annie’s teacher and mentor, Bréne Brown, gave her one of her guiding mantras: “We can do hard things.”Annie supports and encourages women to do just that. 

In this episode of “On Your Own Terms,” Annie shares her “Homegrown Solutions for a Patchwork World”. Watch the video of our conversation, listen to the podcast, and read the summary here: 

Homegrown AnnieBorn in a small midwest town in the early sixties, Annie observed little tolerance for being “different.” Her hometown was a headquarters of the Ku Klux Klan. She recalled watching clan members marching in the town’s annual Halloween parade and seeing the white robes and hoods hanging with regular articles of clothing at the local dry cleaners.  At the time, she was too young to understand the deeper meaning behind those robes.  As she grew older, Annie recognized the immeasurable damage intolerance and xenophobia caused individuals and communities. Such experiences formed the values that have guided Annie’s life and work. 

I witnessed horrific things they did to people in the town so that was a big part of launching me into this desire for equality, understanding, acceptance, tolerance, and wanting real peace.And promoting love in the world.  

Growing up, Annie’s father was her hero. He taught her how important it was to be in service of others. Each morning and breakfast, he would charge her to,Go out and make someone’s day happy today.

While that’s a positive message on the surface,  Annie internalized those words to mean she should put everyone’s happiness and care before her own.  I know he didn’t mean it to be that way at all. It’s a beautiful message, and I still live by it today, but I’ve learned to modify that so that it doesn’t take away my personal strength and ability.These days, Annie recognizes the importance of discernment – taking onboard the positive aspects of lessons, expanding with this new knowledge, and releasing what doesn’t serve, to proactively live our best lives. In this way, she says, Life offers us joy!

Solution-Focused AnnieAnnie credits four women who have had a lasting influence on her life: her grandmother, her mother, her daughter, and her best friend:Her grandmother was the source of unconditional love who modeled acceptance and love for everyone. Everyone.Annie’s relationship with her mother was more challenging. The personal fears and self-doubt her mother carried were often projected onto Annie.  As a former beauty queen, the focus was often on keeping up appearances.  Fortunately, she and her mother were able to resolve their challenges and establish a more positive relationship before she passed.Her daughter, Kate, is the one Annie credits most with helping her become the best version of herself. My daughter has probably been the one that’s taught me my hardest life lessons, and I am eternally grateful for that. She’s the one that really helped me see that while we think we know how we are showing up in the world, it may not necessarily be how others experience us and it may not be congruent with who we wish to be.  That kind of self-awarenss is not easy to rumble with and often requires a coach or a therapist who can lovingly hold up the mirror for us. 

It’s her lifelong best friend, Shari, who inspired Annie to leave her 29-year career in inpatient psychiatry and create her own business.

As young women, Annie and Shari lived in opposite parts of the country. They stayed connected by committing to “women’s weekends” where they would meetup for 3-4 days to reconnect and recharge. As young women, they were exhausted and spent from taking care of families, managing careers and volunteering in their communities; by giving, giving, giving.Those weekends saved us. We would meet up, take naps, eat delicious food, talk late into the night trying to solve world problems, and laugh until our sides ached. We were able to go back to our families, our work and our lives better able to give again.

Early on, those trips were only in the United States and just for a few days. As they expanded personally, so did their travel to more distant parts of the world.  Their first trip to Europe together inspired Annie to create Wayfinding Women. As Wayfinding Women has grown, Annie not only gets to experience the world firsthand, she also invites you to join her, stepping into your full being and potential.Wayfinding Women provides opportunities for women to step out of their everyday lives and reconnect with themselves and other heart-centered women.Annie created her business because she believes it is imperative for women’s well-being to be able to let go and let someone else be in charge, make the decisions, and be responsible, at least for a while. Women are powerhouses! We are Energizer Bunnies on autopilot a significant amount of our lives…whether it’s raising our own children or minding the grandchildren, working in careers, or volunteering in our communities, most women are ON much of the time. If someone else needs something, women generally set aside their own wishes, desires and needs to do for someone else. While this is a noble characteristic, it’s not sustainable. If we don’t prioritize ourselves, we become depleted, lose touch with our joy, and have little to give to pursuing our dreams and purpose.The mission of Wayfinding Women is to support women in actualizing their dreams, living in joy, and transforming the(ir) world.One of Annie’s favorite ways of doing this is curating and facilitating life-affirming and life-transforming worldwide retreats. Annie’s talent and passion for research, makes these adventures truly one of a kind.Frequently asked questions like, What do you mean by retreat? ““What do you DO on your retreats?Are these trips religious?Do you do yoga???Annie explains that something powerful happens when women leave their homes & routines, travel half-way around the world and experience life through a new window. These retreats are a time for women to relax, restore and renew in beautiful places, connecting with like-hearted women.One story she shares is about a woman who joined the first retreat to Tuscany shortly after her husband passed. Annie asked her: “What is one intention that you would like to set for yourself during this retreat? Something you want to experience or learn?”The woman thought about this and set the intention to make a meaningful connection with someone outside the retreat group, a local. On one stop, Annie observed that the woman had walked away from the group and was standing with an Italian woman of similar age at a scenic overlook. They were each holding their rosary beads and smiling. While they did not speak the same language, they discovered they were both widows and shared the same faith.  Across cultures and language barriers, a bond was created because they shared an openness to connect. With few words, using predominantly body language and non-verbals, they found connection.Human connection can change the world.While Annie is passionate about women’s rights and women’s capacity for change-making, her career as a therapist, and her own personal journey underscored the need for women to stop putting themselves last. When we consistently prioritize others, we deplete our energy and diminish our capacity to step fully into our life’s purpose. Self-care is one important facet of the solution, yet it is when women come together in community that their energy is renewed, and their power is multiplied for the good of the world.  

“Wayfinding Women retreats are the perfect combination of experiences and exploring combined with camaraderie and self care.  They are wonderfully planned and flexible,  all at the same time.  I love not being in charge!”                             – Kim Patton

Annie’s PatchworkThrough the years, Annie’s worldview has expanded as diversity of ideas and experiences have become more and more important to her.  As a young mother and Girl Scout leader, her horizons broadened when her troop took the initiative to organize a literacy camp in a village in rural Jamaica. The Girl Scouts worked tirelessly on numerous fundraisers until they were able to travel to the small village and work with the children in person.  These beautiful children walked miles and miles to get to school every day. There were 250 of them; beautiful, beautiful souls, and we learned so much from them. It was just this incredible experience.In addition to conducting the camp, the troop collected hundreds of shoes so students could meet the country’s uniform requirement to attend school. 

Engaging with people whose life experience is very different from our own is essential to developing compassion and respect for each other’s journey.

Changemaker AnnieAnnie has many more examples of how women have come together to create powerful change.  In 2014, she was linking, through Facebook, with women who were also passionate change agents. This led her to meet Phionah a remarkable woman in Kenya who founded and operates an NGO (non-governmental organization) promoting literacy, education, and sustainable work opportunities for the girls and women in her village. Annie wanted to help her achieve her goals of providing access to menstrual hygiene products that would enable girls to attend school and to elevate more women into STEM (science, technology, engineering and math careers). In 2021, Phionah contracted COVID, just after she was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition.  Despite all she has done for others, she did not have the resources to save her own life. Annie responded by leveraging her connections with Wayfinding Women, who then reached out to their networks, and together they raised enough money to get Phionah the life-saving procedure she needed, cover a month-long hospitalization and ensure post-hospital medications and aftercare. In gathering, this community of women saved another woman’s life on the other side of the globe; and this in turn impacted other women and girls when Phionah was able to return to her NGO.  Many of us women, especially when we are tired and finding life challenging, question how much we matter or how our efforts really matter in the big scheme of things. 

But these moments when we come together, we find that every small contribution of resources, of love, really can make a huge impact.

Where will Annie go from here? Annie dreams of creating a platform where women can connect around their passions and the issues they care about.  Wouldn’t that be amazing?!In the meantime, she’s weaving her magic by offering empowerment coaching for women as well as organizing “femme-nomenal” retreats.

When women go with me on these retreats, we have deep laughter, which is so therapeutic. We do amazing activities that are just bringing out the joy in us, and that's restorative.

Today, Annie continues to gather powerful women so that their combined energy can ripple out, positively impacting the world. If you’d like to join the Wayfinding Women community and be among the first to know about retreats being planned, or wish to explore coaching with her, visit her website at www.wayfindingwomen.com.For additional perspectives on Annie’s work, visit: https://www.wayfindingwomen.com/one-woman-another-testimonials/

As you can see, Annie’s efforts help advance many of the Sustainable Development Goals. Her efforts in personal self-care reflect Goal #3 – Good Health and Wellbeing and Goal #11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities. Banding together is important to Goal #10 – Reduce Inequalities and Goal #16 – Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. 

Do you see any I’ve missed? 

Please get in touch to let us know what YOU and people you know are doing to realize these Global Goals by the year 2030.  We can do it when we care for ourselves and join with others on the Changemaker’s Journey!  

CHECK OUT our CHANGEMAKER YOU course to help you get started today! 

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