The Heart of the Matter

Recently someone asked me if I could imagine a non-linear way to grow. What I understood that to mean was instead of inching along a path, it was taking some leaps to a bolder path. I’ve found that we often don’t leap to those paths all on our own. Instead we do it because of, and with the help of, change agents.

When I think of change agents, I think of the people who when you meet them, make you want to step up your game. My friend, Joanie Parsons, is one of those people. It’s hard to put my finger on the secret sauce that makes her such a change agent but here’s my try:

• Vision: Joanie has a vision where women lead the world. And that is not meant as a slight to her amazing partner, Jordan, or any of the other men in her orbit. It’s simply a recognition of the incredible power of female leadership, especially as it relates to inclusivity and ability to hold both compassion and excellence.
• Learning: Joanie is always learning something. Whether it’s wreath-making or glass-blowing or landscape artistry, she is engaged in both taking in the information and soaking up the meta lesson from the teachers themselves.
• Community: In her ability to bring people along, Joanie creates community as naturally as she breathes. One of my favorite stories is how Joanie got to know Phil, a man who sat with dog treats near the path she regularly walks with her dogs. Over the years, Joanie and Phil “adopted each other.” With Joanie’s encouragement, Phil, a Vietnam war veteran, participated in the Puget Sound Honor Flight. As part of that program, she accompanied him to Washington DC to see the memorials built for veterans.
  It doesn’t stop there. Any time I attend a Joanie event or gathering, it’s filled with people she’s mentored over the years. Not only is Joanie always learning – she’s also always teaching.

Vision – Learning – Community – let’s call it VLC. In my experience, these are the necessary components to do some non-linear growth.

One of Joanie’s passion projects is RevelEleven – “A passionate + powerful community of women.” It started as a networking group and has grown to include live and virtual events, a speaker’s series and even curated adventure and travel for women’s groups. It’s an amazing group of women—led by an amazing woman. You can sign-up for their newsletter to be inspired by empowering stories and more. Here’s a snippet from a recent newsletter:

Within our own RevelEleven community, we’ve benefited from all the exceptional speakers—who have graced us with their wisdom, warmth and expertise. 

 From bestselling authors to CEOs, life coaches to outdoor adventure enthusiasts, and everyone in between, each of these remarkable women has contributed invaluable insights that have enriched our community. Their voices have sparked meaningful conversations, inspired countless members, and empowered our community of over 6,000 women to embrace their journeys and live life on their terms.

Vicki and I are honored to be among the speakers for RevelEleven in 2024. In our Cultivating Resilience Through Creativity course, we talked about all the ways that writing can help us with non-linear growth. If you haven’t seen it, here it is:

Empowering each other to grow – inspiring vision, learning, and community. Let’s take a page from Joanie and her VLC playbook to be mentors, find a cause, and vote like we mean it. Because this compassionate and wise WP and HoTM community can make a difference for each other and in the world.

(featured photo from Pexels)