Meet Rachelle Niemann 💃 Holder of Space

Meet Rachelle Niemann 💃 Holder of Space

Member Stories

by  | Apr 27, 2021 | 2021, 30 Women 30 Stories, Collective, Rachelle Niemann

Meet Rachelle Niemann 💃 Holder of Space

Rachelle Niemann

Creative, thoughtful, technically savvy, guide, holder of space, all about instilling inner peace and helping us all know self-love.
Arizona US

Judah & the Lion – Suit and Jacket

ain’t trading my youth for no suit and jacket I ain’t giving my freedom for your money and status So don’t say I’m getting older Cause I’ll say it when I do

My Story

With every act of self-care your authentic self gets stronger, and the fearful, critical mind gets weaker. Every act of self-care is a powerful declaration:  I am on my side. I am on my side, each day I am more and more on my own side.” – Susan Weiss Berry
Growing up I didn’t have much feminine energy present, and I really only started to understand the difference between masculine and feminine energy and qualities in the last five years. I had very strong masculine influences that shaped my identity growing up. This caused me to think that only the masculine was valuable. I ended up being surrounded by mostly men studying electrical engineering and entering the workforce in a very male-dominated field. I did fine at work and felt comfortable working with mostly men, but I was left feeling like something was missing and that I was having to put on a façade every day. Since then, through my journey of self-discovery and healing, I was lucky enough to experience the beauty that lies within what is known as the softer side of our humanity. Up until that point, I had no idea what I was missing.
I’m learning more and more that I get my mojo from recognizing the value and power of feminine energy and embracing that my truest self and greatest strengths come from that space.
I appreciate my analytical mind, and I appreciate my vulnerability and emotional self even more. Recognizing that this is where my power comes from and doing things from a place of deep love has opened up a whole new world for me. Knowing that I can be my most vulnerable and authentic self, be okay with being and showing that I am deeply impacted by what I see and feel around me, and holding space for and nurturing myself and others have enabled my truest self to come forth. This is where my magic and my mojo come from. Letting myself see value in feminine energy and understanding that my core values are driven from this space has empowered me to do work that is much more meaningful. I understand the process and discomfort that comes with self-discovery. Healing and holding space for transformation toward self-love and inner peace is my truest work, and this includes helping to navigate the complexities of our human selves and developing self-care that is driven from and supports self-love.

More About Rachelle

Author of Breaking Free from the Hustle for Worthiness and guide and XChange facilitator focused on cultivating environments to support well-being. My facilitation, writing, and workshops are created to help us lean into and proactively choose well-being as a way of being. Through discovering my own path to well-being and inner peace from a place of extreme anxiety, lack of identity, and unmanaged thoughts and emotions, I am dedicated to creating intentional action from a place of true experience and compassion.  

Where to Find Rachelle

Email: rachelle (at) rachelleniemann.com

Meet Shatriece Williams 💃 SkyRiseCommunity.co

Meet Shatriece Williams 💃 SkyRiseCommunity.co

From the Village, Member Stories

by  | Apr 26, 2021 | 2021, 30 Women 30 Stories

Meet Shatriece Williams 💃 SkyRiseCommunity.co

Shatriece (she/her) Career to Startup Coach

Often the Only in the room, I am dedicated to empowering Black Women to level-up our careers so that we can increase our income, forge stronger ties, and Rise. Founder of DiversityRising.Org
California US

Jill Scott – Golden (Live 2014)

My Story 

OMG! Edamame is not a Green Bean?!

It was like chewing through plastic, I wanted to spit it out but there was nowhere to hide. I had already popped the thing in my mouth and started eating it whole. Is my co-worker looking down on me? Yes, because she was 6′ tall and I am 5’2″… but it felt like she was looking down on me because I was exposed, lol! It was my first time being invited to a work-thing at a co-worker’s house. Everything was unfamiliar: what to wear, who would be there, the whole situation was a stretch for me. What the heck is small talk anyway, I was 29-years old and the Only Black girl in tech in the room.

The Unfamiliar

Navigating corporate dynamics includes more than work assignments. It’s figuring out the people, politics, and sometimes the beans.

Super awkward moments for me included:

  • My first job interview over lunch, what do I order?
  • First happy hour, what do I drink?
  • $562 to pay for a client dinner meeting not knowing the privilege goes to the highest-ranked manager…while hoping I have the money on a credit card.
  • Getting a $255 Cash Advance Loan the first time I traveled for work.
I got through it. I learned how to eat edamame by observing the host. Apparently, you put one in your mouth and slide out the beans with your teeth, discarding the pod. I now love edamame warmed with salt and pepper. I also like green beans

The Green Bean

Doing the familiar can be a coping strategy. We all have them.
Lesson: If you are sticking to green beans, staying in your comfort zone — you are not taking the risk and navigating the unfamiliar. 
Pushing past the unfamiliar, my income hit $250,000+ a year and I almost became Vice President of a tech company in Santa Monica. I navigated the unfamiliar from Compton to Corporate, and so can you!

You got this, sis! Love, Shatriece (she/her)

More About Shatriece

From elementary school age I grew up moving twice a year changing schools. My mother never had a career, only temporary jobs. Her lack of career disrupted my options and I knew it wasn’t right. I wanted to know how Black women advance in their career without leadership that looked like us. To navigate Corporate America, I studied corporations like a culture; with language, customs, expectations, and results. I crafted a career rising to Senior Director of a tech company in Los Angeles making $250,000+ a year. I’ve helped dozens get promoted and impacted hundreds of lives. SkyRise is bringing together Black women seeking career advancement so that we can transform our work-life, make more money, and inspire others to rise.

Where to Find Shatriece

Meet Ava Gross (she/her/hers) 💃 Self-identified Changemaker

Meet Ava Gross (she/her/hers) 💃 Self-identified Changemaker

From the Village, Member Stories

by  | Apr 23, 2021 | 2021, 30 Women 30 Stories

Meet Ava Gross (she/her/hers) 💃 Self-identified Changemaker

Ava Gross

Self-identified Changemaker. Girl from the Northland. Community Development and Outreach Volunteer for Athena Village. Gustavus Adolphus College Class of 2021
Pelican Rapids, Minnesota USA

Bebe Rexha’s “You Can’t Stop The Girl”

  Where I’ve been:  I grew up in the small town of Warroad, Minnesota, located six miles south of Canadian border and an hour and a half north of the nearest Walmart. I consider myself to be a hardy, go-getter — you have to be when you live in Northern Minnesota. Small towns thrive off of community involvement and story-telling, and it is there that I found my passion for advocacy.   What I’m doing:  After graduating from Warroad High School in 2018, I made the seven-hour trek south to attend Gustavus Adolphus College. There, I majored in Communication Studies and I truly found my voice. It wasn’t until the second semester of my senior year that I realized that I had a developed a passion for writing. I have spent the majority of my senior year trying to obtain as much experience in the fields of Marketing and Communications as possible. Over the course of the past few months, I have fallen in love with journalism. I am just a few short weeks away from graduation and it’s scary to be just discovering this new passion of mine, however, I am committed to letting this new discovery be exciting, scary, and unknown. What I hope to do: I hope to find a career that inspires me. I identify as a changemaker, so finding a company that strives to make a positivimpact through their work is very important to me. Currently, my dream is to one day run a non-profit centered around solving the issue of food insecurity, but for now, I am looking to make an impact in a job that aligns with my core values. I am still unsure of what my future may hold as I have many dreams and aspirations. Right now, I am trying to stay as present as possible and remain thankful for the moment that I am in. It’s not every day that you graduate from college and even though I may not know what I am doing post-graduation, I am excited to see where life takes me.  

More About Ava

I grew up in the small town of Warroad, Minnesota, located six miles south of Canadian border and an hour and a half north of the nearest Walmart. I consider myself to be a hardy, go-getter — you have to be when you live in Northern Minnesota. Small towns thrive off of community involvement and story-telling, and it is there that I found my passion for advocacy. After graduating from Warroad High School in 2018, I made the seven-hour trek south to attend Gustavus Adolphus College. There, I majored in Communication Studies and I truly found my voice. It wasn’t until the second semester of my senior year (2021) that I realized that I had a developed a passion for writing. I have spent the majority of this past year trying to obtain as much experience in the fields of Marketing and Communications as possible. Post-graduation, I hope to find a career that inspires me. I identify as a changemaker, so finding a company that strives to make a positive impact through their work is very important to me. Ideally, one day I hope to run a non-profit centered around solving the issue of food insecurity, but for now, I am looking to make an impact in a job that aligns with my core values.  

Where to Find Ava

Meet Barbara 💃 Performance Partners Coaching

Meet Barbara 💃 Performance Partners Coaching

From the Village, Member Stories

by  | Apr 22, 2021 | 2021, 30 Women 30 Stories, Barbara Zuleger, Collective

Meet Barbara 💃 Performance Partners Coaching

Barbara Zuleger

I am a Coach, Business Owner, Serial Entrepreneur, Mom, Wife, Grandma, Trainer. Lover of wine and chocolate, sunshine and thunderstorms. I believe a problem can always be solved when we replace “I am right ” with “I am curious”; and we are all temporary so let’s leave this world a better place.
Minneapolis/St. Paul MN USA

NEEDTOBREATHE

by HARD LOVE

(feat. Andra Day)”

My Story

How I Reset My Mojo

Unable to sleep…again. Laying in bed with dozens of voices making a lot of noise in my head. Anxiety making my heart race, and my mouth dry. I was so caught up in the chaos of the moment that I was afraid to choose any direction. Ten years ago I was a few years into my career shift to a business coach. I had put every ounce of myself into the transition. With the full support of my husband and kids I had jumped into the deep end to do something I was really passionate about that was meant to change the financial trajectory of my family. I learned is that reality isn’t always what you want it to be. While I had seen some success, and I had grown immensely, what I had expected, been promised, and what I really needed was not materializing. I was literally turning myself inside out trying to be someone I was not. I needed a mojo shift or my career, my family, my health was not going to survive. I knew something had to change. I just did not have the answer as to what or how to do it.

So I stopped.

My shift started with a choice. I had done everything within my power to fit the situation and it was not working. I made the choice to stop trying, striving, fighting. To stop trying to fit into a toxic culture that I did not fit into. I let go of control and was relived and terrified at the same time.

Letting go is an intentional process.

I had dabbled with meditation before, but now it was essential for sanity. I found a short hypnosis / meditation / prayer online that lead me through the process of letting go and letting God. Whatever name you use, God, energy, universe, supreme being, does not matter to me. I had to let go and allow a force bigger than myself to lead me where I needed to be. In the process I learned, really deep down learned, something that I had kind of always believed.

Today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow.

What this meant for my mojo shift at the time, was that I would set my boundaries and continue within those boundaries until a door closed or a new one appeared. It took time and practice ,but what I learned is that life truly is a journey. When we try too hard to hold onto something that needs to go our mojo cannot flow. This not a one and done lesson, I have to remind myself regularly that planning, focusing, doing what needs to be done is still important, and it is different than striving too hard in something that is just not right for me. During the past year, the infamous 2020 full of COVID and social unrest, I again found myself needing, well…something. I felt stuck, unable to move forward, somedays unable to do much of anything. Things weren’t bad. My family stayed healthy, while our businesses were strongly impacted, we were managing. I just felt empty.

Letting go of my expectations

This is hard for a coach! I teach planning, focus, taking things one step at a time; how to “Unlock the Power of Daily Success.”  But I was unable to do anything some days.  Hard to know what came first – a flare in a chronic health condition or the stress I allowed in.  The two combined knocked me out some days. Was there something in my situation seriously wrong that needed to change, or did I need to change how I looked at my situation? This time was different than the experience I had a decade ago when I had to intentionally change my situation. This time I needed to go deep inside. What I found was that it was okay to slow down for now. This created a healthy oasis in the middle of a world in chaos. This is different than sticking my head in the sand. I stayed aware of what was going on, while limiting my intake of it. I worked and did everything I could to help my clients through a tough year, and I worried less about big personal increases. I spent more time with my family, yes even during the lock down. My kids, all adults now, decided early on that quarantining did not mean staying away from family dinners or overnights at Grandma’s house, something I am extremely grateful for.

A step back.

Taking a step back from the push of building a business was a balance. A balance of not creating a lot of pressure to move forward during a difficult time, while not moving backward either. Now, 4 months into 2021, I am seeing my spark return a little at a time. My mojo is shifted again, and it feels different! Different is good. New growth is different. Learning to embrace the changes, the chaos, the difficult and the different helps me manage shifts in mojo whether they mean a change in situation is required, or a change in how I look at the situation. “Dig deep to reconnect with why you do what you do, rediscover your passion and find a renewed energy to build your sustainable and profitable business. Create the quality of life you want; with the business you love.”

An opportunity for growth.

This quote is from my course Reset Your Business Mojo. If I am having these experiences, so are many other entrepreneurs. What I learn on my journey as an entrepreneur often becomes a blog, a lesson, or a course. Creating a process around it helps me better understand my own growth process. What I know is that for anything to change, first something must change. Embrace the opportunity to choose what that change is for you.

More about Barb

1989 – 2001 worked a ‘real job’ on the evening shift at North Memorial Hospital 1996 – After announcing “I want nothing to do with owning a business” bought one with my husband It has gone through many modifications and is still alive and well today. 2001 – With 5 kids at home, another business to run, purchase an 2nd existing business. It failed – I learned. 2009 – Jumped into business coaching as a franchisee. 2012 – Left the franchise to make a real difference for my business owners, living the dream ever since, well most of the time Connecting Business Leaders – Creating Business Breakthroughs

Find me Online

And don’t forget to check out my offerings in the Village!
Meet Ava Gross (she/her/hers) 💃 Self-identified Changemaker

Meet Kery Knutson, Founder & Communication Coach-sultant 💃 UpLevel Consulting

From the Village, Member Stories

by  | Apr 21, 2021 | 2021, 30 Women 30 Stories

Meet Kery Knutson, Founder & Communication Coach-sultant 💃 UpLevel Consulting

Kery Knutson

My mission is to create more heart-led leaders in the world! We’ll do this by using my model: The 8 C’s of Enduring Power.
Boynton Beach Florida US

My Song:

Resilient by Rising Appalachia | Music speaks to me deeply! In fact in the theory of multiple intelligences by Gardner, it’s in my top 3!

Kery’s Story

I grew up in an entrepreneurial family. I saw both the trials and the triumphs. And it wasn’t my first choice to become a business owner either. I went to work in corporate, government, nonprofit, and higher education before I found my path as an entrepreneur. Working in marketing all those years, I had to wield influence — and do it with little direct authority. I had to get people on board with my cause even if they didn’t care about it. I had to persuade. I had to effectively convey my message in a way that moved them into action. The biggest, most complex factor in all businesses are… the people. That’s why I work with people to become a person of influence and do it in a heart-led way. Now that’s power!

Where to Find Kery Online

Meet Aimee Zwaap & Stephanie Foley 💃 Moon Feather Hollow

Meet Aimee Zwaap & Stephanie Foley 💃 Moon Feather Hollow

From the Village, Member Stories

by  | Apr 20, 2021 | 2021, 30 Women 30 Stories

Meet Aimee Zwaap & Stephanie Foley 💃 Moon Feather Hollow

Aimee Zwaap & Stephanie Foley

Aimee Zwaap & Stephanie Foley are life-artists from the east and west coast who navigate mythical, imaginal, and magical realms. Treasures found are shared in online communities to to spark souls and collectively magnetize creativity.
NY + WA United States

Our Song:

Nahko Bear

(Medicine for the People)

჌ Aloha Ke Akua

Our Story

“We” are Aimee and Stephanie. Already on a path to building deeper community connections online, the quarantine magnified our realization of the importance of having online communities to uplift and inspire each other. We met synchronistically through a course on Wonder, and feel wholeheartedly that the fairies brought us together. One four hour conversation later and we were well on our way to becoming fast friends and creative collaborators beginning a year of growing a wide range of projects. One common denominator is that the faeries continued to weave their way into each project and we have now wholeheartedly embraced them as our muses to help spread their messages! We launched our online community – the enchanted wilds of Moon Feather Hollow, a faerie filled realm where mythical muses conspire to ignite your imagination! You’ll find nature lovers in Willow’s Whistling Wilds, makers in Capri’s Crafting Cove, and scenic wonders in Peppertwig’s Wandering Path. Explore books in Athena’s Attic Archives, Moon Mysteries in Luna’s Labyrinth, or write poetry and prose in Will-O-Wisp’s Valley of Verse. Explore wonder, wisdom and whimsey in portals of possibility. It’s all designed to reacquaint you with your inner wildling, open you up to new ideas and help you rediscover the wonder and enchantment available in everyday life. It’s housed in a Mighty Network, and we are seeing the potential of this platform. With Moon as muse, our community is structured around her phases. Creative themes, discussions, prompts, zoom craft sessions, and magical moon mail are free to all members each cycle. Venture into Premium Portals such as Lady Isabella’s Shimmerbrook Chateau for monthly Tea & Tarot by appeasing a shapeshifting cat. Enter Seasonal Portals with offerings to their Keepers—Pixies, Dragons, Mermaids, and Unicorns. Every engagement is designed to draw out your inner wildling, spark new ideas and help you rediscover the wonder and enchantment available in everyday life. What looks like play from the surface is really a much deeper journey into nature and ourselves!

What are Seasonal Portals?

Overflowing with moon magic, journal crafting, and soul practices, we deep dive into the magnetic flow of creation—rhythms of nature. Every season we get out in nature, forage the land for crafting supplies, and collect talismans—mementos for our seasonal altars or treasure boxes. When we connect with the seasonal muses, we attune our internal compasses to navigational magic. Self empowerment happens when we use our hands and natural materials to craft and create. We explore our agency through journal prompts, divination, and creating art. Then, expressing our truest selves and forming relationships with others, we experience the alchemy of a Wild Circle. Keeping time with the Moon, we delve into spirit animals, goddesses, and symbols. Each season has it’s own Wild Circle:
In Spring – The Season of Wings & Whispers – we will awaken our Wildling curiosity, celebrate Ostara and Beltaine, attune to the element Air and unravel the Pixie Paradox.
In Summer – The Season of Bloom & Balefire – we run wild with our Wanderling nature, celebrate Litha and Lunasa, connect with the element Fire and unleash our Dragon Potential.
In Autumn – The Season of Mist & Magic – we embrace our Wonderling inclinations, celebrate Mabon and Samhain, connect with the element Water and dive into the Mermaid Dreamscape.
In Winter – The Season of Roots & Bones – we admit we are sovereign Wiselings, celebrate Yule and Imbolc, connect with the element Earth and delve into Unicorn Opportunities.
Aimee is an industrial designer of products and furniture, turned TV producer/developer, turned artist, teacher, entrepreneur, creative consultant and community creator. After living in LA and Phoenix for a decade she now finds herself back on the 132 acres of magical forest and nature where she grew up in western NY. There she started a business and taught thousands of people how to paint on up-cycled vinyl records. She led fairy house camps and retreats for kids and adults and on the side, developed a television series about the faerie realm. Following two days of interviewing on camera an elf and dragon through a trance channel, she became dedicated to spreading awareness of the faerie realm and their message. While mainstream cable wasn’t quite ready to air a docu-series which portrays the faerie realm to an honorable standard, she has since pursued other avenues. Cue Stephanie… Stephanie grew up in the wilderness along the shores of Lake Superior and now lives in the Pacific Northwest. This grand trine air sign stays grounded in nature while she explores the imaginal realm with the faeries. She has studied & practiced transpersonal psychology, community building, art, quantum physics, energy anatomy, shamanism, astrology, mathematics, music, and cultural studies. She drew connections and became good at spotting the themes and threads that spoke to the art-of-living. Currently an Enchanted Life Guide, she offers wisdom, wonder & whimsy to help other explorers navigate the internal territory of ideas, personal growth, and creative expression. She shines during collaborative projects where she helps spark ideas, keeps a sense of playfulness in the act of creation, and maintains system level vision for big-picture innovations.

More About Stephanie + Aimee

Aimee Zwaap & Stephanie Foley are life-artists from the east and west coast who’ve navigated mythical, imaginal, and magical realms. Our ventures revealed that the art of living an enchanted life is the regular practice of suspending disbelief, connecting to something beyond what can be seen, and feeding our wild nature. It became our mission to spark souls and collectively magnetize creativity. The Muses urged us to develop out virtual landscape, The Enchanted Wilds of Moon Feather Hollow into a free online community housed in a Mighty Network.

Find us Online

And don’t forget to check out our offerings in the Village!