My Story

A CoCreative Path is my approach to the integration of personal, relational, and social transformation. It reflects the culmination and repackaging of my life’s work in service to our universal spiritual, emotional, and social needs. My intention is to provide an environment and resources to support your ever emerging journey toward heart centered authenticity, connection, purpose, and co-creation.

I began to imagine A CoCreative Path about 15 years ago, as I was moving toward my sixtieth birthday. Over the years I have learned to look at life as a Journey of the Heart, an exploration of authenticity and purpose. I have appreciated the many transitions of life as opportunities to reflect on where I am, where I have been, and where I hope to go. As I have done before, I was looking at the new decade as a major threshold. I was on my way to entering my third thirties and had no interest in conventional retirement. I wanted to pursue the next chapter of life as an opportunity to refine and redefine my life direction.

I started to look at the threads of continuity in my life. I looked at my sense of self and worldview, the healing of life’s hurts and the areas I still struggled with, what was important to me and what was left to let go of. I considered my accomplishments, setbacks, and ongoing ambitions.

I never considered a career but, rather, was committed early to following my evolving interests and passion. I had started my adult life with an interest in working with my hands as well as a strong interest in spirituality and the human condition. I was a hippie drawn to the movement of social change, became a builder influenced by the “back to the land movement of the 70’s and the beginnings of green building, and explored spirituality with eastern and western influences.

By mid life, my growing focus on spirituality, emotional healing, and cultural change took me to studies at a Mennonite seminary. With no background in that tradition, I was interested in their view of the bible centered on Jesus’ teachings, as well as their commitment to community, simplicity, and nonviolence. I spent the time in seminary focused on Christian history (I really wanted to understand how we got from the teachings of Jesus to the current chaos called Christianity), counseling, spiritual direction, and conflict resolution. From there, I spent about 15 years in related stipend based work and pursued my interest in intentional community.

I returned to building in my mid 50’s, ready to consider a new chapter. I wanted to bring the threads together to develop a green built and community oriented neighborhood. I also wanted to bring my thoughts and experience with spirituality and personal growth, interpersonal relationships, and community building into focus with a plan for sharing. Developing the physical aspects of the neighborhood took the bulk of my energy and effort, with only enough energy for that part of the plan.

The nearing completion of the neighborhood, along with continued growth in my personal inner work and understanding of the human condition, is providing the opportunity to refocus and prioritize my passion for a heart centered approach to personal, relational, and social transformation. A CoCreative Path is my attempt to focus and share my journey.

I am available to support you on your evolving journey:

to navigate life transitions
to embrace the next best version of you
to increase your awareness and emotional intelligence
to deconstruct conditioned beliefs and agreements
to heal life’s hurts and let go of unnecessary baggage
to clarify your intention and refocus your direction
to deepen connection and build community
to listen with understanding and empathy
to speak your truth and establish boundaries
to be the change you want to see in the world

Fifteen years ago I was in a place of transition, a couple years from 60 and contemplating the next chapter of my life. My adult life had taken many twists and turns over the past 40 years, but had a coherent (to me) thread of continuity and purpose.

My transition to adulthood was in the late 60’s, identifying completely with the hippie movement and questioning everything about the conditioning I was fed in family, school, and culture.

In my 20’s I was influenced by the back to the land movement, became a carpenter, built a house in the country, and started a construction business with a focus on the beginnings of “green” building. I explored spirituality, was influenced by the teachings of Jesus, and was completely confused by an exploration in Christianity. I got married and had two daughters,

The next transition and chapter of my life began around 30. My marriage ended and my children became estranged. My spirituality turned to a focus on exploring the affect of my past and healing the damage. I remarried and struggled with blending a family, adding another daughter with mine.

Turning 40 was a major transition, an intentional embrace of a mid-life reboot. We moved to Virginia and spent several years studying at a Mennonite seminary. I participated on the leadership team of a small network of house churches, and started an exploration in intentional community.

In my mid 50s we took a break from community to regroup. We stepped back in retreat to question everything, and to again reorient our lives. We moved back to our home state of Wisconsin to focus on healing estrangement with my daughters.

So, getting close to 60, I was ready for another major transition into my third thirties. I wanted to put some of the pieces together and focus on combining the primary interests of my life – sustainability and green building, spirituality and personal growth, interpersonal relationships and community. We moved to Asheville, NC., bought land and started plans for a small development of green built homes with a community orientation.

I also planned a parallel track to write, teach, and coach in the areas that I experienced the most transformation personally and relationally. Developing a small neighborhood took much more energy than I imagined, and I only dabbled in a plan for implementing that aspect of my interests. The primary thing I did do was to take another deep dive into my own growth as I attempted community building among those who bought or rented in Echo Hills Cottages. I also continued to refine my thoughts around what I wanted to share about this most passionate aspect of my journey.

At 70, with three houses left to build, I took a year off to refocus my thoughts and energy for another transition and the next chapter of life. Four years later, as I wrap up the loose ends of developing Echo Hills Cottages, my vision for A CoCreative Path is taking root.

Introduction

In Transition