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THE VISION
ABOUT OUR FOUNDER
PHILANTHROPY EFFORTS
ABOUT OUR FOUNDER
- Learner
- Leader
- Operational Strategist
- Coffee Lover
- Buckeye Fan
- Christ-Follower
Hello, I’m Kara.
There are so many ways to describe a woman.
I could tell you about my marriage of almost 15 years, my incredible husband, and the wonderful life we’ve built together. I could pass along packing tips I’ve learned after 6 moves from a literal shack on the river to the amazing city of Columbus, Ohio where we are just beginning to put down roots. I could tell you about all the ways our marriage has challenged and grown me. And I could certainly tell you how blessed I feel to have a stable marriage to a man who has been a huge part of my development since we said, “I do.”
I could also tell you about my kids, a daughter and a son, who I’m so incredibly proud of sometimes my heart can’t handle it. I could tell you how thrilling it is to watch them develop right before my eyes. I could tell you how I constantly live in the tension of wanting to give them every opportunity in the world while also battling the tiring effects of practically running a personal Uber for them on the side – wondering if we’re doing too much; wondering if we’re doing too little.
I could also tell you about my job – well jobs, plural – that I’ve worked for many years. From spiritual mentor and strategic coordinator at a non-profit, to running operations at a small family owned business, to working remotely in the construction industry, I’ve certainly had a career trajectory that’s felt more like I’ve commandeered a pogo stick than boarded the sleek jet I envisioned would carry me straight up up up (to wherever that is) after college. All these roles have sharpened my skill sets, introduced me to amazing people, and have impacted the way I see the world.
But who am I really? Aside from the people I love, the roles that I play, and the jobs that I hold?
Honestly, I’m still trying to figure that out.
Meyers Briggs would tell you I’m an INTJ – Introverted, Intuitive, Thinker, Judger type. The architect, if you will, who lives in her head, and while having high brilliance potential, is often side-lined by her own social awkwardness.
Enneagram would tell you am a 5 – The Investigator – Perceptive, Knowledge Driven, Competence-seeking type. Always striving to be an innovative pioneer in thought, while also always feeling as if I’m missing some key piece of information that will actually reveal I’ve been nothing but an imposter this whole time.
Strength Finders would read my “Top Five” as follows: Woo, Achiever, Connectedness, Strategic, Learner.
Core Clarity would further explain that my strength blend is that of a “Force of Nature” – which in my experience describes possibility rather than actuality.
The reality is that while I am learning who I am, I am also changing. So, while I do believe things like personality assessments are very helpful and have certainly aided me in my journey, they are only successful when we put them in their place. They all reflect a different facet of the same story and tell in different ways who I am at my core. They are also only as accurate as I know myself.
So, as I grow, I’ve found myself learning and relearning. Teaching and re-teaching. Understanding and then pivoting.
Just when I think I’m finally done growing in an area, some new pressure in life causes a fissure that uncovers the same need for growth from a little different angle.
All of this is why, perhaps, when I think about who I am in the most defining way, I come back to my faith as a follower of Jesus Christ.
Outside of and above all the changing seasons in life, the personal growth trajectory that has brought me both joy and pain, the winds of approval or disapproval I experience from those around me, and the wins and failures in my professional career, Jesus sits as my anchor – the One who never changes.
Over years of walking with Him, I’ve found confidence in the words of Scripture that tell me I am loved and accepted outside of what I do, beyond what I could earn, and despite the worst parts of me. Fully seen. Fully loved. With a good plan ahead of me and a chance to do good in the world around me.
So, even though I wrestle with deep disappointment and often anger at the church, even though my own spiritual development has grown stagnant at times, even though it seems that the more I learn only uncovers more questions rather than answers, I keep following Jesus.
Given everything else in life, and the lived-in experience of my soul, He makes the most sense. He has changed and is changing my life.
All of this to say, that when you read this “About Me”, hopefully I’ve cleared up that I am not a person who has arrived. I founded this site not because I have expertise, but because I have need. I never want to stop growing. I never want to stop uncovering and living out of the highest levels of health in all aspects of my life. I want to be able to offer the best version of myself to those around me. I want to show up in my life right now as authentically and whole as I possibly can.
I founded this site, because I’m hoping there are others who would want to join me.
What did you feel as you read this vision? Is a community like this something that resonates with your desires?