About Me
Hello Beauties. Heather, here. What do you want or need to know about me? When I was a young kiddo and was asked what I wanted to do when I “grew up”, there were two answers that were given. The two answers were, “I want to help people,” and “I want to be a professional dancer”. One of those things came true. Despite the common dance parties in my car and in my kitchen, I did NOT become a professional dancer.
How has that come to be over the years? Through coaching, writing, and storytelling. I’ve shared my journey openly, through written and spoken word. I’m what some would say, “an open book” (I’m working on one of those too).
No matter what official role or job title I’ve had over the years, I’ve always had an inclination to coach and develop others (and myself). There is something magical that happens when you listen to others, without judgement, and believe in all of the possibilities before them. And sometimes, we just need someone to believe in us, before we can see it and believe it, ourselves.
More recently, at the blooming age of 49, I’ve decided to go back to school to achieve my MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, with the goal of becoming a Licensed Therapist. In the mean time, I continue to coach clients on self worth, setting intentions, coming back to themselves, and re-igniting all of who they always have been, under the layers of time and society. It’s a little like releasing a caged bird into the sky. A beautiful unfolding to watch.
Who Am I?
Writer. Speaker. Coach. Mom. Strength Seeker. Moxie Maker. Catalyst. Hypemaster. Truth Teller. Energy Bringer. Light Maker. Loud laugher. Car Dancer. Student and Mental Health Champion.
(please note: those were in no particular order, some days I’m a Car Dancer, before all else. *shrugs*)
Random Facts About Me:
- I am innately curious and love to learn
- Fashion, Football, Fitness and Food – four of my five favorite “F” words
- I’m a “glass is half full and it is refillable” kind of person
- Motherhood is the hardest thing I’m doing, but also the most profound
- I am writing a book, but albeit very S L O W L Y
- You can often hear me in a room before seeing me, just follow the sound of laughter
- I dream of (and am trying to manifest) having a home on the Hawaiian islands
- I am addicted to books. And music. And shoes.
- University of Minnesota alum, and a proud Minnesotan (dontchyaknow)! Ski-U-Mah! SKOL! You Betcha!
My Values
Listen. Learn. Be open. Stay curious. Embrace vulnerability. Be brave. Own your space. Give grace, to others and yourself. Less judging, more loving.
Being you is being beautiful.
My Path Here
Once a shy girl, who loved her Hot Wheels and Barbies, Star Wars figures and dolls, I was a child of divorced parents. I was wholly loved, but sometimes felt lost. These were times that profoundly impacted who I am and how I show up in the world.
I loved to dance and make people smile. Kraft Mac & Cheese and homemade chocolate chip cookies were my jam (and still make me smile and feel comforted). I valued my friends and was fulfilled by creating new relationships and connections. My heart always felt a need to include others, and my spirit was protective of those left on the margins.
This is still who I am today.
I graduated with a degree in Sociology, with the thought of becoming a social worker. I wanted to amplify the voices of those rarely seen and heard. Life intervened, paths changed, and that didn’t happen. In the subsequent years, I’ve worked both in small, family-owned businesses and in Fortune 50 companies. I’m a storyteller by nature and a connector at heart, believing every human has a heart that needs to be seen and a mind that needs to be heard. I know what it’s like to find your way, and your why, in big corporations and in the seeds of your start up.
I’ve been married and divorced. I am a mom of son, a mental health champion, a Masters student for Mental Health Clinical Counseling, a business owner, partner, and a woman in middle age who found her way back to herself.
My life’s experiences have led me here. To a place and space in which I openly share my journey, and its struggles and triumphs, in the hopes of inspiring others to live a life of their choosing.
Thank you for being here. My hope is that you find what you need here – whether you knew you needed it or not.
She stood staring at the raging flames, knowing the only way to the other side, to the life she was meant to live, was through.
Heather Petri
