January 2023 – Jennifer McKinney

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How to Gain Clarity
There are many things we were not taught. Many things we are learning and passing on to the next generation. Things like letting go of perfectionism; how to work with our emotions; how important things like our thoughts and words actually are, and how to find clarity on what we truly want. These have been learned through self-exploration, but never through traditional streams of education, and often not even from our parents and guardians who were not taught these skills.

We are at the beginning of a calendar year, which often elicits goals of taking advantage of a fresh start. We set intentions for what we want to invite in throughout the new year, but as we also now know, for greatest results, setting the intention takes some strategy. If we align ourselves more with the seasonal calendar, winter is the first step in creating intentions for the upcoming cycle.

In winter we slow down and go inwards. We meditate on what the previous year brought us; we explore our role in the outcomes we received; we peel back what may have been getting in the way, and we get CLEAR on what seeds we want to plant for the new year. This work requires bravery. It requires a season of pause before “springing” into the next goal. Slowing down is a big part of the phase of winter, giving more time for reflecting and processing the previous cycles. Slowing down allows you to notice what is and isn’t working. For this, finding frequent moments of peace, digital detoxes, meditation and prayer allow you to cut through the constant stimulation that is our current experience as humans. You have to knowingly wade into the noise, sit in it and allow the noise to settle around you to find the gems of truth that are always there below the chaos.

 

Questions to ponder in the peaceful moments: Reminder: You have all winter to explore these questions.
â—Ź How satisfied am I? (Apply to specific topic or keep it general)
â—Ź How do I want to feel this year?
â—Ź When I look through the lens of God/My Highest Self/Love, what do I see for myself this year? What is their vision for me?
â—Ź What is keeping me from moving forward? Where is there lots of struggle?
â—Ź What drains my energy most?
â—Ź What currently makes me feel alive?

The next layer to finding clarity for your new year is to express what you found in the quiet. Write it down, speak it out loud, create art with it as your muse, move your body to reflect the truths. Let it flow through and out of you, and then, pause again. Repeat the process a few times, exploring different things. After the introspection, after the expression, you digest. You tend to what needs healing, you rest and you revisit the expressive creations frequently, adding layers if you feel it’s needed, possibly getting additional support for moments that feel too deep for self exploration. There tends to be a lot of letting go and accepting what is, hopefully from a place of love and understanding for the human experience. Then, as if suddenly, you begin to see, you begin to feel what’s needed next. Slowly and simply you start to make a game plan for the next season, spring. You start to gather new tools and teachers; you invest in creating change; you build momentum in the form of foundational habits and small tweaks throughout the winter months. When spring rolls around, you are ready to spring into further action.

Clarity thru Crave
Big goals and projects may take many cycles before the momentum is there and this is very normal. Building a business, changing your habits, learning new skills all take years. This is why allowing plenty of time to reflect and get clear is so important … otherwise it is very easy to get lost in the weeds. It’s as if the moments of inner work are equivalent to pulling the weeds of your metaphoric garden, clearing all the stuff that became overgrown or neglected throughout the year. When I think about my time with Crave one of the biggest benefits was the space to dig deep and get clear on what I wanted to create. I had the idea of an online wellness program, but the project seemed too daunting. I lacked clarity. The workshops, the time to brainstorm with a trusted group, the professionals I got to meet and learn from through Crave were a very crucial part of the final product that will actually launch this SPRING!!! Five years in the making and it all started with the mindful mapping of Crave activities that unveiled my vision.

Forever grateful,

Jennifer McKinney, Crave I Leader

 

Foundational Fitness Online Wellness

 

April 2021 – Hanah Murphy

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Coming Full Circle

At the very beginning of my time in Crave, we were asked to choose a word which represented the intentions we set for our upcoming year of exploration and growth. I chose the word “circle”.  As in, full circle; referring to the cyclical nature of life and the regenerative connections made through time. It was a concept I was just beginning to experience as I slowly became attune to the synchronicities and serendipities present in my own life and work. 

Discovering what exactly that work is was one of my main motivations in deciding to embark on the Crave journey. What was my purpose? How could I channel my skills and resources into my passion? I joined Crave feeling like I was following a path lit only by the sparks of the people and ideas I had met along the way. I knew there were common threads to what I was learning, experiencing, and doing, but I had no clear sense as to where this path led.

From studying environmental science to working in agriculture and hospitality service, back to studying urban planning and working on youth-centered educational design, food was the only thing holding it all together for me. Food represented the opportunity to bring human societies back into harmony with our natural environment. It represented a life-giving tool to reconnect our communities back to their health, their cultures and each other. Food not only represented our history, but also a tangible way to engage in shaping the kind of future we want to see for life on Earth. 

In the end, I did not leave Crave with a crystal clear idea of what to do or who I was in this work. I did not graduate with a specific project or role to pursue. But, through the vulnerable community Crave cultivated, through the time we dedicated to ourselves and each other week after week, I understood the importance of simply showing up for what I believed in. The Crave leaders I built relationships with encouraged me to keep following these sparks and to trust the quiet pull of curiosity. The breadth of experience shared by our community partners taught me there is a space for everyone, and the individual idea of purpose may only come through collective pursuit. 

Now, almost three years after my Crave experience and three years of committing to show up for the future I believe is possible through food, I am working at the intersection of all these experiences as a farm coordinator and program designer for Grow Orlando, led by fellow Crave alum Frank Bailey. Grow Orlando is committed to employing young people in agricultural roles that not only provide economic opportunity, but also cultivate a sense of connection to self and environment. We are working to build a network of community-led micro- farms growing on otherwise unused, arable land; teach the next generation of farmers and food entrepreneurs; and cultivate healthy, resilient, local food economies through our network. 

This work may not have an explicitly clear path, but drawing on the sparks of our collective community I know we can light the way for future generations.

Talk about coming full circle. 

Hanah Murphy

Crave I

November 2020 – Addie Hartnett

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Turning “Something More” into Something Real

Two and a half years after graduating from the inaugural Crave class, I am living out the vision that Crave helped me set for myself.  At 27 years old, I joined Crave as a starry-eyed social worker with a dream of a world where everyone had what they needed: enough friends, meaning and money to live a truly happy life. Now, at 30 years old, I can say I’m making that dream into something real.

Along with some incredibly gifted people, we launched Poverty Solutions Group (PSG) this year, 2020. From the outside, it may seem like bad timing. We are facing some great losses and challenges this year: the coronavirus pandemic; the loss of some very great advocates for equality like Freedom Rider and Congressperson John Lewis, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Actor Chadwick Boseman; and the nation-wide grappling with the deep-seated racism that plagues our society. I’ve personally been grappling with some of my own losses, the greatest of these is the death of my sister, Adel, who died of an overdose a year ago at the young age of 31.

This year has been challenging, to say the least. But the way I see it, there has never been a better time to imbibe our community with a new hope. Our work at PSH is to bring people together from all backgrounds to build communities of support with folks in poverty, to learn from their lived experiences, and to work together toward systemic changes for those at the proverbial bottom of the economic ladder. In my small, sure, way I am staring the trauma of this year directly in the face, grieving and crying unashamedly for the losses we are experiencing, and turning our grief into something greater. My colleagues and I are transforming trauma into healing; grief into passion; poverty into wholeness.

Through PSG I now serve as the Regional Coach to Circles Central Florida. Circles is a proven, national model for reducing poverty by building community. I spend my days working with ordinary and dedicated people working together to help individuals and families with low-wealth build trust, set goals and overcome poverty for good. After spending 6 years perfecting the model in Winter Garden, FL, Circles is now working with Family Promise of Greater Orlando and a handful of other community partners to launch Circles Orlando! Our dream is to create Circles Communities across Seminole, Orange and Osceola Counties so everyone in Central Florida has easy access to the magic that is Circles.

If you share my passion to create a Central Florida community that works for everyone, please visit our new PSG website to learn more about how you can donate or get involved in other ways: www.povertysolutionsgroup.org . I’d love to partner with you to end poverty in our community and become an example for the rest of the country of what’s possible when we work together.

Addie Hartnett
Crave I Leader

 

May 2020 – Shequila Roberts

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Mothering During A Pandemic

Cooking. Cleaning. Homework. Laundry. Children fighting. Children eating. Homeschooling … all while being an essential worker. This is truly enough to make me want to pull out my hair. And as a single mother, let me just say, these last few weeks have been very challenging, to say the least. However, when people believe in you and your light, it makes it much easier.

In addition to being a single mother, I am the founder of the non-profit Determine Now, which aims to help families create positive impacts intergenerationally. At Determine Now, we believe a strong community support system is vital for families to succeed. The community support I received from Kelsey Kerce and Hanah Murphy led me to Crave. People like my mentor Tonya Tolson, alums Dylan McCain Allen and Chantel Aquart, and board member Tom Harris, administrator Karen Winterkamp and director Shelly Denmark — the whole Crave family! — provide for me this vitally important support system. It feels really good when people believe in you and your mission, and that’s what I receive from Crave. There’s no competition (unless we are gaming).

Wearing multiple hats has its highs and lows. The most challenging things for me have been balancing three things – making quality time for my son (aka my Prince), being an essential worker during this pandemic, as well as being a servant leader.

I am exhausted. I am working five days a week – waking at 5 to pray and meditate, cook breakfast, shower, make sure my son is logged online for school, and head to work. I have been picking up food and delivering to those in need after work, and then, sitting outside in the sun for at least an hour to rid myself of any germs before I put on my mommy/daughter cape and walk back in the door. Evenings include laundry, games with my son, cooking dinner, more prayer and meditation, and then, off to bed. Wake up, and repeat.

During the first few weeks of our quarantine, my son had a hard time adjusting to what we are calling the “new norm.” In the mornings, when I was about to leave for work, he would shake. “Mommy, don’t leave me,” he’d say. I’d tell him, “Take a few deep breaths and trust God to watch over us.” He was worried that other children were losing their mothers. “I just cannot lose you,” he’d say. I tried to assure him he wouldn’t lose me, but that if something did happen to me, I would always be in his heart. Thankfully, he has now adjusted to new norm, and the shaking has subsided, but I hope I will always be in his heart.

Being a mother has its challenges, but it is also fulfilling and rewarding to be able to nurture, inspire and uplift our children. I’ve learned from my experience at Crave how to zoom in while also keeping my eyes on the prize. Parents, even though we have so many hats to wear right now, it is important to maintain consistency! As a mother myself, I would like to tell all the children, “Thank you!” Thank you for coming into our lives and teaching us unconditional love. Thank you for putting our faith to the true test. Thank you for loving us and appreciating us. Thank you for believing in us even when we don’t always believe in ourselves.

Mostly, what this pandemic has reinforced for me is that being a mother is a lifetime commitment. It has taught me that even though I am an essential worker, all lives are essential. It has taught me to live for today, because tomorrow is not promised. It has taught me to enjoy every moment. It has taught me to value who I am wholeheartedly. And, it has taught me that God has trusted me with very special cargo, my Prince.

We celebrate Mother’s Day this month, and I would like to wish all mothers a very happy celebration. I am thankful my mother is alive, and is able to enjoy this time with us. I am thankful she has had the opportunity to see me mother her grandchild. I also want to send love and light to all the mothers who have lost their mothers, or who have lost their children. This Mother’s Day, we celebrate all mothers and all the children who made us mothers.

Mothering during this pandemic has made us all realize that we must be in this together.

Shequila Roberts

Founder of Determine Now, offering “Read, Learn, and Grow Storytime with Ms. Q” 10 am every Monday, and “The Teen Meditation Hub” every Wednesday at 6:30 pm on IGTV.

 

Class of 2018 Leaders Graduation

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With the graduation of these remarkable leaders, Crave has begun! The celebration was a lovely gathering of open-hearted and supportive friends, family, and new supporters. Time, money, and décor was donated by the Board Members. One Board Member even flew from Vermont to attend! Each Crave Leader added to our merriment with the addition of parents, employers, roommates, co-workers, and friends. These folks filled the room with joy and excitement as they heard the Crave Leaders each share their growing projects and how their year together has grounded, formed, and bonded them.

Ashley Vann, Founder of the Victory Cup Initiative and President of Vann Strategies, was our keynote speaker. She inspired the Leaders to focus on their integrity, vision, and outreach financiances. The radically inclusive love expressed along with the critical values of leadership, faith, and the celebration of active citizenship were palpable throughout the evening.

As the Crave Leaders were taking photos and excitedly planning our first Alumni Retreat to the beach in July, one of their fathers pulled me aside. It was obvious he had something important to share. He cleared his throat and stared at the ground in silence, hands on hips bracing himself for unprecedented vulnerability with me, a stranger. He finally looked right at me, tears tipping over his eyelids. “Before…” looking at the ground again, wiping his tears. “Before this,” he motioned with his chin toward his daughter among the laughing Crave Leaders. “She was really lost. Not okay, you know?” I didn’t know. His daughter is remarkable, wise, and now actively uses pain from her past to change people’s lives for the better. He started again. “From an old Presbyterian like me, I want you to know I’m real glad the church is paying for you to do this. I guess what I’m saying is… please keep going.” His daughter will not return to his church. She’s learned and embraced that she is building church right where she is among the folks she’s healing with her loving touch, deep well of wisdom, and clarity of purpose. She is not someone I’d describe as lost. In fact, she is quite “found.” And that is the Amazing Grace at work through Crave.

The Holy Spirit, the Great Mystery, Love (with a capital L), the Power of Nature, the Juice, that Something More emerged when we were together. We named it, tapped into it, and are now deploying it in our relationships and work. It has propelled us all to the next step of our projects for the Common Good. And amazingly, it has united us so strongly that we’re ready to share it with the next group of Crave Leaders in Orlando. We invite you to be a part of that next group by applying here by July 1st. Crave has begun. Please join us.

Michele Van Son Neill
Founder
Crave, Inc.

May 2018 – Katy Cuthill Steinberg

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“I’m a part of this cohort of creative entrepreneurs doing spiritual formation in unique containers.” There’s nothing official about that statement, but it’s how I’ve been describing Crave over the last year. Generally that statement is followed by an explanation of the surf school owner, yoga guru, skatepark developer, and all the others who are doing this impassioned, unique work with an understanding of “something else” going on here. That “something else” has become a buzzword for us as we’ve tried to describe, but not box in, the sense of something bigger, more meaningful, something connective of all people and all of creation… some might say God… at work in these unique endeavors.

Personally, I have been encouraged in my own work of developing a unique, nomadic spiritual community with Missing Peace by the fresh and exciting work of this talented group of people. They see the possibilities, instead of just the obstacles, to developing truly unique opportunities for people to engage in what’s most meaningful in themselves and most meaningful in the world. They see possibilities in my blind spots and nudge me toward resources and ideas I never thought of on my own. Add to that the gifted leaders that make the CRAVE machine run, and one might begin to feel unstoppable.

Catherine Matthias was my assigned liaison from the leadership team. She brought her well developed and exceptional gifts for strategic goal setting to Missing Peace. We flourished under her guidance developing our own leadership team and the concrete goals we hoped to accomplish together. This was a huge step for our group, and has given us a pattern we can continue to use as we equip leaders and do innovative work. Thank you is not nearly adequate.

If you’ve been following along, you no doubt know that the CRAVE journey is nearing its end for this cohort. Though like the best things in life, there’s no real end. Each of us will go on to do the meaningful, inspiring, “something else” work we’ve nourished in our CRAVE experience, and a new cohort of creatives will come through and be nurtured into their next phase. It’s more of a cycle than a clear beginning and end. And CRAVE is helping to turn the crank in this beautiful machine of hope, and goodness, and light being launched into the world. This is not a product or a business or purely a leadership training. This is a movement being nurtured into existence, partnered with “something else,” and set for powerfully changing our world for the better.

So while “thank you” is inadequate to express the deep gratitude and appreciation I feel for CRAVE and its founder, Michele Van Son, it will have to do. But more than the thanks of this program’s direct beneficiaries, I hope you will bask in the glow of the movement you’re creating, empowering gifted and good people, and giving hope through all the things they create at your encouragement. It is truly a gift.

Katy Cuthill Steinberg
Missing Peace

April 2018 – Kelsey Kerce

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Crave is a leadership program founded by Michele Van Son about a year ago. In my experience, I’ve found that Crave has two hemispheres: One is the external community — our connections to community partners, the learning that happens with experts and mentors in the community. The other is the internal Crave community, which quickly grew to feel like family. While there are two sides to Crave, I found these sides to be deeply connected.

Take, for example, my relationship with my mentor, Chev. Chevalier Lovett is the Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Organize Florida. He sits on the board of Crave and was appointed as my “Learning Partner.” With this title, Chev quickly began to feed me his favorite kind of knowledge: books. Wonderful books that I now assign to my eager-to-grow friends and to my employees. While reading these books, I began practicing their messages at every opportunity — at bachelorette parties, at networking events, with my friends — which brought me to the clear realization that it’s important that these books impact my personal development as well as my career development. This also made me realize that these two life arenas are crucially connected.

I began doing a monthly executive coaching session with Chev, wherein he gave me direction for my work with Playground City, advice for being a better leader, and guidance on how to plan strategically. Chev is not the type of guy who’s afraid to tell you when you need to fix things, but he’s also one who doesn’t hold back praise for growth. When I realized that, I felt like a better leader within my organization. I also realized that I felt better at home. Like I said, the hemispheres are connected.

Perhaps what I love most about my job as Executive Director of Playground City are the relationships I get to build with other leaders in the community. For this reason, I love our community partner meetings. Crave leveraged opportunities for these community partners to meet with some of the most successful and influential people in Orlando, each of whom was eager to share his/her expertise with us.

At the same time I was participating in these meetings, I was working through a “Why?” and “How?” book alongside Michele and the leaders within the community. During this time, I’ve seen more vulnerability and bravery among strong leaders than I’ve ever seen in my life — and man, I can’t explain what an eye-opener that was. To admire these people so much, and to see that they’re feeling and thinking the same things that I do, gives me tremendous reassurance that I’m on the right track.

When I first enrolled in Crave, I didn’t understand that I was searching for something; but as the year passed, the pieces started coming together. As I conclude my term with Crave, I see a clear path ahead of me, a guide for all the learning I want to accomplish, and a mirror showing me the gifts I have to share with my community along the way.

Kelsey Kerce
Executive Director
Playground City

March 2018 – Alejandro Musa

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The last year of my life has been quite the journey in both my personal and professional life, lots of changes, lots of challenges, and lots of learning. I was a bit on the fence about applying for Crave because I had my hands in a variety of projects already and I really didn’t want to be shared on yet another calendar of responsibilities. But, after talking to Michele, Crave’s founder, and learning that most of it was not mandatory and that we would be the first group to experience it, I felt better about getting involved.

After all, Crave came in at the perfect time. It subconsciously became part of my support system. Every time we would meet, my relationship with the rest of the members grew and my appreciation for the hustle we were all going through stayed alive. The space that Michele created promotes a sense of inclusiveness that is welcoming and leaves you with no option but to listen and be heard. It’s awesome.

One thing that brought relief about Crave is that they didn’t enforce any type of religious beliefs upon us. We did have certain events at churches and the casual prayer, which I’m cool with, being that I grew up in a catholic household. Considering that as an adult, I don’t regularly attend church or label myself under any specific religious group, Crave triggered a sense of curiosity that sparked an interest in digging deeper into my spiritual beliefs, which I had been seeking for some time now.

I developed a great relationship with my mentor Ben Collins, which I am very grateful for. The project I originally presented in my Crave application went through some changes that required me to make some big decisions, which led to a significant shift in the project’s trajectory. Ben helped me through that. He was super easy to talk to, down to earth, and very willing to share his knowledge. He helped me strategize and shared some contacts with me that helped me find answers to come challenging questions. Ben is great and I hope we can continue to develop a friendship beyond Crave.

Some of the workshops and community partner meetings were a huge help for me and the development of my project. In particular, the workshop we did at Rollins College labeled “INNOVATION: Rollins Advanced Center for Entrepreneurship with Cari Coats Central Florida Social Enterprise Accelerator” was a tremendous help!  We got to pitch our projects to some of the most innovative leaders in town and get their feedback. It was great!

It’s been a phenomenal experience being able to see my project evolve alongside the rest of the group. Every one of the Crave members has been an inspiration for me and I am very proud of everyone’s achievements. I hope that the Crave organization was able to learn from us as much as we were able to learn from them. I look forward to seeing everyone succeed and making lasting contributions in our communities. Thanks!

Alejandro Musa
Getaboard Foundation
Orlando Skateboarding

February 2018 – Caitlin White

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As the youngest person on the Crave advisory board, I look a lot more like a Crave Leader than your traditional “board member.” Good news: this is no traditional board! The team of advisors and mentors that help to guide the vision of Crave is as alive with innovation, spiritual curiosity, and entrepreneurship as any I’ve experienced, so it was a natural choice to include many young leaders on the team that would shape this incubator for other Millenials.

Crave is rooted in the knowledge that age never defines wisdom, just like religious affiliation never defines true spiritual connection. From founder Michele Van Son to our advisors, from Crave’s current Leaders to community partners, everyone at Crave is on a journey of self-development, listening, and spiritual awakening.

As a young, female pastor who likes to stay on the leading edge of spiritual innovation, I got involved with Crave because it breaks the old mold and the established rules. Conventionally, churches and religious groups “support the local community” by offering a service they can control or by giving resources to efforts they can approve of (and eventually colonize). Often this results in a bait and switch: the church gives to the community in hopes of connecting with new people, evangelizing them, and teaching them about spirituality. Crave does the opposite. We believe that something good, life-giving, and inherently spiritual is already at work when people do meaningful work, meet needs in their community, and gather people around common purpose. So we say, “Look at that inspiring thing you are doing. Please come evangelize us to your way of thinking. Teach us something new. Help us to meet the needs of the people around us like you do.”

For people who are used to the old paradigm, this takes a huge leap of faith and a ton of courage. I learned one of my most important lessons in business and leadership when I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail: the difference between scary and dangerous.

Jim Koch, founder of Sam Adams Brewery, gives the example that rappelling of a cliff is incredibly scary but totally safe. Whereas, skiing across a melting snow field on a sunny day in May is not scary but incredibly dangerous – that’s a recipe for an avalanche, fellow Floridians!

Many of the great entrepreneurs of our time have a background in outdoor recreation and endurance athletics. These pursuits teach lessons that are particularly useful to innovators. I suspect this is because social and business entrepreneurship, just like outdoor recreation, is about risk management, not risk elimination. You can’t control everything. If you did, you’d never be inspired.

The success of innovators, whether in business, community organizing, community building or religion, will hinge on our ability to discern the difference between scary and dangerous — and to guide others through that discernment. Crave puts people in relationships where we explore that line together. Molli Miller, whom I mentor, also mentors me right back. She keeps me connected to fierce bravery by stepping out of her teaching career to start a surf school, to inspiring others through therapeutic athletic experiences and experiential learning, and to transformative vision as she builds a business that is more about giving back to people’s lives than realizing profit.

We need all need community where we can have courageous conversations and relationships with co-conspirators for the journey, and that is the exchange at the heart of Crave.

Caitlin White
Advisory Board Member, Mentor
Crave, Inc.

January 2018 – Jennifer McKinney

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Crave found me in a very spiritual and curious manner. When I was approached by Michele (our trusty leader) about Crave I was feeling kind of stuck and craving real connections with like-minded people. Due to some personal struggles I had spent the previous six months rebuilding my life and bring a focus to my foundation, the values and actions in which I was going to build a business and a life that I love. I had been praying, wishing, hoping, journaling and meditating on “finding my people.” While I did have a solid group of friends and family, and a fabulous book of clients, I was hoping to find people looking to create change in their communities by exploring meaningful concepts, all with a willingness to get deep and to discuss our similarities and differences in a safe and loving space. I found these people and that space in the Little Red House.

As a solopreneur, life can become a bit isolated. Add in the fact that I am more introvert than extrovert and engaging in purposeful conversations with new people can be a challenge. After the Crave mini retreat I knew that I had found “my people.” Learning about each other’s hopes and dreams revealed not only a common love of travel and dreams of learning new languages, but also possibilities in which we might be able to collaborate to make some of those dreams come true.

As our relationships have grown deeper, each Crave Leader has brought me a great deal of inspiration. I am still in the foundational level of building my business, Mint Condition Mind and Body, but have hopes of expanding to help as many people as possible become their happiest, healthiest selves. I have had lots of ideas of how I can make this happen, but it wasn’t until I saw how my fellow leaders were using their skills to empower their communities that the fire inside of me was lit. Watching others do this work has inspired me to keep my mind open to ways in which my gifts and skills can be used to build happy and healthy individuals, families, and communities. This list is ever growing.

In addition to my fellow Leaders, Crave has also connected me to multiple community leaders, leaders that I now have access to while on my journey. One such leader is my mentor Debra Hendrickson. My time with Debra has been wonderful. Not only do we regularly enjoy a cup of coffee and chit-chat about fashion, life and spirituality, we also carve out time to discuss my projects and goals. It is amazing what this focused attention can bring. She has introduced me to people, helping this introvert to ease into networking. She routinely asks me about the online programs that I am working hard to build, listening to my progress and giving me a fresh take on the ideas that get stuck spinning around in my head all week. She has been an extremely valuable part of my Crave experience.

Overall, this group of soul searching Millennials has brought me so much hope. Using self exploration and working hard to uncover the root of issues instead of simply applying a bandaid, this group is making big a big impact. From helping to strengthen communities and lessening the burden of poverty to changing the way people come together to worship, Crave leaders are building strong healthy connections. By educating and inspiring kids and young adults to become curious about their passions and learning more about the earth in which we live, Crave leaders are encouraging others to get creative and share their aspirations in a safe and loving space.

I am beyond excited to watch this group of talented, beautiful people create long-term positive change. I am beyond honored to walk alongside them, paving a path for future Crave Leaders. Together we walk that path, the path that leads to our Little Red House.

Jennifer McKinney
Owner
Mint Condition Mind and Body