May/June 2021 – Debra Hendrickson

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Dreams for Our Future  

One of my favorite quotes is from Eleanor Roosevelt who said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”.

Four years ago I was approached by Michele Van Son Neill to assist her in the creation of her dream…a new spiritual leadership program she called “CRAVE”.  She wanted to have a dialogue about spirituality with a younger generation. This generation of dreamers was eager to learn from us “seasoned leaders” as much as we were willing to discover new ideas from them.

As I began this journey with Michele the unexpected came along. I thought that I had reached that age when my dreams had been fulfilled and I was satisfied with the lessons of life that I had learned. But with my exposure to the CRAVE family, I began to realize that there was so much more to discover about myself and my relationships with others.

Debra with Michele Van Son Neill at Victory Cup

My first “ah-ha” moment came in my early connection with a CRAVE leader. My role was to mentor a young CRAVE leader, meet regularly over coffee, ask questions about her project and listen, offer guidance; introduce her to other leaders who could assist in her journey; be her spiritual counselor; mentor her towards success. Ultimately what happened was that I became the “mentee”. Together we were on a self-discovery path. And it continued with each young CRAVE leader that I was able to mentor as I continued my CRAVE involvement.

Debra with Crave II Leader Chantel Aquart

My second awakening came from my experience with fellow board members. Their life experience was so very different than my own.  We heavily debated the track for moving our young organization forward, each with our views based on these life experiences. But with each challenge to my way of thinking came a new understanding and the promise of future accomplishments of our young non-profit organization.  

Debra with Michele Van Son Neill and Adam Hartnett, Crave I Leader and former Board member

For the past 4 years I have served as founding chair and board member of CRAVE. At our recent CRAVE graduation, as I listened to our graduates share their stories about their transformation by participating in CRAVE I, too, felt that my spiritual growth had exceeded my expectations. Although I may be stepping down from my leadership role with CRAVE, I will be in the background, cheering you on as you fulfill your dreams.

Debra with Shelly Denmark, Director, and Brian Vann, Chair of Board of Directors

Debra Hendrickson, Founding Chair of CRAVE Board of Directors

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

December 2017 – Debra Hendrickson

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Throughout my life my goal has been to surround myself with friends and family for the enjoyment of good times and support in the bad ones, have a fulfilling career and make enough money to support myself in a comfortable lifestyle. Church was always part of my life until the past few years when I found myself somewhat uninterested in what the pastor had to say on Sunday morning. My mind wandered around the sanctuary, thinking about all the trivial things I needed to do in the remainder of the day. In time I stopped going. The Sunday New York Times was more appealing to stimulate my intellect and curiosity.

Life took an unexpected turn one year ago when I decided to leave the job I had enjoyed for 14 years. I put my future in God’s hands which led me quickly to Michele Van Son who is the inspiration behind Crave. She started sharing with me her story about Crave, about the research done at Harvard Divinity School, specifically about Millennials who are leading spiritually and socially innovative communities beyond the local church. Although I am far from the age defining a Millennial I felt drawn to the concept. I could relate. I had holy discontent but had worked for many years in the non-profit community, serving to make it a better place. I was committed to Crave, leading the newly formed advisory board and mentoring one of the Millennial Crave Leaders, Jennifer McKinney.

A friend recently shared a new word with me  “Mentern” and I thought that my experience with Jennifer fit her definition. You won’t find it in the dictionary. But as she explained it is when the mentor and the mentee learn from each other. If you read the October 2017 blog of Crave Leader Molli Miller you learned about the book One Word That Will Change Your Life that was introduced to them at the program’s opening retreat. Jennifer’s word is “Foundation”. As a personal trainer and yoga teacher helping others live a fulfilled life I thought her word appropriate. Jennifer’s company, Mint Condition, helps the foundation of body and mind. I grew up in a loving environment and felt that I had a strong spiritual foundation, however, due to a series of unexpected and sad life events occurring this year I have felt discouraged. Jennifer helped me realize that life has unexpected unpleasantness but we are all on the same path together. God is there for me and has brought Jennifer to help motivate me forward. I recently participated in a mediation class even though I had always referred to meditation as “just not my cup of tea”. There is a calm quality about Jennifer that I admire. Meditation is helping me find that inner peace that I need for this unstable voyage. My mentee, Jennifer, has become my mentor and together, along with other Crave Leaders; we are navigating our spiritual journey.

Debra Hendrickson
Advisory Board Chair
Crave, Inc.