Gratitude

 

I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for the privilege I have to practice the wellbeing treatments and techniques I use in holistic coaching, during meditation and Reiki in sessions. There has been tremendous pain and trauma caused by the West, white men and women in the wellness industry in particular, from appropriating deep and significant cultural practices for their own benefit. Many practices and techniques, that the culture of origin was/is forbidden to practice because of the oppression of the West and that have been watered down, or reduced for profit or popularity.

 

I honor the rich traditions of the practices of mindfulness, meditation, and reiki. I pledge to keep learning and crediting the history and trailblazers that created these systems and teach them today. 

 

Living a compassionate lifestyle means one that is equitable, evolving and transparent. 

 

 

I am Rachel, the Founder of Craftingood, 38 years old and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am a white, straight, cisgender, non-disabled, neuro-typical, USA-born woman with ancestors of Norwegian and Swedish descent. I grew up the daughter of two married straight parents in the Christian faith tradition (now have expanded in my spirituality) and have lived in major cities, small cities, and suburbs. I have lived my life in the middle-class. I am trained in Speech-Language Pathology (from the University of Kentucky), Holistic and Integrated Health Coaching(from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition), community organizing (from the Industrial Areas Foundation), meditation teaching (60 hour certification from Aura Wellness), and most recently, reiki II practicing(Usui lineage from Soulfull Co. & Duke University Health and Well-Being). I am a married mother of three white children ages 6, 5 and 3.

 

 

There are many leaders and teachers that I have learned from and have supported me in my evolution and anti-racism journey. Read more here about some of my journey. 

 

 

We(Rachel and Craftingood as an organization) seek and pay BI&PoC (Black, Indigenous, and People/Person of Color) leaders, whether they are teachers and/or authors, business owners, organization founders etc. when establishing partnerships, collaborations, staffing, and product development. We also financially support organizations around the world.

 

I (Rachel) am working closely with Dr. Lucretia Berry and her organization, Brownicity, who's mission is “To foster education designed to create a shared understanding of race and racism to inspire a culture of true belonging and justice for all.” through consulting and mentoring, ensuring my commitment to equity and continued self and business analysis. I have taken the Intercultural Development Inventory and am currently working on my Intercultural Development Plan with Dr. Lucretia Berry's guidance and support. I also financially support Brownicity as well as The Conscious Child ("an education, research, and policy organization dedicated to equity and promoting healthy racial identity development.") monthly.

 

I aim to use inclusive language as I understand it (and evolve with it) and provide accommodations for clients, followers, customers, collaborators and anyone else associated with me or Craftingood. 

 

Please see our Indigenous Land Acknowledgement for more information about the land that Craftingood is HQ's is on. 

 

 

I will not get everything right because of my certain privileges and blindness, but I am committed to continue to stay open and learning. I act in ally-ship and anti-racism daily, to ensure that I am using my position and privilege to dismantle my own white supremacy and systems of white supremacy in my community and organizations with which I belong to the best of my ability.

 

Know that if you ever have reasons to call me in or out, have concerns or questions—I’m only an email, DM, call or text away.

 

Warmly,

Rachel