Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Larson.
Marie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
After I graduated from college, I spent over twelve years working in the non-profit world. I witnessed the burnout of so many in helping professions where many entered because of their passion to help others. I saw the light start to dim in their eyes as they got worn out and worn down by the very job they loved and the people group they felt called to. I experienced burn out myself in both fields that I worked in during that time in my life. Towards the end of my time working at Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge as a Chaplain, I began to feel drawn to helping the staff be healthy emotionally and spiritually so they could maintain their drive, passion, and energy in the field they loved. I kept encountering this lie in ministry and leadership that got in the way. People believed that they were supposed to be done having their own problems while they were helping other people. We all laugh when we hear that lie and know on some level it’s false. But we all betray our own beliefs when we disqualify ourselves for leadership because we aren’t “put together enough” or we put down someone in leadership because we “can’t believe they’re in ministry when they struggle with THAT!” I wanted to get on a soap box and start yelling over that lie, “You’re not a robot! They aren’t a robot! We’re all human and we have junk from here to heaven. Let’s work on our stuff AND help those around us without expecting perfection.”
After I got laid off in 2017, I had time on my hands to think about my passion and how I could best use what I knew to help others. I started my business, Vibrant Life Consulting in 2018 birthed out of that desire to help the helpers thrive. I wanted to be a safe place for leaders and helpers to come and work through their problems, doubts, fears, moral failures, relationship issues, burnout, etc. My goal is to see people fully alive and passionately on fire for what God created them to do.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I grew up with supportive parents and family but struggled throughout my childhood with anxiety and chronic health issues. As we searched for answers throughout my high school and college years, I began to learn so many tools that helped me to gain energy and health emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I started to realize how much of a feeler/empath I am and how to handle all the information that I was picking up on in healthier ways, so it wasn’t so overwhelming. It was a long and rather painfully slow journey. I am a voracious learner and love to turn around and share what I learn with those around me, so they don’t have to go through the same things I did. I started realizing how connected we are as humans. You can’t separate our physical, emotional and spiritual health. They are intertwined with each other, each one affecting the others. As I grew in one area, I would see it impacting the other two. Or as I declined in one area, I would see the others begin to fail. All this knowledge fuels my passion to help others in their healing journeys. I love to help guide them through their process and encourage them to keep going! It’s so worth it! I now live a life that seemed like pie in the sky back in high school. I can rock climb, swing dance, lift kids in my arms, live without pain, and with a heart filled with joy and peace much of the time. That felt out of reach earlier in my life. I didn’t know if I’d be able to do any of those things.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Early in running my business, I went through training to be a Brainspotter. Brainspotting is a trauma therapy that developed out of EMDR about fifteen years ago. It’s based on the idea that where you look determines which part of the brain you are accessing as well as how you will feel. Have you ever had a conversation with someone and noticed they kept looking off in the distance at a certain fixed point? They were probably using that eye position to access whatever information they were relaying to you, or perhaps they were relaxing themselves by accessing a calm part of their brain through that eye position. Many people like Brainspotting because you don’t have to verbally process if you don’t want to which is helpful for those who maybe don’t like talking as much or aren’t even sure why they are reacting the way they are to present circumstances. I love that I can combine it with other training I’ve had in prayer ministry if the client is open to it. It’s fun to see the progress people can make! It’s an amazing time to be in the field of emotional healing as so many need care right now. After two years of so much triggering, trauma and fear because of world events, most counselors are dealing with waiting lists of clients. I can offer clients quicker access to services currently. Take a look at my website or give me a call for a 15-minute free consultation to see if we might be a good fit to walk together during your healing journey. I count it a privilege to walk alongside people and point the way towards a more vibrant life.
Pricing:
- $100/hr
- $180 for Initial Session (2 hours)
Contact Info:
- Email: marie@vibrantlifeconsulting.com
- Website: www.vibrantlifeconsulting.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariesvibrantlife
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJRXoZiqcK6rtVG4NWhXV0Q?view_as=subscriber
Image Credits
Jonathan Eastburn (headshot)
Liz Weisenburger (booth display)
Marie Larson
