Origin Story
This is the part where I say “Hi I’m Lori”
Hi, I’m Lori! (Nailed it)
And ever since the day I hijacked the children’s sermon and stole the microphone from my pastor, I’ve been telling stories—not because they’re tidy or inspiring or destined to go viral, but because they change us.
Stories are how we make sense of the ache, the wonder, the mess.
They’re how we grieve.
They’re how we rebel.
They’re how we remember, even in the darkest of times, the rapture of being alive.
I’ve spent a significant chunk of my life chasing these stories through the study of theology, depth psychology, and myth. Two graduate degrees later, I’ve learned that the most important things can’t be mastered. They can only be lived.
So now, I walk with others—seekers, artists, the lost, the visionaries, the ones standing at the edge of something they can’t yet name (and maybe shouldn’t). I stand in bogs, at thresholds, and sweat in the desert with the souls brave enough to let it all burn to the ground.
But mostly?
I’m just another human who has lived through both the darkest of moments and the heights of creative inspiration, and now I know how to walk the crooked path with another and help them write (or re-write) their own story.
How I work now
After ten years of practice as a spiritual director and a global pandemic that made me seriously reconsider what the mental health industry was getting so wrong, I took a sabbatical and went into the wild (aka grad school). While studying the work of C.G. Jung and other depth psychologists, and mythologists, I seriously considered never going back to private practice work. But in the darkness of the swamp, I realized my next call was not helping seekers "unlock potential" like it’s a bank vault.
I know better than to try to tame that force now. Life isn’t about stepping into your power, gaining guru status, or even healing. It’s about remembering that the source of all-that-is isn’t your cosmic vending machine. And the more you try to control it, the more your soul is going to slap you around to remind your ego it can’t strong arm your life into comfort.
What you can do, however….
…is learn how to co-create with it.
Experience & Recognitions
-
In my private practice, Riverbend Spiritual Care, I helped clients create a new, deeper spirituality more aligned with their present life.
-
At Saint Catherine University in St Paul, Minnesota, I taught Christian Social Justice and Theological Questions courses to undergraduates seeking a variety of degree fields. I also teach contemplative practices and meditation to congregations and individuals both in person and on zoom.
-
I have created and led a variety of themed retreats around wellness, healing, and spirituality, both in America and abroad. I am also an experienced wedding officiant and love creating rituals and ceremonies to help celebrate important life events.
-
I co-founded and incorporated The New Ulm Wellness Collective as a 501c3 nonprofit. This holistic health and wellness center is a collaborative partnership of over 14 women offering services and classes in Minnesota
-
My column “What Next” was a staple in the sought-after publication River Valley Woman magazine. I have regularly contributed to a variety of online and virtual publication on subjects ranging from spirituality to parenting.
-
I have been writing and recording music since 2006 under the artist name “lori jean.” My music directly draws from my experiences of tapping into the deeper connection with psyche demanded of artists desiring to do soulful work.
