Be Home: The origin story of Luminous Life

I often say that if I ever write a memoir, it will begin, “My people are not a settled people.” We moved every 1-4 years growing up, and as a young adult, I sustained that rhythm of change and newness. When I'd finally found my sense of home in the Colorado Rockies, just as I was letting myself settle for the first time in my life, my cozy mountain home-life was turned on its head, with the stillbirth of my son and the sudden, tragic end of my marriage. This launched me into nearly a decade of couch-surfing, house-sitting, and world-traveling adventures. But, after the initial excitement and terror of it all wore off, in the midst of my forced-nomadic life, I began craving a sense of “home” like nothing I’d ever felt.

I began working on myself. I attended retreats and workshops galore - mostly working in trade for the courses and lodging, since I had hardly any money to my name. I read voraciously and did workbooks and workshops on everything from creativity (who me, an artist?!) to parenting my inner child, from practicing storytelling to finding my purpose, from journal-writing intensives to facilitator training, from communication to poetry and personal essay writing, from community building to finding and using my “voice”, and countless many more.

One day, immediately following a deeply profound and healing two-week spiritual intensive that was with a teacher from my faith of origin, I was eating lunch with him and sharing how “homesick” I’d felt the last several years. I explained that this yearning wasn't for a place or locale (although this special mountain valley where I live now has always felt like home in that way).

No, this wasn’t a longing for a physical structure where I could kick off my boots at the end of the day. This heartfelt craving was to feel at home in my own skin. And I shared with him that I did feel as though I was getting closer than I’d ever been before to knowing this true sense of home.

After listening patiently and compassionately to me, this gentle, wise man said, “Heather, you are home.”

Then he went on to clarify, “You are home right where you are, but that is not what I am saying... YOU are home.”

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This truth cut through me to my core with such clarity and force that it felt like a return to some ember of knowledge that had always been tucked deep inside me. He continued, “You are ‘home’ to others. That is what they feel when they are with you, like they’ve always known you. And like you love them as family even if you’ve just met.”

That day, “Be Home” became my two-word purpose. It became my mission to understand this glowing truth in my heart, and to learn how to use it to spread love, healing, and joy. The twelve years I’ve served and grown as an Integral Life Coach have been fanning this ember into a spark, and then a flame that has now caught fire in a way that completely directs my coaching practice, my wedding officiating, and my life.

I am thrilled to spread that warmth with this new venture of creating Luminous Life. Yes, I coach people on a one-to-one basis, and I deeply enjoy this transformational work.

But I’ve longed to bring this sense of my purpose to creating a cozy space for women, safe enough for them to feel at home in a way that they feel supported to do the challenging work of coming home to themselves (and staying there).

I’ve also struggled with how cost-prohibitive life coaching  is for many, and the time-intensive nature of such expensive-but-worth-it work. Now, I’m pouring myself into creating online courses and group coaching with live video conferencing to make this affordable to women who have very little “extra” time on their hands (due to busy career schedules, raising families, being full-time students, etc.). This is all made possible through the creation of an online coaching membership community. Here, women who long to know and nurture their wholeness through practical, affordable, achievable steps, can connect with other women on the same path.

This work has a spiritual (but not religious) current flowing through each and every element. So, women of various faiths and philosophies can work the program in a way that compliments their beliefs and opinions. This is soul-nourishing, joy-expanding, heart-opening, mentally-grounding, experiential, and laughter-filled work. This is the work that helps you radiate your whole-souled glow!
 
You belong here.
You are ready.
You are not alone.
 
Welcome home!
 


©2019 Heather Barron