Meet the inspiring women who are lighting up their own communities.
– KEYS SOULCARE
We’re back with another installment of a series that captures so much of what this community is all about — and gives you the power to shine the spotlight on someone who’s made a difference in your world. As the season of thanks and giving approaches, we’re sharing the stories of three women who better the world around them by sharing their natural gifts. Read on to meet a trio of healers, teachers, and lightworkers sure to put a smile on your face.
1. She’s Totally Tuned In
Amy Petrarca | @biaohealth
Why She Shines: Tuning forks are her tool, but a huge heart is what’s powering her healing work — and inspired one of her patients to nominate her after their work together renewed her connection to her own body and spirit.
“Amy is a light healer in the truest sense,” said Shannon Kaye, who came to her as a physical therapy patient suffering from chronic pain. Growing up playing the piano, the idea of using tuning forks sounded reassuring — different, but not scary or silly. I just hoped for physical relief, but Amy truly brought me back to life tapping into my body pain while tending to some emotional and spiritual wounds I was carrying as well. She created space for trust with calm loving energy that allowed me to laugh, cry, rest; to feel whatever those beautiful forks had for me when she’d tap them to life and press them to meridian points that opened my own healing channels. Amy approaches healing with the knowing wisdom of an ancient healer and also her practical emergency nurse experience. But really, it’s her bright, beautiful, compassionate soul that makes her a worker of light. She is amazing.”
2. She Empowers Parents to Shine
Nikolai Pizarro | @raisingreaders
Why She Shines: Kids aren’t the only ones enjoying the benefits of educator and community advocate Nikola Pizzaro’s gifts. Her primary students — parents looking to homeschool their own children for a variety of reasons or need — call her their hero.
“Working with Nikolai for three years has opened up the life skill of self-awareness for me,” says Latonja Flowers, who’s eternally thankful for Pizarro’s help to build her own confidence as a parent-educator. “While being a homeschooling parent for nine years, learning how to raise self-directed learners has been my goal. Nikolai’s parental development classes [on] how to problem-solve and become self-aware have been life-changing for me and my family. She endlessly pours life, love, and beauty into everyone she meets — especially mothers. And she created a forest school and curriculum that is designed specifically to serve those who have been systematically disadvantaged.”
3. She Lifts Her Voice For Others
Steph Johnson | @voicesofourcitychoir and stephjohnsonband.com
Why They Shine: Johnson’s gift for music is only one layer of her creative genius. In addition to bringing hundreds of voices into harmony (and notably, guiding them to the semi-finals of TV show America’s Got Talent), she also manages Voices of Our City and helps members more easily access a variety of community resources.
“Steph Johnson is an angel,” shares nominator John Tellem. “She has found a way to combine her love of music with her compassion for people. Five years ago, she formed Voices of Our City Choir — a choir for people experiencing homelessness. Today, [it’s] grown to be much more than a singing group that offers fellowship and a respite from life on the streets. A nonprofit organization with more than 225 members, Voices of Our City’s choir practices always include counseling and direction to locally available services. [To date], they have successfully helped more than 70 choir members find housing.”
Want to nominate someone who makes your world brighter for a possible feature like this? Tell us about ‘em here!
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