Believing in Transformation with Dawn Morningstar 

Good morning. And welcome to Green Tea Conversations, the radio show that delves into the pages of Natural Awakenings magazine. To bring you the local experts who share their progressive ideas and the latest information and insights needed so you can lead your best life. I'm your host, Candi Broeffle, publisher, the Twin Cities edition of Natural Awakenings magazine. And I'm honored to bring these experts to you in our studio today. We have Dawn Morningstar, who has been with us in the past. She is the author of Venerable Women, Transform Ourselves, Transform the World.

Dawn was one of our first guests way way back in January when we first started the show. And at that time, you had kind of shared with us your premise on the book and how it's used to help women in true transformation. Today, Dawn has taken transformation to a whole new level by founding a nonprofit called Venerable Women Empowerment Foundation. Welcome back to the show. Dawn.

 

Thank you. It's a joy to be back with you, Candi.

 

And I'm so excited for you to be able to tell people about Venerable Women Empowerment Foundation. So to start us off, let's start off by just telling us what it is and kind of how this all came about for you.

 

Well, after having been a life coach for women for almost 30 years, I saw certain patterns within women in regard to a lack of self-worth and really kind of crack the code on what could be done about that. And so I worked with women who could afford to come to my groups and gatherings and could coach with me one on one. And a friend of mine going on a walk one day said, what about all the women who could really benefit from what you're doing but don't have the funds or resources?

 

And then she said, what about women in prison? And it just struck me in a way that I could feel it palpably in my body. And so she had a connection with someone who worked in a halfway house, which is that transition period between federal or state prison until a woman is released. And so I began reaching out to them and ended up teaching a class there and pursue it. And then saw that it was really important to to have other people in this mission with me as well.

 

It was bigger than just me doing it by myself. And so then I was led to see what it would look like to have a foundation. I had never done anything like that before.

 

Well, and it's not easy to start a nonprofit to start a foundation.

Oh, my goodness. No, it's really not. And there are levels and steps to it. And I was very blessed to have a woman who immediately got on board who is an attorney and a nonprofit attorney who worked for make a Wish Foundation and Habitat for Humanity as their legal counsel. And she's on our board of directors and is a dear friend, and I don't know what we would do without a name. Her name is Tammy Block or Tamara Block. If you're going to look up, she's an incredible person, and I know lawyers get a bad rap sometimes, but she is just amazing thing.

 

So it's how long did it take you actually, from start to finish to when you kind of the idea came about and then working with Tamera to kind of put that together because there are many different steps to starting a non-profit.

 

Well, I would say that it's a little hard to answer that question because it was not a concentrated effort every single day. But when the process started about two and a half years ago where we got together, I formed a little focus group, so to speak, because I didn't know exactly how to do this and what to do. I had the vision, for sure. I had the tools to use in the prisons or to use and a halfway houses, but I just didn't have all of the structure that was needed.

So Tammy did a strategy day with us about two and a half years ago. There were, I think, six or seven of us who got together and spent a day focusing on what would this look like. And so that was two and a half years ago. Go. And then we formed the foundation in January of 2019. So we're still pretty new.

 

It's pretty new, but it's really kind of escalating quite quick.

 

Oh Yes.

 

Just so the Listers know, I am one of the board members on venerable Women Empowerment Foundation and very happy to be a part of that. But I now you are actually going in and working with people who are in that transition.

 

Yes, I am.

 

So tell us a little bit about that. What we're what were some of your, I guess, learning points as you are going

 

Very good question. And before I answer that, I want to say what an honor and a joy it is to have you on our board. You bring so much to us. And I'm very grateful that I'm always happy to see you walk in that door when we have our meetings. So what I've learned is that I thought that I could bring one of the wonderful programs that I teach into the facility, whether it be a prison or halfway house or shelter, and bring it and that it would have great value for everyone and everybody would be happy.

 

What I did not realize, but I do know, is that many of the women, by the way, I only work with women because that's my area of specialty. There are men in these facilities, but they're separated into different floors and so on. But what I learned is that many of the women are very vulnerable. They have been lied to. They have been disappointed by people. They have been let down by people. They have been misled. And so it's very important for any organization that works with people who are vulnerable in these ways to really establish trust and relationships with them.

 

So I ended up volunteering in their clothing closet, which is where when donations of clothing are given, I would go in and put them on hangers and all of that sort of thing. And in me being there, then the women saw that I was there to help. We would chat a little bit. In my case, things moved very quickly, because the minute that we all started talking, they knew there was something there for them. They felt they could feel it right away. And so we began meeting immediately.

 

And it has been such a joy for me as well to be able to take my life's work into an arena where some of the women have never had anything like this before. One small example is when I suggested to the women are offered to the women that they asked themselves internally, what do I need? They all said the same thing. They had never asked themselves what they needed. So that's one very small but important lesson that can be learned. And it's something I practice myself as well.

It's not like I'm going in a in a hierarchical way and saying here, do this. This is my practice and the practice of many other women in the Venerable Women Organization.

 

So what is what organization are you working with then you're going into?

 

It's called VOA Rosedale Reentry Center and is Roseville Reentry Center. And it is a halfway house for those transitioning out of federal and state prison.

 

Okay. And VOA is volunteers of America

Volunteers of America. It's a wonderful organization. And so that's to where I am now. And then I just met with Breaking Free, which is an organization that supports women getting out of sex trafficking, which is another form of prison. So I will be working with them or our organization will be working with them as well. And I was also invited to reach out to Shakapi Women's prison. So that is in the making right now. So I've learned that we need to take these things step by step, obviously, and make sure that we understand the population that we're serving in a really profound way because then we can be of a really high-level service to them because they have very unique needs and challenges.

 

And you you've had to go through a background check.

 

You've had fingerprinted.

 

You had to go through some training or to be able to work in the organization. So a part of this with the Venerable Women Empowerment Foundation is the goal would be that some of the people who you've trained through venerable Women would also be able to do that. But you're kind of leading us into this, leading this group of people by being the first one to go in and really kind of get a good feel of what it's like because there'll be a lot of training, I'm sure, for you, that you will have to share with the people who you're training to prepare them to go in.

 

Absolutely true. You have a really good handle on this, the Venerable Women organization. What we do is we train women to become leaders. We call them Luminary leaders. And I've been doing this now for the past few years, and that grew out of women who had studied the principles in my book, Venerable Women, Transform Ourselves, Transform the World. And so I formed classes around that. And at the end of those classes, we could see that leaders were emerging from that group. And they were women who wanted to share this message and similar message to other groups.

 

And in training these Luminary leaders, I teach them what I'm learning. And you're absolutely right. I felt it was important for me to go in first, because how could I train people to do this if I didn't know if I was just guessing what it was? Yes, I am the person going in now. And there is a Luminary leadership group that just started a week ago that goes for six weeks. This is a new group of Luminary leaders. And so I'm able to share my wisdom about what I've learned by being there myself with them.

 

So their learning curve will be very short when it comes time for them to go into these prisons, shelters and halfway houses.

 

So Dawn for people who want to learn more about the foundation and what it is that you do, where can they find you?

 

It's VenerableWomen Empowerment.Org

Okay. Venerable is V-E-N-E-R-A-B-L-E VenerableWomenEmpowerment.Org.  When we come back, we're going to continue our conversation down, and we're going to get into a little bit more about how she is utilizing the principles of her book and helping the people in these transitions. So to read an online version of Natural Awakenings magazine, visit NaturalTwinCities.Com. You're listening to Green Tea Conversations on AM 950 The Progressive Voice of Minnesota and we will be right back.

 

Welcome back to Green Tea Conversations, where we delve into the pages of Natural Awakenings magazine and talk to the experts who share their expertise on natural health with you. I'm your host, Candi Broeffle. And today we are talking with Dawn Morningstar, the founder and executive director of Venerable Women Empowerment Foundation and author of the award-winning book Venerable Women Transform Ourselves transform the world. So Dawn before the break, we were starting to talk about the work that you're doing now in the transitions between prison and for people who are coming out of prison and transition back into their lives. And I'm curious, as far as what are some of the things that you learned that you're learning about that maybe you didn't realize before you started doing this work?

 

Well, I realized to how much judgment I and others can have about people who have been incarcerated, that they're somehow different than us, and they're absolutely no different than us whatsoever. These are people who have made mistakes in their lives and have gotten caught and incarcerated, and they've paid the price for their crimes. I also learned that it was really important for me in that same vein. It was important for me not to ask them or even know the women that I'm working with why they were incarcerated.

 

I didn't want to look at them any differently. I wanted to see them as my sisters. And I felt like if I knew what they had done, that maybe that would in some way just kind of lay beneath the surface. And I did not want that. I wanted to look at them with eyes of love and equality and respect. And so they love that I never asked them, and that's been very important to them. And I've also really observed the fact that as wonderful as many programs are that are in prison, the overall prison system itself is still very oppressive and punitive rather than being supportive and restorative.

 

So the system isn't going to change overnight, although there are a lot of people who are working on making changes in the overall prison system. But this is something we can do that is restorative to people's lives and gives them real tools and hope for their future. And so I feel so grateful that I can be a part of that, because everybody needs a fresh start.

 

Right? And I think it's important for all of us to remember we all make mistakes. I've said many times, but for the Grace of God do I.

 

I need too Candi.

 

May not have turned out as well.

 

For sure.

 

As they did they believe. But we all make mistakes. We all have things that we wish we wouldn't have done. We all have things that we've had to taken the consequences for. But when we continue to shame people or label them for those mistakes, and it's kind of human nature for us to try to, I don't know, somehow feel better about ourselves. If we can kind of label somebody else as we would never do that, we would never be that.

 

But when we continue to do that, we're really doing an injustice to our whole society. So what is it about the restorative part of what you're doing that you see can make the biggest difference in people's lives?

Well, I believe that when we look at people with the eyes of respect and dignity, that helps them see that about themselves. And I also know that many of the people I've worked with not unlike others who have not been incarcerated, but many of the people have had really, truly challenging backgrounds. Stories can be just so sad beyond words and terrifying in some cases. And to be able to understand that if a person doesn't have those strong routes to begin with, then how could they have a strong moral compass or even a sense of their own self-worth?

 

And so the restorative part is I see it is being able to help people see what's already inside of them. This isn't something that needs to be bestowed upon another person. We all have the potential for greatness inside of us. It's just that some people have either never been told that, or they were told that that was absolutely not true about them, or they had their own belief in themselves knocked out of them over the years through experiences and so on. So restoring people's own faith in themselves is something that the venerable Women Empowerment Foundation is really committed to doing.

 

And again, we can't give what we don't have ourselves. So everyone on our board and in our organization practices the same principles as well of really honoring ourselves and loving ourselves. And it's a practice because we can easily go the other way.

 

And that's actually the first principle that you teach in the Best Life Program. So the Best Life Programs, a program that you developed specifically for the women going through transition.

 

Yeah.

 

So tell us about that first principle, which is relationship with self.

 

Yeah. I'd love to. So I felt that rather than bringing the women into the very intricacies and depth of my book, which can be a little heavy for people, not heavy, but it's for people who have been on a spiritual path for sure that what I would do is not dumb it down in any way, because it's not dumbed down, but simplify it in a way that I could capture a few of the concepts from the book. So the Best Life Program Best is the acronym for Boundaries, Empowerment, Self Worth, and Transformation.

 

Oh, I like that.

 

And the women love that they love that. And so we start off talking about empowerment and that empowerment is not something that somebody else gives you. It's something that you reach inside of yourself and you self empower. And that's a brand new concept for many of these women they were looking at for someone or something or some situation or whatever to help them have self-worth.

 

As many of us do.

 

Absolutely.

Yes. I mean, it's kind of a common thread throughout our entire society, not just women and everyone.

 

Right.

 

But it is a huge thing once you've start to understand that how different the differences that can be made in your life.

 

Absolutely true. And so that's a big AHA for many women is, oh, I get to empower myself. And one of the ways that I teach them to do that is that simple question of asking, what do I need? And like I said before, many women have never asked themselves, what do I need? They're always looking at how can I serve? What can I give to others? And so just the effect of being aware of what you need for your body, mind, spirit, and heart is really a way for the women to feel whole, because when we feel whole, we make better decisions and choices in our lives.

 

And I suppose that was something that was not something that they commonly practiced.

 

Absolutely. In a show of hands with one of the first groups that I worked with, it was 28 or 30 women there. And I asked them how many of them had had no. I started off by asking how many of you would like to have a supportive group in your life that gave you or where you all shared these kinds of principles? Because I had shared some of these principles with them, and every hand in the room went up. And then I said, how many of you had something like like that before you came and not one hand went up.

So for people who want to learn more about venerable women empowerment, go to VenerableWomenEmpowerment.Org. You are listening to Green Tea Conversations on AM950, the Progressive Voice of Minnesota. And we will be back in just a moment.

 

Welcome back to Green Tea Conversations, where we delve into the pages of Natural Awakenings magazine and talk to the professionals who share their expertise on natural health and well-being with you. I'm your host, Candi Broeffle. And today we're talking with Dawn Morningstar, the founder and executive director of Venerable Women Empowerment Foundation and author of the award-winning book Venerable Women, Transform Ourselves, Transform the World.  So Dawn, just before the break, we were starting to talk about the program that you use for women in transition who are leaving prison and going back into society.

 

And they're at that transition point and a program that you developed through the foundation that you are going into different programs and teaching. And the program is called Best Life. And again, Best stands for

 

It's Boundaries, Empowerment, self-worth and transformation.

 

And we were talking about the first principle, which is relationship with self-right. And I know that there is yet one more aspect of that we want to get into with relationship with self. And that is value.

 

Right? And just for the logical minds out there, the acronym is B-E-S-T. And we start with empowerment because the empowerment piece is the foundation. And so within that is the asking what we need, which is what we had talked about before the break. And the second part is, what do I value? And then we move into that B, which is boundaries. And I I lead the women in what I call the upper room exercise, which is they ascend a golden staircase. This is a meditation that I do with them where they access and really take a look at what they value in their lives.

Is it honesty, love, truth, compassion, connection? What is it that they value? Because you can't protect your values if you don't know what you value, and that is what a boundary is, is really in venerable. We see it a little differently. It's not as much what we want to keep out, but what we want to protect and keep hold within us, which is what we value.

 

I love that. I love that. How can you, so understanding that then, what are some of the things that you can teach people about boundaries and about setting boundaries? Because I think, again, that's probably one of the biggest issues we face as women, as men, too. But as women, especially, is being able to have very clear boundaries. And most of the time it's with the people who are closest to it.

 

That's it, right. That can be very challenging, as we all know the people closest to us. But it's not impossible. We have to teach people how to treat us. That's something that really is so profoundly important is teaching people how to treat us. And so what I practice myself and teach others to do is once you have really taken a look at what you value and you get clear on those values, you write them down, you get very familiar with them. It's very simple how to make decisions and set boundaries moving forward.

 

You ask yourself, does this whatever that this is, does it align with my values? If the answer is yes, you move forward. If the answer is no, you do not. It is that simple. It doesn't mean that it's easy.

 

But you  know,

 

Simple, but not always easy.

 

This is all a practice, and we're going to take action anyway. Why not take actions that lead us in the direction of our wholeness.

And I think one of the important things is we are constantly teaching people how to treat us, whether it's good or bad.

 

Absolutely.

 

So we just have to understand that what we're doing is actually is actually teaching them. It's okay, right. So if we're being treated in a way, we don't like it's because we to people that that's okay. So now we have to teach something different. And that is, again, a simple concept, but not easy.

And the thing to keep in mind that might make it a little easier for us is we don't just do this for ourselves. We do this for those that we are modeling this behavior, too, as well, because what it does is it lets them sometimes they'll step back and say, Well, I never thought I could say no to this thing or that thing. And so we end up modeling good behavior for other people, and that raises them up. And to me, that is one of the great benefits of living our highest and best lives is people who are ready to do that.

 

They're going to want to know how you do it. I never go around and proselytize and try to get people to do it. But if they're curious about it, if this works 100% work.

 

Right. People see it in you, and they strive to have that in themselves. They ask they're going to ask you to teach them how to do that. And it is something that you can change. You can change generations.

 

Absolutely.

 

Being treated badly. Generations of people before you who were you can change it for the generations coming up behind you.

 

Yes. And some say that by us healing and changing in this generation, we are healing past generations as well because we make them look good because we're here on their behalf.

 

So now the second part of the Best Life program is our relationship with the higher well, I want to say, God.

 

Well, we're on the be of the best life, which was boundaries. And then if we move into self-worth, which would be the next part of this, that's where we are learning to do what is ours to do no more, no less. And there's a whole philosophy around that because many times women are and I say women because although there are some men who do this really is more common for women to really overdo things.

 

We. Do it sometimes because we want to have approval from others. Sometimes we do it because we're avoiding doing what we know we need to do for ourselves. We don't like to admit that, but it's a form of avoidance. And so the idea is to do that, which is ours to do no more, no less. And again, there's a lot more to be said about this. But sometimes we don't do enough for ourselves, and sometimes we do too much for other people. So the idea is to get that balance right.

 

And once we do a sense of self-worth because we know internally, don't we all know what we are supposed to be doing? We really do when it's tax time, you're supposed to be doing getting those receipts together or whatever it may be, or that load of laundry that's sitting. And so what happens when we do the things that we know we are supposed to be doing for our own good. Then our mind says, oh, yeah, she said that was important, and she did it. And so it gives the mind to evidence that we are worthy because we are keeping our word to ourselves.

 

I love that. I love that. So what does it mean to no less

To do no more? Well, that's where sometimes we can get really involved in other people's lives and do more than what is even healthy for them. We can overdo it. We can insert ourselves in situations that really are not our business, but we do it in the guise of being. But I'm just helping is what we say. And is our help really need it? That's a question to ask. And does it line up with our values going back to our boundaries? Are we overstepping somebody else's boundary? Sometimes the best thing we can do is to let somebody do what they need to be doing on their own to figure it out.

 

If we're telling people what to do or how to do it, especially adult children or teenagers, and that sort of thing, we're not really helping them as much as we think we are. So that's a case of doing more than is not necessary. So that helps with our self-worth because we are being really true to what we need in the world and what we are here to do in the world and not overdoing it or underdoing it very good. So what is this transformation?

 

And when we transform ourselves, we are transforming the world. Think about it this way. We are all one. We hear that expression so much, it really is true. We are all one energy. All humanity is one energy. And when we raise the frequency of our energy, by feeling good about ourselves, by being whole, by doing well in the world, by feeling love and joy and happiness and prosperity and all of that, when we do that, we are raising the vibrational frequency of all of our brothers and sisters.

And like we said before, we are modeling what it looks like to be a whole and healthy human.

 

So one of the things I think is interesting. And I saw this a lot when I worked in higher education. So for years, I worked with a state and community College, state community college, and tribal College. And one of the things that I saw are people that go through transformation. They come into College, and all of a sudden they gain this sense of worth of themselves. They have more confidence, they have more like, I can do this, but they start to see some of their relationships fall away.

 

And I'm sure that this happens as well. I mean, it happens with all of us, right? Once we start to transform some relationships, just I always say, are no longer in alignment.

 

That's right. And that is absolutely true. And in the case of some of the people who are incarcerated when they're coming out, they really need to let go of many toxic relationships because that's what in some cases got them in trouble in the first place. And many of them are extremely aware of that. Some of them will say I'm not moving back to my hometown when I get out because I don't want to run into the same people and do the same behavior. And so, overall, as a general role, though, when we start making changes and stand in our own empowerment and all of that, there are going to be some people in our lives who are not going to like it.

 

And the thing that we can do I about that is stay connected with them in ways that are meaningful for us, but that do not diminish us in any way. Our playing small does not help anything at all. Marianne Williamson wrote a beautiful poem about that, but the idea is for us to remember that our transformation helps the transformation of the world, because what we're doing is we're adding more light to the world. And so, yes, not naturally, some relationships will fall away, but that's okay.

It doesn't mean that we are pushing people out of our lives. Sometimes it just naturally happens because people aren't going to want to hang with us because we're not doing the old, dark, shadowy behaviors that we used to because they've grown.

 

And it can seem kind of scary. It can seem very sad in a lot of ways because sometimes these relationships are people you've been very close to most of your life. Can be family members? Can be other things, can be people you grew up with. But it's important to remember that this happens in all of our lives.

 

Yes, it does

 

That there are people who come in for a season or people who come in for a reason

 

and a lifetime right.

 

And people who come in for a lifetime. So just allowing that to let go and then loving that for what it was.

 

Right. And the flip side, the beautiful part of this Candi, is that we start attracting amazing other people who are more aligned with us.

 

Right. So the people who can be brought into our lives, that's where the empowerment really comes in.

 

Yes.

 

So people can go to, so our listeners can go to VenerableWomenEmpowerment.org to learn more about what you're doing. When we come back, I'm going to ask you, how can we get involved? How can we really start to support the work that you're doing? To read the online version of Natural Awakenings Magazine, visit NaturalTwinCities.com. You can find a podcast of the show on AM950Radio.com on Apple or Google Podcasts. And anywhere you get your podcast, you're listening to Green Tea Conversations on AM 950 The Progressive Voice of Minnesota.

 

Welcome back to Green Tea Conversations, where we delve into the pages of Natural Awakenings magazine and talk to the professionals who share their expertise on natural health with you. I'm your host, Candi Broeffle, and today I'm talking to Dawn Morningstar, the founder and executive director of Venerable Women Empowerment Foundation. She is also the author of the award-winning book Venerable Women, Transform Ourselves, Transform the World. So Dawn we have been taught About the book. And this is all of the principles that you're talking about today are principles that are throughout the book, plus a whole lot more.

 

Yes.

 

So you have something in the book called the V-Attitudes.

 

Yes.

 

And those are is it ten?

 

There are twelve of them. So it's the twelve Venerable Attitudes and Venerable means worthy of honor, love and respect by virtue of wisdom and experience. That's that wonderful part that is within each person. That part where we really are worthy. And these twelve the attitudes are twelve principles that are really based on ancient teachings. It's the way they're organized that people find appealing. The first four of the attitudes have to do with a person's relationship with themselves. The second four of the attitudes have to do with their relationship with their divine or a higher power, whatever they think of as their higher power.

 

And the third have to do with their relationship with other people. And they're in that order for a particular reason that we can talk about. It another recording for

 

So people who want to pick up the book. Because there is there's so much great information in there and all of the things that we're talking about today, that's just a sampling that's within that book. But for people who want to learn more, where can they find the book?

 

The book is on Amazon, and it is also on Audible Com. I recorded it myself. I didn't record it myself, but I mean, I narrated it myself, and it is also available on my website at VenerableWomen.Com. So whatever is easiest for people, that's the best way. And I do want to mention that we make a facial potion or facial serum, rather that all of the benefits 100% of the profits go to the foundation, and that's on the VenerableWomen website as well. And what is the name of the

 

It's called Facial Serum 18. And it's called that because it has 18 amazing ingredients in it.

 

It has the most luxurious feel to it, and it makes your skin feel amazing. So that's one of the products that you have now. You also have events that you're doing in some different classes, including you're going to be doing a best life for the general public.

 

And that date will be on my website, VenerableWomen.Com. What we do, though, is the Luminary leaders who we mentioned before they teach Living Love. I know there are a lot of LS here, but Living Love is the deep dive into those twelve attitudes that we just talked about. It's a really wonderful way to connect with other, like-hearted women. And at this point, the gatherings are all women's circles. But these Luminary leaders teach these principles and have these beautiful circles. And so those will be listed on my website as well, where you can find a circle near you.

 

You have to have completed Living Love in order to qualify to become a Luminary leader. We also will be our Venerable Women Empowerment Foundation will have a booth at the Women in Spirituality Conference, which is coming up September 21 and 22nd in Rochester. And that's Women and Spirituality org. That is going to be a fabulous event. So we will be there. And we also have another event coming up on October 13 called Living in a Sacred Dimension. And all of this. This is on the website, Venerable Women Com.

 

Oh, my goodness, that's great. You also have a podcast on Venerable To, and so you interview different people. So tell us a bit about the podcast.

Well, I love doing the podcast because it's called Venerable, just the Word Venerable, and it's available any place. Podcasts are available. And the subtitle to that is Women's Sacred Conversations. And so it's very much like what we are doing. You and I Candi right now having a sacred conversation. And it's not the messages that we do are for everyone, but we really focus on the perspectives and voices of women because, for many, many years, women's voices were not heard at the level that they really needed to be. And so I'm doing what I can about that. So that's the podcast Venerable. I love doing it. It's so much fun.

 

And you have a lot of of them archived on yours.

 

I do.

 

People go in and listen to many different combinations

 

and meditation, too. I lead meditation sometimes too, which people like,

 

Oh, that's great. The important thing, though, for us to talk about is how can we support the Venerable Women Empowerment Foundation?

 

Well, I think starting off by going and visiting the website, because then you can find out everything you might want to know about what we're doing. Donations are greatly, greatly needed, and from time to time we do broad drives. I know that sounds like a silly thing, but to the women, it is very important. When women are in prison, they are not allowed to wear regular bras as they can only have sports bras because the regular bras the underwire can be used for nefarious purposes. And so when they come out, it's really important for them to feel normal again.

And so we did a bra drive and collected many, many bras. And I like to think of it this way. Support comes in many ways. Right. So we have a bra drive. When we have broad drives, people can donate bras. But we really can use funding because obviously, we need to pay people who are doing this. We want to pay for the programming. And we give gifts to the women in prison as well that have to be paid for. Like in one case, they said that they really wanted Crystal gemstones, that that would be important to them.

 

So I went and purchased them Crystal gemstones. We bought them seeds for starting a garden so that they could grow fresh fruits and vegetables. And so the money is really important. And you can make a donation right. On the VenerableWomenEmpowerment.Org website. And it would be so greatly appreciated, you know, that you would be helping people truly change their lives. The Dalai Lama said the world will be saved by the Western woman. I think that the women coming out of prison or a big part of this equation.

 

Yes. Definitely. So what are they can also find you on Facebook?

 

Yes. Venerable Women Facebook page. Yes. There is a Venerable Women Facebook page. We don't have a Venerable Women Empowerment Foundation page yet, but we will.

 

Okay. But even sharing the message with other people, people and letting them know that's so important to the work that you're doing and especially as a new nonprofit organization just starting up, I mean, you're catching momentum very very quickly.

 

Yes. We really are, because we have something that people see. They see the value in it, because it's very unique in some ways, and it's very practical as well.

Yes. And very important. Well Dawn, thank you so much for being with us today. I just really want to tell you how much I appreciate you're coming in and sharing with us what Venerable Women Empowerment Foundation is. And for people who want to learn more, they can go to your website.

 

Venerablewomen.com or VenerableWomenEmpowerment.Org. Either one, and you'll get where you want to go.

 

And thank you for joining our conversation today as we awaken to Natural Health. To read the online edition of Natural Awakenings magazine or to check out our complete online calendar of events, visit NaturalTwinCities.com. You can find a podcast of the show on AM950Radio.com or on Apple and Google Podcasts. You've been listening to Green Tea Conversations on AM 950. And I'm wishing for you a lovely day!