Episode 032: “Living Centered From Love”
Featuring Becca Stevens
According to today’s guest, there is one four-letter word at the heart of all sustainable and holistic social good. LOVE.
Becca Stevens, speaker, social entrepreneur, author, priest, and founder and President of Thistle Farms is on a mission to spread and live out the message that love is the strongest force for change in the world. Join us for a profoundly impactful conversation with Miles and Lindsey about the undeniable power of love and redemption that Becca has seen in her decades of mission-driven work.
Meet this episode’s expert
Becca Stevens is a speaker, social entrepreneur, author, priest, founder, and President of Thistle Farms. As an entrepreneurial leader, she has established 10 justice enterprises and has raised over $55M in funding. Stevens leads important conversations across the country through speaking, advocating, preaching and writing. She walks the line between pragmatism and poetry in her message that love is the strongest force for change in the world.
Stevens founded Thistle Farms in 1997 with a single home for survivors of trafficking, and addiction. Twenty-three years later, it is a global movement for women’s freedom. Today the Nashville flagship includes a residential program that serves as a national model for women’s recovery, and three-justice social enterprises that provide jobs to survivors-amounting to $4M in earned income last year. Stevens also developed the Thistle National Network to provide tools, workshops, and conferences to support young organizations wanting to follow its holistic model of recovery, as well as Thistle Farms Global Shared Trade, which supports 1,400 artisan survivors in 20 countries.
Additional enterprises Stevens has helped establish include the Center for Contemplative Justice and Larkspur Conservation in the U.S., as well as Escuela Ann Stevens and Sibimbe in Ecuador, Moringa Madres in Mexico, and Love Welcomes in Greece. Stevens has been profiled on PBS NewsHour, The Today Show, CNN, ABC World News, and The New York Times. Her many awards include CNN Hero, White House Champion of Change, Humanitarian of the Year by the Small Business Council of America, Tennessee Human Rights Outstanding Service Award, and induction into The Entrepreneur Center’s Hall of Fame, and Tennessee Women’s Hall of Fame. Becca attended the University of the South and Vanderbilt Divinity School, receiving alumnae distinction awards from both.
Stevens has also been conferred multiple honorary doctorates. Stevens speaks to a broad range of non-profit, religious, and business audiences-often in bare feet to show solidarity with those she serves. Drawn from 25 years of leadership in mission-driven work, the courageous stories of women survivors, and wisdom from nature and healing traditions,
Stevens inspires and motivates audiences everywhere with practical and loving steps to inspire change in individuals and communities. Her next book is slated for 2021 on Harper Horizon.
Mentioned in this episode
Order Becca’s Newest Book: “Practically Divine”
There is no secret formula to experiencing the sacred in our lives–it just takes practice and practicality.
No matter where we are–on a walk in the woods, in a sacred building, or in a dusty refugee camp–signs of love abound. When we allow ourselves to embrace both ordinary and extraordinary experiences, we can feel the divine anywhere.
You’re invited to search this path with Becca Stevens, as she explores what it means to be practically divine. Woven throughout the narrative strands are poetry and rants, as well as ruminations on her mother’s wit and wisdom–and the passion she instilled in Becca for creating something from nothing.
Embracing the practically divine compels us to do something, anything, to share in the feast of love together. When we start from wherever we are, we can recognize the potential for humor, wonder, and freedom.
Experience is nine-tenths of love.
Standing in a geranium field, smelling dark soil fertilized by rabbit poop is different from reading about the healing properties of geraniums. Walking beside a woman in a refugee camp as she covers her baby’s face from the dry, red dust is different than imagining how hard it is for moms in camps.
Our senses transform information into holy compassion. When we open our hearts to it, we can experience the divine anywhere – like sacred breadcrumbs marking our path. This path is filled with humor, humility, and honesty.
We can all learn to live a life that’s practically divine by:
- Redefining old lies and stories, to learn from the past
- Appreciating the gifts that come from imperfections or trauma
- Using creativity to spark new revolutions
- Accepting the chaos of the unknown before us with courage
- Sharing in a feast of love, knowing there’s enough mercy and forgiveness
Living Centered Podcast Listener Survey
Today it’s time for us to listen to you! Will you take a few minutes and share your thoughts about the Living Centered Podcast?
As a thank you for your time, you’ll be entered for a chance to win a $200 gift card to the Onsite Mercantile—Onsite’s store of curated emotional wellness resources!
Living Centered Podcast Listener SurveyToday it’s time for us to listen to you! Will you take a few minutes and share your thoughts about the Living Centered Podcast?
As a thank you for your time, you’ll be entered for a chance to win a $200 gift card to the Onsite Mercantile—Onsite’s store of curated emotional wellness resources!
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