ENTREPRENEURIAL

"Mary creates an environment for growth, exploration, and creativity. She builds confidence, motivation, knowledge and unity in a team setting." - Outdoor Program client

BACK

YOGA STUDIO
I founded the first yoga studio in a mid-size city in the middle of Iowa. I led a team of eight teachers in a unique business model structured around providing growth mindset resources by way of creative custom programming for diverse populations. I brought in well-known national presenters on yoga and mindfulness to an underserved area, and provided social events designed for deeper community connection. I developed my own teaching with a gold-standard 500-hour yoga teacher certification, and studied anatomy, kinesiology, and biomechanics academically at the University of Northern Iowa.

FREELANCE WRITING & EDITING

When my two boys were young, I wrote for independent magazines on progressive parenting. I also published poetry, essays, and articles on varied topics from walking labyrinths to the hijinks of the Iowa caucus. I started a blog to reframe cultural conventions and facilitate taking more informed actions. I formed a writing collective and provided mentoring, editing, and literary agent services to other writers, resulting in publication successes. I still flex my editing muscle regularly for projects of colleagues and friends, and I will always write creatively.

"This gave me goosebumps and that little excited feeling in my stomach just reading it. You painted the emotion of it well! Powerful!" - comment from a reader

OUTDOOR PROGRAMS
I transitioned out of the yoga biz and into the outdoors. My studio Field of Yoga organically evolved into Nature Force Works, offering holistic outdoor programming where I challenged myself to pack in several dimensions of well-being – physical, nature, intellectual, social, emotional, and spiritual. Example: Women’s Crew Adventure Triathlon Program. This program maxed out every year, and women reported growing in ways that generalized into other domains of their lives.

MINDFULNESS EDUCATOR
As part of Field of Yoga and later Nature Force, I offered specialty programs within the community. Populations I served included hospital staff, mental health professionals, children from toddlers to teens, expectant and new moms, athletic teams, and recovering addicts. I customized each program using the best-fit secular meditation and mindfulness techniques within my wheelhouse.

ADJUNCT MATH INSTRUCTOR
I taught mostly general math courses in huge lecture halls for the students needing their math tickets punched. I’ve always loved math and this opportunity emerged at the University of Northern Iowa. On a mission to make things life-relevant for students not intrinsically motivated to reach math goals, I developed curricula with creative applications. This challenge was a fast-track to developing communication strategies for less-invested audiences.