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My Story

Green willow leaf

Hello!  I'm Rayna, Owner of WillowSpoon Creative, LLC. I'm an entrepreneuse, artist, and professional Force-To-Be-Reckoned-With. I freelanced in Technical Theater (where the backstage magic happens) for over two decades before opening my own artisan jam company. From cutting tables to kitchens, I kept all the plates spinning. 

 

Then 2020 happenedEverything stopped. Anxiety-inducing? Yup. Confusing AF? You bet! However, this was also an opportunity to make changes I knew were long overdue and write a new healthier and happier chapter for myself.

 

As a spoonie, my resources are vital to me, but as a long-term caregiver, overachiever, and everyone's default "save-the-day"-er, those resources were often depleted. I was deep in that hustle mindset and it was NOT healthy. I now set firmer boundaries, have developed more balanced relationships, and can finally protect my resources so that I can flourish. 

 

How did I do this? Sometimes we must go backwards in order to move forwards. I've always been a strong, outspoken, confident woman, but I still had to recognize that my boundaries were getting trampled in far too many ways. My Emotional Bank Account was constantly overdrawn. I also had to recognize the history that shaped those behaviors - from society, my family of origin, and from the toxic environments that had become my norm. Then I had to burn it all to the ground.

 

Sound dramatic? Maybe a little bit, but it's also empowering! It wasn't pretty, but it was 100% worth it to move from surviving to thriving. Now I’m here to help you do the same and take control of your resources and financial future.

A light-skinned woman with long dark hair is smiling into the camera as her chin rests on her hand. She is wearing a black sweater with silver beading.

"I had to recognize the history that shaped those behaviors... Then I had to burn it all to the ground."

My Mission

Green willow leaf

…is to help you get yourself off the Resource Struggle Bus.

Are you the default fixer of your friends and family group? What about the one who always puts themselves last to spend your Time, Energy, and Money on everyone else? Do you find yourself freaking exhausted all the time with no idea why you’re not getting ahead? Do your Money skills need a serious upgrade?

Yup. I get all of that. I've been there, too - hanging off the back bumper and getting dragged along the Asphalt of Life. I still have the road rash to prove it!

History repeats itself and you may be repeating behaviors or getting stuck in situations that do not move you ahead even without realizing it. In order to break that cycle, you have to understand the internal - and often generational - mindsets that surreptitiously guide your decisions, the external sociopolitical factors that helped shape that mindset, and how they meet in your daily habits.

Think about it: Where did you learn about Money? Did you even learn about Money? Who shaped your values? How do you set boundaries, if you set them at all? Who gets your Time and Energy even when you don’t have it to give? Are you living in fear or fulfillment? Do the people in your world feel entitled to your Resources? Do they feel entitled to YOU as a Resource?

My mission is to educate and empower YOU to best manage your Resources - Time, Energy, Money, Body, Mind, and Soul. In doing so, we create a world where financial inclusion is the norm, not the exception. Let’s face it - society has always been very specific about who is allowed to succeed and who should stay on the Resource Struggle Bus. I’m not interested in fitting into a system that is broken and neither are you. It’s time to break down those barriers.

Maybe you are a boundary-setting beginner looking to fill your Emotional Bank Account™. Perhaps you are healing Money Wounds as you seek to achieve new financial goals. You may even find yourself picking up the pieces to start again and want to break the cycle of disappointment and frustration, but have no idea where to start. Wherever you might be, we all can benefit from support, guidance, empathy, and empowerment.

Does this mean learning some history? Yes, it does, but it will not be dry, boring, or come with a term paper - I promise! In fact, looking back at history helps us take the mystery out of what is happening today. I guarantee you that society has “been there, done that” before. We just didn’t get the memo. Understanding the past empowers each of us to take charge of the present and shape the future.

So, are you ready to get started?

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