About the AuthorPatricia Talbot( CEO and Co-Founder )Patti cultivates homegrown changemakers prepared to step into their power and work with others to create the world they want to live in.  Get in touch to find out how you can grow the social changemaker in yourself and those you serve with Blue Roads Changemaker YOU. 

















Sometimes the biggest change in the world begins with a change within yourself.  That is the power behind Changemaker Lynn McLaughlin’s story.At an early age, Lynn experienced trauma and abuse creating a deep-seated need for escape.   As she grew older, she learned to recognize her past as proof of her tenacity and capacity for resilience. Over the years, she's learned that the road to growth does not begin with how things “should be”, but rather, acceptance of the way things are.  That space of acceptance is where change begins. 





In this episode of “On Your Own Terms,” Lynn shares her “Homegrown Solutions for a Patchwork World”. Watch the video of our conversation, listen to the podcast, and read the summary here to find the wisdom gained through this changemaker's lived experience and how she's transformed that experience for the benefit of others. 



































Homegrown LynnMost of my guests on the show, “On Your Own Terms,” begin by sharing where and when they were born, but this changemaker gives voice to the many moving pieces that contribute to who we become as adults.  For Lynn, a major piece of her homegrown background is the personal trauma from abuse she experienced growing up.  As she's matured, Lynn has learned to separate that trauma into two areas of impact – the systemic and the individual.  She's also learned to have great respect and admiration for the strength of the little girl she once was who found brilliant and intuitive ways to survive.  












I looked at the way I navigated life...Now I understand the power of breath and how my little girl figured that out.
























By learning how to hide and control her breath, Lynn learned to keep herself safe from harm for a time.  Later as a young teen, she turned to substance abuse as a different way of sheltering.  































In the area of trauma or abuse, we internalize. We say this happened because of me...
























When we instead internalize a new message…I survived because of me! There is such great power in that.Solution-Focused LynnLynn’s experiences as a child led her to build her life's work around helping others be real with one another. She wants to help people by allowing them to show up and accept themselves exactly as they are. Lynn isn’t trying to diagnose or fix anyone. Instead, she is giving people an opportunity to show up and “be real”.   












I see you, and I hear you, and I don't want you to change. If you choose to change, I'm still going to think you're valuable.































Lynn’s work uses a peer-to-peer model of support instead of a clinical model. This model requires that we honor and accept others just as they are – sitting in front of us in all of their humanity. Parents, family members, friends, romantic partners – they all are people who can be honored as they are. If we shift our perspectives from seeing individuals as broken people to “be fixed,” we will be able to accept them as fully human just like the rest of us. There is validation in being fully present with someone in pain and letting them know simply, “I see you, and you are in pain.”Trauma happens when we are not seen and heard when something really difficult happens. And sometimes out of good intention, people try to shift us out of it because being with someone who's in pain is really hard. We don't want people to be in pain. And there's beautiful empathy in that.





If a person chooses to change their lifestyle, Lynn will say, “How can I support you with that?” In this way, Lynn models her belief that humans should not be valued only by what they “produce” or what they “do.” Everyone has innate value and that can never be taken away. 

















Lynn's PatchworkTrauma is healed when it is witnessed. Lynn shared examples of this truth from her anti-racism work.  One specific school principal she knows also comes to mind. This high school principal makes it a point to practice this form of presence with his students. If a student is sent to the principal’s office, the student is not punished. Instead, the principal allows himself to be present with the student. I am not going to punish you… What is going on?”When this approach is taken when a student is in pain, healing can begin.  How powerful it would be if… 












...we could slow down and see people's pain and recognize that there's nothing wrong with them. Something happened that created the way that they're responding to life.


















































Changemaker LynnLynn’s biggest dream as a changemaker is to create spaces where people can go when they are feeling disconnected.  These spaces, she calls “Community Living Rooms,” offer another human to be present with a person in their hour of vulnerability and need.  Her work also provides training in how to support people as they experience the wide range of human emotions.  Two of the programs she facilitates are called “Emotional CPR” and “The Missing Piece.” 































How do we recognize our comfortability with emotion? How do we recognize our comfortability with others' emotions?












Lynn reminds us that humans will make mistakes, be awkward, and act irrationally. That is okay. It is part of the human experience. We don’t have to try to fix each other. Instead, we just need to be there for each other and offer support as needed to create an environment of healing and growth.































For so many years, I felt like a dandelion, like the weed, the bother on the lawn. Through my healing, I came to understand how beautiful dandelions are. They're nutritious, and they have mystical qualities to them.



















In the spirit of the mystical dandelion flower, Lynn now brings nourishment and healing to the world through her organization called the “Dandalliance”, through her children's book, “The Dandelions Gift,” and as part of the Ebb and Flow Connections Cooperative all linked here for your easy reference.  To learn more about Lynn’s work, visit her website at https://dandalliance.com/. 









































Sometimes the biggest change in the world begins with the change within ourselves. That is the power behind Lynn's changemaking philosophy of accepting who you are as a person and supporting others to do it, too. Lynn's efforts are essential in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. Her philosophy of accepting yourself is critical in Goal #3 – Good Health and Well-Being, #4 – Quality Education, and Goal #11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.One goal that Lynn's work advances that may not come to mind is Goal #17 – Partnership for the Goals. After all, when we take the time to be present with one another, we are able to create positive ripples in the world that lead to meaningful change. I hope you'll get in touch to let us know what YOU and people you know are doing to realize these Global Goals by the year 2030.  We can get there if we all work together and take our place as Changemakers! CHECK OUT our CHANGEMAKER YOU course to help you get started today! 

























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