The concept of flourishing is woven through each of your businesses, tied to your personal brand and even tattooed on your forearm. What does flourishing mean to you?
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been driven by the desire to remove human suffering so that true flourishing can take place. For 20 years, I had the honor of working in the field of family support. I started as a doula and lactation educator serving families in my local community. From there, I went on to develop and deliver school-based programs to youth ages prek-12^th grade. After two years of youth development work, I came to the realization that there was a critical piece missing in our efforts to equip children with the tools they need to succeed…the parents! True, multigenerational change can’t happen unless we are also working together with parents’ hand-in-hand. So, I switched gears and turned my attention to the field of family strengthening and support where the focus is on keeping families safe, stable, and thriving. 

Safe, stable, and thriving were concepts that resonated deeply, yet in the back of my mind, something was missing. I couldn’t put my finger on it until I was recruited in 2015 to oversee early childhood investments at a contemplative-based private family foundation located in Boulder, Colorado. Here my personal mindfulness and meditation practice deepened. In the stillness of meditation and reflective practice of mindfulness, I found myself and discovered the underlying essence that had been missing from the family support model that I had helped shape. This was the subtle yet foundational concept of flourishing.

Flourishing is a concept that transcends being safe, stable, and thriving. It’s a concept that aligns one’s body, mind, and emotions. Flourishing requires deepening our relationship with our intuition. It’s a concept that connects us to the divine that exists within ourselves and within one another. Flourishing cannot be fabricated, monetized, nor achieved overnight. Flourishing requires showing up for ourselves every day. Flourishing requires honest conversations and compassionate responses. In the end, for families to truly flourish, we must ensure that parents and children have the tools, resources, and supports to remove the barriers to their flourishing.

I believe that when we start each day in stillness and ask ourselves what our body, mind, and emotions need to flourish without judgment, we step into flow and alignment with our highest self. It enables us to move from fear-based thinking and decision-making tied to regret and longing from the past. It allows us to move away from living in a state of worry about the future. And instead, it creates a practice that invites us to be fully present and accepting of the moment. For me, the concept of flourishing invites the energy of compassion and strengths-based action to create a life we truly love, and hopefully, a life where we can fully flourish.

What's your superpower?
I’m a dream manifester for myself and others.

How have your perceptions of life changed as you got older?
I turned 44 this year and it has felt like a marking of my half-life. I came to the realization that with half my life left to live, it was time to level up like never before. While the first half of my life has had many successes to celebrate and honor, it has also been full of valuable learning lessons. Lessons that aren’t so pretty. Lessons that include stumbling, falling, making mistakes, and getting back up over and over again. But something has felt different about 44. I have entered into 44 with a metaphoric line in the sand. A line that delineates my past from my future. From seeking to understand, to putting my experience and knowledge gained into mindful action. I am driven by the concept of flourishing and I’m ready to create a world that brings the sweet abundance of life together and to share these lessons learned with the world.

What gets you up in the morning?
Wanting to make a difference in the world. Knowing that there is always something more I can do personally to help make life better for myself, my family, and everyone that I come in to contact with keeps me focused and my passion alive!

What has been your greatest achievement professionally?
In 2021, I’ve been honored with being awarded the ‘Top Hundred Healthcare Leaders’ by the International Forum for the Advancement in Healthcare, ‘10 Best CEOs of 2021' by the Industry Era Women Leaders Magazine, and one of Denver’s 50 Boss Babes.

Do you have a favorite quote?
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -Mahatma Gandhi

Brenda McChesney is an international health and wellness speaker, author, podcaster, coach, and consultant. Her life's mission is to help people ignite their zen by unlocking the barriers to living a life that they love. She can be reached at BrendaMcChesney.com