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What if peace — not profit — became your definition of success? That’s where we land as Deborah and Sandra share how a lifetime of friendship turned into two distinct, purpose-led paths: handmade crystal jewelry with a signature style, and a healing practice that makes meditation and Reiki feel simple and doable for anyone.

Deborah walks us through the craft behind The Lost Faery: moving from radio and newsrooms to wire wrapping, learning lapidary, and discovering why materials and engineering matter. She talks candidly about early missteps, the value of good wire, sturdy bales, and stress-testing every piece, and the leap from craft fairs to commissions to a gallery invitation. We explore the power of provenance as Sandra brings back “virgin” Arkansas quartz — stones only two sets of hands have touched — connecting wearers directly to the earth and the maker’s eye.

Sandra opens the door to Sacred Spiral Healing with a clear message: meditation doesn’t have to be complicated and Reiki can be taught, practiced, and felt by people of many backgrounds. She describes the joy of attunements, how teaching dissolves competition, and why helping one person deeply can be a greater win than chasing a crowd. Together, we navigate belief and practice — how metaphysical experiences can sit alongside Catholic faith, how folklore can inspire real-world herbal balms, and why curiosity beats fear of the unknown.

We also celebrate place. From petrified wood and jasper to dinosaur bone, the Four Corners hold minerals that polish into striking cabochons and meaningful keepsakes. Rockhounding becomes education, local pride, and a way to keep value in the community. If you’re drawn to crystal jewelry with intention, curious about Reiki or sound therapy, or simply looking for a steadier way to move through your week, this conversation offers practical insights, honest stories, and a warm invitation to slow down and create.

Enjoyed the conversation? Follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help others find it. Tell us: what practice helps you feel grounded right now?

Be sure to follow or subscribe! And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at Ken@StrategicHorizonsConsulting.com

This show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).

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A single painting can hold a lifetime — joy, grief, and the courage to start again. That’s the energy we explore with painter Karen Ellsbury, co-owner of HEart Gallery in downtown Farmington, as she shares how her work evolved from luminous “color in motion” canvases to raw abstraction after widowhood, and then into vibrant collaborations with her husband, photographer Patrick Hazen. Their “photo fusions” — his images extended by her brush — have turned heads, including a collector who made wall space by moving a Salvador Dalí. The story isn’t about bragging rights; it’s about believing you belong.

We talk about building a gallery on a shoestring, reshaping a backyard into an event space with a tiny grant and community muscle, and saying “yes” when a local musician asked to start jazz jams. That “place-making” spark drew neighbors, free press, and a rhythm that helped the creative economy hum. Karen opens up about imposter syndrome, boundaries that protect the creative flow, and why accessible pricing matters as much as museum-level work. She’s honest about the hard parts too: Covid closures, fewer tourists, the pivot to fairs and First Fridays, and the ongoing work to make Farmington an art destination without forcing artists to leave for Santa Fe.

If you’re a creative, a small business owner, or a fan of community-powered revitalization, you’ll find practical ideas and emotional fuel here — defining success on your terms, laughing at the missteps, and keeping the brush moving when uncertainty looms. We also preview what’s next at HEart Gallery: an outdoor deck, a 1,000-square-foot back building, and plans for an immersive Airbnb-style art retreat with hikes, photo tours, and plein air sessions. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves local art, and leave a review with your favorite takeaway—what would you build in your town?

Be sure to follow or subscribe! And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at Ken@StrategicHorizonsConsulting.com

This show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).

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Want a business that works without wearing you out? We zoom out after a full season of conversations with owners across industries and pull forward the patterns that actually make small businesses resilient. The theme that rises above the rest: the strongest shops are designed on purpose. When owners could answer what kind of life the business should support, choices about pricing, hours, and growth fell into place—and stress dropped because decisions stayed aligned.

We also unpack why relief never comes from heroics. It came from small, repeatable systems that moved recurring decisions out of someone’s head and into clear routines. Automated payments, cleaner order flows, and defined roles aren’t corporate fluff; they’re the difference between constant firefighting and predictable days. That clarity opens the door to the real constraint: bandwidth. Many shops weren’t cash poor; they were attention poor. We talk about handing off tasks without losing the soul of the work.

Growth, as we heard again and again, doesn’t come from hacks or perfect timing on social. It comes from people. Partnerships, local community, and experiences worth talking about outlast algorithms. Even brands with big online followings rely on trust built in real places with real faces. And growth means different things to different owners—expansion for some, intentional smallness for others. Misalignment creates friction; clarity breaks it. The healthiest businesses set boundaries that protect craft and experience, saying no to paths that dilute what makes them special, and yes only where values can come along intact.

If you care about building a business you can keep loving, this conversation is your blueprint: design with intent, install simple systems, invest in community, and let your values filter opportunities. New episodes drop every Monday—follow the show to get them first, and share your biggest takeaway or boundary you plan to set this season.

Be sure to follow or subscribe! And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at Ken@StrategicHorizonsConsulting.com

This show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).

Support the show