Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirsten Harrison.
Hi Kirsten, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always had a deep affinity whose voices lay in the margins of society. I lived in the Palisades in the late 90’s (in a home that though I no longer owned was very saddened to learned burned down) and worked at UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute assisting Dr. Margaret Stuber’s research on PTSD and childhood cancer. I also worked at Del Amo National Treatment Center for Dissociative Disorders and Complex Trauma in Torrance, CA under the incredible leadership of pioneering Psychiatrist, Dr. Collin Ross. These experiences were the highlight of many that continued a path forged through extensive travel and personal tragedy (my brother died in a boating accident in 1988) which led me to honoring and understanding the nature of discovering our true essence, listening and witnessing the depths of soul and being first and foremost, a humanitarian. My parents have shown great heart through their global philanthropy and addressing human rights inequities, which informed my sensibilities from an early age. Understanding that we are world citizens has been etched into my heart since childhood. Although I don’t identify with any one religion, completing my bachelors degree in Psychology at the Jesuit-founded Georgetown University and Jesuit Barry University, where I completed my MS in Biomedical Sciences as well as Doctoral studies at Pepperdine, with its Christ-centered education and finally Pacifica Graduate Institute where I received my PhD and its emphasis on soul, have most definitely shaped my understanding of the importance of soul work embedded in everything we strive to accomplish in our short journeys on Earth. My educational, personal and professional journeys converged through every narrative I heard of deep surviving that my clients had exhibited as they walked the paths of healing through arduous yet incredibly rewarding introspective and creative transformations.
Complementing my professional endeavors, I have had the pleasure of raising three step-children (one with special needs) and my biological daughter, Tia, who is high-achieving with a relentless and all-consuming soccer goalkeeping schedule who is now (after five years in the NCAA D1 and D3) currently working on her MS at Johns Hopkins, exploring options for playing professionally. During the exciting and exhausting (!) child-rearing years, I focused much of my time on women’s groups, helping women through various life-transitions be it empty-nesters or menopause, to taking care of the elder generation. Embedded within these transitions was always unprocessed grief and trauma and I often drew on the sheer grit and resilience that had propelled the survivors and thrivers of extreme and unrelenting complex trauma I had worked with in inpatient and research settings, forward. In the midst of running around and spinning in my over-scheduled familial life, I noticed with intrigue, in our quaint little village of La Jolla (where I moved after years in LA) a uniquely intriguing individual named Seana who had a larger-than-life personality and was a much-beloved member of the community. What I didn’t understand…yet, was how she had been living on the streets for eight years, and was intersex (what someone with “ambiguous genitalia” was termed), as well as how she walked a daily half-marathon to diffuse her extreme mental distress into thin air as she grew fitter and fitter. I couldn’t wait to know her full story and journey. Ten years later, we’ve just finished the book, I, Sean/a, documenting her and our journey together and how her extreme optimism, joy and resilience fueled her very survival by orienting herself towards forging community and being neighborly.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has most definitely not been smooth but the learning curves, potholes and extreme challenges have been experiences we have navigated together. Additionally, we have deeply immersed ourselves in eachother’s lives and have gleaned insights that have richly informed our approach to life and enhanced eachother’s perspectives. From teaching Seana to text on her little Obama flip-phone provided to the homeless, to navigating the world of cyber-space at warped speed, we have integrated our mutual understanding of where we can best be of service and support not only to one another but to the world at large. The way Seana gracefully handles daily discrimination and maneuvers her way around any and all obstacles is an incredible testament to the power of resilience and post-traumatic growth. From a street corner in our tiny village and sleeping on cardboard, to the LGBTQIA+ global outreach through travel and advocacy, hers is an ongoing journey that honors the triumph of the human spirit. From an initial GoFundMe to ten years of housing, first in La Jolla and then in Palm Springs, Seana’s journey shows that anything is possible if one just believes and has faith. I bought into that faith via an unlikely “street friendship” (I’ve never worked with her in a professional capacity) and I’ve never looked back.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I would say I’ve been described as a loyal optimist who never takes off her rose-colored glasses, literally and figuratively lol. Although I was raised in a very inspiring, caring, exceptionally generous and globally-loving family, our deep growth through the tragic loss of my brother at 20, in the prime of his life, gave us two options as I saw it at the ripe age of 22. Sink, or rise way up, way way up. We all chose the latter, consciously and unconsciously, and manifested that journey through one act of loving kindness at a time, until a bridge back to life, loving and thriving, not just surviving, was attained. Seeing joy in children’s faces in child development centers after experiencing so much early trauma, watching as the various friends and life partners in my circle overcame deep tragedy: THESE were the pillars of strength I knew would sustain my own journey. In turn, I’ve done everything I can in my adult life to be a guidepost and a beacon for someone else to remind them that yes, you too can make it through.
I’m most proud of, without a doubt, that our family has imparted these shared values to take our family credo to leave this world a better place, to my daughter Tia. To all the children she’s coached and mentored, and teammates she has and will continue to inspire along the way, she carries the legacy of lived open-minded and generous compassion that makes my heart exceedingly proud. She adds to that, grit and willpower as she pushes herself daily, beyond limits and relentlessly pursues greatness in herself for the sole pursuit that she might also inspire and lend strength to those who struggle to overcome.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Spreading the word, not only about the book Seana and I have written called, “I, Sean/a: The Story of a Homeless, Intersex Woman who Inspired a Community”, but also to recognize that every single little thing any of us does to better his/her own community has a ripple effect which extends infinitely. We may not recognize these additive effects until we take a 20,000 foot perspective and see, as I did when immersing myself deeply into Seana’s story that the baker who handed out the free loaf of bread, the tennis club manager who gave her a spare shirt, the gas station attendant who handed free water and a place to store her things, all were VITAL to keeping Seana alive, thriving and cared for. There are no words or limits to what the power of friendship, lived compassion and being willing to enter someone’s universe for a moment can do to make the world a better place. Offering support, a helping hand, and bearing witness to the plight of another helps us all get through this thing called life (thanks Prince). WE CAN DO THIS. YOU ARE DOING THIS. THE POWER OF LOVE AND GRATITUDE< HOPE AND FAITH-it’s the essence and meaning of life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://soulwisesolutions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulwiseteam/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soulwiseteam/
- Twitter: https://x.com/soulwiseteam
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoulWiseTeam
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@soulwiseteam
