Hello Friends, My name is Beth A. Smith, thanks so much for stopping by to read one of my pieces. I write from a wide range of experiences – like most of us, I’ve known the 10,000 joys and the 10,000 sorrows of our human incarnation. This mix of human pain and beauty is at the heart of an indefatigable resilience that carries me through life. 

I was born in the sixties and raised by parents who grew up in a rural small town populated with salt of the earth people who valued hard work and simple pleasures. My roots are connected to county people skilled at making something out of nothing. With limited formal education and a view of the world from their local county, home state, or tri-state geography, the world seemed dangerous to many and seductive to a few. I was one of the few. Religion and family were the cornerstones of my parents’ lives: My mom was one of thirteen and my dad one of five siblings, and they knew each other since childhood. They created a traditional lifestyle centered around my dad’s ministry as a pastor of a fundamental alt-right-wing conservative Christian congregation. With this as the backdrop of my childhood, I knew at an early age, I was different … from everyone or at least the people that I had access to in my early life. I did everything I could do to keep my difference a secret. But, in reality, my differences were more unspoken than unknown.

I’m on a lifelong journey to uncover the truth of who I am, and to live a rich and fulfilling life through my endeavors to excavate a sense of raw authenticity that is ever emerging. My journey has included recovery from and exploration around depression, additions, shame, attachment, disenfranchised grief, learning disability, LGBTQ experiences, family members with mental health struggles, loneliness, religious dogma, and discrimination.  On the other side of my journey is a love of learning, experiences of mediation, mindful awareness, community, health and wellness, compassion, wholesome and loving relationships, somatic understanding, Buddhism and business models that value culture, results through relationships, and scaling hyper-growth companies with health and wellbeing at the forefront.

Some potentially interesting aspect of who I am: I’m genderqueer and same-sex attracted, I am a non-traditional learner and have developed many strategies to work with my dyslexia, I’m a self-professed super business geek and have the great honor to be the COO of a thriving and unique company in Longmont, CO, I hold Masters degrees in Contemplative Psychotherapy (Naropa University) and Organizational and Human Learning/Development (The George Washington University), I’m the Founder of Boulder Mindful Living and a certified teacher of mindful awareness, meditation, and emotional intelligence, I’m married and live in Boulder CO with my wife, our adult kid (the world is a tough place to grow up in these days), our grand dog, and our rescue kitty. We own property located on the native lands of the Arapaho people. I am a person with privilege and seek to better understand how I might use my privilege to be of benefit in our world.  

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