We recently had the chance to connect with Annie Lindgren and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Annie, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
In March, I lost my co-pilot and golden boy, Maverick (the golden retriever). Late May, my partner and I brought home an English Cream Golden Retriever puppy, whom we named ‘Kenai’ after a recent trip to Alaska. Kenai is a sweet, intelligent, and funny old-soul of a pup, growing fast, and bringing joy into every day. In addition to adventure-dog training, he is also being trained as a service dog for PTSD. It has been so much fun introducing him to all the things and witnessing the joy he brings to others along the way. I miss Maverick so much, but I like to think he is with us, helping Kenai learn the adventure-dog ways and glaring old-mannishly at his pesty puppy behaviors.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Annie Lindgren, and I provide grant writing, program development, marketing, fundraising, and consulting services to nonprofits through my LLC, Sunshine Ink. I currently have five nonprofit clients, and offer support to others through volunteer work. I also really enjoy photography and journalism, occasionally picking up freelance work, and always wishing I had more time for this aspect of my talents.
All my work is remote, so I can set up an office anywhere I roam, supporting the photography and adventure aspects of my work passions. Nonprofit work feels most fulfilling to me, and I find meaning in helping secure funding for services that positively impact the lives of populations affected by trauma. I haven’t had to market my services, as my career path and work ethic have led to plenty of word-of-mouth referrals. I am always behind on blog and social media posts for Sunshine Ink, so I have shifted away from having a public online presence to protect my peace and time. I do enjoy sharing photos and adventure stories through my private social media outlets. I am incredibly grateful to have found my niche in the nonprofit world, which provides the flexibility and financial means to support my love of adventure and my commitment to living my best life.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I spent many years of my life filling my plate with far more than one can enjoyably handle. I accomplished a lot with that work/life ethic, but eventually my train derailed. Leading up to derailment, I was working long hours as a child welfare caseworker, managing a farm and animals, caring for my son as a single parent, and completing an online Master’s Program with a 4.0 GPA. Going hard kept my mind and body busy, but the stress negatively impacted my health and well-being. In 2018, the same year my son left the nest and I left government work to return to the nonprofit world, I made a commitment to myself to find balance and joy in life. Writing this, 8 years later, I feel incredibly proud of how far I have come. I have more balance in ‘work-hard, play-hard’ than ever before, and I have also learned to be kinder to my body and mind in the process. After a therapeutic journey, I now see how my super-busy ways helped me avoid and escape certain challenges. It was like an addiction. I now embrace a life where I want to be present.
Living life in fast-forward allowed me to accomplish a lot and provide my son with the kind of environment in which I wanted to raise him. I wouldn’t be where I am today, and he wouldn’t be the remarkable 26-year-old he is today, if not for all my hard work and motivation. But, I am grateful to be living and working a much less stressful life after letting go of the need to be living life in fast-forward.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The defining wounds in my life encompassed a little over a decade, starting with trauma during my teenage years, including emotional and sexual abuse. This then led to decades of gravitating towards abusive relationships, which caused further wounds. My dad, who was my saving grace from those teenage years, died of cancer when I was 23, after I cared for him on my own. I had a baby shortly after I turned 17, with a guy who wouldn’t be around for most of his childhood. Really, age 10-23 was rough. But I had a good foundation, along with many ingredients and blessings along the way, that helped me turn a bad road into a good one. It still took me another 13 years to really focus on the work of healing from the Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) trauma left me with.
I am not sure you fully heal from C-PTSD, but you can certainly get to a place of awareness, acceptance, and gratitude. Therapy and EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) did wonders for me. As did freeing my life of the addictive traits that clouded my ability to be present, while building a life that I wanted to be present for. It took a lot of discipline, forgiveness, and hard work. It took a willingness to step out of my comfort zone and push myself in the areas I had been avoiding.
I set off on my career path with a mission to help others in the ways I didn’t receive help myself, spending much of my career working with at-risk youth. I used my lived experiences to more easily connect and support the population I worked with. Doing this work without having done the hard work to heal myself meant that I was even more sensitive to secondary trauma and chronic work stress, which eventually ended my ability to enjoy direct client care. But, I fell in love with the nonprofit world, and learned to set boundaries with traditional work environments, which weren’t a good fit for me. A shift towards remote work in 2019 greatly helped me find a better work/life balance and far less stress in my day-to-day activities. My niche in the nonprofit world allows me to continue serving at-risk populations, fulfilling the purpose I set out on in the beginning, while also giving me time for other work I enjoy, like photography and creative writing.
Healing from life’s wounds is an ongoing process, but stepping out of my comfort zone to do the hard work and create the life I want to live has been the best choice I continue to make for myself.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
I firmly believe in karma. If I always give my best and do well, my life will be graced with good luck and opportunities. This belief began in my childhood when I thought that I had to do things in a certain way, or it would bring bad luck. As an adult, I’ve learned to let go of others’ wrongdoings toward me more easily, knowing that they will have their own karma to face. I’ve seen karma play out in my life, both positively and negatively, and the negative experiences have only strengthened my commitment to doing good consistently. It is empowering to know that your choices influence your experiences, both good and bad. I don’t dwell on it; it’s simply a part of my truth and how I approach life’s choices. Find good, do good, and be good.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I am in the mountains, and I would spend every moment there if I could. I love the humbling nature of mountain landscapes and the sense of reset I experience after spending days disconnected from cell service and internet. My lifelong infatuation with mountains led me to move to Colorado as soon as I was able. I have stood atop all 58 of Colorado’s 14,000+ foot mountains at least once. I enjoy sleeping under the stars and appreciate how much clearer the night sky is at higher elevations. There is so much peace to be found throughout all seasons, from the pristine, sparkling winter wonderland to valleys and hillsides adorned with wildflowers, the crisp clear alpine lakes and rivers, the vibrant colors of fall, and the animals who graciously allow me to share their home. My happy place will forever be in the mountains.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sunshineinkllc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunshineinkllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunshineinkllc/
Image Credits
The photos of Annie can be credited to Nate Kraft. All other photos were taken by Annie Lindgren.
