Meet Lisa Stokes Nicholas | President & Concerned Human Being

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Stokes Nicholas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, what inspires you?
These days the inspiration is so strong it feels more like a calling. As we see what appears to be increasing polarization I feel called to stand with others to find a way to hear each other, to find ways to reach across all the divisions and ideology and politics that keep us from being effective. A quick example: there is a vast body of scientific evidence that we are on the precipice of climate change that will make the world uninhabitable for human beings. Some studies say the tipping point is in 9 years. Others give us a little longer. Yet we argue over the science, point fingers at others who we think should take responsibility, and within the environmental community argue over which organizational structures are the best and compete for donors and supporters. I can’t help but think we are arguing over how to arrange the deck chairs on the Titanic. And so entranced by our own stories and drama that we can’t see it. The call I feel is to find ways beyond this, to partner with our competitors or even our “enemies”, to find ways to hear each other, for the good of all.

What should our readers know about your business?
For me, work and business have always been about leveraging whatever knowledge or skills I have to do the right thing. And positioning others to do the same. That is the secret sauce. The rest has always worked itself out when I follow that recipe. Science tells us that our brains are constantly filling in gaps, creating a storyline if you will, to help us navigate the world. Our brains are not able to navigate the world without that storyline. Unfortunately, the storyline is based on our past experiences and our assumptions about the future. It is not based on what really exists. The challenges for me are always related to cutting through that noise to see what the greatest good is, what I have to offer that greatest good, and setting aside all the other things that create the noise, like my stories about me, others, and the world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh my gosh. I am outing myself as a total oddity here. I would take them high into the mountains to experience the quiet that happens when you are the only people above the tree line. I would show them the squirrels that walk into our house and crawl into our laps and eat out of our hands. I would take them to the BLM land near Bears Ears so they could experience the deep knowing that wells up inside you when you sleep on that land. I would take them to a Boulder rooftop eatery to watch life unfold on a Saturday afternoon. I would take them to the food pantry in Boulder where I have seen people sleeping outside the building because that is when I always feel like I really see people for the first time. I would have them sit on my porch and listen to the coyotes at night. I would take them to listen to live music at Ziggy’s. I would take them to Kim & Jake’s for Margherita cake in the summertime. I would take them to the vaccination clinic at Mango House to see heroism in everyday life.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
If we live in a safe neighborhood, drink safe water, have electricity, and drive down the street, we owe our wellbeing to someone. There are legions of people working behind the scenes to make sure those simple things, that we all take for granted, happen safely. However, I owe others more than most. I was the kid who most would have given up on. I owe my entire life to a handful of strangers who cared about my wellbeing not because of who I was, but because of who they were. 1) The police officer who believed me 2) The judge who gave me a protection order against my own parent 3) The tutor who fought the school system to allow me to finish school 4) The college intake advisor who “happened to have lunch” with someone who could get my daughter enrolled in the campus daycare 5) The social worker who “lost my file” so that I could finish college

Website: https://www.kaviconsultingservices.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisastokeskaviconsulting/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaviconsulting

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kavi-Consulting-Services-158934578036681

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb_eAH1BT12k3rPdY8xIq2w

Image Credits
Ridge and Ramble Photography