We had the good fortune of connecting with Rowen Thomas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rowen, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting my own business came from my entrepreneurial high school self who worked as a K-12 tutor and speech and debate coach. In addition to working for others full-time to pay to exist as an adult, I continuously worked for myself part-time or more while pursuing an undergraduate and graduate education. As I continued to advance in academia and the workforce, I became increasingly frustrated (and spitefully motivated) by how little professionals in both spaces knew or understood about people who were not cisgender, straight, white, English-speaking, “traditionally” educated, able-bodied, and other marginalized identities similar or different to my own (in other words, people who did not hold socially dominant identities). My frustration moved me to frequently speak truth to power as a student and educator, which subsequently created opportunities for me to manifest lasting change for myself, my communities, and fellow marginalized/historically minoritized communities. My passion for education, spirit for leadership, drive for change, and entrepreneurial mindset were all reignited by a conversation between myself and my therapist in 2018. I had been overwhelmingly frustrated by how much work beyond my job I was perpetually being asked to complete by people who were not my supervisor nor were they hiring me for independent work. I had lamented many times to my therapist about my current frustrations, my past reflections as a Master’s student about working to develop post-secondary Title IX policy through independent educational consulting, and my current frustrations with graduate student living and working conditions (poor) in the US. My therapist challenged me on that particular day to do it–create a business plan and bring it to our next session, where he’d continue to support me as I started my business–so I did! That was in March 2018 and here we are now.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
What sets me apart from others, what I am the proudest and excited about most is how much intention, education, integrity, passion, commitment, experience, and compassion I bring to my work with all of my clients and collaborators. My intentional pursuit of education took me from being a high schooler in Texas public schools to being an undergraduate getting a degree in Philosophy (focusing on applied ethics, epistemology, and social/political philosophy), then a masters degree in College Student Development (focusing on LGBTQ+ studies, title IX policy, and title IX administration). and now, when I have almost completed my PhD in Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership (minor: Applied Statistics and Research Methods). My passion and commitment in work has given me a broad spectrum of experiences to pull from while still allowing me to cultivate and craft each skill in its depth. My integrity, experience, and compassion are all connected through accountability for self and others in my life. I give my all and pour myself fully into everything I do, that’s what sets me apart.

I began my own solo consulting business (Rowen’s Consulting) in March 2018, at the end of my 3rd year as a Ph.D. student while working at the University of Northern Colorado’s (UNC) Gender & Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC). In the beginning, I was only running my business part-time and I was focused primarily on topics of justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (JDEI) utilizing de/post-colonial frameworks in post-secondary education/academic settings. I continued working part-time as a consultant while I finished my doctoral coursework and my GSRC employment contract. In summer 2019, I decided to move closer to the Denver-Boulder metro area from where I had been living since 2016 (Greeley) and pursue consulting full-time. I had relocated by July 2019. In the next few months, I met and reconnected with educators and consultants doing work similar or in parallel to my own that inspired a lot of creative collaboration and growth for my business. In November of 2019, I co-created an educational cooperative, I Am Me Mentors Cooperative, that provides tutoring, mentorship, and curriculum development for individuals, families, and organizations nationally while centering authenticity in our clients and worker-owners. At the same time, I was expanding my individual work to not only include large-to-small group facilitation, lectures, teaching, and speaking but also 1-on-1 mentoring; research; and human sexuality/kink/BDSM/fetish education.

The seeds from the end of 2019 have only fully begun to bloom recently in these areas of my business: the cooperative (which is on its way to becoming its own, separate business entity by Summer 2021), my educational consulting, and my interpersonal development work. It has not always been easy! A lot of the challenges for me personally had to do with my mental health and struggling to separate my own self-worth from my work, especially given my passion for all the work I do. I’ve also faced a lot of financial challenges–education is not a particularly lucrative business, nor do I have a business background. Coupled with structural and systemic barriers in both education and business, there was a lot of trial and error for me in developing my business, working style, boundaries, and more. Many of the challenges I have faced have been overcome with the support of my therapist & doctor, my bio family & chosen family, and my partners & friends. Another effective strategy I’ve developed over time to combat the challenges I experience is co-creating spaces with other values-aligned educators that prioritize solidarity, authenticity, self-advocacy, interdependence, anti-racism, anti-queerhostility, anti-transhostility, anti-capitalism, transparency, mutual respect, and accountability.

What I want the world to know about my brand and my story? I create space for your deep reflection to manifest your path of growth, support your educational exploration and understanding, and empower you to practice speaking truth to power; whether that is towards yourself or to the world. I co-create these spaces with and for you through mutual vulnerability, honesty, empowerment, accountability, and support.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I still consider myself “new to town”, so I’ll preface with that, However, my itinerary for a week-long trip with a visiting friend would include (very loosely, because I enjoy flexibility in fun) getting some time outdoors hiking and walking, eating local Mexican and Asian eateries foods, probably taking day trips into the mountains for outdoor adventures in Estes, Crested Butte, or south to Colorado Springs for outdoor or kinky adventures. We’d probably also go to local munches and BDSM venues, spend time at the tea factory outside of Boulder, but generally spending a lot of time outdoors in nature, connecting with the local community, and getting up to fun adventures for new food and experiences.

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?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my past therapist (through Summer 2018), who believed in me; held space for my anger, spite, rage, and trauma; and empowered me to transform those feelings into impactful action and forward momentum.

Website: www.rowensconsulting.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/MxRowen

Twitter: www.twitter.com/MxRowen

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rowensconsulting

Other: www.iammementors.com (FB, IG, YT, TW @iammementors) www.mxstressreba.com (TW: @MxstressR)

Image Credits
Credit 1: Rowen Thomas Credit 2: UNCO photography staff (no name) Credit 3: NASPA photography event staff (no name)

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.