Seven Fires
We are among the richest, safest, most privileged humans to have ever walked the earth. We are also the loneliest and the most anxious. We are the most medicated and most depressed.
We are also the only humans managing to steal from our descendants (that means our children, our grandchildren, and their children and grandchildren) at such a scale and such a pace that our species could die away.
Are we doomed, or, is there a way to have an economy of abundance that nurtures well-being?
This is where my friend Stephanie Gutierrez comes in. She is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. And one of the founders of Seven Fires “Guided by the matriarchal belief that healing our relationships with ourselves and each other will restore much needed balance and reclaim our sovereignty as Indigenous peoples.”
This is work that centers Indigenous people, but it is work that has the potential of helping to decolonize our collective imagination. It means shifting the notion of “economy” to reflect the fact that We Are The Economy. It means living in the practice and understanding that every single one of us has a role and responsibility to be good stewards of Mother Earth.
Now is the time to support the solutions our Indigenous communities have been lifting up since time immemorial.
I met Stephanie when I was co-facilitating a two-year fellowship that she was a part of. We have been in relationship since. I have always been struck by the open-hearted humility with which she holds her genius. Her creative gifts and the power of her smile are nothing short of medicine for those who are lucky to know her.
This interview takes a little bit of time to pick up steam. We start our conversation with too much “organizational” talk. But it does not take too long for it to pick up steam. Stay with us to get a real sense of Stephanie’s magic. It is always helpful to learn what human beings are able to overcome. The ways voices of spirit, moon and ancestors are always speaking to us. This is wisdom that we all need.
Enjoy! And let me know what you think. Your feedback and encouragement are always invaluable.
Links
bio
Stephanie Gutierrez (Oglala Lakota) (she/her) As a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, Stephanie has committed her life to working with and for Native communities. Based on a colorful childhood, growing up in foster care, separated from her Lakota family, she committed herself to finding her way home, and making amends for the historical injustices her family endured for generations. Since she was a young girl, she always believed in the power of hope.
As an adult, she soon realized hope is the common denominator across all Indigenous communities she’s worked in. Without hope, Native people would not have endured genocide. Hence, the creation of Hope Nation. Prior to her role as consultant, Stephanie spent 25 years in positions of executive level management, grants management and student support at a leading academic and research institution. She received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Lindenwood University and in 2014, she returned to school as a Buder Scholar, completing a Master of Social Work degree from the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University. She concentrated her studies on American Indian/Alaska Native communities, with an emphasis on community development, social entrepreneurship, and program development.
Following her graduation, Stephanie had the opportunity to live and work on her mother’s homeland, the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota for Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation. Here, she broadened their Social Enterprise Program through program development, project management, creation of feasibility studies and business plans, research and development, and evaluation of the overall program. Her work continues across the country, in the areas of child welfare, community development, and economic development and always in service to Native communities.
Stephanie is married to her best friend and biggest supporter, Trace Gutierrez, and lives on a small farm in New Haven, Missouri. Her greatest accomplishment is being the mother to three children- Ashley, Tommy, and Molly, two step-children-Kelci and DJ and two grandchildren-Leland and Josephine, named after her grandmother, Josephine Her Many Horses.