Meet Sophia And Lucas Kreider

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sophia And Lucas Kreider. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sophia and Lucas, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

Sophia: For me, purpose came from a whole array of places from quieting my mind through meditation and mindfulness, accessing psychotherapy and other healing modalities to tend to my trauma, connecting with wise women, learning to recognize and trust my intuition. And, I’ll be doing this work for the rest of my life for we are always learning, always evolving.

Lucas: I’m only 13 years old and don’t feel I’ve found my complete purpose – and, I know helping people is part of it.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Sophia: I have spent the last 25 years working in the fields of bereavement counseling, psychotherapy, and research. My journey has also included writing for a local wellness oriented magazine called, “Natural Awakenings Lancaster-Berks” and developing a set of mindfulness teaching cards for kids (www.sophia-says.com).

But the most exciting adventure of my professional life has been birthing Peace Kids to the Rescue Art Show and Silent Auction into the world with my now 13 year old son, Lucas. When Lucas was six years old he asked me if we could have an art show for kids to “help people who have less than I do.” Seven years later, we’ve raised over $40,000 for local charities serving marginalized in our community.

The show has grown steadily over the years and we’ve recently added Peace Art Workshops we where teach a peacebuilding/mindfulness skill to children and then pair it with an art technique. Children leave with both an open heart and a full spirit. As we moved ahead, we’re committed to increasing the diversity of the children represented in our show (sexual orientation, gender identification, socioeconomic status, religion, race, etc) as well as collaborating with more local nonprofits serving children.

We are also considering making Peace Kids into a nonprofit organization so we can expand our reach, grow our mission, and empower more children to use their creativity and compassion to help those in need.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Sophia: 1) Making space for solitude is key to the creative process and to manifesting new things in life. When we’re caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, it’s hard to hear the call of our heart or intuition. It’s the times when I quiet myself that creative ideas arise. 2) Being aware of the stories you tell yourself and choosing ones that are empowering and uplifiting. We all have self-doubt and experiences time of self-critique and when we notice those thoughts, drop them, and choose more empowering ones, doors open for us. In the words of Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” 3) Perseverance: None of us make it through life achieving every single thing we dreamed of accomplishing. When things don’t work out as I had hoped, I tell myself that there something else I’m meant for and I keep going. I remind myself that if I don’t ask for what I want, the answer is already know. And if I ask, I have a 50/50 chance of achieving it.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

Sophia: My go to approach for regulating my overwhelm is 1) To remember that not everything I think is true. The mind is skilled at spinning stories and most of them don’t turn out to be true. 2) I then as Buddhist monk and author Pema Chodron advice, I attempt “Feel the feeling and drop the story” meaning I shift my focus from what’s happening in my mind, to what’s happening in my body and in the present moment. 3) I take a number of deep, diaphragmatic breaths to help regulate my sympathetic nervous system and remind it that we are not in danger.

Lucas: Taking some deep breaths is really important as well as cold therapy (running hands under water or putting cold towel on the back of your neck). And talking to a trusted person can be helpful as well as doing something active or something you enjoy.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Photo credit: Michelle Johnson (https://www.lancasterphotocollective.com/Michellejohnsenphotography)
Anya Peters: https://www.hedgerowcollective.com/

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