We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Vernita Parker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Vernita, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I would say, my purpose found me. As far back as I can remember, I have always had a deep interest in people and their stories. What made them special, what got them excited about life. I have always had a curious nature and I love learning. When I was an undergraduate student in college, I got the opportunity to work at the Career Development Center on campus as a Career Assistant. My main job was to introduce students to the resources in the career resource library, but I also got the opportunity to ask them questions about what they liked to do, what they were good at, and what was important to them (i.e., making bank, saving the world or a combination of the two). I loved helping students explore how their interests, skills and values translated to academic majors and/or potential careers. Fast forward to now, as an integral coach and yoga teacher, I partner with people to reconnect to the essence of who they are. My purpose is to help people remember who they are.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am the founder and Principal Consultant at the VF Parker Group, LLC. The VF Parker Group provides coaching and consulting services focused on individual, organizational and community transformation. I work with clients in the federal government, private and non-profit sectors, and higher education. I love being in and with nature, I love all forms of artistic expression, especially music and dancing, and I love making soulful connections with people. All of these things are woven into my work as an integral coach and yoga instructor.
I have worked as a consultant and a senior leader in a small woman owned consulting firm, and a global consulting firm, so I understand the intricacies of getting things done through others in complex organizational systems. I also bring a heart-centered approach to my work. As an integral coach and consultant, it’s important to work with my clients in a way that engages the head, heart and body. I partner with my clients to explore the following two questions, 1. How is the narrative you and/or your organization currently living in support the vision you want to live into? 2. What practices, individually or collectively need to be picked up or put down to step more fully into the vision you want to live into?
In addition to leading the VF Parker Group and teaching yoga, I’m also on the faculty of an international coach training school called New Ventures West, based in San Francisco, CA. The school’s tagline is “Alive in Possibility”, and their purpose statement reads, Our work co-creates a future where all people experience meaning, belonging and contribution. This is deeply resonant with my personal purpose of partnering with people to remember who they are. When you reconnect to the essence of who you are, there is a fluidity and aliveness in how you engage with life. You experience more meaning, belonging and contribution because you are living your truth.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three qualities that have had and continue to have the most impact on my journey are the three C’s. Connection, Curiosity, and Courage.
Let’s start with connection. I believe when you deepen your connection to yourself, your ability to connect to others in a deeper way also expands. Recognizing that we draw intelligence from our heads, hearts and bodies is a start. Cultivating practices that support deepening your awareness about the wisdom that comes from each of those centers of intelligence and paying attention to what arises within us (thoughts, feelings, physical sensations) at any given moment, in any situation, enhances our presence and our ability to tune into what may be arising in others. I am very intentional about integrating my knowledge as a yoga teacher with my coaching work to help my clients increase their connection to the wisdom of their hearts, minds, bodies and spirits.
Curiosity is another important quality for me. There’s a book called the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, that I absolutely love. One of the agreements is “Do Not Make Assumptions”. So many breakdowns, personally and professionally, could be avoided if we all approached life from a place of curiosity. What would the world be like if we took the time to ask each other more questions to enhance understanding vs. reacting to things we assume to be true? A big part of my work as an Integral Coach is to establish sacred connections with my clients and serve as a mirror to reflect back those parts of themselves, they may have gotten disconnected from. The only way I can do that is through inquiry and curiosity.
The last C is courage. Having the courage to show up authentically, even when everyone else around you may have a different perspective or position about something that is core to who you are. Having the courage to admit when you are wrong and being open to learning from the experience, and having the courage to acknowledge that you don’t have all of the answers and reaching out for support when needed.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
Anyone who has a desire to step more fully into their life and live from a place of wholeness. We are all shaped by our life experiences, our families, our culture (both the one we are born into and the one we live in), school, friends, work settings, etc. Sometimes those experiences lift us up, and sometimes those experiences slowly chip away at the very essence of who we are. Whether you are a busy executive who has lost touch with what brings you joy, a business owner who works so much that you have forgotten the importance of self-care and the impact it has on your ability to bring the best of yourself to your business, or anyone in the midst of a major life transition who wants to be in the world in a more expansive way. I am here to partner with you on an exploratory journey back to yourself.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @vernita_earthwoman
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vernita-parker-0b93501/
Image Credits
James Posey Andreas Andreou
