Meet Verna Fisher, MSW of Integrative Wisdom in Rural Escondido

Today we’d like to introduce you to Verna Fisher, MSW.

Verna, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Oh, boy. Where to start? This amazing journey really began over 30 years ago, starting with meeting my husband, Bob, at an Angel baseball game. His support and his love allowed me to follow my life-long dream of going to college and fulfilling my academic potential. This part of the story involves starting college as an older adult, eleven years of school, beginning with a local JC, a transfer to a four-year university and culminating in a Master’s degree in Social Work, all while raising two boys and working at the local post office.

After graduation is when things get interesting. I realized early on that what I wanted to do with my life was use my knowledge of what was then called alternative medicine to support women on their life journeys. Through the use of what were called alternative treatment modalities in my thesis, I wanted to provide the setting and the space for women to explore what was holding them back or what needed to be let go of, or even what needed to be identified so they could move more fully into their power and into their best lives.

While I started this part-time, I also began a career in hospice work. This ended up being a bit of a detour, about a decade or so in reality, but as you will see it became crucial to where we are now. After about five years of this part-time business, which was called Wisdom Works then, I suddenly realized I was getting intuitive messages that it was time for us to move away. We had lived in our home in the Long Beach area for twelve years and had worked to create a home and garden of healing and peace there. My husband was perturbed by my sudden vision, but he went along with my musings. One day, I went to visit a friend in Escondido. Having never been here, I was surprised by my reaction when I got to town. I told my friend, Kathryn, that I found a house that was really cute… she looked at me and said, “You’d never move here.” I told her, “you never know…”

Fast forward about seven months. Seven months of searching had led us down many roads and we hadn’t yet found THE home for us, which included this idea of a retreat space for women and a garden destined to become a garden of quiet and peace. And then, one day, there it was: THE home we were looking for. The space that would hold our future dream of being a healing presence to others. During that time, there was a bit of new age thinking that said if things were to be, they would just fall into your lap. Well, this part of our dream didn’t follow that thinking and we were faced with a year of escrow issues. We contemplated giving up, thinking maybe we had read the signs incorrectly. Then, I happened to read from Parker Palmer’s book, “Let Your Life Speak”, that in Quaker thought, it is not the doors that open but the ones that close that will guide you best. We decided to keep going as the door to our old home had definitely closed.

And in October of 2006, our vision started to come into reality as we moved into our new home. And for the last twelve years, we have been the grateful stewards of what we call “Little Idaho.” We live on Idaho Ave and there is a favorite song of ours that says… staring at the world from our own little Idaho. This beautifully rural space became our canvas to dream upon. We started with the building that caught our attention in the first place, the barn as we called it, but per the owner, a tack room, a space for horses that was raw and beat up. In our minds, this was the perfect space for our new healing center. With a shoestring budget (I only had a part-time job at the time) we started fixing it up. It took longer than I thought, but less time than my husband thought to get ‘er done” as my dad might have said. We named this sweet space The Center of Creative Transformation.

During these first ten years, it was clear that I had to work outside in the “real world” to make ends meet. So, Wisdom Works/Integrative Wisdom became my part-time work again. However, as I worked in hospice, I learned even more about life and living and how important it is to do our inner work before death calls us away. I was blessed to sit at the side of so many women and men as they faced this most basic of existential tasks. I was humbled to see their courage in the face of saying goodbye to all they held dear. But I also met others for whom this time was difficult and emotionally painful. I know this experience of holding space for these precious souls made me even more suited to do my healing work. Another wrinkle in this manifesting time was that Bob’s mom ended up living with us as she began to display signs of dementia. We loved on her here in this healing space until she had to be moved into a home.

Suzanne died without warning on January 11, 2018. I had just quit my hospice job and had just started moving back into my vision of full-time healing work. Well, her death did change my focus for a while. It’s amazing how much is involved in settling another person’s estate. Whew, it was a lot. But, we made it through all that. Which finally brings me to the now.

A one hundred percent, full-time commitment to Integrative Wisdom and our Healing Center for women… and men! I am grateful for this opportunity to tell our story so that those who can benefit from our services will be able to find us.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I think I’ve shared quite a bit of the struggle already. One of the biggest, however, was my inner struggle to accept and believe that I was called to be a healer and a leader and a bridge to help others cross from just the material world view into the intuitive world of soul.

I was such a fearful child, as shy as you can imagine. I missed out on so many opportunities in my childhood such as joining activities that led me away from home. I was too afraid and anxious to leave home. This plagued me much of my life. As I moved into my college education as an older adult, I slowly let go of much of my fear and doubt. There were so many cool synchronicities that happened during my eleven years of higher education that my fragile sense of self-had to recognize the greater truth of my Soul. I may have been a slow learner but at least, I learned! I am the classic Late Bloomer. (This even shows up in my numerology chart!)

One of the biggest fears/obstacles we faced was financial. We did not follow any of the standard wisdom. We bought a bigger home at the age that conventional wisdom says downsize. We moved away from my husband’s place of employment and for the past eleven plus years, he has driven over a hundred and forty miles a day to keep his job that allows us to continue to pursue this dream. I have never had the mentality of needing to get to “six figures” which is another standard cry I hear again and again in the entrepreneurial world. Early on, I was told by that inner voice, that it was not about the money, it was about showing up and following the call. It would have been easy to give up many times into this journey if I had focused on a financial bottom line. The outside world is constantly whispering in our ears, pulling us away from our own inner vision and wisdom. Not allowing those voices of how it should be to dictate our decisions has been a major challenge.

Over the years, life also stepped in the way. Aging parents needed our time. We were so glad to be able to help them and be near them when troubles arose. I guess what I am trying to say is that this dream and vision did not blind us to our greater calling, that of family and friends. We did not abandon them to pursue this goal. They were actually a part of the vision of living deeply and in a relationship with not only them but nature as well.

In spite of all the demands on us and the challenges to survive, the original vision still held power. My soul continued to inform me that it was not time to throw in the towel. And at this point in the journey, it’s all about getting the word out. It’s now about making connections and finding those who need what Integrative Wisdom has to offer to this amazing world we live in.

And that is what I plan to work through now. We still live in this material world. Keeping our healing space available is our goal. It will only be by getting the word out that I can not only help others heal and thrive, but also continue to be the steward of this space.

Integrative Wisdom – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Integrative Wisdom has designed a unique style of life coaching delivered within a variety of services that focus on healing from a holistic or integrative perspective. The main component of this work involves an individual spending time getting to know their true nature, their strengths, their limitations, their personality, and finding what modalities will best help them move in the direction they are called to go. This work is multi-sensate so we incorporate the use of all our senses as well as our intuition in the sessions. The focus is on the now and moving forward so there is little time spent looking back. It’s not like therapy and I am very clear with my clients that that is not what we are doing. Rather, we are allowing the individual to break free of all the noise that is preventing her or him from finding the best healing practices. The key to healing from an Integrative Wisdom perspective is putting all the pieces of the puzzle that makes up the client’s life into play so that nothing is left out.

Integrative Wisdom is all about guiding others to live from the soul. Nestled within that fact are the various ways that a client is led to discover or uncover what this means to her/him at this particular moment in his/her life. This is a radical departure from most coaching or consulting practices or even therapy for that matter. Perhaps it is because, in spite of the rampant use of the word in print and the media, most people may not even have a definition as to what the soul is.

Integrative Wisdom works to change this. This is the bridging work that I bring to the table. Through the use of Integrative practices that involve spending time in quiet, focusing on the breath, visualizing intention, energy work, chakra wisdom, creative arts, music, poetry, nature, intuitive practices, and so much more, the client is given the opportunity to get beyond the material world and enter into the mystery that is our inner landscape.

Furthermore, this coaching and consulting work explores the client’s personal belief system, their personality types, their attitudes, judgments and so on to help the client determine if they are being called to release or let go of any of these at this moment in their life journey. Letting go is crucial to healing, whether that be body, mind, or spirit. The soul will use all experiences for its own good, but it’s up to us to allow it access. Our unique approach helps the client go beyond just taking courses or classes a la carte, but rather works to help the client see how these fit into their life’s journey to wholeness.

Services include:

Individual coaching/healing sessions either in person at The Center of Creative Transformation or by phone. These sessions can be by the hour or by contract.

Personally designed retreats that give an individual one on one attention as well as quiet time to process the information and experience.

Family/couples healing retreats focusing on communication, letting go, envisioning, and moving forward with purpose and vision.

Team building retreats for companies with room for up to ten people.

“Healing the Healers” workshops and retreats, for those who might be so busy caring for others, they forget to care for themselves.

Elder Care Coaching and Consulting, providing families with emotional support as they face these difficult times. Also visits with the elder to provide enrichment and support.

The Integrative Wisdom Wellness Plan is offered as a way to explore what types of modalities will work best, rather than listen to the general public’s cry to do x, y, or z to be healthy. This is what I am most proud of in the work I offer. There is no “one size fits all” healing practice and we need to learn this. We need to recognize that the status quo may not be for us. If we can find out what our Soul needs, then we can start creating our personal practice so that we get better and better at it. Then, when things go wrong and the ‘you know what’ hits, you will be ready to deal with it in a positive way!

The Center is a retreat space, with overnight accommodations. A client can choose longer sessions, spending the night, and getting to work again first thing in the morning. There is one room with a queen size bed and private bath. The other room has twin beds and the bath is shared. Meals are provided and although they are not vegan or paleo or gluten-free, etc., they are tasty and fun. Clients are encouraged to provide for any of their personal food needs. There is a cat on the premises so if you might be allergic, you will want to take note.

We are proud of our garden, called the “Garden of Quiet and Peace”. There is room to walk about, to sit and daydream and to connect to nature’s wisdom. We also have a mini Sedona red rock labyrinth for clients to walk. In the summer, our beautiful newly redesigned pool is open to enjoy and we have a children’s playset, one that invites the adults to return to their childlike imaginations and be set free for a few minutes of pure fun. The swings invite a sense of lightness of being. Swing and sing to your heart’s content!

Local attractions include the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Palomar Mountain, and State Park, Lake Hodges, Daley Ranch, award-winning Stone Brewery, various wineries, the California Performing Arts Center, the Roynon Museum of Earth Science & Paleontology(!) and so much more.

Integrative Wisdom strives to provide the quiet, the space, the tools, the education, the guidance, and the support for each client to achieve their souls’ goals, whatever they might be. Coming to The Center might well be called a “Spa for Your Soul” day.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
As I mentioned earlier, one of the markers of success in the larger world has to do with a six-figure income. This would be nice, but this is not my idea of success. What is important to me, first and foremost, is honoring that inner voice that guides and directs my path. I just happened to be given a mystical experience that opened my soul up to a path I had to follow. I was very sure that if I hadn’t followed the call, I would have died, if not physically, most certainly emotionally and spiritually. I might have been one of those souls who “go to the grave with the song still in them.”

Another marker of success to me is not giving up, even when others try to “knock some sense into you”. And funny thing is, that another person has, at times, been me! So, success is me not listening to my fears and my doubts and my worries, but taking the time to honor those feelings and move ahead anyway, trusting my path is true.

This experience has been so fun and so rewarding. My husband and I love when even the repair folks take time before they leave to tell us what an amazing and peaceful home we have. This is hallowed ground and we are the grateful and blessed caretakers of it.

At this point, another marker of success that I am looking for is being known in the general public. Having the right people reach out to me and being able to provide that healing service is my goal. There’s not a set number of clients or people to reach, but knowing I have done everything in my power to be seen and heard by those who can benefit from Integrative Wisdom will be a marker of success for me.

Pricing:

• Services range from $75 on up depending on contract and number of hours desired.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.integrativewisdom.org
• Phone: 562 505 0778
• Email: vernalwhispers@msn.com
• Instagram: @yoursoulcatalyst
• Facebook: Integrative Wisdom by Verna Fisher MSW
• Twitter: @VernaFisherIW
• Other: Integrative Wisdom

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