After almost two decades of ACEs and resilience work, Theresa "Teri" Barila has stepped back from the daily business of the Community Resilience Initiative, the organization she built in Walla Walla, WA. She will remain active in product development and as a trusted advisor and Board President Emeritus.
One story in particular illustrates the significant impact Teri's work has had over the years. It is the story of a mother who yelled across a large store to get Teri's attention : "Hey, ACE Lady, remember me? It's because of you I got my kids back." We wanted to hear more from the ACE Lady and sat down with her for a conversation in December 2021. She reminisced about the impetus that got her started and where she sees the organization's future. She also left us with some sound advice for building our own resilience and the resilience of our communities during these trying times.
“I really want to encourage you to look into your own history. Understand that relationship of your nervous system to your body and your brain,” Teri recommends. "It all starts with us knowing ourselves well enough to then share our stories that open the door better than just putting data on the table. Our brain can only do what it interprets from our history and prior experiences to then try to respond based on that history. A big step is helping your brain learn how to reshape its predictive powers by changing those negative imprinted patterns, which happens through becoming conscious and aware. Then our brain can help us with these new habits and practices because it no longer has to interpret our world perspective based on old data."
Thank you, Teri, for being our catalyst, convener, coach, and cheerleader! We owe you so much.
Watch the video or read a slightly adapted conversation script on CRI's website at https://criresilient.org/community-engagement/ .
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