Hello Everyone,

I’m so excited to meet you, and I hope this site provides at the least, some inspiration, enrichment, and at best, an onramp to an in-person relationship where we can share our life stories, listen and dialogue. 

I offer my online insights and stories of faith-in-muddy-life, and my services as a personal coach, retreat leader, or as a seasoned journalist, author and speaker for your conferences, service clubs or breakfasts. I love to join people at the frontiers of their questions, create story circles, facilitate discussion, and help foster personal and spiritual growth.

PUTTING PEP BACK IN OUR STEP.  Let me start by saying, if your path to a satisfying spiritual life has been messed up by childhood trauma, pig-headed perfectionism, damaged trust, or love-lessness, I’m so sorry. That’s a huge loss. Hopefully you’ll find new hope here, resources and inspirational stories that ring true, ones that open a new door of curiosity, validate your questions, and provide a spiritual restart.

Most of us know, intuitively, that life is more amazing than what has been handed down to us, and many of us have at least found the inner-strength to reject life paths that demonize, shame, fear or degrade others. More and more of us are grounding ourselves spiritually through thankfulness journals, joyful living, risk-taking love, and greater mindfulness. But we rightfully desire more connection, inner peace and pep in our step. Consider me a brother and potential sounding board to help create a better life for yourself or your community, open to God, and living an abundant life! 

MY STORY. My spiritual background is diverse, as I’ve had an enormous interest in the spiritual life, so I find it easy to connect with anyone seeking “inner strength for joyful living,” one of the end goals of my coaching and retreats. I was baptized three different times in very different Christian traditions, just to make sure I had it covered!  I helped lead a Catholic and Protestant men’s prayer group weekly for 10 years, and I’ve probably read the Bible three times. My dad is a social justice pioneer; my in-laws are wonderfully compassionate atheists; my grandparents were fundamentalists-turned-charismatic; and my uncle was a spiritual guru in a California nudist colony. 

I married Jewish, and we raised three wonderful children as caucasian minorities in an inner-city neighborhood where we attended a lively United Methodist and Black Pentacostal Church, and I was chief storyteller for the largest urban ministry in the Twin Cities. Our Jewish-Christian family joyfully celebrated every Christian and Jewish festival for two decades, often with a flock of lovely friends. God led us to adopt a treasured (and homeless) black brother for five years who ran our kitchen and became an uncle to our kids.* 

Let’s just say I’m amazed at how big God is and how many ways He uses to reach us. At the same time, I’m a wounded healer who has weathered my share of pain and, with God’s help, come out better, not bitter. I’ve stayed anchored in a simple yet profound reality Jesus described to seekers. He said that all 600+ laws of the Jews, and every cry of the Old Testament prophets point to one thing — the experience of vitality, intimacy and belonging in life found in a three-way intentional love relationship between God, ourselves and those closest to us. Nourishing those love relationships,  daily and deeply, is my personal goal. 

3 SERVICES, AND WAYS FOR US TO MEET IN PERSON! 

I share my gifts of service in three ways: 

through spiritual coaching, 

public speaking, story circle discussions, and “faith-in-daily-life” retreats,

and through Everyday Heroes: Stories to inspire courageous living, which is both a clickable database of inspiration, and presented as a talk show with musical entertainment and non-profit spotlights.

I explain each below.

1. WHAT IS SPIRITUAL COACHING?  

Let me be clear about what I offer and what I don’t. 

If you need help unraveling and healing from deep trauma or a confusing past, the analysis of a trained counselor or therapist may be your best fit. If you’re looking for a more passive spiritual guide and sounding board, a person trained to ask good prayerful, clarifying questions to guide your process of spiritual discovery, search your options for a “spiritual director.”

My approach, for individuals, couples or families, is more intentional, interactive and customized to who you are and what you seek. If you’re looking for a safe place to be yourself, to find empathy and compassion, to move from Fear to Love, Gripes to Gratitude, Anxiety to Joy, Loneliness to Belonging, or Unforgiveness to Freedom, a supportive relationship with me would be a good investment. You’ll find “holy listening,” no fix-it answers, good questions and a place to find your voice, where you’re honored, whatever your background, need or curiosity. 

I will tell you what I hear you saying, share observations, and offer a broad menu of pathways and practices for holistic, non-religious or Judeo-Christian spiritual growth. My menu includes the 12 Steps of AA, for those on that journey, and the Bible.

Whether you’re feeling drawn to meditation, prayer, social action, nature, play, journaling, quiet retreats, want steps to deeper love relationships, or need prayerful guidance to heal a relationship, give me a call. All in all, I hope to help you find or recapture hope, joy, clarity and purpose, with God’s help.  

Feel free to call me at 612-578-2292 for a 15-minute free consultation to assess whether I would be a good fit for you.

2. RETREATS, STORY CIRCLES and KEYNOTES.  

I am passionate about creating safe places for spiritual growth retreats, where men and women can find their voice, and share how faith is expressed in the messy grind of their work, family, and daily lives. 

Story Circles use fun prompts with amazing success to get everyone laughing, listening and sharing personal experience that builds relationships and empathy in unexpected ways.

Retreats can be designed collaboratively with an aim at either team-building, spiritual development or mission fulfillment in your business, non-profit or worshipping community. Or, you may select from my menu of topics: 

Moving from fear-driven to love-grounded lives

How to buck isolation, risk relationships, and increase belonging

Spiritual wrestling: Finding joy and purpose in a messy world 

Keynote Talks with breakout Q and A’s are the ideal way to add pop and sizzle and meet the needs of attendees of a conference, men’s and women’s breakfasts, service clubs or fundraising banquets. I address current issues as a journalist, compelling topics as a former consultant to urban ministries,, and share stories that will entertain and inspire.

How to thrive from 9 to 5: Mindful living from the inside out

5 proven tools for improving relationships at work and home

Turning trials into triumphs: Inner strength for joyful living

Over the years, while working as a journalist, in the trenches as father and husband, and as a marketing contractor for urban ministries, I’ve encountered dozens of amazing untold “resilience stories” of unsung heroes that I believe our culture needs as role models. So I launched a new media venture called Everyday Heroes: Stories to inspire courageous living, a talk show with musical interludes that will travel to your community, as I describe in a video below. 

A pilot of the show was a success for two nights in a small Minneapolis theater, one night with standing room only! I hope the next will be at your business, church or school. This would also be an ideal way to spotlight your “poster children” at a nonprofit fundraising banquet!

My Everyday Heroes are people who face life’s adversities with class and creativity, using tough seasons to develop courage and character. They become “better, not bitter.” They are the people most of us want to be when we grow up!

You will find dozens of samples, including videos and excerpts, throughout this website and under Everyday Heroes on your toolbar. I discuss the project further in a video below.

A topically arranged, clickable database of these inspirational stories will be used as teaching aides in schools, preaching aides for pastors, in businesses as leadership development, and as an encouragement for individuals seeking:

·       A Purposeful Adolescence 

·       Resilient Parenting 

·       Meaningful Employment 

·       A Way to Give Back 

·       Active Retirement, or 

·       To Age Well

These are stories of perseverance and growth through seasons of unemployment, troubled relationships, depression, chronic illness, and unexpected change. They become valuable sources of encouragement to people now in these seasons, showing pathways to courage, faith, hope and healing. 

Seeking venture capital. I can do this on a small or large scale. For people looking to make a difference in the world, I can’t imagine a more worthwhile lasting and multiplied investment. Please give me a call at 612-578-2292 after watching this video!

Todd Svanoe

Journalist, Speaker, Consultant
612-578-2292
svanoet@gmail.com

More on that diversity: As a religion reporter I got to chase the Dalai Lama’s entourage for a three-part series, and have had wonderful times of meditation with Buddhists, who were happy to be joined by a Christian. I’m so grateful to be learning mindful living that keeps us attentive to God’s present action in our lives, leaving anger and regrets about the past behind, and any anxiety and worry about the future in His hands. 

I’ve also seen some of the most remarkable life transformations among close friends who have found God at Alcoholics Anonymous. And while I know where my forgiveness comes from, these friends and a Moslem friend have taught me my deepest lessons about forgiving my enemies. I’m sure hearing about this broad experience may seem disorienting, but it hasn’t been to me.