Guest Profile

Natalie J. Thoreson

Natalie founded inVision Consulting in 2006 with the mission of focusing positive social change into clear Vision, in our daily lives, and collective experiences. Their techniques foster meaningful communication, critical examination of institutional culture, and concrete action plans for creating a truly inclusive environment. She is committed to building communities in which people’s differences are valued and seen as assets to the overall group. This work is not about making people feel guilty, bad about themselves, or singled out. Nor is it about dancing around challenging issues, band-aid fixes, and “Can’t we all just get along?” Rather, he believes meaningful change happens when people lean into discomfort, are allowed to feel angry or confused, listen to one another with empathy, and collaborate in moving forward.

Natalie organically nurtures a sense of community with finely honed skills, shaping safe, welcoming, creative, and productive spaces based on understanding, respect, and authentic support. In his hands, sensitive topics that often leave participants feeling raw and wounded, become accessible and actionable. She provides tools to allow participants to think critically about their own backgrounds and biases, while simultaneously dissecting concepts like oppression, prejudice, and stereotyping. Their consistently open, trusting, and fun educational environments are based on first-hand experiences as a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-gendered, queer individual living in the margins of identity. Natalie believes that creating safe space for all is the heart of true revolutionary change.