about mountain light
the mountain light story
I love mountains.
Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, the Appalachian Mountains felt like a fortress protecting me, its woods providing endless opportunities for exploration and discovery in the safety of my own backyard. I spent hours studying the paper maps spilling out of our car’s glovebox, tracing the surrounding mountains’ outlines, appreciating the orienting clarity and certainty they provided in what felt like a very uncertain, scary world.
Despite my fear, I went on to travel the world and encountered other mountains - the Alps in Switzerland, Mt. Fuji in Japan, a dormant volcano in Nicaragua, a temple tucked into the mountains of Northern Thailand. Each mountain held its own beauty and challenges.
I also faced metaphorical mountains - personally and professionally - that often stole the oxygen from my lungs and left me gasping for air. Overcoming generational dysfunction. Budget cuts and crises. Recovering from childhood trauma. Navigating the COVID-19 pandemic as a healthcare worker. Grieving a precious loved one, gone too soon. Conquering grad school. Becoming a partner and parent.
I began and continue a lifelong exploration of culture (both my own and others), power and privilege, race and racism, unconscious bias, shifting demographics, justice and equity, and how they all impact the places we live, work, serve, and worship.
In all of these experiences, I learned to look for the light, for the illumination and reorientation it provides, how it changes the landscape to reveal new truths, new stories waiting to emerge.
Mountain Light was born out of a desire to walk with people through the mountains they face - at work and at home - toward fuller flourishing, looking for the light of growth and learning together.
about Faith
Prior to moving to South Dakota from Pennsylvania in January 2019, Faith Minnich Kjesbo (Minn-ICK KEYS-bow) spent 17 years as an intercultural educator and administrator at a faith-based university of liberal arts and applied sciences, where she provided leadership to international and intercultural programs. She has traveled to over 20 countries and has had the privilege of teaching a variety of courses, including a three-week cross-cultural course in rural Zambia titled Healthcare in the Developing World.
Faith is a trained systems therapist who is passionate about holistic organizational and personal development, focused on creating safe and brave spaces for learning, growth, and transformation. Faith is certified in Cultural Intelligence (CQ®) and Everything DiSC Workplace®, is a National Diversity Council Certified Diversity Professional, and serves on the Board and as chair of the Education Committee of Pathways to Inclusive & Equitable Workplaces.
Faith also serves as Manager of Formation and Cultural Competence at Avera, an integrated health system in the Upper Midwest, leading and promoting a culture of learning, development and belonging that is founded in and reflective of Avera’s Catholic identity, mission, and values.
Education
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy | Evangelical Seminary, May 2011, summa cum laude
Associates of Applied Science in Business Administration | Central Penn College, May 1999, summa cum laude
Professional Certifications and Training
National Diversity Council Certified Diversity Professional
Cultural Intelligence (CQ®) Leadership Academy and Certification
Everything DiSC Workplace® Certification
Lodestone Safety International Training
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Training
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators: Mid-Managers Institute
Intercultural Management Institute Conference on Intercultural
Relations
Crossroads Anti-Racism Training
CORE Communication Training
what’s the difference?
consulting
Consultants are subject matter experts, and they are hired to manage projects or perform activities on behalf of clients and are primarily responsible for the outcome.
coaching
Coaches employ their people skills to engage in
a mutually beneficial relationship with clients to facilitate the positive change they seek. Coaches enable and promote the change process using their experience and a variety of proven techniques and tools. Yet, clients always remain responsible and accountable for their outcome.
mentoring
A mentor is like a trusted advisor. They are usually someone you go to for advice on how to progress and be successful in the same area as the mentor. As such, the goal of the mentor is to bring the mentee up to where the mentor is at the time, either following a similar path or advising them on doing certain things differently based on their learning experience. The mentor-mentee relationship is often informal and occasional.
training
Trainers have the authority of the subject matter over the trainees and instruct to raise their level of knowledge. Training sessions are subject- and outcome-specific and limited to a set number of sessions.
therapy
A therapist helps a patient return to their cognitive and emotional baseline, or the way they used to feel, think, and act while assuming the patient has an illness or treatable dysfunction. (NOTE: Though Faith has a masters degree in marriage and family therapy, she is not licensed to practice therapy and therefore does not offer these services.)