Origin Story
to grow a forest, we must first
Nurture the Seed
“Birthed through teenage parents in the rural South, I came into the world fighting for my right to take up space. Along the way, I was reminded – often – that there was no space for me to be. I had to create it myself. By 12 years old, my journey with entrepreneurship and self-evolution was underway…working for my grandmother’s business, spending my spare time in forests, and having a self-help book always on deck nourished a deep curiosity to find the meaning of life…to live in my full purpose so that I could be of greatest use to Spirit, to my people, to my home community, and to the planet. In spite of my trauma wounds, and the ceilings society gave me, I set out to define my own success + design my life, then manifested the life I envisioned for myself…and beyond. Along the way, I have offered my insights on life’s hard lessons, community organizing tools, creative strategies and leadership coaching to mentees, interns, students, friends, clients, and businesses rippling out into the thousands. If I can do it, so can you. In you is the light of God. Anything is possible. If there is ever only going to be one of you, it is up to YOU to let the world know you were here. This is for the underdogs, everywhere.” – Cortina Jenelle
I have made it my mission to pick up my ancestor’s work and my cultural traditions. My roots go as far back as seven generations that I know of – in Western North Carolina so – originally from the land of the ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ Aniyunwiya (“The Principal People”), more known as Eastern Band of the Cherokee. I live my life in close proximity to nature, by choice and later by necessity for my health. When I am not here in “the House”, you can find me experiencing life as a sojourner – traveling to various communities around the world, exchanging strategies, goods + services while cultivating creativity and inclusion.
Inspired by the beauty and cooperation that nature displays effortlessly, How to Heal the Planet from Wherever You Are, is a playbook on how to steward community during times of division and chaos. Diversity is a measure of wealth, if only we pay attention. This book is part-memoir, part-research and part-creative workbook as first-time author Cortina Jenelle Caldwell takes readers on a journey to appreciate nature’s teachings and use it as a springboard to learn principles of equity, leadership, belonging and creativity. By investigating our own journey, we can better understand the wisdom of those who came before us, all of which lay a foundation for what we most need – ancestral healing, collective liberation and creative entrepreneurship. If you’ve been looking for a book on climate change that addresses environmental beautification, social responsibility and cultural competence with a focus on the part you can play, this is the book for you. Written for the curious, this book is what it looks like to mend what ails our society with a heart-centered response. Healing the planet is about healing what is imbalanced – within us and around us.
professional bio
Founder & Creative Community Organizer
Cortina Jenelle Caldwell, MAML is a Southern Appalachia native and Chattanooga, TN resident on a mission to make the world, or at least her corner of it, a better place. Since the age of 12, Cortina has been an entrepreneur and creative, learning at the hands of elders, mentors and teachers in the rural South about how to serve, how to build good business and how to be a leader in her own life. The early teachings through school and life ignited a passion to build the life of her dreams and go beyond the limitations imposed upon her by society. Today, Cortina is Founder + Creative Community Organizer for House of SOLEIL, which offers products, services and coaching to further holistic wellness for the businesses, individuals and communities. Cortina holds a Masters of Arts in Business Management & Leadership (MAML); is a certified Kemetic Yoga Instructor as a YogaSkills School of Kemetic Yoga; a certified Agile Professional through ICAgile; a certifed Creative Facilitator endorsed by PYE Global; a certified Grantwriter by way of Western Carolina University; certified DEIB Strategist through Racial Equity Institute, Building Bridges, GARE and others; and holds rank as a travel planner with Travel Quest Network, commercial asset protector with Thimble and a first-generation farmer with nearly 5+ years of experience with land projects, ecovillages and sanctuaries across the globe. Cortina’s insights and hard-won lessons has been featured on platforms such as Yoga Trade, Wisdom, Yoga Alliance, Open Path Collective, Heal.me, Airbnb Experiences, Unspoken, Seeds of Tao and many others. Cortina has also been awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Univeral Life Minisitries for her research and contributions to the just treatment of all people. In 2022, Cortina self-published, part memoir + part DEIB playbook, How to Heal the Planet from Wherever You Are: Leaning Into the Cosmic + Planetary Link Between Ancestral Healing, Collective Liberation + Entrepreneurship, which is available at indie bookstores across the globe as well as Barnes & Noble, Abe Books, Amazon + Better World Books.
When you work with House of SOLEIL, you receive Cortina’s tenets of her philosophy on radical + transformational care:
You are unique and your authenticity is a gift. It will be treated with the care it deserves.
You are already enough. You have what you need to heal.
I am a guide and facilitator here to support your journey.
We plan, lead and act from a strengths-based perspective.
Communication, consent and check-ins keep trust intact.
Nature is our co-facilitator. Creativity, movement and breathwork, our tools.
Building
S A N C T U A R Y
I speak to intergenerational audiences across the globe about entrepreneurship, liberation, sustainability, creativity, joy, wellness, and purpose. I offer keynotes, workshops, panel presentations and consulting (custom talks also available to fit your needs).
Areas of Study, Training + Apprenticeship
Astrology, Numerology + Human Design
Breathwork + Energywork: Yoga, Kundalini + Chakras
Southeastern Appalachia Herbalism + Folk Medicine
High Alkaline, Paleo + Ketoe Diet/Lifestyles
Social Work, Nursing, Allied Health + Ecology
Social Permaculture Design + Social Entrepreneurship
Business Management, Cooperatives + Leadership
Intentional Communities, Ecovillages + Sanctuaries
Management, Leadership + Holistic Coaching
Artist Entrepreneurship, Creative Faciliation + DEIB
+ other creative, community-focused practices.
journey@houseofsoleil.org
phone
+1 (423) 443-4992