In 2018, after a lifetime of living through a lens of performance, perfection, and proving my worth, I embarked on a transformational journey of embracing imperfection and living a life full of compassion and grace for myself and others. As I entered into this deep, heart work, I met our original “Heart-ist”, Gary, who was making beautiful, handmade, imperfect wooden hearts from scrap wood. Holding one of Gary’s imperfect hearts in my hand, I realized that this little heart represented exactly the message I was longing to spread. This small token was beautiful, unique, and imperfect, made from wood that most people would walk by or throw away. They were perfectly imperfect, in the same way that I believe all human beings are. I began giving them out as a tangible reminder that things don’t need to be perfect to have meaning. Little did I know the impact these small, imperfect hearts and the heart story would have on so many. In 2021, The Compassionate Collective was born. To date we have put over 8,000 hearts into the world, created several imperfect heart products, and provided Gary with a sustainable income.