Meet Casey

I am Casey Salminen, I get it. I have been there. For the last 20 years, I’ve attended the Master Class of Grief. I’ve buried parents, grandparents, and loved ones, moved across the country five times, survived cancer, and left jobs I loved by my choice and others not by my own choice.

Never in a million did I expect to end up here…My name is Mary Kay Salminen. I am 59 and divorced. I am a member of the struggling middle class.

I sat across from the banker expecting her to rubber stamp the loan to purchase a modest home. She shook her head and said, “I am so sorry. I am unable to approve your loan.”

I blinked. “Come again?”

She eased forward slowly, “Well, Mrs. Salminen, based on your portfolio, we can’t approve you today.” The next day I began researching MBA programs. It was time to create the life I wanted, not the one I had…so I rented an apartment and started over.

After a thirty-year absence, I enrolled in classes. I focused on the important things in life: Faith, family & loved ones. Something happened along the way, I became very grateful despite my unpleasant circumstances. I remembered with joy how much God loved me, the wonders He has done for me & the opportunity ahead to serve Him. I was cherished, chosen by Him, and called to do amazing things for His glory.

I wanted to help other women stuck in transition, women who had been thrown out of the comfortable sync of their lives due to divorce, death, disease, or job loss. Soon, women in the middle of a downsize, divorce, or relocation sought me out for wise counsel. From these early conversations here is what we found: Women need hope instead of despair, optimism rather than complacency & gratitude in the face of transition’s hard work.

Here I am again: At the cemetery today for a loved one, my former boss, colleague, friend, and trusted advisor for over a decade. The circle of grief continues with a large wave. I pick up the tools in my toolbox to begin again.