Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hollee Freeman PhD. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hollee, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
I started Freeman Educational & Business Consulting to support organizations and individuals with their grant writing and strategic planning. During my tenure as an Executive Director of a mid-sized non-profit serving Central Virginia’s students, teachers and administrators, I began to think about what actions and experiences that I need to feed my own soul. As I journaled about this, I also decided to ask some women that I knew in the community. The question I posed was– what is SO good that it is SOUL good. During one interview, the interviewee talked a great deal about the afterschool programs she curates. It wasn’t until I asked her what she did for just herself that her whole countenance changed and she replied, “baking”.
This experience propelled me to start a SoGoodSoulGood writing series for women that is still going strong more than 3 years after conception. A diverse (racially, age and experience) group of women meet monthly to write and share based on this prompt. I have expanded my services to include meditative hikes, book studies and writing retreats with students and adults. I also have a business bringing individuals to my apiary and sharing not only the importance of honey bees in our lives but also the meditative and vibrational benefits that simply watching and listening to bees have on one’s body. All of this is the underpinning of discovering what is SoGood, SoulGood to ourselves and each other.
Hollee, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am an award-winning and nationally certified educator with over three decades of work in K-12 and higher education. I currently serve as the Executive Director consultant for the MathScience Innovation Center and a literacy instructor at the Cultural Roots HomeSchool Co-op, in Richmond, Virginia. With these organizations, I combine my love of STEM content, literacy studies, curriculum development and hands-on programming for students and adults, particularly those who are typically educationally marginalized.
I have authored numerous professional book chapters and articles focused on educational reform, teaching, gender equity and STEM. I am also a beekeeper, filmmaker, and self-published author of four children’s books and 15 elementary readers for Boston Public Schools. I have shared her work around creating space for learning as a TEDx speaker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEi03HojVi8
Through my company, Freeman Educational & Business Consulting, LLC, I provide consulting and writing services in the fields of education, business, and personal growth/self-care for individuals and organizations. I use a learner-centered approach to support customers with project development, completion, and analytics. Additionally, FEBC provides classes for adults and students focusing on memoir/creative writing, book talks, equity/access, and self-care. FEBC also houses HolleeFreemanPhotography as a catalyst to self-care, exploring our connection to the natural environment and to each other.
My latest venture is City Bees, RVA started in 2021. City Bees is an engaging, ecological, educational program that demystifies our understanding of honeybees and helps educate the community on the importance of bees in our ecosystem, crop production and in our lives. City Bees RVA invites participants to get a “bees-eye” view of several hives through safe interaction with local honeybees guided by local BIPOC beekeepers. During this program, participants better understand the job of beekeeping (including apiary inspections and hive management), the sacred history and biology of honeybees, weather and climate influences, pollinator conservation, environmental justice and more.
I have also launched Hollee Freeman Foundation as a way to increase and enhance the services offered through my endeavors.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I am a career educator with deep experiences as a classroom teacher, educational consultant, curriculum writer and executive director of an STEM educational non-profit. In 2021 both my maternal grandmother and my father both became very ill with significant medical issues that seems to come out of the blue. During a period of 3 months, I moved between hospitals, managing care for both elders. I simply could not concentrate nor did I have the energy to concentrate on my executive director role or responsibilities. I just could not do it. My family was much more important. During the many hours in hospitals, I began to write at their bedsides and think about what was important to me. My own question: what is SoGood that it feeds your soul began to weigh heavily on me. Even after my FLMA was exhausted, I did not return to work full time. It felt inauthentic to do so. I resigned from my executive leadership position and agreed to work as a leadership consultant while I continued to care for my elders (and myself).
During this time I continued to write and create space for others to write. I am now fully in the entrepreneur space and living more peacefully and with purpose that I have been in years. I continue to support students and adults to reconnect with their selves (and to learn a little something about STEM, literacy, nature, etc) in the process. This was and is the big scary pivot and I am enjoying it and doing is scared.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I built my website myself and attempted to track my business finances. However, it wasn’t until I decided to hire a web developer, CPA and lawyer that I realized how much I did not know. I knew that I didn’t know much about these particular avenues but I didn’t know what I didn’t know until I worked with these professionals. I wish that I had the wherewithal and the knowledge to work on getting support sooner. My next mountain to scale in the mountain of marketing. Hiring professional with their particular pockets of expertise allows me to focus on the more creative aspects of my businesses without the worry that something is falling through the cracks.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.holleefreeman.com/
- Instagram: HolleeRaye Freeman
- Facebook: Holleefreeman
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/hollee-freeman
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCclmt28ZuQ73zKZdssf-wJA
- Other: https://www.ted.com/talks/hollee_freeman_ph_d_stem_education_giving_space_makes_a_lasting_impact https://www.nbc12.com/2022/07/28/city-bees-rva-shares-science-history-importance-beekeeping/
Image Credits
Rachel Iga -photographer