Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Judith Fetzer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Judith, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

Before attending seminary, I went to bartending school. In a class about bar room etiquette, we learned it’s best not to talk about three things: sex, politics and religion. Later in a college class on Ethics and Morality for Practical Christian Ministry, I learned there are similar taboos that monitor pastoral, therapeutic, professional and social relationships. Yet, we as a culture are obsessed with sex, confounded by the political landscape and are divided by, embarrassed of, or apathetic to religion. Instead of ignoring complicated topics and themes in the mundane daily interactions and important relationships, we can learn to talk differently in order to hear, learn, process and grow. If we confront our conflicts instead of avoiding them, and to discuss difficult topics with dignity, there is healing for the individual soul and transformation for our families and communities.

I had the privilege of walking alongside twenty-five people, all men, serving probation for domestic violence. They were court ordered to attend weekly classes as part of their therapy. I was part of the small team of three women and a man facilitating the discussion about sex and respect. In that room I discovered that 100% of these men learned about sex from pornography in middle school between 11-13 years old. Additionally, 100% of them never talked about sex with a peer or adult as a young person outside of coarse talk or health class, or insightfully with a partner as an adult. “Everyone can have sex, but not everyone can talk about it. It’s an important skill,” is a good summary of what we covered in those sessions.

The same can be true of soulful ideologies like politics and spirituality/religion. Everyone has some sort of opinion and experiences, but not everyone can talk about them. How can we practice a different kind of conversation that invites Others to process hard things, celebrates learning from wisdom and where it is not expected to come to consensus? All of this is done naturally in the context of developmental relationships, which are strategically built into the lives of many young people through family, education systems and enriching community involvement. Developmental relationships are still important for adults, but are harder to find, establish and maintain. Imagine a world in which each adult had at least one person to talk to when wrestling through identity issues, emotional pain or complex life decisions. Just one trusted friend with whom a hurting individual can talk through challenging topics can make a big difference. So, while the world tells us to avoid controversial conversations, I say we must learn to appropriately lean into the discomfort if we really want to bring the beauty of light and life back to people.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m the single mom in the bus lane instead of the parent drop off lane (at four schools) because I didn’t read the email with detailed instructions about drop off procedure. Actually, that was only on the first few weeks of school, then I got a personal email with a reminder….Public school parenting is new to me.

I’m a former homeschool mom of four, with a few extra young adults that call me mom, too. When my children were shorter than me, I was also a Christian minister, ordained and employed full time in service to God and Others, and my sending organization. My whole life I’ve been a creative, although my best medium is words, written and spoken. My canvas is the minds and hearts of Others. I approach problems from a creative space, and do the work of translating deep Truths into simple, applicable bites that are easy to chew on.

Naturally, I have wrestled through the work-family life balance. There were some great years where I felt successful at work, and knew I was doing my best at mom-ing. However, I let my physical health fail entirely. At the height of my symptoms, I had no diagnosis, I was walking with a cane, and I was losing my hair. Just about the time I found natural remedies for my stress-induced health conditions, life took a turn with a series of significant traumas that should have sent me into a full-scale flare up of physical symptoms. I managed a few minor flare ups, but actually found my health improving overall. It confounded my doctors and delighted my family to see my health improve in spite of all the shifting sands in my life.

I remember being on a walk, without a cane, on a cool, crisp morning in February and I was praying. I was marveling at how God had restored so much of my physical function, sustained my mental capacity through the impact of trauma, and reflected on a comment from the night before. A friend of mine, also a former female pastor, told me that she admired my ability to retain my faith when the world around me shook and everything fell. She stated that her own life had been shaken, though not to the degree of my own, and she found herself in years of anger, doubt, disbelief and rebellion. She confessed she hadn’t fully extracted herself yet. How did I retain faith intact during suffering?

On my walk I remembered the years in college and seminary when I read books like C.S. Lewis’ The Problem of Pain, and prepared myself to help people navigate excruciating life and emotional circumstances. I learned, and had experienced, that suffering and difficulty are inevitable. It is the responsibility of each generation to suffer well and prepare the next generations to also navigate loss, grief, and trauma.

Trauma is a buzz word, and it’s so overused that it loses its punch. A working definition of trauma is a loss of safety to the person or ego, often without warning, with lasting impact. From a Biblical perspective, trauma is introduced to the human narrative through sin just after the Creation story in the book of Genesis. None of us are left out of the ripple effect and consequences. No wonder trauma is such a buzz: it is part of what binds us together as humans.

I found myself on a walk with God that February morning and I asked God to help me find a way to replicate my experience of healing after trauma to help the lives of Others. “Give purpose to my sufferings, God. Not everyone has had a lifelong education studying Your Word, and there are Others who can’t afford the therapy I had to work through my losses. Help me help Others who don’t have the foundation I have.”

Within a few days of that walk, I had outlined the first classes of Indigo Cruz, a path towards spiritual resiliency and physical vitality after trauma. I now have a variety of modules, a book, a workbook and several workshop presentations that I share with Others.

Indigo Cruz Wellness is a prayer coaching model to train the spiritual mind. All my physical healing had occurred with holistic medicines and a Christ-centered mindset. On the basis that suffering and pain is a result of sin, then Jesus is the balm of healing for wounds of the soul. The name of my company reflects this idea: *Indigo* representing the suffering of humanity, and *Cruz* is the cross. Suffering finds healing when placed on the cross of Jesus, because the story of the crucifixion is about more than death: it is also new life resurrected, forgiveness and restoration.

Indigo Cruz classes do not exclude people from different world views. In fact, I am both a teacher and a learner, and Indigo Cruz cohorts are made more magnificent by their diversity. If the human soul is the canvas, then we are all artists leaving our imprints on one another. The paint strokes that I am painting, however, are infused with the story of Jesus, and that is part of the experience I offer.

I try to market Indigo Cruz as personally as possible, and I use Facebook primarily for continuing care and contact. Prayer Coaching engages us in the tedious garden-work of the soul, and most of us are avoiding it. I let people know what I do, and when the opportunity arises, I invite them to participate. You’ll find me at festivals and markets with my little booth, and often with my kids, just trying to meet people where they are at. The first year I tried this, I had online classes and e-books for sale, and learned quickly that invisible commodities cannot compete with kettle corn and snow cones. That year we on-the-spot developed some on-site children’s craft lessons to sell at our booth and considered the crowd that gathered a success.

Now I show up with healthy beverage alternatives such as mushroom coffee and booze free adaptogenic craft cocktails to draw people in and start conversations about healthy choices and the progressive healing I’ve experienced. People are much more apt to seek healing for physical ailments, even when the spiritual self is where the blockages are. Coffee service has long been a passion of mine, and the hospitality industry lends itself to my lingering conversation and the sharing of thoughts. My mobile coffee bar is available for catering events, the proceeds of which allow me to offer scholarships to classes and saving for a Licensed Coffee Trailer. Indigo Cruz maintains a strong Facebook presence, where I try to provide free opportunities for growth and encouragement while letting people see “real life” and not just photo-worthy moments.

In addition to the written teaching, virtual and in person coaching, and coffee service, Indigo Cruz accepts invitations for special guest speaking for workshops, conferences and retreats on a variety of topics relating to youth, family, spirituality, team building and dynamics, building resiliency and developmental relationships.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The most significant pivot in my life was resigning from full time vocational ministry to be present to my family. I now coach people in handling change you didn’t choose; but resignation is a change you DO choose, and it still has so many ripples of impact. Change is hard. Period. Part of my compensation package in ministry was a house in a nice neighborhood and a car, and so I had to shift suddenly to finding affordable housing as a single mom with four kids, knowing I would be unemployed and carless for a season.

I chose a single wide mobile home fixer upper in a neighborhood that was near my closest Meijer. It was the beginning of the pandemic, and with everything changing, at least the Meijer aisles would be familiar. It was the kindness of Others from my homeschool co-op and kids’ football team, as well as a few wonderful friends from our congregation, that really helped us survive those months. Driving down a busy road in town, I saw some signs that were added to the curb appeal in front of the local strip malls and urgent cares. The signs read, “You’re Enough.” “You Matter.” “You Can Do It.” and I thought to myself, “I don’t know what I want to do with the rest of my life, but I know I want to speak those messages into the lives of Others.”

I chose to work at Starbucks, and excelled at working the drive thru window. I do love my time on bar, solo or with a team, but to be able to exchange 30 seconds with a customer at the window that might encourage them – that’s what I lived for. During this time I also started my creative journey with Indigo Cruz, homeschooled my kids and learned to live more simply, in a tiny home and let go of stuff that didn’t fit.

That season has ended now, and kids are in the public schools. Another pivot this year for us. And we’ve moved. I’m not working for Starbucks any more. Life is bettering, as it does. I have more time to give towards my passion projects, and while the aisles of Meijer have all been renovated and self-service machines were installed, I’m still ever-looking for someone to look me in the eyes so I can smile: “You’re Enough” with kindness in my eyes. I guess I learned in my pivotal season that you never know someone else’s pivots and how much they need encouragement.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I apply my pen to the thoughts of readers, or my orations to ears of listeners. These are tricky artforms in a multiverse of visual entertainment. My goal has always been to create meaningful connections with Others, especially the lonely and the overlooked. The word Indigo has been applied to creative types throughout the ages and in various cultures. Cultural influencers, healers, teachers, poets and prophets – all people that communities celebrate as gifts to their neighbors and contributions to society but who don’t quite fit the mold are often described as Indigo Souls, and I believe Jesus fits into that category. The fact that Jesus is an Indigo helps draw people to him, I think. He wasn’t mainstream. He was outcast. He was misunderstood. He was a creative type, a poet and a prophet and a woodworker. He was a scoffed at teacher and a questioned healer. He was a displaced little boy and a homeless grown man. I think that perspective brings us all hope to know we’re not alone in our experiences, and it helps us shine our lights a little brighter. My mission is to bring the healing hope of Jesus to Others in tender ways that make sense.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.indigocruz.com
• Facebook: Facebook.com/IndigoSurLaCruz
• Tiktok: @IndigoCruz2022

Image Credits
No credits. These are my photos and canva creations