Greetings!
My name is Lynette Davis (she/her). I’m also known as Sister Friend Lyn.
I am an Author and a Friend (Quaker) in Public Ministry. In addition to offering soul care (or pastoral care), I facilitate conversations around mental health, faith, spirituality, creativity, and workplace wellness. While on my own journey of healing and self-rediscovery, I found meaning in writing and co-creating spaces for community-based healing with other creative changemakers. I believe in the transformative power of stories, so I’d like to take you on a stroll through some past seasons of my life.
I earned my undergraduate degree in Sociology at Rutgers University before working towards becoming a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, which I had intended to be my career. But even as I met the goals that I thought lay between me and my fulfillment and success, something wasn’t clicking. I was frustrated with my circumstances and myself, and the whole time I tried to push through, something inside was calling for me to awaken to my full potential, one that was more aligned with my core values. It wasn’t easy to change, to decide that I could be different, or that something in my life could shift…
Around that time, I found myself
divorced, jobless, struggling with depression and low self-esteem, questioning my faith and belief systems, and couch surfing to find a place to land on both feet. I was starting over again and forced to face head-on some hard questions about who I was and what I was meant to be doing. From that point of reinvention, I was encouraged to share my journey back to wholeness with others, and in January of 2011, my blog was born.
Years of narrative-gathering and insight-sharing later, I had written my way into a new life, founding my first business, authoring my first book, and eventually going on a life changing pilgrimage that would lead me to answering the call to ministry and professing my vows with The Sisters For Christian Community, an ecumenical community of consecrated women.
I saw how my readers and friends had recognized themselves in the stories I had shared and found the strength to seek their own transformations. My purpose, the thing I am on this earth to do, had become clear: to be a conduit for healing. And I do this by writing to encourage others to reignite their creative spark and take inspired action and by holding space for a sacred pause to rest, reflect, and remember the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind we all have deep inside.
After the release of my first book…
about mental health and entrepreneurship, titled Success To Die For: Breaking Down Assumptions About Anxiety, Depression & Suicide, and Their Impact on Business Women, I have been asked to speak about suicide prevention and workplace wellness. Through my advocacy, I offer words and resources for people who struggle to express what they’re going through, particularly those who work as creative freelancers/solopreneurs and those working in nonprofit organizations and nontraditional ministries.
“Every businesswoman should read Success to Die For, and so should the people who care for them.”
I also founded a peer-led mental health nonprofit…
called Love Yourself Love Your Business (which has since gone into sunsetting season), where mental wellness for small business owners and entrepreneurs is a movement. Our mission was to get entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small business owners mindful about mental health AND educated in ways to actively engage in wholehearted activities that foster wellness in the workplace and life.
My philosophy is that love is the ultimate catalyst for healing, change, and liberation.
Now, as aFriend in ministry…
I am led to work at the intersections of creativity and soul care, mental health, and faith. I’ve always walked the path less traveled and have found great inspiration in the lives and written works of the mystics who came before me— with a focus on compassionate presence and deep listening, contemplative spiritual practices, poetic medicine, play, and expressive arts – I encourage a path of healing that may not be familiar in the context of conventional practices but is instantly recognizable to those with writing in their blood. Anyone who has ever turned to the pen or the page to heal what was hurting can find community and inspiration in my work. My meetups and retreats are a place to experience communal care, and a space for people to share and grow through stories. And I strive to bring a love ethic into everything I do and write. My philosophy is that love is the ultimate catalyst for healing, change, and liberation.
When I’m not praying, studying, writing, or working, you can find me reading and watching anime or sci-fi movies. I am also frequently found singing loudly and off-key, moonwalking across the kitchen floor, and showing no mercy to delicious food.
If my ministry and advocacy work resonates with you, I invite you to join me and we’ll navigate personal or entrepreneurial obstacles together. You can subscribe for email updates on my writing and upcoming events that may be of interest to you.
Let's Connect!
See my free monthly Substack newsletter with insights on mental wellness and soul care for creative entrepreneurs and changemakers. You’ll also be the first to hear about new writing projects and upcoming events!