Meet Darsheel Kaur | Community Facilitator & Wellness Practitioner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Darsheel Kaur and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Darsheel, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
After years of community organizing work, I wanted to support my community in developing shared culture and practices for navigating conflict in our work together, as well as building capacity in our education systems to better understand and support youth holistically in growing together through challenges instead of criminalizing them for learned behavior. The ultimate goal was to build and maintain unity in families and communities, overcoming the division, “othering”, and in-fighting that often undermines collective efforts. I pursued higher education in the field of Peacebuilding studying models of addressing the roots of conflict to heal and transform individually and collectively.

After I graduated, I started Circle of Roots as an avenue to offer consulting/advising services, workshops, trainings, and community circles to various organizations and institutions from k-12 and university education to nonprofit and grassroots. It was an opportunity for me to operate in the working world as an independent contractor, where I can define my offerings for potential clients without the limitations of being an employee and having a predetermined job description.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Looking back on 5 years of Circle of Roots, what I am most proud of is the ways I have been able to adapt my work to different spaces, communities, and institutions while staying authentic to my roots and personal integrity. My background in Organizational Leadership and Community Engagement/Development really helped as I developed my most rooted project- the HeArt Dayton, the house of Healing Arts. The HeArt has been an immersive experience that has refined and cultivated the roots of my work in the world, to allow me to meet people where they are more effectively. The more I have grounded in my own cultural and spiritual values and principles, the clearer I become in what I can offer to others via my business. I am thankful for the ability to reflect and adjust as I grow and evolve personally, and then pivot Circle of Roots accordingly to finding alignment with the ever-changing world around me. I want people to know that despite the many challenges and barriers I have faced doing this deep cultural healing work as an immigrant and cultural outsider to my environment, there have always been people who recognized my heart and my spirit, embracing me as a reflection of themselves despite the forces encouraging otherwise.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are so many great spots… We would spend one day in Yellow Springs, hiking through Glen Helen and enjoying a meal at either Sunrise Cafe or Bentinos Pizza. Another day we would go to Adventures on the Great Miami in Tipp City or Mad River Adventures in Springfield for a day of kayaking on the river. We would pack snacks and maybe lunch and enjoy the day outdoors. Definitely would want to spend an evening eating at Nanyea’s Ethiopian restaurant on Dixie and watching a movie at Dixie Drive In next door. Hopefully we could catch a meditation event at the HeArt with Natural Onyx Dimensions, a Luv Locz Experiment show, some live music at the Levitt, dinner at Gulzar’s downtown with a walk by Riverscape afterwards, and a breakfast at the Ugly Duckling. If my guest was up for a physical challenge, we would visit Urban Krag downtown as well for some indoor rock climbing.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family is the backbone of my story! I am who I am thanks to my ancestors, my parents, my brother, and my international extended family chosen and blood. In my adulthood, I have also been blessed to be poured into and guided with indigenous wisdom from elders outside of my family, who welcome me as kin, nonetheless. Also, shoutout to the Spirit and culture that has been collectively cultivated at the HeArt Dayton, which has become a relational space for me to explore and express myself authentically, especially when I need the reminder.

Website: https://www.circleofroots.org

Instagram: darsheelkaur

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darsheelkaur/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@darsheelkaur