Exploring Life & Business with Cassie Kooser of Rise Enlightened

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cassie Kooser

Hi Cassie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I actually started my professional career as a cosmetologist. I came from a chaotic childhood and rushed to graduate high school a year early so I could leave home as quickly as possible. My mom had blown through the college fund that my grandparents had created for me before they died and I thought my only option was to get right into the work field. I struggled to find a job that would provide for me to be on my own right away and decided to go to a trade school. My best friend’s mom growing up was a cosmetologist and so I thought I would try that. I found that I actually enjoyed college once I was not living my life in survival mode. Not long after I began working, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that caused significant join pain and I accepted the fact that I would not be able to sustain my career long term. At that point, I made a decision to go to school on my own terms, no matter what. I did lots of research and job shadowing before I decided to return to school to start the process of becoming a mental health therapist.

Fast forward a few years and one of my first jobs with my license was at a Domestic Violence Center running groups for individuals that have engaged in domestic violence in the past. While working there, I began to learn that experiences from my past that I thought were “normal” were actually forms of domestic violence. I was even more shocked to learn that that one of 10 types of DV that we taught in the program was Spiritual Abuse. Suddenly the context of my oppressive religious upbringing was shifting. When working with my clients through the center, I started to understand my experiences were not rare. In fact, I would go as far to say that more than 25% of the situations surrounding my clients had spiritual involvement. However, our integration of that concept was minimal at best. Back then, that is what sparked my desire to found Rise Enlightened and my small idea started to grow. While I was working on a plan for founding the organization, I was also doing community trauma work for other agencies. During that time, I received the honor of being on of WiBN’s 2021 Women of Impact for work I was doing in a juvenile justice center. Later that year I also received The Carol Witchem Award for contributions to mental health from the Clark, Greene and Madison County Board of Mental Health and Addiction Services. And finally in 2023, Rise Enlightened starting accepting clients for the first time as an organization.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all!
First was the difficulty of getting through school. When you grow up in a chaotic living environment, there is so much that is missed as far as growing up. No one is teaching you how to manage money, how to access resources or even provide continued support through adulthood. I became a parent really young and was navigating adulthood and parenthood at the same time while I was also learning how to provide for my little family. During my undergraduate degree, I had two more children and was close to not finishing due to being overwhelmed with the expectations of being a partner, a mom, student and a provider all at once. Once I graduated with my Bachelor’s it was an amazing feeling of accomplishment. I was worried about not going back if I took a break and so I jumped right into my Master’s program with three small kids at home and two that were under 4. At the end of my degree, I was able to finally understand the impact of what I had done and how impactful will be to my children’s future. They were able to see me persevere through so many hardships and still meet my goals.
As far as starting Rise Enlightened, I absolutely had no real experience in founding an organization. I struggled to keep up with the many requirements required for foundation. I felt like every day there 5 new tasks to complete. There were also a lot of struggles to get others involved. Religious Trauma is one of those things, where if you have not experienced it, it can be difficult to understand. Many people that wanted to support the mission were also still very raw from their own experiences.
That being said, we are still building a solid board of directors and have positions currently open!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Rise Enlightened is a non-profit organization that is building a community dedicated to raising awareness and education about religious abuse and trauma, while also providing support and healing for those impacted. We are one of the few organizations nationwide that educates and addresses religious trauma and its impact. We support education and awareness through trainings, community engagement and social media campaigns. We work to support healing of those impacted by religious trauma by hosting support groups and providing direct service mental health care.
The name Rise Enlightened comes from the transformational experience that occurs from the onset of the traumatic event to healing. Being embedded in oppressive religious systems can cause a person to develop core beliefs about ourselves, our experiences and those around us. Healing from those starts first by burning the harmful beliefs down to ashes from which we can then rise up. The beautiful being that emerges brings with it a new enlightenment.
At Rise Enlightened, we recognize that human connection is vital to the therapeutic practice and so we strive to make therapy a safe space to explore emotions and challenges. Rise Enlightened is committed to providing a space that is LGBTQIA+ affirming, anti-oppressive, anti-racist and Disability Justice Oriented.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I like best in Dayton is all of the hidden talent. Dayton is often called the Gem City and there are so many hidden gems that call Dayton their home. We have clay makers, jewelry designers, musicians, artists, performers, bakers and chefs that have some amazing talent and offer their goods and services right here locally. If you come to Dayton, you will have a fantastic meal, enjoy tremendous desserts, hear some great music, and leave with a collection of neat items that can only be found here in Dayton.

My least favorite things about Dayton are the disparities. Dayton has seen a huge swing towards gentrification recently. There are housing developments building half a million-dollar condos while there are unhoused people that are literally right outside their door and lack access to available resources. Dayton is one of the largest food deserts with most groceries only accessible by a car or bus (if the bus line goes there.) The fresh fruits and vegetables that are available in a walking distance are from high-cost markets that cater to the wealthier population. Dayton also has rigid city ordinances that also make it difficult for local organizations to provide food and needed items to the unhoused population.

Pricing:

• Individual sessions are $120
• We offer sliding scale down to 50% of the cost of the service.
• Sliding scale is “Choose your own rate” which allows for the client to identify what is most reasonable for them.
• Most events we host are donation for participation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.riseenlightenedwellness.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riseenlightened/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@cass.lpc?lang=en