about Our Story

MEET THE people AND THE STORIES THAT STARTED IT ALL

how it started

"it was writing the truth that set her free..."

"it was writing the truth that set her free..."

Our Story founder, Virginia, and her late husband John, envisioned a place where people could come and share the stories of their lives. Through storytelling people can build community, claim their truth, self-heal, and write their life's experiences in their own words. In this way each Storyteller is seen, heard, and honored.

 

'Our experiences are different but our feelings are the same.' - Virginia, Founder

meet the founder

Virginia's story

Virginia Benson Wigle

she/her

Me. Most of the Time (or what I like to think I am): Authentic. Curious. Generous. Loves a good Deep Dive. Loyal, if I trust you.

.

Me. Some of the Time: Humble. Distracted. Aloof. Distant. Cynical AF. Analytical and complicated.

Me. On the Darkside: Shut down. Anxious. Dismissive. Critical, mainly of self. Super Judgmental, mainly because I am judging myself.

I am sure I can come up with more labels, but you get the point. I have spent so much of my life trying to live up to a label I have constructed for myself that it interferes with my interpretation of my story. Was I a runner because I loved it, or because I was trying to outrun my anxiety? Was I trying to fit a beauty standard (never did)? All the above? **Note** See the above Analytical and Complicated.

So…How do I write a Bio about me?

To be honest, I don’t really trust what people write in their Bio’s. Unless, it is someone who will be providing me with medical services, financial guidance, or insights about the law, at which point their background becomes VERY important only in order to give me a false sense of security. When I find a person interesting, I admit I do go down the rabbit hole of Bio’s and social media “researching”. This entails about 10-15 minutes of me reading a lot of superficial things in order to construct what I want to believe is their life, and then forget about them 5 minutes later. All that said, I thought my “Bio” might be the factual occurrences in my life. The real things that happened seem more interesting than where I went to school, my degree, my professional history, or things I enjoy doing.

 

All I really want you to know is what has happened to me, and then, if it sparks an interest, go down the rabbit hole and read my stories.

meet the team

meet the team

Sarah Abrams, executive Director

she/her

You should know I’m mad about houseplants. They make me deliriously happy and make my little cottage feel alive and vibrant. I am wildly in love with my grown daughters, our pitbull/weiner dog, Gaia, sustainable gardening, live music, and camping in my Volkswagen van. I'm a serial entrepreneur and a rampant creative. I’m a 2/4 Generator (do you Human Design? I’m obsessed!) so of course I am compelled to create what fires me up! Cancer took my mom when I was twenty five and had just birthed my first child. My dad passed on Christmas eve eve in 2017. It’s an odd thing to be a forty something parentless child in the world and so I write and I tell my stories. I’ve been a writer and storyteller since I can remember. I am called to create space for all who wish to word purge and find community, healing, and self through storytelling. I’d have long since lost my mind, and my heart, if it weren’t for storytelling in all its forms. I hope to help others find similar comfort and catharsis, one story at a time.

 

STEPHEN DABBY, INTERN

HE/HIM

I feel like a very simple person when I think about what brings joy in my life. I love to go on drives around town chasing the sunset and breathing the fresh air Santa Barbara always provides. I have been playing guitar and bass for over 10 years now and it has been a constant source of happiness for me just as much as listening to music. When I turned 21 I immersed myself in the Cannabis industry, and now for the last 3 years I have been non stop learning new cannabis information, connecting with others in the industry, and helping others within the community. Another enriching part of my life comes from higher education. No, not the dispensary this time! Although I have not graduated college yet, as a Women’s and Gender Studies major I love talking about and spreading the information I’ve acquired about the ways we operate as a society and perform under the labels we individually fall under through an intersectional perspective.

Maricarmen Madrigal, mft,

consultant

she/her

I’ve been on my love journey with healing, being a healer and loving those on their own road to healing. In my early 20’s, I realized that much of my childhood was spent helping my parents push through hard moments after having a very hard immigrant life. I decided to fall in love with the moment and seek happiness. Thanks to them, I did not need to stay perpetually in survival mode. I started reading for fun, watching documentaries, feeding the nerdy intellectual that always wants more knowledge. I absolutely fell in love with anything that brought me happiness, at times it was a hike with a friend, or a craft beer with a group. I love trying new recipes, and listening to an audiobook when my life feels too full to get a hardcover. Now, my joy is enchanted by the smile my sweet son gives me every morning when I go over to kiss him and start our day together. I have many identities, partner, daughter, sister, friend, business owner, therapist, but my favorite one is being

“ma-ma”.

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