Staff Spotlight: Meet OHI’s Newest Facilitator, Marianne Peterson

OHI is so pleased to welcome one of our newest team members, Marianne Peterson. As a facilitator at our San Diego campus, Marianne will be teaching many of our core curriculum classes. Let’s learn more about her…

OHI:  Tell us a little about yourself outside of OHI.
MP:  Presently, in addition to two sons, a daughter-in-law, and a granddaughter, my greatest joy is my little backyard garden where I’m able to commune with Spirit and grow many of the blessing foods we offer here at OHI.  In 2021 I began the process of ministerial ordination through a holistic living path I closely identify with — the Essene Nazarene Church of Mt. Carmel — and I am excited about assuming the ordination path here at OHI, which is also grounded in Essene teachings.

OHI:  What profession were you in prior to joining OHI?
MP:  For the past 11 years prior to joining OHI San Diego, I was an oral history project facilitator for a local museum and a community college adjunct instructor.  Adjunct instructors are often called “freeway fliers,” meaning we rush from campus to campus day and night to teach for a few hours, then return home to attend to the many hours of grading.  I thoroughly enjoyed the content of my fields (Humanities and World Religions) and truly enjoyed connecting intellectually with the diverse student base here in San Diego.  But as much as I always found teaching meaningful, I felt more and more called to work in a field that was more in line with my holistic home practice.  I felt that change was in the air, but I wasn’t exactly sure how to execute that pivot with grace.

OHI:  How did you learn about OHI?
MP:  In 2013, I saw a hiring post for a wheatgrass attendant to help care for the amazing grow house here at OHI.  Feeling that I was too busy and not well-trained, I didn’t apply for that position but was able to visit the OHI campus in 2018 when my younger son, who is building toward a future in holistic health, became interested in attending an open house.  I fell in love with the program, the grounds, and the wheatgrass grow house, and knew that if I ever had the opportunity to work at OHI, it would be a blessing.  

OHI:  When did you join OHI?
MP:  The final push to apply to OHI occurred when our San Diego college campuses went fully online in 2020 because of Covid-19.  Last fall, though I tend to hermit pretty well, the hours of isolation, electronic work, and disconnection from my students and fellow teachers left me feeling completely alienated and depleted.  I applied for a facilitator position here at OHI, and now feel so very blessed to have these ongoing opportunities to connect with fellows, converse and exchange ideas with new guests and returning guests, and to experience the richness and depth of the curriculum at OHI.  

OHI:  Explain to our readers how we get new facilitators up to speed on the curriculum before teaching their first class.
MP:  These past few months I have been training mostly in the kitchen, where I’ve learned a tremendous amount on food combining, living food recipes, and nutritional information.  This past January, I had the opportunity to attend OHI Austin as both a trainee and a guest.  The care and practical tools that are given in classes are truly a gift everyone should experience, and the micro-community that naturally builds among guests has restored my faith in humanity.  Friday Night Live — filled with singing, dance, and laughter — was definitely a highlight.  And at its very foundation, there’s nothing like the OHI dietary program to restore the life-force energy that is so easily depleted by unconscious living.

OHI:  What are you most looking forward to experiencing once you step into the classroom as a facilitator?
MP:  Balancing the body-mind-spirit experience isn’t always easy, but every choice in the direction of love-light is a win for self and the collective.  I enjoy helping to make the world a more recognizable place, an easier place to be.  The opportunity to be a witness to transformation will truly be an honor.  These last few months, it’s been inspiring to watch guests bravely open their hearts and minds, to try new foods, to embrace new ideas, to change their thinking, and to take comfort in knowing that we are all on an evolutionary path.  It will be a blessing to be of service to others.

If you have always yearned for a career where you can make a difference by helping and serving others, then contact us today: (800) 588-0809