interview by Olivia Springer . photo by Beth Ellen

Name: Wendy Nethersole

Age: 53

Lives in: Gerton, North Carolina

How long have you lived here? Since 2007. We moved from Florida. My husband and I came here on our honeymoon in 1998.

What do you do? We have a foundation called Anam Cara. It’s all about helping people live from a heart-centered place, about living a joyful life. We actually just decided to create an office space downtown in a beautiful old renovated house in Montford.

Did you always know you wanted to do that? We always knew when we met each other that we wanted to serve and help others.

You say you live in Gerton. Where exactly is that, and do you live on a mountain? It’s about 25 minutes from Asheville and 3,200 feet up. We wanted to be out in the woods because we do a number of workshops, and we know how important it is to creating inner peace.

Where do you find your inner peace? Being in nature and with other people I love. I believe we all have soul family, it’s all about intentions and relationships, which is where the joy comes from.