Chief connection officer

Mama Kay's Transition
As most of you know, my beloved Mom and I were SUPER close… We had such a fantastic relationship. I had the honor, privilege and intense experience of being with her every day for the last month of her life. She transitioned like a goddess… on a FULL moon, April 6th, 2023. Now, every full moon, I look up to the sky and say tearfully, gratefully, "Hi Mama!" We celebrated her life with her church & Duluth community (& some of you all virtually & in-person) April 29, 2023. The link to her celebration of life is below.

Celebration of Life for Muriel "Kay" Strand

Papa Rollie's Transition

My beloved father and I were also close. In a different way than my Mom, but we talked often about teaching, life, and he told me (and my siblings and his former players) "I Love You" on a regular basis. Many call him a Life Coach as well as a sports coach. And HE WAS. He taught all four of his children so much about life, relationships, love, leadership, communication... myriad lessons I can't begin to cover in this short paragraph.

My parents died about 15 months apart. My Mom April 2023 and Dad July 2024. It's been A LOT. I'm still processing, giving space and grace with grief. If you'd like to learn more about me and/or my parents, one of the best ways is to watch their memorials. We celebrated their lives with music, many stories, and I gave eulogies at both of their services. Many have said they were the best memorials they've ever experienced. That they rewatch to remind them of who they want to be and how they want to live...

Celebration of Life for Rollie "Coach" Strand

Most Valuable Cuddler (MVC)
Mom absolutely LOVED these events. I often say she was my MVC (Most Valuable Cuddler). For anyone NEW to Cuddle Concerts, now called Connection Concerts, there's a ticket link above & button below for saving your spot with a longer description specific to each event, but let me just share this…

Integrated Sharing of Gifts/Healing
These events are a lifetime in the making for me. My whole life has culminated into facilitating, holding space & creating this type of experience & bringing people together to HEAL, CONNECT, PLAY & LOVE each other! In a caring, consent-based, platonic experience...
We combine MUSIC, dance, ceremonial cacao, wellness arts, authentic relating and consent exercises to bring people together to deepen connections in community & create a healing environment and experience… These elements have all been REALLY IMPORTANT parts of my life, especially allowing me to intentionally create a life of learning, growth, healing, movement, dance & music! And, they're all supported by RESEARCH... that these elements have helped, throughout human history to heal & build resiliency.

Life Research & Resiliency

I have cultivated & found profound INTEGRATION, healing and RESILIENCY discovered & revealed from over 25 years of personal, spiritual growth & the intense experiences of losing TWO of the MOST important people in my life. Mom & Marcus have been the most powerful & expansive relationships of spiritual growth/evolution, creativity & co-mentorship… Being both of their caregivers & medical advocates for the last months of their lives transformed me into someone who understands grief, transmutation & the profound GIFT of birth, presence, breath, life & death. 

For anyone curiously thinking, 'what are the details of these two loves & their lives, illnesses & deaths?' I’ll talk about that more at the event, but the broad strokes are: 

Marcus Lovemore

My partner Marcus Lovemore & I shared 9 years in-love. He was a lifelong meditator (logging thousands of hours & studying/integrating all the great spiritual methods/books/teachings) & an enlightened human who went through the process of dying with tremendous presence, grace, acceptance, love & gratitude. He transitioned from complications from surgery & side effects from unknown ideology kidney failure on November 4th, 2017 at age 45. 

Mama Kay (Kay Strand)

My Mom & I co-created a really close relationship where we were each other’s confidants & often emotional/mental & spiritual-processing buddies. She got me started in personal growth, paying for my first weekend seminar in 1997. I became her “way shower” (her words) and taught her much of the yoga, processing & growth tools I learned in myriad trainings and my master’s in spiritual psychology. She transitioned 14 years after her first diagnosis of breast cancer at age 82 April 6th 2023.

Be Curious

Our Cacao Connection Concerts are EXPERIENTIAL, so I encourage everyone to be CURIOUS.
Notice whatever thoughts or preconceived ideas you have when reading the description, and COME anyway!

Ask yourself: What can I be curious about & what can I learn from how I feel right now and from this experience?

Full of Love

My Mom told me a few months before she died…“Katie, I feel so FULL of LOVE. My life, my family, my friends, all wonderful, and YOUR EVENTS, connecting with your COMMUNITY & cuddling has FILLED ME UP with LOVE!" I’m crying as I write these words; remembering how emphatic she was when she shared this with me. "The connections are so powerful. I’m so grateful!!"

My Dad, who has never been to one of these events, was in awe when a small crew of our loving community descended upon our home in Duluth to massage, sing to and share LOVE with my Mom (& support me & my family) in her final days… he said: “I’m amazed at how strong the connections are with you, your friends & Mom… Mom has only known them for what, a year or so?! It’s incredible. Her face just LIT UP when she saw them…”

I hope you can come & experience this. I plan to have one Cacao Connection Concert per month in Minneapolis. I also plan to create these in other locations & would love your support! If you've been to a Cacao Concert and would like to fill out a feedback form, that helps us learn and improve upon these events! Feedback Form

In the meantime, reserve your spot using the link or button below & I hope to see you at our next Cacao Connection Concert!

Together we feel. Together we heal!
Love & Gratitude, 

Your Chief Connection Officer, 

Katie Strand