Julie Costa

This inter-denominational presentation is ideally suited for a Parish Women's Luncheon, Key Note Address at a Retreat, Christian Mom's Group, or a Spiritual Wellness Center.

The talk is a typically 45 minutes long but can be shorter or longer as needed.

The speaker also hosts break-out sessions on various topics for groups attending daylong or weekend retreats in and around the Twin Cities.

In addition to being an inspirational speaker, Julie is a professional spiritual director, meeting with individual directees in private practice. Spiritual direction creates an environment for a person to tap into their inner wisdom and discern God’s presence within the circumstances of their very real life.

For 30 years, Julie has been a Senior Volunteer Manager at Global Volunteers, an international non-profit organization based in St. Paul, MN. Julie has placed nearly 7000 individuals, couples, families, and groups on one- to three-week service programs in the United States and abroad. Julie provides human and economic development assistance through personally volunteering service teams in the USA, Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the West Indies, the South Pacific, and formerly, the People-to-People Educational Exchange in Cuba. Julie is committed to providing the everyday American an opportunity to be of genuine service on projects determined by local leadership. Each volunteer serves as a global neighbor and everyday diplomat, providing interpersonal peace waging.

She is the former director of Birthright of St. Paul, an all-volunteer crisis pregnancy center that is a “friend to turn to” for girls and women who fear they might be pregnant, providing free and confidential emotional and practical support for those experiencing a distressing pregnancy.

As a cultural and religious freelance writer, Julie wrote for the Bois Forte News, the community paper of an Ojibwa tribe in northern MN, and a ghost-writer of first-person vocational stories published in national recruitment magazines for single women considering a vowed religious vocation.

She is the widowed mom of two young adults, has nineteen years of parochial education, is a lifelong learner and practicing Christian, active in the ecumenical, interfaith, racial equity & justice communities.

This talk includes a power point presentation.