We had the good fortune of connecting with Erin Barger and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Erin, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
From joining the U.S. Peace Corps fresh out of undergrad to helping launch a 20 year plan for Athens, Ga, so much of my life trajectory would have been closed to me without a willingness to take big jumps for good reasons. My life is a tapestry of brilliant colors woven by threads of all surprising kinds and textures. Without risk, that tapestry would be monochromatic and not a reflection of what I really believe to be true, that perfect love casts out fear.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What I am most grateful for are the relationships I have built along the way, across two decades of community development work and learning to love my neighbor. Just last week I received an email from a young woman whom I met as a Peace Corps Volunteer in China. She was living in an orphanage there, and she remembered our visits as the best days of her life in that place. I had no clue that this engagment made that level of difference, and would have done it no matter the outcome. No doubt, loving your neighbor as yourself creates a life that overflows with rich love and inexplicable and immeasurable rewards.
Prioritizing relationships in a professional environment is not easy because it requires time and authentic investment, but investing in people is the only way. Investments in people is not a waste and it cannot be about the return…it asks and answers its own call, as Kundera said. My view from the beginning of my career has been “human first,” meaning that if a team member has a personal or professional challenge, or needs to make a move that will be difficult for the organization to weather, I committed to supporting and caring for them as a “human first,” and worker or team member second. This person first approach has provided the immense honor of building strong, caring relationships with people along the way. Decades of relationships, built in this manner, create a tapestry of a life that is so brilliant with color and light, it is almost overwhelming. Honoring people is never a mistake. And loving them is never a waste.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
It is tough to limit the wonders of Athens to a weekend, but based upon personal tastes, there would have to be Dawg Gone Good BBQ in downtown Athens as well as any meal for which Peter Dale is responsible (Maepole, National, Condor Chocolates, the list goes on). Coffee at Buvez, Jittery Joe’s, and Hendershots at some point would be a must, to see Landon Bubb, Charlie Mustard and Seth Hendershot, respectively.
My home away from home in this town is the Athens YMCA, and so any weekend trip would include watching the Brothers Barger (our sons) engage in some athletic feats at our local Y, and going for a walk on their trails, greeting the dozens of people who make this their space to play and learn. Our Y builds community for all in a beautiful way.
Worship would be included, and so one of our houses of faith that brings people of all ages, races, backgrounds together would be key for us, like Calvary Bible Church. For an outdoor experience, we would have to make time for the Greenway, Sandy Creek Park, or one of the many greenspaces stewarded by Leisure Services. As soon as shows return safely, catching live music at the 40 Watt or Ga Theatre would be essential.
Truly, the only difficult thing about planning would be limiting the options.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Thank you for asking! No one arrives anywhere worth going alone. My father, Anthony Mullins, always believed I could do and be anything, and was my champion every day he lived. When I am doubting myself or my work’s value, I see his face and hear his voice. My mother provided and continues providing the nurture and and care that holds it all together. My partner Brian, and sons, Lazarus, Atticus, and Moses, teach me something new about home and true love every day. They are my heroes and greatest loves. Athens is full of everyday heroes who I am honored to call my neighbors and friends: Zach Burgess, who was a both my brother and hero….my personal Barnabas and encourager, Solomon Smothers, as well as mentors like David Bradley, Michele Pearson, Ed and Jeanne Culp, and Pat McElroy. My life has been filled to the brim with examples of divine love, and I am grateful for the reflections of our Creator in so many Athenians and friends beyond. That list would require your entire site, and then some.
Website: www.envisionathens.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/envision_athens/?hl=en
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinbarger/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnvisionAthens
Image Credits
Ryan Johnson