Donor Spotlight
Enthusiast Jan Ögren
Jan Ögren is an avid supporter of the Green Center. An international author, Jan’s magical, realism novel, Dividing Worlds, was translated into Portuguese and published in Brazil in 2014. As a writer, Jan has never liked the use of the plural pronouns they /them, and their for a singular person and believes non-binary people deserve their own pronouns. Jan uses singular non-binary pronouns tey (they/she/he), tem (them/her/him), and teir (their/hers/his).
Two years ago, Jan had a difficult time deciding which Green Center concerts to include in teir (his/her) subscription. Tey didn’t recognize many of the performers, but knowing the quality of events presented by the Green Center Jan decided to take advantage of the 50% discount and get a full season subscription. “I will do this every year from now on,” Jan states. “Every one of them has been an experience I would not want to have missed. It’s fun giving away those tickets that I can’t use and introducing others to the Green Center.”
Tey (she/he) grew up in Paris France, going to the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and the Paris opera and appreciates a well-designed, beautiful concert hall. Jan’s father was a diplomat for the United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Service. He was instrumental in arranging the 1976 Paris blind tasting between US and French wines.
Jan is a graduate of SSU Master’s in Counseling program which brought tem (him/her) to Sonoma County. The education tey received was exceptional, giving tem a firm foundation in psychotherapy. In addition to teir (her/his) private practice, Jan worked for the California state licensing board as a subject matter expert, and established a law and ethics committee for local therapists. Having a solid foundation in psychotherapy has allowed Mx. Ögren to integrate tier 40 year spiritual apprenticeship with Mescalero Apache teachers and offer clients psychological shamanism, which is the blending of shamanistic and therapeutic techniques to help people recover from trauma and access their authentic spiritual Self.
Jan is an avid Pickleball player and brought a group of 25 Pickleball friends to Kool and the Gang for a party on the lawn and dancing. “My entertainment year centers on the Green Music Center,” Jan says. “Being a donor, I’ve gotten to meet people at the lounge during intermission, and before the concerts. Last year, the performance of Ezell by Clear Creek Creative was one of the most original performances I’ve ever attended. It took place at SSU’s Sonoma Mountain campus starting with a performance, then a walk accompanied by fiddlers playing in the woods. It finished with a special meal where my friends and I enjoyed meeting Jacob Yarrow, the director of the Green Music Center and his wife. If I hadn’t been a full season subscriber, I doubt I would’ve chosen that show and I would’ve missed an event of a lifetime.”
You can learn more about Jan, read stories, and watch videos on psychological shamanism at JanOgren.net and JanOgren.blog. Jan lives in Rohnert Park in a house with 14 fruit trees, and two annoyingly intelligent cats.
You can join Jan! Become a donor at the Enthusiast Level today, and reap the benefits of subscribing to our next full season. Learn about the benefits from making a gift and the different ways to give to the Green Music Center or contact Kris Berger at bergerk@sonoma.edu or 707-664-3814.
