For Cathleen Lundgren, True Love is rooted in autonomy, intuition and helping others pursue the lives they once thought were out of reach
Cathleen Lundgren hasn’t taken off the amber pendant she bought in Hawaii in nearly 20 years.
It’s a warm amber stone set in silver. But for Lundgren, founder of True Love 20/20 Vision Consulting, the pendant marks the moment she promised herself she would reclaim her own voice.
She spotted the pendant in a market in Hawaii and, immediately drawn to it, she pointed it out to her husband. Later, he presented her with a gift box—but inside was a completely different piece of jewellery.
“I looked at it and asked why he didn’t purchase the one that I wanted,” Lundgren recalls. “He said that he was the one who was going to be looking at me, so he wanted to see something he thought was pretty.”
The next morning, after he left for the airport, she returned to the market and bought the pendant herself. She hid it for a year and, during that time, paid attention to how many times her voice or her choice was controlled.
“It turned out it was with everything,” she says. “From the food I ate and the clothes I wore to the job I had and where the shrubs were in the garden.”
When she finally put the pendant on permanently, she promised “to have my own dreams and to stand my ground.”
Today, that philosophy sets the foundation for both her personal life and her consulting business—a venture focused on helping people pursue ambitions they may have set aside for years.
“True Love 20/20 Vision Consulting is a pathway to realizing the dreams of people who want to do something that they love,” Lundgren explains. “Dreams can feel out of reach, and I bring them out of the clouds and into the steps that create the desired outcome.”
Unlike traditional consulting firms, Lundgren says, there is no standard list of services because “each client has a [unique] dream of their own.”
Her role is helping people rediscover possibilities they have pushed aside while navigating careers, responsibilities or relationships.
“In a world where we are given many societal constructs to abide by, we tend to put our childhood dreams away,” she says. “I provide permission for people to follow their dreams by giving them the tools they need, the network of support and the access to opportunities.”
Over the years, Lundgren has worked on political campaigns, arts initiatives, national fundraising efforts and music careers, but she says “human connection” is the thread tying it all together.
“My clients come from similar circumstances,” she says.
“Some have always been told they are not good enough. Some have been supporting other people in their journeys, but are now ready to embark on their own.”
She adds: “Their life has been filled with obligation and routine, and they are hoping that what they have lived is not all they are being given. I see it as people finding their personal grail and we go on the quest to find it.”
One recent example stands out as Lundgren recalls watching one of her music clients attend the BC Country Music Awards as a nominee. He initially arrived in her office months earlier, discouraged and struggling with confidence.
“He transformed from a man who could barely get through playing a song to the artist standing tall in front of me with his wife smiling and beaming with pride,” she says. “That is when I know I’ve done my job.”
And what does she hope her clients gain?
“I hope my clients walk away with a sense of self. After working with me, they will have faced fears and succeeded—at the very least—in trying. Trying is all we can do. Success only comes after you try a few times and learn from the experiences.”
Lundgren speaks often about energy, intuition and partnership as foundations for creative work and personal growth.
“Energy and balance between people is the cornerstone to positive outcomes,” she says. “All of my clients have to believe in two things: themselves and divine timing.”
A tattoo on her wrist—a Celtic symbol representing love and unity—serves as a reminder of that philosophy.
“Everyone has their own source of energy and when you put them together, it has to feel good,” she says. “That is where my intuition comes in.”
Trust is also important; collaboration can’t exist without it.
“A true partnership means that I am your ‘ride or die,’” she says, adding that honesty, commitment, readiness and willingness must all be in place before people can fully pursue their goals.
Her approach has led her into a range of projects. She’s currently working with hockey-player-turned-artist Richard Brodeur; she’s helped numerous musicians and supported nationally recognized awareness campaigns, including childhood cancer advocate Megan McNeil’s The Will to Survive. In Fort Nelson, she project-managed the Northern Lights Festival, helping secure more than $200,000 in federal economic development funding. Closer to home, she also served as deputy campaign manager for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford MP
Jeff Kibble.
Living in Ladysmith, she hopes to continue building projects that allow her to spend more time with her children—Zari, Jett and Bella—and her mother in Parksville. She also continues pursuing creative ambitions of her own, including writing a television series and, she admits with a laugh, singing karaoke “whenever I get the chance.”
Looking back, it’s the pendant that marks the moment her world pivoted and she stopped waiting for permission. Today, both in life and in business, she’s helping others do the same.