Meet Natalie: Wayfinder & Owner
Hi! I’m Natalie. I’m the initiator, the owner, the wayfinder. I hold the vision.
I grew up in a rural town of grapes and cows in Northern California called Angels Camp, not too dissimilar in character from here. My high school mascot was a bullfrog. I spent summers river rafting with my family and the school year engaging in this and that community event. I started college at Whitman in Walla Walla, where I played volleyball and remember my first drive through the Gorge on a weekend away to the beach.
I have a vivid memory of using a payphone in The Dalles (yes, this was before cell phones!) to call my coach and let him know I’d be late for practice. I got in a bit of trouble for that.
I ended up transferring to Humboldt State where I earned a degree in Geology, and later finished up with a PhD in Fluvial Geomorphology from Colorado State University. Throughout graduate school, I would travel to the Gorge to go kayaking with my husband and friends, and in this time period travelled and competed internationally in extreme Whitewater competition events. In 2016, when I was pregnant with my first child, we bought the little house by the Logs and moved here in 2017.
By the time my second kid was on the way I was trying to balance scientific research, competitive kayaking and living in a new place with shallow roots. I was not doing to well. I felt spastic, lonely, exhausted, uncertain, confused, troubled, lost. In desperation, I hired a life coach to help me look inward, begin the process of rediscovering what makes me tick, and deconstruct unhelpful beliefs about work, value, and wealth.
Despite outward appearances of having it all, I had gone astray and was not living in integrity with myself. I deeply missed the neighborliness, community, and connection I grew up with in a small town. Instead, I was scattered, doing too much without being fully present for any of it. After a year of life coaching, I put my scientific research on hold and bought 1256 Hwy 141 in 2020, after staring at the “for sale” sign for eight months (I live across the street). I offered half of the asking price, and to my surprise, they accepted, suddenly ushering me into the journey of entrepreneurship.
I started the Missing Corner because I recognized what I needed (connection with my community) and the world situated me so that it was obvious what I had to do. I was gifted the financial means and asked to make this little operation happen by something beyond myself. When I bought the building, I promised myself it would be a pressure-free project: if I wasn’t enjoying it, it wasn’t worth doing.
Starting a business with this mindset has certainly been a lesson in surrender and patience., being absolutely OKAY with growing slow. Not forcing forward. Not pushing but simply holding the ideas and then being calm and patient enough to give the right nudge and spring into action at precisely the right moments.
This isn’t about pushing a boulder up a hill to someday reach the top. It’s about ENJOYING THE PROCESS of growing it. It’s about being okay if things don’t move while I sort out personal life, about setting it aside and then observing what’s needed. Then moving forward with effortless effort.
Whenever things feel sticky, I stop. It means not doing the things that drain me. If something needs to be done and I resist it, that usually means I need to find someone else who wants to do it. Sometimes months go by when it looks like nothing is happening—then suddenly a lot happens all at once..
For the first four years, I was experimenting and figuring things out—mostly on my own. But I also had an angel in Crystal Luster, who came to me and said, “You don’t know you need me, but you do.” She kept the place tidy (enough), gently prodded me along, and stood by my side through the uncertainties of starting something new. I’m forever grateful for her impromptu check-ins and her care for the space. She has since moved to The Dalles, and I sorely miss her uncomplicated friendship. I’m also deeply grateful to all the people who engaged with me and showed grace as I stumbled and learned along the way.
For the last four years, I have been on the runway, prepping the plane. At this moment, the Jet is revving its engines and about to takeoff. I’m the navigator and I finally have a pilot in Amber and a flight attendant in Carrie.
Come along with us for a fantastic journey forging re-connection and new connection with our neighbors and the land in which we live.
Find out more about my mission and values, economic philosophy, and vision,
