Musings on inner and outer sustainability
Lessons on personal sustainability, from nature
9 principles of biomimicry, with corresponding tips on how to create the conditions conducive to life, according to nature.
read moreNetworking with authenticity
Systems in nature network all the time. They are constantly exchanging information and energy, in mutually-beneficial ways.
read moreThe urgent need for Active Patience
I was offered the honor of a lifetime when Naropa University (where I received my Master’s degree) asked me to be the graduate speaker at my commencement in May 2014. I used this opportunity to speak about my deepest passions and yearnings. I talk about our role as humans on this planet, and the lessons that arise from the core of our beings when we let ourselves rest. I had a lot of fun crafting and delivering this gift, and I hope you enjoy receiving it as much as I enjoyed presenting it! Note: If you aren’t affiliated with...
read moreThe daily life of Nonviolent Communication
The juice of nonviolent communication (NVC) for me has been in noticing when violent communication wants to arise within me, pausing, and then following the golden rule. This pause becomes a form of self-care, because ultimately I want to be treated with kindness, and so it is my responsibility to treat others that way. Sometimes that means waiting until my walls have softened and the energy has settled from my ego back into my heart and gut, and then speaking from that natural space of what is really going on in me: my feelings and needs. ...
read moreAnother kind of love story…
…And another way to talk about sustainability. This is a story about a world where there is hope for the future, and a world where people feel empowered to take action for the sake of their individual and collective health. Let us together be a part of creating a better home.
read moreNever need for Apology
I’ll admit a little secret: I’m not always perfect. In fact, I’m rarely ever perfect. Nor would I wish to be. However, I do find a sense of integrity in vulnerability, in the flow state of learning in the present moment and being open to life. As a recent practice, I have been working with the notion of remorse. Inspired by Marshall Rosenberg, who teaches remorse as an alternative path to apology, I have been practicing being with the feelings associated with grief, instead of jumping past the moment and into repentance. This means that...
read moreHow to be who you are
If I were to describe to you what I’ve learned in my Environmental Leadership Master’s degree, I’d most likely tailor it specifically in a way you’re likely to understand, connect, and converse about it. You see, I want to have meaningful conversations with you about the health of the emotional self, the body of culture, and our home planet. Environmental Leadership is about taking a whole-systems view of the world, the interrelationships between people, and transforming the inner awareness. I might tell you about...
read moreHow to speak with heart
“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow-men; and along those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects” ~ Herman Melville Throughout my journey as an environmental leader, I’ve learned that communication is essential. The words we say and the ways we interact contribute to our karma in ways that can harm, and ways that can heal. The tools of empathetic attunement, resonance, and nonviolent communication have proven especially helpful in...
read moreRecipe for success
My best guide in life is a mixture of joy and terror. These feelings, when woven together, produce a powerful sense of aliveness and purpose. Without the joy, what’s the point? And without the terror, how can I grow and expand? These are the feelings I can always recognize as the threshold to an expanded consciousness. I felt this way before I chose to move to the place I now call home, when I applied to graduate school to go after my dreams, when I first adopted my dog-baby Dilly, before I entered into relationship with my love, and...
read moreOpening up to welcome in the world
I consider privacy to be a favorite luxury. I currently enjoy a life of independence, a supporting role behind the scenes, a hermitage of clandestine study. I love this life. I love the attention I can give to reading, sleeping, meditating, writing, and walking my dog. I love the relationship I have cultivated with myself. And, I also want a life of love and healthy relationships. My desire for a vibrant relationship trumps my desire to have my home to myself, and so, I recently opened up my home to welcome in my sweetheart. I realize...
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