In 2018, I competed with one of my stories in the Toastmasters International Speech contest. Telling good stories is an essential part of giving speeches. While a speech concentrates on transmitting information and a message, the essence of story is to entertain with an often emotional journey. On the road to becoming the World Champion …Read More
Blog
It goes on …
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.” ~ Robert Frost On his 80th birthday in March of 1954, Robert Frost was interviewed by journalist and self-help writer, Ray Josephs. In September 1954, the Sunday newspaper supplement “This Week Magazine” published “Robert Frost’s Secret” by Josephs which included …Read More
Play is more than fun ~ Stuart Brown
Stuart Brown wrote the book on Play… literally. Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown “When we play, we are engaged in the purest expression of our humanity, the truest expression of our individuality… we feel most alive…” ~ Stuart Brown Play is a profound biological …Read More
Changed for Good ~ feat. Wicked
I’ve heard it said,That people come into our lives for a reasonBringing something we must learn. And we are led to thoseWho help us most to grow if we let them.And we help them in return. Well, I don’t know if I believe that’s trueBut I know I’m who I am todayBecause I knew you. …Read More
I’m going back to school for a Masters in English
Yes, you read it right. I’m going back to school for a Masters in English! After spending the first three decades of my life training to be a doctor, I’d had enough of school, but life has twists and turns. It took more than a decade to convince myself to return to school. In January …Read More
What is an invocation? ~ Join the online workshop
What is an invocation? In its simplest form, it’s a request or a “calling in” of a desired outcome. How do you “call in” what you want in 2025? We all have a longing for something – for change, for love, for connection, for transformation, for success, for better health – but finding ways to …Read More
Physician-Educator-Storyteller
In the reflective space between the old year and the new, I found three words to describe myself. It was 2018. I did not yet know how these words fit together; I just knew that they were potent. I would become a Physician-Educator-Storyteller. I bandaged the words together to create a new vision. I changed …Read More
Release and Renewal Retreat ~ Creating a Powerful Invocation
Join us this year and let us guide you in crafting a prayer and distilling it to its essence – as an invocation that will guide and inspire you in the new year – towards manifesting your soul’s dreams. Dr. Joel Ying and Suzanne Scurlock have been co-teaching the Release & Renewal Workshop for over …Read More
How I created my own MFA in Storytelling
A “Master of Fine Arts” degree or MFA is a graduate degree designed to deepen a student’s understanding and skills in a specific artistic field, such as creative writing, visual arts, or performing arts. With this degree, most will pursue a career in the creative arts or teaching. When I decided to become an oral …Read More
FGCU Sidewalk Talk – A Story Listening Event produced by Dr. Joel Ying
“Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health. Our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding in plain sight – one that can help us live healthier, more fulfilled, and more productive lives,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “Given the significant health …Read More