Almost two decades ago, I traveled to a workshop at a retreat center in an old historic mansion in West Virginia. We lived and ate together for 5-days dong transformational work to heal our bodies, minds, and spirits. I returned many times over the years and formed deep friendships. Eventually, we started gathering together outside …Read More
Category: Education
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Water Consumption
The story of artificially intelligent (AI) machines taking over the world and eliminating humans is not new. Isaac Asimov, the grandfather of science fiction, created Three Laws of for Robotics in a short story written in 1942 for his “I, Robot” series. (Yes, that’s 1942!) Three Laws of Robotics by Isaac Asimov Science fiction often …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
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
Oral Storytelling Performance: Creative Writing, Public Speaking, and Theater
Storytelling in the oral tradition begins with a story idea that we craft into a story. Today, with the focus on the written word, we call this crafting process “writing.” Whether it begins on paper or not, the story crafting process begins with the “creative writing” process. This “writing” process might begin simply with imagination, …Read More
Strong Like Bamboo ~ Eth-Noh-Tec
Bamboo is strong, but flexible. Bamboo will bend and not break. Bamboo is resilient. In response to recent violence against Asian Americans, Nancy Wang and Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo decided to create an interactive community program to address discrimination and racism. This husband and wife team perform together as Eth-Noh-Tec, tandem storytellers that weave words and choreography …Read More
Creating Safe Space for Story
The students had just divided into groups to share about a story idea that was triggered by the prompt. They each had a few minutes to share while the partner listened. The partner then shared one thing that liked about the story. Afterwards, I asked, “How was the experience?” One of the students raises his …Read More
Pig Butchering Scams
It is a well-known fact that you should “fatten the pig” before slaughter. If you raise livestock, you need to feed the livestock (and feed them well) if you intend to harvest them for meat. If this offends your sensibilities, you might want to think twice about eating bacon. The facts behind how food gets …Read More
It’s all in how you read it
This month, FGCU Students went to a middle school afterschool program as part of the Roots of Compassion and Kindness (ROCK) Center. The cafeteria was filled with over 90 middle school kids and 25 college students divided into six different groups for activities that encourage empathy, compassion, and kindness. The college students described it as …Read More
I’m a ROCK star!
“I’ve got a teaching position for you.” Dr. Maria Roca, PhD, is the Director of the Roots of Compassion and Kindness (ROCK) Center at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in Fort Myers, Florida. Launched in 2020, ROCK promotes compassion, kindness, and empathy through education, action, and research. One important project of the center is teaching …Read More