In my late thirties, I dreaded the idea of midlife. “American Beauty” was a horror movie. I didn’t want to be Kevin Spacey when I grew up. It felt like such an emotionally-dehydrated life stage, and if you survived it, all you had to look forward to was disease, decrepitude, and death. 

And, then, I experienced it, and, yes, I had my U-curve of Happiness dip right around 47-49, but on the other side, I had my best decade ever, my fifties. 

Based upon all I’ve learned personally, as well as the thousands of life stories I’ve witnessed at MEA, the world’s first midlife wisdom school, I wrote a book that came out in 2024, “Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better With Age.” I’m looking forward to leading a weekend retreat at 1440 on this topic so I wanted to outline these 12 reasons.

First of all, American society (and Hallmark Cards) reminds you all the time what gets worse with age. We have an anti-aging industrial complex making money on our fears. And, yet, Yale’s Becca Levy’s research shows that when we shift our mindset on aging in midlife from a negative to a positive, we gain 7.5 years of additional life which is more added longevity than if we stopped smoking or started exercising at 50. So, what gets better with age? ‍

THE PHYSICAL LIFE

‍One: “I Have More Life Left Than I Thought”
What percentage of your adult life is still ahead of you? Most of us vastly underestimate how much life we still have ahead of us due to our lack of “longevity literacy.”

‍Two: “I’m Relieved My Body No Longer Defines Me”
Just as I got comfortable in my own skin, it started to sag. In midlife, we recognize that caring for our beauty or brawn should be less about short-term vanity and more about long-term maintenance.

THE EMOTIONAL LIFE

‍Three: “I’m Making Friends With My Emotions”
As we grow older, real beauty moves from the face to the heart. EQ (Emotional Intelligence) grows with age as we become less emotionally reactive. 

‍Four: “I Invest in My Social Wellness”
Illness starts with the letter I, while Wellness starts with the letters We. The most consistent variable with living a longer, healthier, happier life is how invested were we in our friendships in midlife and beyond. 

‍Five: “I Have No More ‘F****’ Left to Give”
“Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.”  — Chinese Taoist philosopher Lao Tze, born 6th century BC. Knowing what you care about allows you to liberate from everything else. 

THE MENTAL LIFE

‍Six: “I’m Marveling at My Wisdom”
Knowledge is in your iPhone. Wisdom is in your gut. Our painful life lessons are the raw material for our future wisdom, but most of us haven’t been taught how to cultivate this raw material. 

‍Seven: “I Understand How My Story Serves Me” 
No one knows your life story better than you. Understanding who you are and what you have to offer the world is the most valuable skill we develop in midlife and beyond. 

‍Eight: “I’ve Learned How to Edit My Life”
The trip only becomes a journey after you’ve lost your baggage. The first half of our life is about accumulating, while the second half is about editing. At MEA, we help people do a ritual called “The Great Midlife Edit.”

THE VOCATIONAL LIFE

‍Nine: “I’m Joyously Stepping off the Treadmill”
Midlife is when we outgrow our pursuit of happiness and start our practice of joy. Liberating yourself from the “successism” defined by your parents or society allows you to have more agency. 

‍Ten: “I’m Starting to Experience Time Affluence”
I have time to become a beginner again. Curiosity and an openness to new experiences are correlated with the good life after age 50, but it helps to have space in your life.

THE SPIRITUAL LIFE

‍Eleven: “I’ve Discovered My Soul”
Life is a horizontal journey, then a vertical one. Our primary operating system for the first half of our life is the ego and, then, with no warning, it becomes the soul as we get more curious about the meaning of life.

‍Twelve: “I Feel Like I’m Growing Whole”
“I’m here to be me, which is taking a great deal longer than I had hoped.” — Anne Lamott. The older people we most admire are alchemists of their polarities - extrovert and introvert, masculine and feminine - and are present for everything that’s inside of them.

MEET CHIP CONLEY

DISCOVER THE JOY OF MIDLIFE

To learn more about Learning to Love Midlife and discover how life gets better with age, join me for a weekend retreat at 1440. Together, we’ll explore the 12 reasons midlife is a time of growth, wisdom, and deeper joy. 

Learn More

I don’t think anyone has ever accused me of being “subtle.” I have a lot of opinions, I’m not afraid to share them, and I’m exceptionally focused and driven when it comes to getting a job done. I’m highly motivated by difficult situations and seemingly insurmountable tasks. I’m also wildly optimistic, collaborative, creative, and kind. I believe there is nothing a group of people can’t accomplish when they work together without judgment, and I believe that all people are capable of greatness if they’re given the chance. 

So when I found myself in that Google conference room back in 2008, listening to “feedback” that in retrospect was probably more about my manager than about me, I was gutted. I had spent the last 8 months working 60-70 hours per week on a big project, and had volunteered to leave my family for nine weeks to manage the onsite launch. With no extra pay or promise of promotion, I had given it everything I had because I wanted to help. And this was the result: sitting on the floor, crying my eyes out, and starting to wonder if I really was as “intimidating” and “abrasive” as my manager claimed. It sowed a seed of doubt that would cause me to constantly second-guess my own judgment for years to come. 

Women, particularly in male-dominated industries like tech, are often told they’re aggressive, emotional, intimidating, or harsh when they demonstrate typically masculine behaviors. Women are aggressive while men are confident. An emotional woman is just a passionate man. These are biases that have fueled the current performance review conundrum where the number of negative terms typically used to describe women at work far outnumbers those used to describe men. 

For women, it can be hard to parse the legitimate feedback that can help us become a more curious, compassionate professional from the (quite frankly) sexist garbage that’s designed to push conformity to outdated gender stereotypes. The key to authentic professional development (for everyone, but it’s even more critical for women) is to learn to distinguish the feedback that will help you grow from feedback that’s intended to diminish who you are, and to learn from all of it. A lot of it comes down to new ways of thinking about the nature of feedback itself. Here are a few shifts in mindset that may help: 

Not all feedback is a “gift”
Some feedback is just bad. It’s generalized, lacks examples, and is tinged with bias. It may even be more about the insecurities of the giver rather than the growth opportunities of the receiver. Yet, we’re all supposed to treat each piece of feedback like a “gift,” which is often misinterpreted to mean that it should be regarded as inarguable truth. Remember that feedback isn’t always accurate, and it’s not always about you. Sometimes it’s just a regifting of something someone else is trying to get rid of. 
 

You don’t have to accept feedback to learn from it 
Even the worst, most ungrounded feedback can present an opportunity for learning, whether about yourself or others. When you’re given feedback that feels unfair or inaccurate, take some time to process it. Acknowledge your emotions, then set them aside and look at the feedback with objective curiosity. Ask yourself: What can I learn in this moment that might have been hidden from me before? It may be consistent with the feedback, or it might be something completely different. Take an expansive approach, and be radically honest with yourself about what you discover. 

You’re better at assessing yourself than you think 
Self assessments are often positioned as only slightly better than useless in the tech industry. We’ve been told that other people are far more capable of accurately evaluating us than we are, and that if we think we’re self aware then we probably aren’t. And, it’s not true. There’s a growing collection of research out there that suggests the ratings of others, which largely define our fate at work, are systematically flawed. And, we are far better judges of our own experience than we’ve been made to believe, as long as we’re operating in psychologically safe environments. The next time you receive a piece of feedback that surprises you, ask yourself: “Am I really surprised, or am I scared?” You may land on an unexpected answer. 

After 14 years at Google, I received a lot of feedback: some was transformationally eye-opening, and some was deeply damaging. When I look back, the thing that amazes me most is that I spent so much of that time not being able to tell the difference. I treated it all the same - indisputable truths that needed to be accepted and implemented - and it wasn’t. No one person holds the whole truth; it’s a combination of perspectives. Feedback is important. I’ve learned a ridiculous amount about myself from embracing the perspectives of others. I’ve become far more curious and less convicted about my own “rightness” as a result, but I also allowed ungrounded feedback to damage my sense of self-worth, and that’s not an effective path for growth. What it all comes down to is a delicate balance between confidence and curiosity, and a willingness to learn from every experience and interaction. But that’s just my perspective. What’s yours? 

Sarah Deveraux is a Leadership Coach & Advisor with Third Coast Coaching and a member of the White Pine Leadership Collective, which will lead the FLOURISH: A Transformation Workshop for Women in Leadership on Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at 1440 Multiversity. Sarah has coached and facilitated for more than a decade on a variety of leadership topics including resilience, wellbeing, innovation, self-awareness, trust, complexity theory and systems thinking. She is passionate about developing senior women leaders in traditionally male-dominated industries, like tech, finance and manufacturing. For more information, visit whitepineleadership.com. 

I don’t think anyone has ever accused me of being “subtle.” I have a lot of opinions, I’m not afraid to share them, and I’m exceptionally focused and driven when it comes to getting a job done. I’m highly motivated by difficult situations and seemingly insurmountable tasks. I’m also wildly optimistic, collaborative, creative, and kind. I believe there is nothing a group of people can’t accomplish when they work together without judgment, and I believe that all people are capable of greatness if they’re given the chance. 

So when I found myself in that Google conference room back in 2008, listening to “feedback” that in retrospect was probably more about my manager than about me, I was gutted. I had spent the last 8 months working 60-70 hours per week on a big project, and had volunteered to leave my family for nine weeks to manage the onsite launch. With no extra pay or promise of promotion, I had given it everything I had because I wanted to help. And this was the result: sitting on the floor, crying my eyes out, and starting to wonder if I really was as “intimidating” and “abrasive” as my manager claimed. It sowed a seed of doubt that would cause me to constantly second-guess my own judgment for years to come. 

Women, particularly in male-dominated industries like tech, are often told they’re aggressive, emotional, intimidating, or harsh when they demonstrate typically masculine behaviors. Women are aggressive while men are confident. An emotional woman is just a passionate man. These are biases that have fueled the current performance review conundrum where the number of negative terms typically used to describe women at work far outnumbers those used to describe men. 

For women, it can be hard to parse the legitimate feedback that can help us become a more curious, compassionate professional from the (quite frankly) sexist garbage that’s designed to push conformity to outdated gender stereotypes. The key to authentic professional development (for everyone, but it’s even more critical for women) is to learn to distinguish the feedback that will help you grow from feedback that’s intended to diminish who you are, and to learn from all of it. A lot of it comes down to new ways of thinking about the nature of feedback itself. Here are a few shifts in mindset that may help: 

Not all feedback is a “gift”
Some feedback is just bad. It’s generalized, lacks examples, and is tinged with bias. It may even be more about the insecurities of the giver rather than the growth opportunities of the receiver. Yet, we’re all supposed to treat each piece of feedback like a “gift,” which is often misinterpreted to mean that it should be regarded as inarguable truth. Remember that feedback isn’t always accurate, and it’s not always about you. Sometimes it’s just a regifting of something someone else is trying to get rid of. 
 

You don’t have to accept feedback to learn from it 
Even the worst, most ungrounded feedback can present an opportunity for learning, whether about yourself or others. When you’re given feedback that feels unfair or inaccurate, take some time to process it. Acknowledge your emotions, then set them aside and look at the feedback with objective curiosity. Ask yourself: What can I learn in this moment that might have been hidden from me before? It may be consistent with the feedback, or it might be something completely different. Take an expansive approach, and be radically honest with yourself about what you discover. 

You’re better at assessing yourself than you think 
Self assessments are often positioned as only slightly better than useless in the tech industry. We’ve been told that other people are far more capable of accurately evaluating us than we are, and that if we think we’re self aware then we probably aren’t. And, it’s not true. There’s a growing collection of research out there that suggests the ratings of others, which largely define our fate at work, are systematically flawed. And, we are far better judges of our own experience than we’ve been made to believe, as long as we’re operating in psychologically safe environments. The next time you receive a piece of feedback that surprises you, ask yourself: “Am I really surprised, or am I scared?” You may land on an unexpected answer. 

After 14 years at Google, I received a lot of feedback: some was transformationally eye-opening, and some was deeply damaging. When I look back, the thing that amazes me most is that I spent so much of that time not being able to tell the difference. I treated it all the same - indisputable truths that needed to be accepted and implemented - and it wasn’t. No one person holds the whole truth; it’s a combination of perspectives. Feedback is important. I’ve learned a ridiculous amount about myself from embracing the perspectives of others. I’ve become far more curious and less convicted about my own “rightness” as a result, but I also allowed ungrounded feedback to damage my sense of self-worth, and that’s not an effective path for growth. What it all comes down to is a delicate balance between confidence and curiosity, and a willingness to learn from every experience and interaction. But that’s just my perspective. What’s yours? 

Sarah Deveraux is a Leadership Coach & Advisor with Third Coast Coaching and a member of the White Pine Leadership Collective, which will lead the FLOURISH: A Transformation Workshop for Women in Leadership on Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at 1440 Multiversity. Sarah has coached and facilitated for more than a decade on a variety of leadership topics including resilience, wellbeing, innovation, self-awareness, trust, complexity theory and systems thinking. She is passionate about developing senior women leaders in traditionally male-dominated industries, like tech, finance and manufacturing. For more information, visit whitepineleadership.com. 

The Mother Tree

If you’ve ever been to the 1440 campus, then you truly understand the amazing communal love for the majestic redwoods that cover our campus.

In addition to their physical presence that awes all of us, the presence of the redwoods is integrated into the very structures that sit beneath their beautiful boughs. Our largest auditorium is named Redwood, and the deck outside was actually built around the trees that were there first. And all the windows and doors that line Redwood allow for sublime glimpses of the forest all around.

Step off that deck and head down the stairs further into the woods (oh, it smells so good!) and you’re going to find something else quite special: the Mother Tree of 1440.

This one specific redwood is the beginning of the grove it’s surrounded by. Experts say the Mother Tree is around 1200 years old. She shades the amphitheater that we call Cathedral – it’s a quiet place perfect for solitude, journaling, meditation, or a pleasant conversation with new friends.

She’s Actually Working

The Mother Tree is thought of as the hub of the community that it grows in. She provides water and nutrients through fungal networks in the soil … and she’s actually “talking” with the other trees.

Scientists discovered that these underground fungal networks, known as mycorrhizal networks, aren’t only used to dispense food but also allow the trees to communicate with one another. These networks can be used to warn other trees about threats that might be incoming such as drought, insects, or disease.

In The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, author Peter Wohlleben writes:

We have learned that mother trees recognize and talk with their kin, shaping future generations. In addition, injured trees pass their legacies on to their neighbors, affecting gene regulation, defense chemistry, and resilience in the forest community.

Like humans, trees need more than food and water to thrive. Their communities and networks are vastly important to the survival of their collective – and this is where a mother tree plays such a key role.

We like to think that these lessons of passing resilience to our neighbors and our kin are not only present in the narratives and science around the 1440 trees but in the very work done at 1440. Whether you’re in a webinar, a program, or enjoying a little reflective time, you’re part of a community of like-hearted people looking to help and sustain each other, passing passion and resilience through the network (in-person or virtual), and cultivating each of the 1,440 minutes in a day – just like the Mother Tree and her grove of redwoods.

In the vicinity of the 1440 Mother Tree, you’ll find a sign with this inscription:

The Mother Tree: For more than 1,000 years, the Mother Tree – elder of this cathedral – has filtered nutrients and wisdom to the younger trees. Through underground root systems, she hosts conversations that increase the resilience of her entire community and remind us of our interconnectedness and shared resources.

If ever there was a time that our minds are full across the globe, this is it, right?

But “mind full” is not really what we mean by being mindful.

What exactly do we mean? Let’s go back to the definition of mindfulness.

Mindfulness (n):

• the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.

It sounds so easy. Just be aware! Be conscious.

But as we’ve found out repeatedly in this spring of COVID, being aware can be difficult and it can be kind of painful. Being alive can be kind of painful.

But there’s hope! Because the very act of being mindful – of using mindfulness – can help you to cope with pretty much everything that happens in your daily life, even now as we collectively deal with so much uncertainty.

Even better,mindfulness isn’t the kind of thing you only can do at certain times or in certain places.In fact, you can bring mindfulness and awareness into every moment of your life. Instead of dwelling on the past or looking to the future just sitting in awareness of the present moment can help you to find strength and purpose in that moment

With that in mind, think about everything that has changed in your life and how mindfulness might help you to cope with those changes.

• Think about how you’re feeling
• Don’t try to change anything
• Sink into awareness of how your body feels and where your thoughts are

But that’s not all mindfulness is! There’s so much more when you dive into it. And here’s the cool thing: you can practice mindfulness while waiting for a pot of coffee to brew, out in the garden, sitting on the couch, or even in a Zoom meeting!

Now, more than ever, mindfulness is a such a great tool for coping and thriving.

If you’re interested in learning more about mindfulness, please check out this on-demand recorded webinar:

• Living in the UnKnown with Gangaji

Marie Ucci is among the first friendly faces to greet guests visiting 1440 Multiversity. As a Guest Experience Agent, she books rooms, sends pre-arrival information, explains campus programs, and helps first-time visitors navigate the redwood-lined trails linking classrooms, accommodations and dining venues.

Ucci's responsibilities go far beyond distributing room keys and answering questions, however.

“We don't know what these guests are going through when they walk in the door. We don't know what happened to them five minutes or five years before they got here,” she says. "I really try to anticipate people's needs and create the best experience possible. If they give us information ahead of time, we'll do our best to accommodate preferences or tailor something special for their arrival. We want guests to have everything they need to feel welcomed and comfortable."

An aunt of Ucci’s first introduced her to 1440, and a close friend later started a job on the 75-acre campus in the Santa Cruz Mountains. As Ucci learned about the facility’s environment, educational programs and employee benefits, she found herself increasingly interested in career opportunities with the organization. 

“I had never worked in hospitality, but I felt really aligned with what 1440 offers. Their programs and cultural principles drew me in, and I wanted to be a part of that,” she says.

Ucci joined the 1440 team in late 2017, taking a part-time role at the campus marketplace, Common Goods. She also continued with a full-time night-shift role as a pricing coordinator for a regional grocery retailer. After two years, the demanding schedule caught up with her. Then, as Ucci was addressing the symptoms of burnout, her father passed away.

“I had to take a step back and look at how much I was working, what I was doing, and where my life was going,” she says.

Ucci briefly transitioned to an on-call role with 1440 and focused on the retail job she’d held for 10 years, but that path no longer felt like a good fit.

“I couldn’t do it anymore. I wasn’t sleeping enough, and I wasn’t processing my emotions or dealing with the grief of losing my dad. I wasn’t feeling good in my body, and I felt like my health was declining,” she says.

When a front desk position opened at 1440, Ucci rejoined the organization. She’s since started working on her bachelor’s degree, as well. After studying communications at Cabrillo College, Ucci will transfer to the San Jose State University psychology program in the fall. She’ll continue working at 1440 as she pursues an advanced degree and a career in therapy.

“1440 has been very accommodating of my schedule, which is amazing and makes school a lot less stressful,” says Ucci, who appreciates both that flexibility and the inspiration she draws from her guest-facing role. “It’s such a fulfilling job. Talking to guests about their experiences here and seeing them shine really gives me energy.”

Individuals often arrive on the 1440 campus uncertain of what to expect, she explains. They might feel overwhelmed by work or life circumstances, or maybe they’ve experienced personal trauma. Some are simply tired after dealing with ongoing pandemic challenges. 

“I’ll chat with them throughout their stay, and I can just see them radiate with new energy. By the time we say farewell, there’s so much more vitality. You can tell that they’ve had a chance to rest or rejuvenate or heal, and they’ve had an experience here that they probably would not have had anywhere else. It’s beautiful to witness that transformation,” Ucci says.

She’s also gone through her own transformation as part of the campus family. Employees are encouraged to participate in 1440 Signature Classes, which explore mindfulness, creativity, nutrition, wellness and other topics. Ucci especially enjoyed attending an on-campus holistic health workshop led by Dr. Andrew Weil, a luminary faculty member and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine. In an experience she calls “a dream come true,” she was a guest at his cooking demonstration, learned about anti-inflammatory foods, and practiced the stress-reducing 4-7-8 breathing technique that she now uses when life gets busy.

Opportunities like these have helped Ucci reinforce her emotional and physical health, while also processing the loss of her father.

"Since my dad died, I've really been tapping into my grief and learning about it. I've also been able to speak about it in conversations with some of my co-workers. The environment here allows and encourages us to discuss those hard topics,” Ucci says. “The 1440 team is a family. We care about each other. There are a lot of opportunities for individual growth, so if you’re curious about hospitality and about yourself, it's a great place to work.”

The conversations, workshops and wellness practices that Ucci has adopted during her time at 1440 have also helped her clarify personal goals and build confidence.

“I have a better sense of who I am and what I can accomplish. Maybe I had some doubts before, but the process of working here and learning about myself has really proven that I can go after my dreams and ask for what I want,” she says. “Every day, I can show up as I am and feel confident in myself.”

Interested in becoming one of the Hearts of 1440 and joining the team? Learn more on our Careers site. 

Marie Ucci is among the first friendly faces to greet guests visiting 1440 Multiversity. As a Guest Experience Agent, she books rooms, sends pre-arrival information, explains campus programs, and helps first-time visitors navigate the redwood-lined trails linking classrooms, accommodations and dining venues.

Ucci's responsibilities go far beyond distributing room keys and answering questions, however.

“We don't know what these guests are going through when they walk in the door. We don't know what happened to them five minutes or five years before they got here,” she says. "I really try to anticipate people's needs and create the best experience possible. If they give us information ahead of time, we'll do our best to accommodate preferences or tailor something special for their arrival. We want guests to have everything they need to feel welcomed and comfortable."

An aunt of Ucci’s first introduced her to 1440, and a close friend later started a job on the 75-acre campus in the Santa Cruz Mountains. As Ucci learned about the facility’s environment, educational programs and employee benefits, she found herself increasingly interested in career opportunities with the organization. 

“I had never worked in hospitality, but I felt really aligned with what 1440 offers. Their programs and cultural principles drew me in, and I wanted to be a part of that,” she says.

Ucci joined the 1440 team in late 2017, taking a part-time role at the campus marketplace, Common Goods. She also continued with a full-time night-shift role as a pricing coordinator for a regional grocery retailer. After two years, the demanding schedule caught up with her. Then, as Ucci was addressing the symptoms of burnout, her father passed away.

“I had to take a step back and look at how much I was working, what I was doing, and where my life was going,” she says.

Ucci briefly transitioned to an on-call role with 1440 and focused on the retail job she’d held for 10 years, but that path no longer felt like a good fit.

“I couldn’t do it anymore. I wasn’t sleeping enough, and I wasn’t processing my emotions or dealing with the grief of losing my dad. I wasn’t feeling good in my body, and I felt like my health was declining,” she says.

When a front desk position opened at 1440, Ucci rejoined the organization. She’s since started working on her bachelor’s degree, as well. After studying communications at Cabrillo College, Ucci will transfer to the San Jose State University psychology program in the fall. She’ll continue working at 1440 as she pursues an advanced degree and a career in therapy.

“1440 has been very accommodating of my schedule, which is amazing and makes school a lot less stressful,” says Ucci, who appreciates both that flexibility and the inspiration she draws from her guest-facing role. “It’s such a fulfilling job. Talking to guests about their experiences here and seeing them shine really gives me energy.”

Individuals often arrive on the 1440 campus uncertain of what to expect, she explains. They might feel overwhelmed by work or life circumstances, or maybe they’ve experienced personal trauma. Some are simply tired after dealing with ongoing pandemic challenges. 

“I’ll chat with them throughout their stay, and I can just see them radiate with new energy. By the time we say farewell, there’s so much more vitality. You can tell that they’ve had a chance to rest or rejuvenate or heal, and they’ve had an experience here that they probably would not have had anywhere else. It’s beautiful to witness that transformation,” Ucci says.

She’s also gone through her own transformation as part of the campus family. Employees are encouraged to participate in 1440 Signature Classes, which explore mindfulness, creativity, nutrition, wellness and other topics. Ucci especially enjoyed attending an on-campus holistic health workshop led by Dr. Andrew Weil, a luminary faculty member and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine. In an experience she calls “a dream come true,” she was a guest at his cooking demonstration, learned about anti-inflammatory foods, and practiced the stress-reducing 4-7-8 breathing technique that she now uses when life gets busy.

Opportunities like these have helped Ucci reinforce her emotional and physical health, while also processing the loss of her father.

"Since my dad died, I've really been tapping into my grief and learning about it. I've also been able to speak about it in conversations with some of my co-workers. The environment here allows and encourages us to discuss those hard topics,” Ucci says. “The 1440 team is a family. We care about each other. There are a lot of opportunities for individual growth, so if you’re curious about hospitality and about yourself, it's a great place to work.”

The conversations, workshops and wellness practices that Ucci has adopted during her time at 1440 have also helped her clarify personal goals and build confidence.

“I have a better sense of who I am and what I can accomplish. Maybe I had some doubts before, but the process of working here and learning about myself has really proven that I can go after my dreams and ask for what I want,” she says. “Every day, I can show up as I am and feel confident in myself.”

Interested in becoming one of the Hearts of 1440 and joining the team? Learn more on our Careers site. 

Tucked away in a quiet corner of the 1440 Multiversity campus, the Cathedral amphitheater welcomes guests in a peaceful creek-side setting shrouded by redwoods. One tree stands out in this towering, old-growth forest. The Mother Tree has been thriving here for nearly 1,200 years, serving as a beacon of resilience and strength in an unpredictable world.

Redwood trees grow close together in clusters. Over time, the roots of each tree intertwine with the roots of neighboring redwoods. Together, the trees in these groves stabilize and support each other, sharing nutrients and standing strong against gusty winds or high waters. 

For 1440 Landscaping Technician Sergio Canchola, the interconnectedness of the Mother Tree and the surrounding redwoods reflects the relationships of his 1440 campus family. 

"The roots of the redwoods support each other. One tree helps another, and that's what I see happening with the people here," Canchola says. "We have good managers. They are like a good base. They teach us good habits, which make our roots stronger, and that helps each of us be stronger together. We have a very good team here. It makes me very happy."

Canchola joined the 1440 team about five years ago, after owning an independent landscaping business for 25 years. He worked with residential and commercial clients in the Santa Cruz area, nurturing an interest in plants that took root during his childhood in Mexico. His father was a farmer, and Canchola enjoyed helping the family care for corn, tomatoes, lettuce, lemons, avocados and other crops.

“People know I have a green thumb. I love to grow things,” he says.

Canchola’s own business grew steadily over the years, despite personal challenges. He is a three-time cancer survivor who received his first cancer diagnosis 20 years ago. A decade after that, he faced surgery for colon cancer. Five years ago, Canchola went through another round of cancer treatments. Bouncing back from the most recent diagnosis was difficult, personally and professionally.
 

“I lost many clients at that time, and I was feeling very depressed,” he says. 

Eager to return to the kind of work he loved, Canchola started looking for landscaping jobs. He applied for an opening at 1440, and immediately saw opportunities to improve soil conditions, refine irrigation systems and enhance the natural beauty of the 75-acre campus in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

“I was motivated to get back to my work and activities,” he says. “I love tending the plants here. It brings me a lot of satisfaction to make the 1440 campus more beautiful.”

Canchola enjoys the variety of his workdays, which typically start around 6 a.m. He spends 20 to 30 minutes surveying the grounds, looking for any maintenance issues that need immediate attention. As part of a general safety sweep, he might replace outdoor light bulbs or clear leaves from sidewalks and building entrances. From there, he gets busy replacing plants, putting down mulch, trimming trees, or taking steps to control natural erosion along Carbonera Creek, which flows through campus.

Canchola also monitors nearly five miles of trails that lace along the hills and forests of the 1440 grounds. In addition to maintaining wooden steps and railings along those walking paths, he removes debris and cares for native plants set along the trails. Watching the long-term growth of the shrubs and flowers he has planted is one of the highlights of his work. 

“We always have lots of things to do. But, little by little, we continue to fix things and make this campus even more beautiful. We are making the landscape look like a park,” Canchola says.

He sees great beauty in the California bay laurels, madrones (also known as strawberry trees), and other trees that surround him as he works. But, over the past five years, Canchola has developed a special affinity for redwoods. 

“Before, I was working near the ocean, which has different fauna and plants and is a more open landscape. Now, the redwoods are my favorite. They’re so beautiful, and they stay green, always. I like their resilience,” he says.

Like the redwoods that inspire him, Canchola supports the people who surround him, too. As a child, he picked up the basics of sign language to communicate with friends who were deaf. Later in life, he expanded his understanding by studying American Sign Language (ASL). 

“I started 10 years ago, focusing on the grammar and the correct ways to sign and teach. I learned from friends, books, movies and classes. I also learned from a friend who has a license as an interpreter,” Canchola says.

Together with his wife and two children, who are also proficient in ASL, Canchola enjoys volunteering in the local deaf community. The family has impacted the lives of individuals as far north as San Francisco and Oakland, and as far south as Soledad and Greenfield, in southern Monterey County.

“Some friends of mine moved from Mexico to California, and they have a deaf child. I taught the child and the family to read American Sign Language. I also volunteer to teach other parents who have deaf kids, and I’m teaching free classes to people here and in other cities. It’s a group of friends that gets bigger and bigger,” Canchola says.

Working at 1440 has expanded Canchola’s friendship circle, as well. He’s gotten to know his coworkers on a personal level, thanks to bonds built during the monthly Family Meal. Team members from across campus dine together, share stories, and answer a question of the day that sparks conversations about a variety of topics. Canchola also appreciates the weekly meetings that bring teams together to review projects, exchange ideas and resolve challenges. And, he values the ongoing kindness and support of his managers and 1440’s co-creators, Joanie and Scott Kriens.

“Scott and Joanie, when they see me, they call me by my name. It feels very good. I’m part of the team. They look at us like friends,” he says. “This place is very peaceful, and it motivates me. It feels like there is safety. People are mindful. They are very humble. They always think about service.”

Canchola believes that team camaraderie and connections with the natural world make his work at 1440 more engaging than past roles, where the paycheck was the main reward.

“The rewards for me are the 1440 team and working in a pretty place,” he says. “Sometimes, people will see my 1440 shirt when I’m at the store, and they’ll ask if I work there. I tell them that I work in landscaping there, and they’ll say, ‘Wow…That is such a beautiful place.’ It’s not just me that makes it beautiful. It’s everybody. But I am a part of that team, and it makes me very proud.”

Searching for a meaningful career? Explore our available career opportunities. 

In early 2020, weeks after the COVID-19 pandemic paused public and private events at 1440 Multiversity, the campus culinary team turned its focus to the community. Santa Cruz County needed help feeding individuals in area shelters, so 1440 Assistant Director of Food & Beverage Deric Nadeau started making plans.

Virus transmission details were sparse at that time, and safety was Nadeau’s top priority. He broke the kitchen facilities into different sections, assigned small staff teams to each section, and outlined schedules that kept crews from overlapping. Then, teams got to work crafting nourishing food from locally farmed ingredients and elements grown at 1440, in Joanie’s Garden.

“We made about 60,000 meals for homeless individuals over the course of three months. We had about 40 people working at Kitchen Table, our culinary facility, and not a single case of Covid. Creating that system and seeing our team succeed was heartwarming. It’s one of my proudest accomplishments at 1440,” Nadeau says.  

A unique background in business and baking positioned Nadeau to make an impact with the Kitchen Table crew. It is surprising, though, that he never intended to work in the food and beverage industry. Growing up, Nadeau watched a few family members navigate the ups and downs of restaurant employment. He wanted to follow a different path. 

Still, when a casino opened near his Michigan university, the finance major saw a way to earn some tuition money. Nadeau planned to wash dishes until he turned 21, when he could work as a dealer. But at the casino, a pastry chef noticed his work ethic and encouraged Nadeau to join the bakery team.

"Within three months of working in the bakery, I knew that food was something I wanted to do. I truly enjoyed it, and I was picking things up faster than others. People who had been in the industry for decades were coming to me for guidance and direction. That's when I realized that I had a future here," he says.

Interested in expanding his culinary experience while taking some time to explore, Nadeau went to Australia on a working holiday visa. He spent six months as a pastry chef in a high-end Melbourne restaurant, helped open a patisserie in Darwin, and traveled around Australia, New Zealand and Europe before landing back in Michigan.

Nadeau continued working in local restaurants as he finished his finance degree. Then, after shivering his way through another snowy winter, he decided to move west. He spent some time exploring the California coast, and ultimately fell for the ocean scenery and easy mountain access of Santa Cruz. Though a job took him to the Grand Canyon, Nadeau kept an eye on Craigslist. Four months into his Arizona adventure, he spotted an ad for openings at 1440.

"I sent in an application. The day I heard back about an interview, I put in my notice at the Grand Canyon and came out here on a whim. I was hired a week later," Nadeau says. "This place just had an energy that drew me to it. I left my interview feeling like this is where I need to be, and that's not a feeling I've ever had anywhere else."

He joined the team led by then-Executive Chef and current Director of Culinary & Innovation Kenny Woods in May 2017 – the last cook hired to the talented group – about three weeks before 1440 opened to the public. Though he’d always worked as a pastry chef, Nadeau now wanted to gain expertise in plant-based cooking and savory dishes. A few days before the first guests arrived, however, he overheard Woods and the executive sous chef discussing their search for a baker.

“I swore to myself that I wasn't going to do it, but after a couple of days of listening to them, I finally set down my knife and said, ‘You guys know that I'm a pastry chef, right?’” Nadeau says.

He worked as a hybrid pastry chef-cook for his first few months at 1440, and then moved into a chef de cuisine role. After taking the initiative to write prep lists, manage ordering and make back-of-house decisions, Nadeau earned a promotion to executive sous chef. When a front-of-house manager left, he stepped into a senior operations manager position, which he held until March 2022 when he was elevated to Assistant Director of Food & Beverage.

The opportunity neatly blends Nadeau’s experience in the culinary arts and business.

“I oversee finances, teams, proposals and administration, along with day-to-day operations. I've built a lot of systems and spreadsheets that we use to manage food cost and labor budgets. I think quite often about how I’ve come full-circle back to that finance degree,” he says.

In addition to streamlining budgets and creating efficiencies, Nadeau has helped build 1440’s supportive kitchen and campus culture. He’s proud of his team’s ability to take deep breaths and solve challenges together, and he appreciates how colleagues at all levels of the organization respect and appreciate one another. Managers from other departments help clear tables or polish silverware when culinary staffers are busy, for example. Joanie and Scott Kriens, 1440’s co-creators, know employees by name. 

“This is a beautiful place to work. People are genuine. They're authentic. They care about what they're doing, and they care about how you feel as much as they care about our work,” Nadeau says.

Joining the 1440 family has changed how Nadeau connects with the people around him. He describes himself as an introvert, and he believes his coworkers’ compassion and empathy have taught him to engage with others more fully. 

“My own compassion and empathy were really born here and have grown tremendously. We have conversations that matter. We ask how others are feeling, how their life is going, how their partner or their children are doing. We actively listen. Before, I kind of did those things in passing. But now, I stop and say, ‘Really, how are you?’ Genuinely connecting with people has been my biggest takeaway, as far as personal growth,” Nadeau says.

Paying that close attention to others’ feelings, concerns and needs helps team members maintain and strengthen 1440’s campus culture. Everyone’s viewpoints matter and everyone has a voice. That intentional approach also brings a different cadence to productivity.

“We get a lot of things done here. We're productive, and we have fun. But it's not like a typical hospitality or food and beverage job, where everybody pushes themselves really hard. This isn’t the traditional kitchen, where the executive chef ideas are all that matters,” Nadeau says. “We take the time listen to and consider everyone’s opinions.” 

That open-mindedness and authenticity extend to the guest experience, as well. Nadeau knows staff members to be thoughtful, compassionate individuals interested in bettering the world around them. 

“We work hard to give back to the surrounding community,” he says. “We’ve started a ripple effect. My goal is to continue making a positive impact. Let’s see how big we can get that ripple to be.”
 

Inspired to join our 1440 Culinary Team? Visit our careers site to explore open positions. 

At Kitchen Table, the culinary gathering spot that’s central to the 1440 Multiversity campus, Pastry Chef Nicole Sanchez spins seasonal ingredients into exquisite treats. In the summer, she bakes with peaches, apricots and other stone fruits grown in the on-site Joanie's Garden. Local squash and apples star in autumn dishes. Sanchez also works year-round with Campus Gardener Mike MacDonald, sourcing special requests like chamomile, lemon verbena and various citrus fruits.

When she considers her favorite creations for 1440 guests, however, Sanchez sticks with the classics.

“Cookies and ice cream are probably my favorites,” she says. “Growing up, I always loved having them as a treat, so it's really fun to make those now. There are endless possibilities, with different flavors and different combinations.”

Sanchez didn’t set out to be a chef. In fact, she entered Cabrillo College in Aptos, Calif., on a marine biology track. Because the program carried an intense course load, Sanchez decided to take some fun classes before diving into requirements.

“I took a bookmaking class. I took a philosophy class. I took history of jazz, and I took an intro to culinary arts class. I just thought it would be a good life skill, but I ended up loving that one,” she says.

The creativity and expressiveness of culinary work surprised Sanchez, who didn’t grow up cooking with family members. The more she learned, the more the field felt like a good long-term fit. Ultimately, she traded her marine biology plans for cooking coursework. 

Sanchez started her career with a focus on savory foods. However, when a pastry job opened at Oswald, a Santa Cruz restaurant she admired, she applied. Sanchez thought she’d bake until there was a chef’s role at the downtown spot, which serves California fare. But that changed as she learned pastry station basics.

“I ended up loving to bake. I had done some baking in school, but it felt different in a restaurant. I loved creating sweet things and ice cream and cookies, and learning to create recipes was really fun. That was my first pastry job and I've been baking ever since,” she says.

Sanchez later helped open a bakery in Felton, crafted from-scratch scoops at the Penny Ice Creamery, and worked at Companion Bakeshop before landing at Manresa Bread. The high-profile bakery started in the kitchen of Chef David Kinch’s three-Michelin-star Manresa restaurant, and it's known for hand-shaped loaves of bread made with local ingredients and flour milled on site.

As she made her mark on well-known regional menus, Sanchez also connected with 1440 Executive Chef and Culinary Director Kenny Woods on social media. Woods contacted her when he needed a pastry chef, and they met to discuss the opportunity.

Though she expected to refer someone else for the role, that conversation changed Sanchez’s mind. She was happy at Manresa Bread. Still, the opportunity to learn new baking methods and get creative in the kitchen appealed to her.

“At 1440, we have Joanie’s Garden and we have all this equipment. You can explore so many different techniques. You can bake anything you want to try, because we’re not limited to a set menu that customers have come to expect,” she says. “I felt like this place could be a culmination of all the things that I had already learned. Plated desserts are where I started, and then I got into bakeries and production and ice cream. Here, it felt like I could do all of those, while also having room to learn new things.”

Sanchez joined the 1440 team in October 2019. Today, as pastry chef, she makes desserts for lunches, dinners and private events. She refined a recipe for the house-made sourdough bread served on campus. She’s also started baking local ingredients into each loaf.

“We got a grain mill a few months ago, so now we buy wheat berries from local farms and incorporate some of that flour into the bread. The salt comes from Big Sur. We’re trying to make things as local and organic as possible,” Sanchez says.

Lately, Sanchez has started experimenting with fermentation, as well. She makes her own koji, a strain of Aspergillus oryzae mold used in miso and sake. She also ferments soybeans to create tempeh, a protein that’s featured in 1440’s plant-based dishes. 

Though mastering fermentation requires a different skill set than crafting the perfect pastry, Sanchez welcomes the challenge. In a previous bakery role, she would marvel at a colleague who spent the workday canning, pickling and making preserves. Those interests resurfaced during the pandemic, when, like many people, Sanchez spent some time contemplating her future career goals. 

“Early on, I moved from savory cooking to pastry. Now, I’m working in pastry but with this fermentation focus. It’s an unexpected combination, but Kenny and the leadership team here help create opportunities. If you show that you’re interested in something, they want to foster those talents and help you learn and grow and develop,” Sanchez says.

Understanding both the pastry and savory sides of cooking have helped her bridge gaps and bring new ideas to 1440’s Kitchen Table. In her shift toward fermentation and preservation, for example, Sanchez is moving the culinary program closer to its zero-waste goals. Ingredients that don’t get used at peak freshness might be turned into jams or vinegars, rather than being discarded. She’s also started crafting house-made kombucha, and she’s working to introduce seasonal drink specials in the campus cafe.

“This is an ever-changing place. If you have something new to bring to the table, there's always room for it,” Sanchez says. “The team here is open and receptive to ideas that will make things better, and that's really different from places where the rules are the rules.”

While working at 1440 allows Sanchez to pursue her passions and personally impact the organization, it has also changed how she views the relationship between working and living.

"Restaurant kitchens can be really taxing, and this is such a different kind of place. There are so many opportunities to step away and have more balance here,” she says.

When she talks with individuals interested in joining the 1440 team, she emphasizes both that balance and a true sense of camaraderie across the campus.

“You have to see it to understand it. I just feel like we all get along, and everyone genuinely cares about each other,” Sanchez says. “I also haven't experienced anywhere else this level of balance between working hard and being able to take a walk or take a breath when you need to. This is a really great place to be."

Choose a Career With 1440 Multiversity: Explore Our Career Opportunities 

I’m getting a new tattoo today, and I’m a little nervous about it. Not because I think it will hurt (I know it will), or because I’m not in love with the design (it’s gorgeous). No, I’m nervous about what my mother will think. I can almost see her disapproving eyes now, softly whispering, “how could you?”

Worrying about what others might think of our decisions – from the shoes we buy to the people we marry – is a far greater force in our lives than many of us care to admit. We operate under the assumption that all of our choices are entirely our own. The truth is that humans are wired for mimetic desire. Throughout our lives, we are continually searching for models – people who seem like they have it together – to shape and validate our choices. 

As babies, models are incredibly helpful for reaching developmental milestones like walking and talking. But as adults, models often do more harm than good, leading us to define our success and even our self-worth by the standards of others. For most of us, there’s no way to eliminate mimetic desire entirely from our lives. However, it is possible to increase your awareness of it – to better understand when a desire, an expectation or a measure of success is truly your own – so you can make more fulfilling choices.

Here are two not-so-simple steps that can help you on your way: 

Step 1: Figure out what you actually want 

This first step is the hardest. When your life has been molded by the desires, judgements and expectations of others, it’s super difficult to separate what you actually want from what you’ve trained yourself to think you want. Identifying areas of your life that may be over-influenced by others is a great place to start, but it’s no small task. It requires an honest evaluation of your decision-making and a willingness to admit when you aren’t acting as the captain of your own ship. 

Did you really want more responsibility at work, or were chasing that promotion to “keep up” with your peers? Are you desperately in love with where you live, or did you move there for the ZIP code? Was Stanford (or Harvard, or USC, or you get the picture) really your dream school, or did you apply because it would look good on your resume? 

Take a look at your choices in the following categories: Career, relationships, personal appearance, leisure time, purchasing and self-improvement. Then ask yourself: “Am I truly making these decisions for me, or am I trying to live up to the expectations of others?” 

Not every decision will be entirely your own, and that’s a good thing! We humans are social creatures and we often make decisions that benefit the other humans in our lives. The goal of this exercise is not to make sure that every decision you make is only benefiting you. The goal is to raise your self-awareness and be honest about “the why” behind your decisions so you can adjust where needed and be more satisfied with the outcomes. Be patient; this will take some time. 

Step 2: Rewrite your accomplishment narrative 

Many of us define accomplishment according to the milestones we reach in life. Milestones that are usually set by someone else, or society at large, and often center around material accumulation and social status. 

There’s a formula we’re all supposed to follow. And if we deviate from the plan – if we dare to want something different or somehow seem like we’re sliding backwards – we feel like outsiders, or even failures. There’s this constant pressure to want more than what we have, and to go after it with every ounce of energy we can muster. Nothing is ever good enough, and the constant onslaught of shiny advertisements and sparkling social media feeds create nearly inescapable temptation to keep achieving at all costs. It’s no wonder that burnout is through the roof and we’re more depressed (yet wealthier) than ever before.  

Take some time and actually write down your accomplishment narrative. What do you believe about accomplishment and the role it plays in your life? Consider stepping back from social media for a while (4-6 weeks usually yields the best results) and pay attention to how it makes you feel. Look for cues in your daily life that may be influencing how you define success. Once you feel like you’ve gathered enough information, write out your narrative again and see what changes. 

Every great learning moment starts with a great question: 

• What standards are you holding yourself to that were set by someone else? 
• What are the things in life that truly bring you joy? How much time do you spend on them? 
• How busy do you feel on a regular basis? Is your current level of busyness serving you? 
• How do you define accomplishment? Where do you think that definition comes from?  What roles do joy, simplicity, and stillness play? 
• How mindful are you when it comes to social media consumption? What feelings do you notice when scrolling through Twitter or browsing TikTok? How do you feel when you do (or don’t) have something to post? 

At the beginning of the summer, it seemed like the coronavirus pandemic was winding down in the U.S. Positivity rates were dropping across much of the country, people were starting to gather again, and many vaccinated Americans were shedding their masks in public. We started to dream of normalcy. We started to make plans. 

Companies released their “return to office” guidelines and hybrid work manifestos. There was a deluge of studies, how-to guides, and opinion pieces on how to make hybrid work successful. That “new normal” that everyone had been talking about was right around the corner, and we were going to be ready for it. And then, just as quickly as our hope appeared, it vanished. Delta had arrived.

The concept of hybrid work always seemed a little off to me. It somehow felt like we were trying to take aspirin after major surgery. It just wasn’t the right solution. The world of work is being overturned, and the challenges we face can’t be solved by yet another set of rules, even if they are more flexible. We need approaches that maximize trust, support, and flexibility if we are to combat rising burnout and be ready for whatever our increasingly uncertain world throws at us next. New rules and restrictions on when, where, and how we work will only leave us vulnerable to more costly disruptions.

Perhaps, as is so often the case, we’re asking the wrong question. Maybe it’s not how we build hybrid workplaces or define hybrid work. Maybe we need to be asking: How can we build hybrid lives? Here are a few ideas of where to start.

Reject the work-life balance lie

Let’s get this one out of the way: Work-life balance doesn’t exist (it probably never did) and we need to stop chasing it. The truth is that each of us is one being living one life. It’s incredibly difficult to separate our “personal lives” from our “work lives” because it’s all just one tangle of experiences and emotions. Driving an arbitrary wedge between the two just reduces self-awareness, vulnerability, and care while increasing stress. We need to allow ourselves to be whole human beings leading whole lives, and urge our companies to develop policies and norms that reflect that reality. There are a lot of options here, but flexible hours, WFA (work from anywhere) policies, and unlimited vacation are a few good places to start. Flexibility is a very personal thing. There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to the rhythm of your life, which is why policies that give workers more freedom over how they spend their time tend to yield the biggest rewards for everyone.

Focus on results, not time

In the U.S., despite all of the buzz around flexibility, many of us are still shackled to the idea of working more than 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday. Yet everything else in our lives (including our energy) doesn’t operate on such a predictable timetable. Having full flexibility around when, where, and how we work gives us the freedom to focus on results vs. time, and allows us to be more productive in fewer hours. It’s important to be open to breaking with convention and working (or not working!) outside of what’s considered “normal.” Understanding your productivity signals will help. Personally, I tend to yawn and fidget when it’s time to step away from a piece of work. If I push through, I might finish, but it’ll typically take me two or three times longer and leave me pretty cranky and depleted. Sometimes not working when I feel like I should is actually what’s best for the work, and my relationship to it. Learn to read your own signals, and then ask for what you need to be at your best.

Set permeable boundaries

Boundary setting is a favorite tactic of wellbeing gurus and work-life balance advocates. It can be effective, when used in moderation and held lightly. It’s when boundaries become rigid rules that they decrease in value. It’s important to have a general idea of where your boundaries are, but you also need to trust your judgement and realize when it’s appropriate to flex. One way to do this is to identify your “non-negotiables.” These could be daily must-haves, like taking a walk with your dog every morning, or goals that you’re trying to hit in a less specific timeframe. For me, I try to have at least five mornings of yoga and three school drop-offs per week. Sometimes I have to pivot, and I end up picking up instead of dropping off and my yoga gets squeezed in after the kids are in bed (and let's be real, sometimes none of it happens at all!), but my mindset around it allows every adjusted target to feel like a choice instead of a failure.

It’s also important to communicate when you’re planning on flexing in a way that may affect others. If I’m just not feeling it on a Thursday morning and I decide to take the rest of the day off and make up the work over the weekend, I make sure my team is aware, but also my family. There is no greater guilt for me than a little voice asking why I’m working on a Saturday. No matter what you do, emotions will likely run high while you’re finding your sweet spot around the way you work. But I find setting expectations and discussing the trade-offs helps a ton.

Every great learning moment starts with a great question.

1. How has the work-life balance lie shown up in your life? What’s been the impact?
2. What’s your approach to productivity? Is it working for you?
3. What does well-being look like for you in a world of vanishing boundaries?
4. What do you need to ask for in order to build a successful hybrid life? Who do you need to ask?
5. If you’re a manager, how can you better support your team in these areas?

1440: We are so excited you have installed beehives at 1440 last year. What can you tell us about your involvement in the project?
Molly Eaton: My company, Northern Roots Bee Co., installs and maintains beehives for our corporate and residential clients. Our mission is to restore healthy honeybee populations in the Bay Area, engage companies and communities in a unique sustainability initiative, and educate people about the importance of pollinators. Our goal is to pollinate 200,000 acres of land in the greater Bay Area with thriving honeybee colonies. We installed three beehives at 1440 in 2020, and the bees have already pollinated over 36,000 acres of land in the Scotts Valley community.

1440: We have been hearing for years how important it is that we turn our attention to bees. What is the environmental impact that every little step, like installing hives here, can have? 
Molly: The importance of honeybees cannot be overstated. They are the world’s number-one pollinator and are responsible for pollinating over 80 percent of the Earth’s plants. Their pollination services increase biodiversity which make ecosystems more resilient and productive. Honeybees also increase the quality and quantity of our fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Every garden plays a crucial role in the health of bees. A garden filled with pollinator-friendly plants provides them with good-quality pollen and nectar that sustains the 50,000 bees that make up the hive.

1440: How would you explain the importance of honeybees to someone who is not an expert?
Molly: Honeybees are an indicator species, which means their health is reflective of the health of our planet. Knowing that they're in trouble is indicative of where we are as a world. Honeybees have lived on Earth for the last 100 million years and have been crucial in the evolution of the plants and animals that exist today. Our entire agricultural system is dependent on honeybees for pollination. Without honeybees our food system would crumble.

1440: What has been one of the biggest threats to bees?
Molly: There are many threats impacting our honeybee population, but one of the most concerning is our reliance on pesticides, specifically neonicotinoids. Neonicotinoids are a systemic pesticide which means that they are absorbed into the plant and are present in the nectar and pollen that the bees consume as food. Imagine that a honeybee visits a flower to collect nectar or pollen that is contaminated with pesticides. Oftentimes, the bee will die immediately after ingestion. But sometimes the pesticides will affect the bee’s ability to navigate home, so the bee becomes lost on the long journey back to the hive and dies.If the forager bee is able to make it back into the hive, the bee will feed the contaminated food to the babies. Those babies grow up on poisonous food and then, from a young age, their immune system, the microbiome of their gut, their mobility, and the development of their brain are all affected. And so, they're less able to fight off the various diseases and parasites that they're already dealing with.

1440: It’s helpful to know that pesticides being sprayed are not only unhealthy for us as humans, but also are affecting the pollinators.
Molly: Pesticides are extremely damaging to our honeybee population, soil, water supply, food, and us. Many people don’t realize the severity of our honeybee crisis. Last spring we lost over 40 percent of our honeybee population in America. This is largely due to our agricultural system’s reliance on pesticides, large scale monoculture crops, migratory beekeeping practices, a lack of nutritious forage, as well as disease and parasites.

1440: Explain how eliminating bees, even if unintentional, is posing a huge threat to the food we buy and eat.
Molly: In America, one out of every three bites of food that we eat is thanks to a honeybee. Food like melons, berries, coffee, avocados, nuts, cucumbers—even alfalfa which is essential for our meat and dairy—are all pollinated by honeybees. If we continue to lose our honeybee population at the current rate, certain foods will become impossible or very difficult to find in supermarkets. The price of our food will drastically increase which will impact people’s wellness and financial security.

1440: How did you start learning about bees and becoming so passionate about them?
Molly: I tasted the most incredible honey from Maine Beekeepers. I had never tasted anything like it. It led me to wonder how bees made something so pure and delicious. I started learning all about bees: how they pollinate our crops in search of nectar and pollen; how they turn nectar into honey; how the majority of the bees in a hive are females who are responsible for all of the hive duties. I became absolutely fascinated with them! Once I moved to Santa Cruz I invested in beehives and started Northern Roots Bee Co.

1440: What can we do in our everyday lives to act with more conscientiousness about the life of bees?
Molly: If you have the time, space, and resources, create a garden. Or try something as simple as putting a pot of rosemary out on your front step that you let go to flower. When you buy seeds, starters, and soil, be sure they weren't already treated with pesticides. If you provide bees with a pesticide-free, healthy source of nectar and pollen, you're doing wonders for them. 

Also, become a beekeeper! There are so many great books, beekeeping mentors, and local clubs that can help you get started. I guarantee you’ll be just as fascinated with them as I am.

Finally, support bees and beekeepers by buying local, raw honey at the farmer’s market. Most of the honey available at the large grocery stores has been overheated and over-filtered which removes all of the beneficial enzymes, vitamins, and pollen from the honey. Sometimes the honey can even be contaminated with artificial sweeteners like rice syrup or high fructose corn syrup.

1440: Doesn’t it help our immunity when we choose local honey? What are some of the most fun ways to eat honey?
Molly: Yes, local honey definitely improves our immunity thanks to the small grains of pollen in raw, unfiltered honey. I feel like I put honey on everything! I love the combination of rosemary crackers, goat cheese, and orange blossom honey drizzled on top. I put honey in smoothies, in tea, and on oatmeal. My mom used to cook carrots in a little bit of butter, honey, and salt; it's so good. For dessert, I love almond butter and dark chocolate chips with honey on top.

1440: You’ve given us so much inspiration for doing our part in the face of what seems like a large challenge for the bees. 
Molly: Yes, the plight of honeybees can be overwhelming to think about. I truly believe that small actions made by individuals, organizations, and communities—such as hosting a beehive or planting a pollinator-friendly garden—can lead to a collective momentum toward creating a bee-friendly world.

To learn more about how to use honey and other garden ingredients in your home kitchen, register for a 1440 Teaching Kitchen Weekend. 

I have been fortunate over the last 15 months to have the chance to slow down, reflect and just "be.” I am so grateful to those who have been working the front lines, keeping me and my loved ones safe and nourished, and I am also thinking carefully about the new normal I plan to cultivate. I don't relish the idea of ramping up to my pre-pandemic over-scheduled life and I’m committed to not fall back into the patterns that don’t serve my updated life. 

While these days of living within the boundaries of an invisible fence have been challenging in many ways, a life in quarantine brought many gifts. The sum of it? I'd like more still and more C.H.I.L.L.  

Here are the things I intend to retain in the days ahead – long after the masks, sweats and slippers become a distant memory, and I hope they inspire you to take the same look at your life to establish inspiration for moving forward in a new refreshed way. 

1. Creativity. Life at home, primarily spent in my newly groomed backyard, has revealed itself as a space where curiosity and creativity can take flight. I've enjoyed margin – extra space – in my days to slow down and think creatively about life, opportunities and new approaches to old ways. I've savored blogs, journaled, and spawned some new book ideas, all of which have been energizing. Creativity, I've discovered, is the antidote to boredom and confinement. I've even grown some roses – a perfect Zoom background!
2. Healthy Diet. Little did I know how much I'd enjoy cooking. Making and baking bread, experimenting with samples from my pandemic-inspired herb garden and enjoying a healthier lifestyle of preparing home-cooked meals have all nourished me in new ways. Before COVID I was a regular on the eat-out circuit, so this new routine of prepping meals and eating outdoors is good for my soul as well as my waistline.
3. Introspection. Without the busyness of commutes, traffic and shopping, I have learned to ponder and process – something that author and Georgetown University professor Cal Newport writes about in his book, Deep Work. I have found this work to be not only immensely gratifying, but supportive to the evolution of my business. While historically seeing myself as a strong extrovert, I have come to know my cloistered introvert. Giving myself time to meditate, pray and reflect is something I definitely intend to keep in my life going forward. 
4. Long Walks. Less gas guzzling and more foot bustling have resulted in time for podcasts, TED Talks and good old thinking. The extra mileage around the neighborhood has led to new connections and reflections, both of which have served me and my neighborhood well.  Walks – whether alone or with a friend – are keepers. 
5. Lazy Evenings. Without the need to glam up and show up at numerous events, I've enjoyed long evenings in comfy clothes, playing Scrabble with my husband, watching provocative docudramas, hosting intimate backyard socials and enjoying other simple pleasures. Memories of camping with my kids and relaxing outdoors in the warm Minnesota evenings of my childhood have been rekindled and reenacted – something I realized I deeply missed (minus the mosquitos). 

Going forward I won’t squander the gifts discovered through the pandemic. Instead, I will consciously exercise my power to choose – leaving in my rear-view mirror the tiring commutes, waiting in traffic, large impersonal gatherings and busyness that often made up my life pre-pandemic. Here's to a C.H.I.L.L. balance of 2021, filled with creativity, introspection, healthy eating, walking and quiet evenings at home. Wishing you all an abundant post-pandemic harvest. 

If you are also seeking time to reboot and recharge, consider joining me at 1440 Multiversity for a long, slow and reflective weekend with a small group of like-hearted women and men on August 27-29, 2021. Learn more and register here. 
 

From Joanie’s Garden where many edible florals and ingredients grow, to the Teaching Kitchen that provides a foundation of learning about “food as medicine,” to Kitchen Table that serves every meal on campus from the heart, the 1440 Culinary Team nurtures each guest of 1440 throughout their stay. Each week the 1440 Culinary Team – chefs, gardeners, and partners – provides a peek inside the latest happenings of all things food at 1440, with some fun thoughts and takeaways to help you live well and eat well wherever you may be.

Read Notes from Joanie’s Garden here. 

---

August 12, 2021: Chef Notes – All About Chilies

Cooking with dried chilies is a unique way to unlock different flavors that fresh chilies don’t have. Many fresh chilies have their own type of characteristics such as heat and sweetness, and of course go great for any type of salsa, from the most common pico de gallo to a nice fire-roasted variety. But when it comes to dry chilies, flavors become more complex with different notes of sweet, spicy, fruity, smoky and savory. Having those types of flavors can really become part of great powder, sauce and even a delicious mole. 

Getting a good-looking dry chili starts off with any type of chili/pepper such as jalapeño, serrano or poblano. The fun thing about chilies is that when they dry their name changes from what it was when it was fresh.  
 

• Jalapeño = Chipotle  
• Poblano Chili = Ancho 
• Anaheim Chili = Chile Colorado 
• Chilaca = Pasilla 
• Mirasol = Guajillo 

There was time here at 1440 Multiversity when we had an abundance of fresh chilies. We had several pounds of poblano chilies while our Campus Gardener Mike MacDonald was growing a large amount of both jalapeño and serrano chilies. With those I was able to dry all the poblanos and turn them into ancho chilies which we eventually used in some of our dishes at Kitchen Table. When the jalapeños finally dried, I took time to make an adobo. By placing the chipotles in the adobo, the chilies were able to rehydrate in the sauce and have an extra boost of flavor. We haven't used much of the dry serrano chilies because of their high heat level but when there’s a chance to boost the heat of any sauce, we do.

Keep an eye out the next time you are enjoying a meal at Kitchen Table for the addition of these flavors; we hope you enjoy experiencing them as much as we enjoy preparing them!

--Chef Beto Rivas
 

July 28, 2021: Pastry Chef's Notes – Tips for Great Bread Starter

I first started baking bread about 10 years ago while working as a Pastry Chef for the first time. The restaurant I worked at bought great local bread but I thought it would be so much more exciting to have bread made fresh in house. In the beginning I made some pretty spectacular failures of baguettes and rye loaves that were as heavy and dense as a concrete slab. That same year the Tartine Bread Book came out which highlighted the process by which Chad Robertson of Tartine Bakery in San Francisco makes its famous bread. I went from dense bread to making a sloppy sticky mess that couldn’t possibly form anything resembling a loaf. I decided to work in a local bakery part-time to learn in person. I learned so much about local flour, sourdough starter maintenance and baking in a wood-fired oven. 

After working at that bakery for some time I opened a bakery with some friends in the Santa Cruz Mountains, then went on to work at Manresa Bread where we really put a lot of focus into the quality of local grain, milling flour in-house and incorporating it all into both breads and pastries which I had not seen before. We utilized different varieties of ancient grain I was not familiar with and saw how it affected the flavor and texture of the bread. 

I brought those learnings to 1440, and making bread for our campus is such a wonderful catalyst to showcase the amazing local ingredients we are fortunate enough to have so close. We can make a loaf with Ancient Wheat Berries like Einkorn that we mill in-house (with our brand new Komo Mill!), incorporate salt harvested from Big Sur, and use some amazing produce that Gardener Mike grows in Joanie’s Garden, all fermented with a sourdough starter that is fed twice a day. Most recently I made a loaf with roasted garlic, rosemary and sauteed garlic scapes from Joanie’s Garden. I have my eye on the Poblano Peppers that Gardener Mike has been growing for a fun loaf of bread, and I’m looking forward to serving this and our other creations soon on your upcoming visit to the 1440 campus!

Are you interested in trying your own bread baking? Here are my tips for a great sourdough starter:

1. It is important to feed your starter on a consistent schedule to get the happiest sourdough starter. The starter will regulate itself and be ready to “eat” at the time you train it to expect to be fed. I typically keep my established starter in the refrigerator. When I want to make bread I pull the starter out the morning before, feed it once in the morning and once in the evening, and by the next morning it’s typically ready to mix! When I’ve used what I needed I feed it again and put it directly into the refrigerator and just feed every week or so to keep it active if I’m not baking within that time. 
2. Starting a sourdough starter from scratch is fun and a labor of love…but if you have a friend with a sourdough starter that is willing to give you a bit of theirs it’s so much easier to start. There are also places online where you can purchase sourdough starters (both fresh and dehydrated) to get a jump start on the process. 
3. Feed your starter a mix of flour. I typically like to use a 50/50 blend of All Purpose Flour and Whole Wheat Flour. Using only All Purpose Flour will work, but I find a starter is so much more active when you also incorporate a blend of Whole Wheat Flour.
4. Start simple. It is much easier to start out with a bread that doesn’t have a high water content and then increase your water as your hands get more practiced. Start with a recipe labeled for beginners making sourdough; there are also many videos online detailing the entire process.
5. Have patience. From start to finish it typically take about three days for me to get a finished loaf of bread and a lot of work in between. Also, patience with yourself and learning the process.  For many, sticking your hands into a sticky ball of flour and water is a new experience. It will take some time to get used to and find ways to keep yourself and your kitchen clean. 

Happy baking! I hope my story, and these tips, provide you inspiration to try making your own bread at home.

--Pastry Chef Nicole Sanchez

July 13, 2021: Executive Chef’s Notes – How Preserving Ingredients During the Pandemic Turned into an Adventure in Miso

In March 2020, the 1440 campus temporarily closed for public operations due to the pandemic, shifting its focus to philanthropic and community building initiatives. As a result, we had food inventory that would have gone to waste – but instead of going into the compost, our staff looked to fermentation to salvage any food that was left over. One of those fermentation techniques I found fascinating was creating miso. I had made traditional miso in the past, but never with untraditional Japanese ingredients. I walked into our largest refrigeration unit and noticed pounds pistachios, one of my favorite's ingredients. Then looked to our dry storage and noticed a large amount of white beans. The rest is history! 

Miso is a key ingredient in Japanese cooking and forms the base of many soups, marinades, and sauces. The paste is typically a mixture of beans, (traditionally soybeans), sea salt, and koji inoculated rice or grain, and depending on the variety of ingredients, miso can be smooth or chunky and is fermented anywhere from 3 months to years. 

I decided to create a pistachio and white bean miso using traditional Japanese technique, with the ingredients inspired by our 1440 menu. The process takes patience – lots of patience – in some ways reminiscent of a meditation. Each ingredient needs to be taken care of in a special way: The pistachios were cooked three times to remove any impurities, then hand-crushed to keep their texture. The beans cooked slowly with kombu and water, the water changed three times during the process to make sure no flavors would concentrate from the starches, and the koji rice needed to be dried out and kept in a very sanitary environment to not bloom before being added to the other ingredients. When you combine the miso ingredients the smell is sweet, funky and savory all at the same time. Once incorporated you then pack the miso into tight balls, removing all the air that you can, then stack that mixture in a ferment crock, weighed down before a long snap in a cool dark place. 

I chose to ferment my miso for a full year, tracking every three months to see, smell and taste the changes. I was never disappointed through the process as I learned more and more about this ancient technique. I feel gratitude for those who paved the road before me, and all the miso that I had worked with but never knew or appreciated until I started my own. The last three months of the aging were the hardest – like a child the night before Christmas, I could not wait to try the pistachio miso. When the miso hit the one-year mark, I decided to taste it in the most simple way by making a bowl of miso soup. The aroma from the soup was bright, sweet, deep in pistachio flavor and umami forward. This one jar of miso has now inspired the 1440 kitchen to create 12 different misos and counting. 

This inspiring technique is one that I will continue to learn from and inspire every kitchen I work in to create new flavors by simply not wasting the beautiful food we procure. A zero-waste kitchen is a focused and hard goal, but we are on our way with inspiring techniques like miso. 

--Executive Chef Kenny Woods  

From Joanie’s Garden where many edible florals and ingredients grow, to the Teaching Kitchen that provides a foundation of learning about “food as medicine,” to Kitchen Table that serves every meal on campus from the heart, the 1440 Culinary Team nurtures each guest of 1440 throughout their stay. Each week the 1440 Culinary Team – chefs, gardeners, and partners – provides a peek inside the latest happenings of all things food at 1440, with some fun thoughts and takeaways to help you live well and eat well wherever you may be.

Read Notes from Joanie’s Garden here. 

---

August 12, 2021: Chef Notes – All About Chilies

Cooking with dried chilies is a unique way to unlock different flavors that fresh chilies don’t have. Many fresh chilies have their own type of characteristics such as heat and sweetness, and of course go great for any type of salsa, from the most common pico de gallo to a nice fire-roasted variety. But when it comes to dry chilies, flavors become more complex with different notes of sweet, spicy, fruity, smoky and savory. Having those types of flavors can really become part of great powder, sauce and even a delicious mole. 

Getting a good-looking dry chili starts off with any type of chili/pepper such as jalapeño, serrano or poblano. The fun thing about chilies is that when they dry their name changes from what it was when it was fresh.  
 

• Jalapeño = Chipotle  
• Poblano Chili = Ancho 
• Anaheim Chili = Chile Colorado 
• Chilaca = Pasilla 
• Mirasol = Guajillo 

There was time here at 1440 Multiversity when we had an abundance of fresh chilies. We had several pounds of poblano chilies while our Campus Gardener Mike MacDonald was growing a large amount of both jalapeño and serrano chilies. With those I was able to dry all the poblanos and turn them into ancho chilies which we eventually used in some of our dishes at Kitchen Table. When the jalapeños finally dried, I took time to make an adobo. By placing the chipotles in the adobo, the chilies were able to rehydrate in the sauce and have an extra boost of flavor. We haven't used much of the dry serrano chilies because of their high heat level but when there’s a chance to boost the heat of any sauce, we do.

Keep an eye out the next time you are enjoying a meal at Kitchen Table for the addition of these flavors; we hope you enjoy experiencing them as much as we enjoy preparing them!

--Chef Beto Rivas
 

July 28, 2021: Pastry Chef's Notes – Tips for Great Bread Starter

I first started baking bread about 10 years ago while working as a Pastry Chef for the first time. The restaurant I worked at bought great local bread but I thought it would be so much more exciting to have bread made fresh in house. In the beginning I made some pretty spectacular failures of baguettes and rye loaves that were as heavy and dense as a concrete slab. That same year the Tartine Bread Book came out which highlighted the process by which Chad Robertson of Tartine Bakery in San Francisco makes its famous bread. I went from dense bread to making a sloppy sticky mess that couldn’t possibly form anything resembling a loaf. I decided to work in a local bakery part-time to learn in person. I learned so much about local flour, sourdough starter maintenance and baking in a wood-fired oven. 

After working at that bakery for some time I opened a bakery with some friends in the Santa Cruz Mountains, then went on to work at Manresa Bread where we really put a lot of focus into the quality of local grain, milling flour in-house and incorporating it all into both breads and pastries which I had not seen before. We utilized different varieties of ancient grain I was not familiar with and saw how it affected the flavor and texture of the bread. 

I brought those learnings to 1440, and making bread for our campus is such a wonderful catalyst to showcase the amazing local ingredients we are fortunate enough to have so close. We can make a loaf with Ancient Wheat Berries like Einkorn that we mill in-house (with our brand new Komo Mill!), incorporate salt harvested from Big Sur, and use some amazing produce that Gardener Mike grows in Joanie’s Garden, all fermented with a sourdough starter that is fed twice a day. Most recently I made a loaf with roasted garlic, rosemary and sauteed garlic scapes from Joanie’s Garden. I have my eye on the Poblano Peppers that Gardener Mike has been growing for a fun loaf of bread, and I’m looking forward to serving this and our other creations soon on your upcoming visit to the 1440 campus!

Are you interested in trying your own bread baking? Here are my tips for a great sourdough starter:

1. It is important to feed your starter on a consistent schedule to get the happiest sourdough starter. The starter will regulate itself and be ready to “eat” at the time you train it to expect to be fed. I typically keep my established starter in the refrigerator. When I want to make bread I pull the starter out the morning before, feed it once in the morning and once in the evening, and by the next morning it’s typically ready to mix! When I’ve used what I needed I feed it again and put it directly into the refrigerator and just feed every week or so to keep it active if I’m not baking within that time. 
2. Starting a sourdough starter from scratch is fun and a labor of love…but if you have a friend with a sourdough starter that is willing to give you a bit of theirs it’s so much easier to start. There are also places online where you can purchase sourdough starters (both fresh and dehydrated) to get a jump start on the process. 
3. Feed your starter a mix of flour. I typically like to use a 50/50 blend of All Purpose Flour and Whole Wheat Flour. Using only All Purpose Flour will work, but I find a starter is so much more active when you also incorporate a blend of Whole Wheat Flour.
4. Start simple. It is much easier to start out with a bread that doesn’t have a high water content and then increase your water as your hands get more practiced. Start with a recipe labeled for beginners making sourdough; there are also many videos online detailing the entire process.
5. Have patience. From start to finish it typically take about three days for me to get a finished loaf of bread and a lot of work in between. Also, patience with yourself and learning the process.  For many, sticking your hands into a sticky ball of flour and water is a new experience. It will take some time to get used to and find ways to keep yourself and your kitchen clean. 

Happy baking! I hope my story, and these tips, provide you inspiration to try making your own bread at home.

--Pastry Chef Nicole Sanchez

July 13, 2021: Executive Chef’s Notes – How Preserving Ingredients During the Pandemic Turned into an Adventure in Miso

In March 2020, the 1440 campus temporarily closed for public operations due to the pandemic, shifting its focus to philanthropic and community building initiatives. As a result, we had food inventory that would have gone to waste – but instead of going into the compost, our staff looked to fermentation to salvage any food that was left over. One of those fermentation techniques I found fascinating was creating miso. I had made traditional miso in the past, but never with untraditional Japanese ingredients. I walked into our largest refrigeration unit and noticed pounds pistachios, one of my favorite's ingredients. Then looked to our dry storage and noticed a large amount of white beans. The rest is history! 

Miso is a key ingredient in Japanese cooking and forms the base of many soups, marinades, and sauces. The paste is typically a mixture of beans, (traditionally soybeans), sea salt, and koji inoculated rice or grain, and depending on the variety of ingredients, miso can be smooth or chunky and is fermented anywhere from 3 months to years. 

I decided to create a pistachio and white bean miso using traditional Japanese technique, with the ingredients inspired by our 1440 menu. The process takes patience – lots of patience – in some ways reminiscent of a meditation. Each ingredient needs to be taken care of in a special way: The pistachios were cooked three times to remove any impurities, then hand-crushed to keep their texture. The beans cooked slowly with kombu and water, the water changed three times during the process to make sure no flavors would concentrate from the starches, and the koji rice needed to be dried out and kept in a very sanitary environment to not bloom before being added to the other ingredients. When you combine the miso ingredients the smell is sweet, funky and savory all at the same time. Once incorporated you then pack the miso into tight balls, removing all the air that you can, then stack that mixture in a ferment crock, weighed down before a long snap in a cool dark place. 

I chose to ferment my miso for a full year, tracking every three months to see, smell and taste the changes. I was never disappointed through the process as I learned more and more about this ancient technique. I feel gratitude for those who paved the road before me, and all the miso that I had worked with but never knew or appreciated until I started my own. The last three months of the aging were the hardest – like a child the night before Christmas, I could not wait to try the pistachio miso. When the miso hit the one-year mark, I decided to taste it in the most simple way by making a bowl of miso soup. The aroma from the soup was bright, sweet, deep in pistachio flavor and umami forward. This one jar of miso has now inspired the 1440 kitchen to create 12 different misos and counting. 

This inspiring technique is one that I will continue to learn from and inspire every kitchen I work in to create new flavors by simply not wasting the beautiful food we procure. A zero-waste kitchen is a focused and hard goal, but we are on our way with inspiring techniques like miso. 

--Executive Chef Kenny Woods  

1440 Multiversity Executive Chef Kenny Woods was introduced to FoodWhat in 2018 through produce deliveries that 1440 receives from Santa Cruz Farmers Market, and he connected with FoodWhat founder and director Doron Comerchero. Shortly after, Chef Kenny began volunteering his time at the FoodWhat site on the University of California, Santa Cruz campus – located just 10 miles from 1440 Multiversity – which is complete with an outdoor cooking space, edible gardens, meal tables, greenhouses and even a chicken coop. From there he was hooked. 

“It opened a new passion for me,” Chef Kenny says.  “I look back at my timeline and what food means to me, and then I get to share that passion.”

At the end of July, Chef Kenny and members of the 1440 team visited the FoodWhat campus in what has become an annual tradition. Teens were able to cook a meal together with Chef Kenny as he shared his knowledge on food and recipes; what he’s learned through personal experience; and what he’s gained from cooking with others. One participant said he was hesitant to join the program at first but has now been a part of FoodWhat for two years. 

“The first time I didn’t sign up for it, but then I thought, ‘Oh well it sounds cool, maybe I’ll give it a try,’ and I really liked it,” the teen said. “So I kept doing it.” 

Some participants had hesitations jumping into the day’s cooking projects, but by the end they were all engaged in activity. Six teens prepared a meal alongside Chef Kenny, which included fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs from the FoodWhat campus garden. Others cleaned dishes and chatted amongst each other, or tended to the garden, but one thing they all did in unison was connect and enjoy each other’s company. 

Participants learn in a hands-on way at FoodWhat, have the opportunity to see how the ingredients come together to make a dish and how each dish collectively creates the family meal. Once the meal is ready, each of the youth who helped with the meal stands before their peers and introduces what they made and how they made it, as they did on this visit.  

Chef Kenny is known for combining ingredients that may seem uncommon but are critical for the "food as medicine" nutrition philosophy of 1440, and the teens were able to taste the difference in an eye-opening way. Most of them were surprised at how unique and delicious everything was, as they were skeptical of the new techniques at first. By the end of the 1440 meal, after most went back for seconds or even thirds, there was no food left over.

Following the 1440 visit to FoodWhat, Chef Kenny heard from one participant who told him he cooked a meal for his family using what he learned from the day, showing just how powerful the knowledge and inspiration of food can be in bringing people together. Another participant shared, “I just feel like everyone is so family oriented; it’s a close-knit community. It’s made me think more about agriculture and nature, and just made me be more open-minded about cooking.” Others relayed to Chef Kenny how they are now inspired to pursue a culinary career someday, or cook more often for their friends and loved ones.

FoodWhat strives to bring the local community closer in a fun and engaging way, and it’s clear that this program feeds its youth in more ways than one. That’s the beauty in trying something new – you just might enjoy it. 

To learn more about Food What, please visit FoodWhat.org.

When I was laid off from Google in October 2020, I panicked. Even though our finances were fine, and I’d been talking about leaving for years, I initially freaked out. It was a big change, and it felt out of my control – like it was being done to me instead of something I was choosing for myself. I felt off-balance, insecure, and rejected, even though deep down it was what I really wanted. 

Humans are, to some extent, creatures of habit. Way back, when hunter gatherers roamed the hills of Silicon Valley instead of tech executives, our habits were key to our survival. We recognized patterns in our environment that kept us sheltered and fed. We built stability and security through our communities. Maintaining the status quo was literally a matter of life and death. 

So, it’s not surprising that when we’re faced with a major life change, like leaving a job, that we perceive it as a threat. And when we’re under threat, we generally don’t make the best decisions. The good news is that even though humans tend to resist change, we’re actually pretty good at it. Once we get ourselves to accept the situation, we typically rise to the challenge in spectacular fashion. 

When it comes to career transitions, emotions and insecurities often run high. It’s important to breathe, center, and listen before jumping into action. The steps below can help. 

Be patient, don’t panic. 
When change is upon us, our instinct is to act. Whether you’ve realized it’s time to leave a job or someone else has realized it for you, it’s normal to feel the need to do something to regain control. Don’t do that. It’s a horrible idea. Be patient and resist the urge to jump into something else right away. Give the situation time to develop – to breathe. Let yourself transition out of the “threat zone” before you decide what’s next. Even if it feels like a slam dunk, the first option is rarely the best. 

Acknowledge your feelings.
Transitions are emotional, regardless of the cause. Even positive changes can bring up feelings of insecurity, uncertainty, and nervous excitement. It’s important to acknowledge your feelings for what they are, not bury them. If you’re angry after being laid off, be angry. If you’re nervous about stepping into a bigger role, be nervous. Give yourself a moment to feel what you’re feeling. But, it’s equally important to know when to set your emotions aside so you don’t become subjected to them, and can look at the situation with a clear head and an open heart. 

Redefine what success means to you. 
We often measure our success against outside expectations. Between parents, friends, colleagues, and social media, it can feel like our decisions and accomplishments are under constant scrutiny (we’re all supposed to be VPs with two startups under our belts and a Tesla in the garage by the time we’re 29, right?). There’s this idealized image out there of what “success” looks like that almost dares us to want something different. And if we take the dare –  if we’re happy with less – then there must be something wrong with us (there’s not, for what it’s worth). Career transitions are a great time to shed the external standards and redefine what success looks like for you. Throw out the rule book and get to work writing your own. 

Assess the (actual) trade-offs. 
Just about everyone has commitments and restrictions to consider when making a career change (if you don’t, congratulations! Please tell us how you did it.). It might be making the mortgage payment or keeping up with school tuition for the kids. Or maybe it’s staying close to aging parents or finding a job that won’t require a spouse or partner to change jobs, too. Whatever is on your list, it’s important to know what your non-negotiables are so you know what you’re working with when it comes to trade-offs (and there will always be trade-offs). 

Adopt a learning mindset. 
Far too many of us look at a career transition as a destination instead of a journey. We often think our next move needs to be the “right” move (whatever that means). But really, our next move just needs to teach us something that will help us make the move after that, and then the move after that. A career, just like life, should be a series of learning moments that build to a level of professional wisdom that’s often missing from our accomplishment-obsessed culture. If you make a move and discover in six months that it’s not for you, resist the temptation to label it a failure. A short stint doesn’t mean you failed. It means you learned. Embrace that, and then go learn something else. 

Reflection Questions 
Every great learning moment starts with a great question. 

1. What are my top priorities, both personal and professional?
2. What trade-offs am I willing to make to achieve my goals? 
3. What's stopping me from making progress? 
4. What decisions am I making solely based on the expectations of others? 
5. What do I want to learn from my next career move? 

Joanie’s Garden allows guests to stroll through a wonderland of growth, ranging from beds of produce that vary each season to arches of tomatoes and snap peas. Edible florals and herbs are sprinkled throughout, often appearing as garnishes in meals served at Kitchen Table. There is a “Joanie’s Garden crew,” as Campus Gardener Mike MacDonald calls them, comprised of critters that help foster an optimal environment, including the resident honeybees that call the garden home. 

Follow along and Wonder Well as Gardener Mike shares his culinary updates, from what’s growing and thriving to what is being harvested, soon to find a home in the 1440 Kitchen. 

Read Notes from the 1440 Kitchen here. 

---

July 8, 2021: Garden Notes – Thriving Produce in the California Heat Wave

Poblano peppers and Persian cucumbers are taking off, big time. They’ve been loving the warmer weather and have started getting big and lush and producing fruit. Pea trellises are transitioning to tomato trellises, and I’m adding compost to the beds as I plant the next succession of crops. 

On the harvest list for the week are dragon’s tongue beans, new potatoes, purple carrots, Meyer lemons, baby mustards and mizuna, red and green scallions, basil, cilantro flowers, and plenty of cut flowers for sprucing up tables and such. We have been loving putting out small vases of flowers from the garden in our public spaces for guests to enjoy; it’s just one of the things we like to do to make the campus feel like home for those who visit. 

The garden has been producing so heavily that I’ve been pruning herbs, bunching them and hanging them to dry for use in herbal teas and in the kitchen. The drying rack was looking a bit monotone, so I started drying flowers, too. We’ll pepper them in on bookshelves and tables around campus in the winter when fresh flowers are hard to come by.

--Campus Gardener Mike MacDonald 

June 24, 2021: Garden Notes – Out With Peas, In With Tomatoes

Last week’s heat wave was an unmistakable intro to summer. This week I’m pulling out dead and dying sugar snap peas from the trellises and replacing them with Sungold, San Marzano and Green Zebra tomatoes. As summer progresses, the tomato plants will cover the trellises, forming tunnels you can walk through while you harvest. In a future Culinary Notes post from my colleagues in the kitchen, you will read about how we preserved last year’s tomato harvest during the pandemic – they have been a tremendous treat to start to taste now that they are ready to sample!

Also this week, I’m finishing up the garlic harvest, bringing cured and dry bulbs to the kitchen for use. I’ve started pulling the first of the new potatoes, and I’ll be slowly harvesting more of those over the next couple of weeks. Those beds will be replanted with guajillo and gochujang chili peppers, as well as some fall flowers for cutting.

Our carrot flower beds are in full production, pumping out plenty of filler for arrangements around campus. Otherwise, I’m harvesting edible flowers and baby greens for this weekend’s garnishes and am looking forward to what next week has in store. 

--Campus Gardener Mike MacDonald 

Joanie’s Garden allows guests to stroll through a wonderland of growth, ranging from beds of produce that vary each season to arches of tomatoes and snap peas. Edible florals and herbs are sprinkled throughout, often appearing as garnishes in meals served at Kitchen Table. There is a “Joanie’s Garden crew,” as Campus Gardener Mike MacDonald calls them, comprised of critters that help foster an optimal environment, including the resident honeybees that call the garden home. 

Follow along and Wonder Well as Gardener Mike shares his culinary updates, from what’s growing and thriving to what is being harvested, soon to find a home in the 1440 Kitchen. 

Read Notes from the 1440 Kitchen here. 

July 8, 2021: Garden Notes – Thriving Produce in the California Heat Wave

Poblano peppers and Persian cucumbers are taking off, big time. They’ve been loving the warmer weather and have started getting big and lush and producing fruit. Pea trellises are transitioning to tomato trellises, and I’m adding compost to the beds as I plant the next succession of crops. 

On the harvest list for the week are dragon’s tongue beans, new potatoes, purple carrots, Meyer lemons, baby mustards and mizuna, red and green scallions, basil, cilantro flowers, and plenty of cut flowers for sprucing up tables and such. We have been loving putting out small vases of flowers from the garden in our public spaces for guests to enjoy; it’s just one of the things we like to do to make the campus feel like home for those who visit. 

The garden has been producing so heavily that I’ve been pruning herbs, bunching them and hanging them to dry for use in herbal teas and in the kitchen. The drying rack was looking a bit monotone, so I started drying flowers, too. We’ll pepper them in on bookshelves and tables around campus in the winter when fresh flowers are hard to come by.

--Campus Gardener Mike MacDonald 

June 24, 2021: Garden Notes – Out With Peas, In With Tomatoes

Last week’s heat wave was an unmistakable intro to summer. This week I’m pulling out dead and dying sugar snap peas from the trellises and replacing them with Sungold, San Marzano and Green Zebra tomatoes. As summer progresses, the tomato plants will cover the trellises, forming tunnels you can walk through while you harvest. In a future Culinary Notes post from my colleagues in the kitchen, you will read about how we preserved last year’s tomato harvest during the pandemic – they have been a tremendous treat to start to taste now that they are ready to sample!

Also this week, I’m finishing up the garlic harvest, bringing cured and dry bulbs to the kitchen for use. I’ve started pulling the first of the new potatoes, and I’ll be slowly harvesting more of those over the next couple of weeks. Those beds will be replanted with guajillo and gochujang chili peppers, as well as some fall flowers for cutting.

Our carrot flower beds are in full production, pumping out plenty of filler for arrangements around campus. Otherwise, I’m harvesting edible flowers and baby greens for this weekend’s garnishes and am looking forward to what next week has in store. 

--Campus Gardener Mike MacDonald 

What many guests didn’t expect, however, is the lasting impact that 1440 would have on them while they were here. Below are 14 sentiments from our guests that encapsulate the 1440 experience, that we hope will inspire you in your own journey of reconnecting in person. 

1. “My retreat experience at 1440 was life changing. Every member of the staff that I encountered was committed to creating a memorable and nourishing experience. The programming was incredible and very thoughtfully laid out. And, of course, the food, amenities, and campus were perfect. I would highly recommend 1440 to anyone ready for relaxation and rejuvenation!”
    
2. “I went to 1440 this past weekend on a solo retreat and WOW, what a gift. The grounds are beautiful, the food was INCREDIBLE, the music playing was just what I wanted to hear and the staff...the most caring, kind and helpful people I have ever interacted with. I am so glad I took the time to immerse myself within such a beautiful environment. Two nights, close to home, all to myself.” 
    
3. “So many little things added to our experience and healing: All the bees on flowers...the gorgeous and unexpected lighting while outside in the evening...the honest passion that everyone we met shared with us when we engaged them! Chefs, Groundskeepers, Front Desk Staff, Managers...everyone was so sincere and gentle.” 
    
4. “I had the honor and privilege to attend [the 1440] program for healing healthcare workers sponsored by our county foundation. Everything was beyond excellent – the program, the activities, the facility, the FOOD, the pace, the environment, their flexibility and openness to our needs. I had just come back from a 10-day vacation, but I felt more rejuvenated and refreshed after just one weekend.”
    
5. “The staff was outstanding; each and every one at the front desk, in the kitchen, hiking, yoga and tai chi instructors. The grounds and facilities were also truly excellent. Such a dedicated team from top to bottom. We were sad to leave! We'll be back.”
    
6. “The culture is so amazing that I want to be adopted by the 1440 family. I am in awe of the professionalism that was delivered. My group felt that we are such VIPs during our entire stay. It made a big difference when the staff was addressing us by our first names.”
    
7. “Joanie and Scott Kriens have created a remarkable retreat center, and have pivoted their mission to a place that actually changes lives. As a physician, I participated in a weekend program called 'Healing Our Healthcare Heroes' along with other physicians, nurses, physical therapists, hospital managers and social workers. It was an incredible experience, with four amazing workshops led by true 'change makers' and addressing issues that healthcare workers are dealing with after a year of COVID care – trauma, moral injury, and grief, as well as hope, growth, joy. The caliber of speakers was reminiscent of TED Talks.”
    
8. “The room was beautiful, smelled like redwoods, and was overall very relaxing. The aesthetic of the room was beautiful, uncluttered, and contributed to the overall calm.” 
    
9. “I liked the ability to interact with the speakers on campus before and after their presentations. It was lovely that they were also at Kitchen Table, the Infinity Pool, and around campus so we could chat with them more informally and get to know them, as well.” 
    
10. “I'd love to attend again! I think you may have 'stolen' Disneyland's 'The Happiest Place on Earth!'” 
     
11. “Chef Kenny is amazing. His entire team created the most unbelievably delicious food. The attention to detail was first rate. And they were all extremely friendly and accommodating. I wish I could eat there every day.” 
     
12. “1440 has made a tremendous impact in my life. 1440 has allowed me to connect with my inner-self and be OK with giving myself permission to let go and connecting with my feelings.”
     
13. “I would like to live at 1440. It’s magical!”
     
14. “It seemed to me that you have cherry picked each employee and you have the cream of the crop. A perfect match for each of their roles. Thank you for that. And thank you for the great send off, what can a girl say to having her very own send-off of happy smiling faces and waves goodbye. I left with a smile on my face.”

Learn more about sponsoring or participating in Healing Our Healthcare Heroes.

View our Rest & Renewal packages and calendar here.

Bring your mission-aligned group or Wellness Wedding to 1440 Multiversity; visit here for details. 
 

It’s no secret that nature anchors the 1440 Multiversity experience. The campus is rich with century-old redwoods, ferns, wildflowers and pretty, productive gardens. In fact, 1440 co-creator Joanie Kriens found inspiration for the 1440 name  —chosen for the number of minutes available in each day — while harvesting vegetables in her own home garden.

1440 Campus Gardener Mike MacDonald tends to herbs, vegetables, fruit trees and edible flowers across the Santa Cruz Mountains grounds. He’s helped the culinary team source local produce since 1440 opened, and his background in sustainable food systems and agriculture influences every aspect of his work. In addition to steering the garden’s focus from ornamental to edible plants, MacDonald’s goal is to produce campus-grown ingredients for every guest meal. He’s also outlining new garden tours, along with classes on composting, biodiversity, flower arranging and related topics.

MacDonald especially enjoys showcasing the creatures that help campus gardens thrive. 

“I'm always happy to walk guests through the garden, answer questions, and chat about bugs,” he says. 

MacDonald recently sat down to do just that, sharing fun facts about five important critters on the 1440 campus and recommending easy ways to strengthen habitats in our own backyards and garden beds.

1. Bees
More than 50 bee species live in central California, including native bees that nurture local ecosystems and European honeybees that pollinate our favorite foods and flowers. A diverse bee population benefits garden plants, just as diverse gardens benefit the bees themselves. 

“If possible, avoid long periods with no open flowers in your garden because insects may die off or move,” MacDonald says. “Try to maintain a natural balance and a seasonal flow of different nectar and pollen.”

Three honeybee colonies populate the 1440 campus, including one in Joanie’s Garden. You’ll likely spot these bees as you explore the grounds; their honey is used in special desserts and amenities, as well. 

Agapostemon sightings are another treat. Commonly known as the green sweat bee, this native pollinator is a solitary bee that’s a brilliant blend of metallic turquoise and green. Occasionally, MacDonald also spots Halictus bees.

“They’re so small that people might not realize they are bees,” he says. “They’re great for pollinating small flowers, like sweet alyssum, coriander, parsley and carrot.”

As you view bees, remember that they only sting when threatened. If bees get tangled in hair or clothing, for example, or they’re protecting their hive from creatures trying to collect honey, they may buzz more aggressively. Though the natural response might be to swat, MacDonald suggests simply walking away.

“When bees sting, they sacrifice their life. That really only happens as a last resort. If you're not posing a threat, they're not committed to giving up their life just to put you in 15 minutes of pain,” he says. 

2. Wasps
Unlike bees, wasps continue to live after they sting. They also eat meat, which is why they often buzz around summer barbecues.  

“Bees eat pollen and nectar, so they're not usually interested in your food. People have reason to be more wary of yellow jackets, but they’re also important pest predators. Even though I keep my distance, I do like to see them in my garden,” MacDonald says.

Yellow jackets feast on cabbage looper larvae, for example, which keeps the caterpillars from harming kale, collard greens, cabbage and other plants in the brassica family. Parasitoid wasps protect gardens by laying their own eggs inside the abdomen of certain aphids, caterpillars and other insects. As the eggs hatch and new wasps mature, they destroy the host insect.

While tiny parasitoid wasps are tough to spot, they typically hang around the same small flowers that attract Halictus bees—including coriander, sweet alyssum and yarrow.

“There are tens of thousands of parasitoid wasp species that specialize in different host insects. Most of these wasps are less than two millimeters long. Unless you view them under a microscope or magnifying glass, you'll probably think they are gnats,” says MacDonald. 

3. Spiders
Spiders, like wasps, help control common pests and support dynamic garden ecosystems. MacDonald welcomes species such as wolf spiders, which feed on grubs and caterpillars. 

“I think of spiders and wasps and bees and birds as part of my garden crew,” MacDonald says. “The more time they spend in my garden, the less work I have to do and the healthier that garden will be.”

He aims to strengthen spider populations by maintaining plant and habitat diversity. Nurturing various flowers near shrubs and trees of different heights attracts a wider variety of birds and insects. At 1440, you might spot spiders scaling the sides of raised garden beds or spinning webs on fences and trellises. MacDonald also points guests toward the fire pit, where there are fig and kumquat trees, bushes, several types of sage, and clusters of flowers.

“There's a lot of diversity in that little pocket, plus it’s a bit more accessible to anything that’s just creeping around. Spiders there don't have to cross over gravel trails to get to the beds,” he says.

4. Ladybugs
Ladybugs also like diverse habitats. These petite predators love to eat, too, whether it’s mildew, mites or common garden pests such as scale and aphids. 

“Ladybug larvae are really, really voracious aphid eaters. Aphid infestations are common on brassicas and other plants, so if ladybugs come in and breed, you’ll be rescued. Once you see ladybug larvae, your infestation is about to be handled,” MacDonald says.

Ladybug larvae might not be considered as cute as their adult counterparts, but they’re year-round pest fighters in central California. At least 15 ladybug species live here, including the familiar seven-spotted ladybug. Others are yellow with black spots, cream with tan and black spots, and, in the case of the western blood-red lady beetle, bright red with no spots.

If you peek closely at squash or cucumber plants, which are prone to powdery mildew, you might see tiny black specks. Those, too, are ladybugs.

“You can see them moving, but you might mistake them for dirt if you don’t stop to look closely. It's a very round black dot, about the size of a pinhead, with a domed back. That’s the giveaway. Ladybugs tend to be very round with a domed back,” says MacDonald.

5. Birds
The redwoods, gardens and fruit trees of the 1440 campus house an impressive array of birds. Northern mockingbirds and Bewick’s wrens hunt for flies and caterpillars. Red-shouldered hawks soar through the sky, scaring rodents away with their simple presence. At night, the distinctive calls of great horned owls pierce the quiet. By day, black phoebes perch on fenceposts and dive to catch moths. 

“Here in Joanie’s Garden, we have some trellises made of cattle panels bent over individual beds. I often see birds hanging out on those, flirting and watching for insects. There's a whole community scene,” says MacDonald.

To attract beneficial birds to your yard or garden, he suggests planting trees, anchoring posts, installing trellises or hanging birdhouses. Birdbaths will also draw some species, and birds like to snack on sunflower seeds straight off the flower.

“Gardens provide habitat, food and nesting materials for birds. Birds, in turn, will control pest populations in your garden. Also, they’re just pleasant to watch. It’s nice to offer them something that keeps them in your local area,” MacDonald says.

Sarah Devereaux spent 14 years moving through training, program development and executive roles at Google. Today, she leads marketing and customer success for Murmur, a platform that helps teams co-create policies, processes and work agreements that clarify their ways of working. She also offers leadership coaching and advisory services as the founder of Third Coast Coaching.
 
Devereaux’s ontological coaching practice explores how an individual’s language, emotions and even physical movements shape their perspectives. This holistic approach helps clients reframe challenges and create lasting change.
 
Change has become a constant, after more than a year of pandemic-related closures, career shifts and other unexpected events. Whether you’re navigating a layoff or returning to the office after working remotely, Devereaux says these five steps can help you embrace transition and grow.
 
1. Practice self-compassion.
“First, acknowledge that your situation might be really awful. Allow yourself the time to hold those feelings, objectively. Then, set them aside. Don’t bury your feelings — just set them aside and look at the situation. Remind yourself that it’s going to be ok. This isn’t who you are. You’re not a failure. You’re not alone. The sun will rise, and you will move forward.”
 
2. Pause and consider.
“When something unexpected happens, many people panic instead of pausing. They try to fill that gap right away, as if speed is what matters. Actually, what matters is patience. Pause and consider what you really want to do next, so that you're not just jumping into a situation that is similar to the one you came from. It can be easy to take a role that feels comfortable, but that might not be what you want or what's actually good for you.”
 
3. Prioritize ruthlessly.
“It's important to understand your non-negotiables. Make a list of priorities and stack rank them. Really think through what tradeoffs you’re willing to make, when push comes to shove. With any change, any transition, there will always be a set of hard decisions. What are you willing to let go of in order to meet your priorities and stay true to your values?”
 
4. Plan flexibly.
“When people create a career plan, they often want checklists and spreadsheets and strategies. But I always coach folks to think about their North Star. What's that general thing that you care about and are moving toward?
 
“Try not to get too bogged down in the individual steps. Avoid thinking, ‘Okay, within the next year, I'm going to do these three things. Within the next five years, I will do these other three things. Then, in 10 years, I will have reached this specific goal.’ If you can, stay more nebulous. Avoid getting too attached to any particular step. Keep an open mindset, because there may be possibilities that you just never saw coming.”
 
5. Be patient.
“When people experience career changes, they often want to do everything at once. They feel like it's got to be all or nothing. To create lasting, sustainable change — to truly transform your life and your career — it takes time. Be patient with the process and be patient with yourself. If you can't answer all the career questions that are in front of you right away, or even within the first three or six months, it's okay.
 
"Take a hard look at your life and what's important. If you can afford it, take some time. And if you can't, take a bridge job that will pay the bills but will also allow you to reflect and learn. Learning will lead to something bigger.
 
“It can be helpful when people ask themselves, ‘Did I really not see this coming? Did I want to keep working here? Is this role really what I wanted?’ Be honest with yourself. Try to set that ego, the hurt, the anger, the frustration, aside. Getting fired from a job begins a grieving process. But also, explore the moment for what it really is. For some people, it's absolutely awful. I don't want to downplay that. But it might also be the best thing that ever happens to you.”

Early in her career, Susan Olesek was invited to teach in a small prison near Houston. The sociologist and self-described lover of people introduced her class to the Enneagram, a tool that maps an individual’s inner terrain. By studying Enneagram types – numbers ranging from one through nine that associate with particular personality qualities – Susan’s students not only uncovered the unconscious patterns shaping their behaviors and choices, but also remembered what is right about themselves.

Incarcerated individuals eagerly embraced their newfound self-awareness.

“I was struck by the light inside of those students. Some were behind bars due to tragic and violent circumstances. They’d say, ‘I did those things, but that’s not really who I am.’ They were so hungry to understand themselves and their actions,” Susan says. “I saw personal transformations happening right in front of me, and it completely changed the trajectory of my life.”

Susan carried that experience to a jail in California’s Santa Clara County, where she developed a pilot program that sparked the Enneagram Prison Project (EPP). Launched in 2012, the nonprofit is on a mission to help people understand why they do what they do by using the Enneagram. The tool inspires transformation on both sides of the bars through self-awareness, self-regulation and self-compassion.

“We help people understand why we do what we do,” Susan says. “We all have gifts. We’re all perfect, loving and waiting to be loved. The premise is that there is nothing wrong with you, and the Enneagram is a tool that helps you discover all that is right.”

Approximately 2.3 million people were in U.S. prisons, jails, detention centers and related facilities as of March 2020, says the Marshall Project. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that the country’s incarceration rates increased by 220 percent between 1980 and 2014. Though states spend more than $50 billion a year on corrections, U.S. recidivism rates—the rate at which released individuals return to criminal behavior—remain high. A Pew report on American prisons found that more than four in 10 offenders return to state prison within three years of their release.

In contrast, EPP calculated for their graduates a recidivism rate of 5.35 percent in Santa Clara County jails and 10 percent in San Mateo County jails. None of the students who took the EPP program more than once recidivated. By bringing classes into places like San Quentin State Prison, San Diego’s Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, and prisons and jails in Minnesota, Australia, Belgium, France and beyond, EPP reminds students that they have options.

“Some of our students grew up on the streets. They were raised in chaos; they lost parents to drugs or violence; they experienced horrible, traumatic, unthinkable things. Yet, they share a real human resilience,” Susan says. “We help people remember their best selves, and we share with them the resources they need to make fewer compulsive choices."

Some students enter EPP programs by referral, while others step forward to participate. The organization trains its teachers, known as EPP Guides, to share lessons across eight- to 20-week courses. Students explore their Enneagram type – for example, Type 1 is referred to as the “Reformer” and Type 9 as the “Peacemaker,” with many in between – and what it says about their instincts and motivations. Then, EPP Guides help them navigate their interior landscapes and better understand the cognitive, emotional and behavioral strategies that drive their decisions.

“Personality is a survival strategy that starts from childhood. We fiercely identify with our personality. It leads us to operate in a strategic way, but that happens unconsciously, unknowingly, unwittingly,” Susan says. “It’s hard to change the things we can’t see. The Enneagram is a profound tool that gets under the surface to illuminate what we are doing and why."

EPP Community Weaver Halida Hatic appreciates the depth of the Enneagram, and how it compassionately leads individuals home by introducing people to themselves.

“EPP’s compassionate approach starts by looking at what’s right about us. When we can appreciate all of who we are, we can start to do the work to understand why we do the things that we do. It is from this place of compassion and understanding that we begin to discover that we have our own agency, and that we hold the key to our personal freedom.” Halida says.

As participants heal and grow on the inside, they encourage and inspire healing and transformation in the people around them.

Participation benefits EPP Guides as much as students, Susan adds. The opportunity to process underlying pain, recognize patterns, cultivate self-compassion and embrace the inherent good in others changes lives.

“We have the most remarkable family of EPP Guides, and they don’t just wear teacher hats. They’ve made their own journeys. They’re able to share their own experiences, and they express as much gratitude as our students,” she says.

EPP, which aligns closely with the 1440 Love Well learning pillar, was one of several organizations to take part in 1440 Service Week in 2019 at the 1440 Multiversity campus. Created to thank those doing important community-building and philanthropic work, the multi-day event opens the 1440 campus to mission-aligned nonprofit organizations and invites participants to engage in workshops about social change, mindfulness, leadership, innovation and other topics to help them network and further develop their impactful work. Past Service Week speakers include author and marketing expert Guy Kawasaki and Lynne Twist, co-founder of The Pachamama Alliance and founder of The Soul of Money Institute.

The Enneagram Prison Project and 1440 are rooted in a shared commitment to the greater good, believes Halida.

“As a like-hearted organization, EPP is partnering with 1440 to support people from all backgrounds—including those touched by incarceration—in remembering what is good, loving, precious, beautiful, clear, awake, joyful, alive and whole in each of us,” she says. “Together, we are creating space for the work of transformation, and cultivating a compassionate community that recognizes and celebrates our shared humanity. This advances EPP’s vision of freeing people, all over the world, from the prisons of our own making.”

EPP continues engaging new audiences closer to home, as well. A recent pilot program introduced the Enneagram to high school students in Los Gatos, Calif. Program panelists included some of EPP’s public ambassadors.

As EPP Ambassadors, these formerly incarcerated EPP graduates share their experiences and encourage others to begin personal journeys of self-understanding.

“The leadership of people who have been on the inside is so compelling. EPP Ambassadors inspire students, and they share a message of, ‘If I can do it, you can do it.’ As for our in-custody students, they are just brilliant and insightful agents of change,” Susan says. “By the time they get to our classrooms, most of them realize that what they’ve been doing hasn’t been working. They are determined to live and find love again. When they get out and guide others in our community to do what they have done, they are the proof that change is more than possible.”

To learn more about the Enneagram Prison Project, please visit enneagramprisonproject.org.

Changing lives in a lasting way

Renee Lopez first took Enneagram Prison Project (EPP) classes while serving jail time in California. Stuck in a cycle of addiction and incarceration, he paused upon discovering his Enneagram type. At their best, Type 3s come to teach others about what’s precious and the value inherent in our being. Type 3s are often described as driven and determined to succeed. In challenging moments, they might feel unworthy and driven to compete from a sense of neediness and emptiness.

“The descriptions fit me to a T,” says Renee. “I was performing, in a way. I was not connected with myself. The scary part was that I didn’t actually know who I was.”

Through EPP, Renee learned to identify deep-rooted response patterns. He defined his core values, and he practiced reacting more mindfully and intentionally. Today, Renee shares his experiences as an EPP Ambassador, and he taps into EPP lessons while caring for his mother, who lives with Alzheimer's disease.

Self-discovery work is difficult, but Renee likens it to an exercise that builds strength over time.

“It's a very tense environment in custody, but on the outside, it’s a whole different game. I'm talking about the simple things, like learning to manage bank accounts or navigating a job search with a criminal history,” he says. “That’s doing the work. It’s about not giving up. It’s about recognizing when I'm getting into a panic state. It’s about using my tools to remember that this is just one moment, not my whole life.”

EPP Ambassador and Board Member Alex Senegal introduces similar lessons to individuals he meets in his EPP capacity, and to those he works with as a substance abuse counselor, minister, and program director for a faith-based re-entry program serving formerly incarcerated individuals.

Incarceration chips away at one’s identity and sense of purpose, Alex explains. As someone who was in and out of jail for more than two decades, he recognizes the importance of personal support on both sides of the bars.

“You can go to church and hear the word of God. But once you leave the building and go back into your environment, it's up to you to put things into practice,” he says. “We need support to do that, especially when the tools are new.”

Alex found that support in EPP and its founder, Susan Olesek. While exploring his Type 9 characteristics, he learned how hiding his frustrations left him prone to anger. He developed the skills to manage unconscious habits and make different choices.

“I was only connected with the destructive me,” Alex says. “Susan’s teaching touched on why I did what I did, and why I never connected with my own goodness. She helped me understand why it was so hard for me to stand up and be who I really am.”

While it has helped him personally, Alex knows that EPP lessons can also spark wider change.

“Our goal is to take the Enneagram Prison Project all over the world. To get people, and our society, to start seeing what is good about each one of us would help shift the whole culture,” he says.

That shift so impacted Sue Lambert that she took EPP’s eight-week course five times.

“When I was incarcerated, I was bound and determined to figure out what was wrong with me. Was I defective in some way? I knew right from wrong and tried to be good, but life was always rocky and now look where I was. No one had ever told me anything was ‘right’ about me,” she says.

As an Enneagram Type 1, Sue connects with goodness and wants to improve the world. But first, she had to address past trauma, practice forgiveness and reconnect with herself.

“I lived with addiction and frustration, and my inner pain always shadowed my heart. I never felt good enough or worth much other than the abuse I accepted from other broken people,” she says. “I had to learn that love and acceptance start with me.”

Today, Sue is an EPP Guide, faculty member and facilitator for the EPP Reconnecting and Ambassador programs, as well as a certified life coach. She calls her first trip inside to teach incarcerated individuals “a surreal experience.”

“But in the classroom, students listened to me with great attention and heart. They knew I had been in their seats before, suffering like they were, struggling and feeling alone,” she says.

Outside of her EPP work, Sue is a proud “nanny granny” to her grandchildren.

“I now have close relationships with my family, and many relationships and connections with my EPP family, too. I’m able to love them, and many others, with a depth connected to my heart and soul,” Sue says. “This program has not just changed my life. It has actually saved my life.”

1440: It’s said that everyone is a leader, yet stepping up and into leadership can be scary. How can managers encourage individual contributors to show more leadership?

Michelle Maldonado: The pandemic has created multiple disruptors. As a leader, you're trying to figure out what to do when your world is upside down, while also understanding how you can help others lead themselves and their teams.

It’s really important for all of us to get comfortable with the unknown, and to feel vulnerability or afraid. You can model that it’s okay to not know all the answers right now. Think about how we traditionally run and operate businesses. We plan and create strategic models and long-term timelines. But now, a lot of those strategic plans have to be short-term because everything is so dynamic. Reassuring people that there is a safety net in the midst of the uncertainty is important.

Often, when the economy or market circumstances shift, there is an opportunity for internal reinvestment. So, another thing we can do is to encourage people to invest in their own development. 

1440: What, exactly, is a mindful leader and how do you become one? Why is it important?

The definition I use for mindfulness is borrowed from the Mindful Nation UK report (a 2015 policy document published on behalf of the UK Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group). That definition involves paying attention to the present moment, including the mind, body and surrounding environment, with an attitude of curiosity and kindness. 

Mindfulness as a leader weaves in more context. Yes, you're paying attention to what's happening right now. But a leader also has to be aware of what impact current actions have on the future. How do you stay fully in the present moment, knowing that you're planning and preparing for what's next? 

It's not just about the organization. If you think about awareness in three concentric circles, the innermost being self, the next being others, and the third being ecosystems and surrounding environments, you see that the self travels through to all of the other circles. Mindful leaders are fully present and aware of our thoughts and what's showing up in our bodies, so that we can be more intentional and skillful in how we interact. 

As leaders, if we don't bring more substantive awareness to the internal world, we are not leading with the level of clarity that creates cohesion, coherence and psychological safety in our organizations. All of that, together, helps to create the conditions for belonging and unity at work.

1440: The pandemic has affected people differently. How can leaders stay open to the varying needs of their organizations, communities and families, while also getting the support they need?

Michelle Maldonado: There is a saying that we're all weathering the storm in the same ocean. A lot of people end that by saying that we're all in the same boat, so we sink or swim together. But in reality, not all boats are equipped equally or equitably. 

When we think about how to ensure that the needs of work teams, families or other communities are met, we must consider that each person brings a different set of circumstances. The pandemic is also exacerbating a lot of what has always happened in U.S. society. We're facing social and racial issues, health issues, and education issues. None of it is new, but it is all at the surface at the same time. Sometimes, this makes it feel impossible to clearly and concretely plan for the future.

So, what do we do? Varying organizational needs sometimes can feel like they're in conflict with the needs of leaders, employees, even families and communities. If nothing else, the pandemic has really opened the door for us to think about ecosystems. When we make decisions, we have to think about the ripples across those ecosystems. We need to be creative and curious about the support and resources we provide not only for performance-related matters, but also for mental health and well-being along with new ways to create work-life harmony.

If we really think about what "normal” was before, we know that it wasn’t healthy for many people and it certainly wasn't equitable. There's no going back. We now have an incredible opportunity to think about ecosystems differently and redefine what support and resources look like.

1440: We are all gifted with 1,440 minutes each day. How are you spending your daily 1,440 minutes differently, as a result of the pandemic?

Michelle Maldonado: I’ve gotten really intentional about replenishing, nurturing, and resetting my energies. It’s good to start there because whatever we have in our own well is what we're pulling from to give to others.

I’m spending a lot more time outside. We have a wonderful national park with a waterfall nearby, and so I frequently hike along that waterfall. If you have some breaks throughout the day, instead of staying at the computer or jumping on a social call, take time to put your face in the sunshine. 

I’m also more focused on nutrition and mindful eating. Pre-pandemic, I was just eating before my next call or my next meeting or my next trip to the airport. Now, I'm very intentional about sitting down, eating slowly, tasting the food, noticing the texture and the aromas. I am not on my phone. I am not in front of my computer. I'm not standing up. 

1440: How does stress impact our ability to lead well?

Michelle Maldonado: Dr. Kelly McGonigal has this wonderful Ted Talk on stress. Here's what she says the science suggests: The way we think about stress can change the body's response to it. 

Dr. McGonigal’s research recommends that we reframe our perception of stress and anxiety. Try acknowledging it. Think, “This is not a bad thing. This is simply my body's way of summoning energy for what I'm about to do next." This difference in how you receive and perceive that stress triggers a positive domino effect in the body’s physical response. 

I'm not suggesting that we don't acknowledge what's happening in our country and the world, or that what shows up in our micro-ecosystems and organizations isn't real. What I am suggesting is that in acknowledging what is present, we also can infuse the present moment with opportunity.

We bring the stress that we’re carrying into work, even when we’re not aware. It can exhaust us. It can cloud our judgement, and it clouds our ability to see challenges as opportunities for our organizations and teams. And all of that can impact not only morale, but also culture, climate and performance. 

1440: Looking back at the leadership challenges of 2020, what would you encourage leaders to let go of? Or do more of?

Michelle Maldonado: The pandemic has allowed social conditions to come to the surface all at once. What we've seen in the U.S., since the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbrey and Breonna Taylor, is that what’s in society is in work, as well. What happens in the personal happens in the professional. 

As leaders, one of the best things we can do is to stop otherizing or “breaking,” which is a term used by john a. powell of the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. Breaking is how we put people in categories. There's us and there's them. We do this outside and inside of work, and if we step back and look, we know that this debilitates society and debilitates organizations. 

When people feel like they belong, when there is psychological safety, there's so much that can happen—innovation and connection and higher-level performance and resilience and engagement. This is the first step to creating cultures of belonging and unity. If we fuse this with compassion, which is a must-have inside and outside of the workplace, it is very powerful. 

Extending compassion to ourselves and to others allows us to do what powell calls “bridging.” Bridging is creating that belonging and unity to help people to feel safe, to take risks, to raise new ideas. When people feel comfortable inside of their environments, you start to see a real shift. 

1440: As we move beyond diversity to racial equity in the workplace, how do you guide leaders working to build racially equitable cultures?

Michelle Maldonado: First, an anecdote to explain my perceptions around this. I'm a former corporate/technology lawyer. In my first semester of law school, we took a two-credit course in ethics. Then, we barely talked about ethics again. That's how I feel we often treat things like diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. We treat them as stand-alone, siloed topics. 

Diversity alone doesn't solve the problem. That's why we're now talking about what is beyond equality. We’re looking more at equity. But this goes beyond even that. This is about belonging and unity. 

When you think about diversity and inclusion, these are tactics to produce an end result. The end result we want is an organization, a community, a nation of people who feel like they belong. And, we want unity. We can’t just focus on belonging and community. We have communities everywhere, but there's not always unity among them. 

I also think we need an integrated approach to leadership training—not simply labeling separate diversity and inclusion training. Even in titling these efforts, we marginalize them by making them separate and apart from what leaders do. Teach leaders what we expect from them. Show them how to lead for everyone. This integrated, interdependent, interconnected weaving into the fabric of operations and leadership is important if we are going to make sustainable systemic change.

1440: Leaders need to keep growing, too. How can they better themselves and prepare for the future?

Michelle Maldonado: Personal-professional development is important, but today’s leaders also need to expand beyond being tactical and process-oriented. 

Before the pandemic, there were already predictions that by 2025 a certain percentage of jobs would be lost to technology. Initial indications show that the net loss is lower than the net gain, but there will still need to be reskilling and role repurposing. Much of that will require fine-tuned people skills, emotional intelligence and compassion. 

So yes, think about how your role will transform over the next few years. But also, expand your practical skills in parallel with your people skills. Everyone has worked with that one person who left scorched earth behind them. Maybe they were a big revenue producer or got the big deals done, but nobody wanted to work with them. That kind of behavior is not sustainable, and it's not good for organizations or the ecosystem. Leaders can proactively train themselves to be more emotionally intelligent.

1440: What can remote leadership look like?

Michelle Maldonado: This is a tough one, because part of leading is making that human connection. It’s that in-person act of stopping by somebody's office, checking in on them, taking a walk, having a cup of coffee in the break room. You can still call someone or have a video chat, but because everybody is on virtual platforms, there is some fatigue. 

It’s also hard because everybody has very full plates. We need to be creative in our quest to make people feel supported and connected, without creating more exhaustion. One of the things we can ask people is, “How are you doing, really?” Another important one, is “What can I do, as a leader of this team, to help support you?” A lot of people are afraid to ask those questions, because they're afraid of criticism or they're afraid of being vulnerable. But I think that the best way, in these times, is to simply ask the question. 

1440: What are you looking forward to next at 1440 Multiversity?

Michelle Maldonado: If health and travel conditions permit, I hope that we can resume the True North Leadership program in the fall. It’s one of my favorite collaborations, because it is so life-changing and transformative for leaders across industries. I have a Disrupting Workplace Bias workshop at the 1440 Leadership Center that I look forward to hosting, as well. 

I think those two opportunities, together, are great reflections of how 1440 is trying to help cultivate leadership wealth for everyone, across industries.
 

Apply now for True North Leadership, to be held October 17-22, 2021 at the 1440 Multiversity campus in Scotts Valley, California.

Host your group event at 1440 and add a Leadership Center session to your program. Learn more and submit an RFP. 

1440: It’s said that everyone is a leader, yet stepping up and into leadership can be scary. How can managers encourage individual contributors to show more leadership?

Michelle Maldonado: The pandemic has created multiple disruptors. As a leader, you're trying to figure out what to do when your world is upside down, while also understanding how you can help others lead themselves and their teams.

It’s really important for all of us to get comfortable with the unknown, and to feel vulnerability or afraid. You can model that it’s okay to not know all the answers right now. Think about how we traditionally run and operate businesses. We plan and create strategic models and long-term timelines. But now, a lot of those strategic plans have to be short-term because everything is so dynamic. Reassuring people that there is a safety net in the midst of the uncertainty is important.

Often, when the economy or market circumstances shift, there is an opportunity for internal reinvestment. So, another thing we can do is to encourage people to invest in their own development. 

1440: What, exactly, is a mindful leader and how do you become one? Why is it important?

The definition I use for mindfulness is borrowed from the Mindful Nation UK report (a 2015 policy document published on behalf of the UK Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group). That definition involves paying attention to the present moment, including the mind, body and surrounding environment, with an attitude of curiosity and kindness. 

Mindfulness as a leader weaves in more context. Yes, you're paying attention to what's happening right now. But a leader also has to be aware of what impact current actions have on the future. How do you stay fully in the present moment, knowing that you're planning and preparing for what's next? 

It's not just about the organization. If you think about awareness in three concentric circles, the innermost being self, the next being others, and the third being ecosystems and surrounding environments, you see that the self travels through to all of the other circles. Mindful leaders are fully present and aware of our thoughts and what's showing up in our bodies, so that we can be more intentional and skillful in how we interact. 

As leaders, if we don't bring more substantive awareness to the internal world, we are not leading with the level of clarity that creates cohesion, coherence and psychological safety in our organizations. All of that, together, helps to create the conditions for belonging and unity at work.

1440: The pandemic has affected people differently. How can leaders stay open to the varying needs of their organizations, communities and families, while also getting the support they need?

Michelle Maldonado: There is a saying that we're all weathering the storm in the same ocean. A lot of people end that by saying that we're all in the same boat, so we sink or swim together. But in reality, not all boats are equipped equally or equitably. 

When we think about how to ensure that the needs of work teams, families or other communities are met, we must consider that each person brings a different set of circumstances. The pandemic is also exacerbating a lot of what has always happened in U.S. society. We're facing social and racial issues, health issues, and education issues. None of it is new, but it is all at the surface at the same time. Sometimes, this makes it feel impossible to clearly and concretely plan for the future.

So, what do we do? Varying organizational needs sometimes can feel like they're in conflict with the needs of leaders, employees, even families and communities. If nothing else, the pandemic has really opened the door for us to think about ecosystems. When we make decisions, we have to think about the ripples across those ecosystems. We need to be creative and curious about the support and resources we provide not only for performance-related matters, but also for mental health and well-being along with new ways to create work-life harmony.

If we really think about what "normal” was before, we know that it wasn’t healthy for many people and it certainly wasn't equitable. There's no going back. We now have an incredible opportunity to think about ecosystems differently and redefine what support and resources look like.

1440: We are all gifted with 1,440 minutes each day. How are you spending your daily 1,440 minutes differently, as a result of the pandemic?

Michelle Maldonado: I’ve gotten really intentional about replenishing, nurturing, and resetting my energies. It’s good to start there because whatever we have in our own well is what we're pulling from to give to others.

I’m spending a lot more time outside. We have a wonderful national park with a waterfall nearby, and so I frequently hike along that waterfall. If you have some breaks throughout the day, instead of staying at the computer or jumping on a social call, take time to put your face in the sunshine. 

I’m also more focused on nutrition and mindful eating. Pre-pandemic, I was just eating before my next call or my next meeting or my next trip to the airport. Now, I'm very intentional about sitting down, eating slowly, tasting the food, noticing the texture and the aromas. I am not on my phone. I am not in front of my computer. I'm not standing up. 

1440: How does stress impact our ability to lead well?

Michelle Maldonado: Dr. Kelly McGonigal has this wonderful Ted Talk on stress. Here's what she says the science suggests: The way we think about stress can change the body's response to it. 

Dr. McGonigal’s research recommends that we reframe our perception of stress and anxiety. Try acknowledging it. Think, “This is not a bad thing. This is simply my body's way of summoning energy for what I'm about to do next." This difference in how you receive and perceive that stress triggers a positive domino effect in the body’s physical response. 

I'm not suggesting that we don't acknowledge what's happening in our country and the world, or that what shows up in our micro-ecosystems and organizations isn't real. What I am suggesting is that in acknowledging what is present, we also can infuse the present moment with opportunity.

We bring the stress that we’re carrying into work, even when we’re not aware. It can exhaust us. It can cloud our judgement, and it clouds our ability to see challenges as opportunities for our organizations and teams. And all of that can impact not only morale, but also culture, climate and performance. 

1440: Looking back at the leadership challenges of 2020, what would you encourage leaders to let go of? Or do more of?

Michelle Maldonado: The pandemic has allowed social conditions to come to the surface all at once. What we've seen in the U.S., since the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbrey and Breonna Taylor, is that what’s in society is in work, as well. What happens in the personal happens in the professional. 

As leaders, one of the best things we can do is to stop otherizing or “breaking,” which is a term used by john a. powell of the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. Breaking is how we put people in categories. There's us and there's them. We do this outside and inside of work, and if we step back and look, we know that this debilitates society and debilitates organizations. 

When people feel like they belong, when there is psychological safety, there's so much that can happen—innovation and connection and higher-level performance and resilience and engagement. This is the first step to creating cultures of belonging and unity. If we fuse this with compassion, which is a must-have inside and outside of the workplace, it is very powerful. 

Extending compassion to ourselves and to others allows us to do what powell calls “bridging.” Bridging is creating that belonging and unity to help people to feel safe, to take risks, to raise new ideas. When people feel comfortable inside of their environments, you start to see a real shift. 

1440: As we move beyond diversity to racial equity in the workplace, how do you guide leaders working to build racially equitable cultures?

Michelle Maldonado: First, an anecdote to explain my perceptions around this. I'm a former corporate/technology lawyer. In my first semester of law school, we took a two-credit course in ethics. Then, we barely talked about ethics again. That's how I feel we often treat things like diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. We treat them as stand-alone, siloed topics. 

Diversity alone doesn't solve the problem. That's why we're now talking about what is beyond equality. We’re looking more at equity. But this goes beyond even that. This is about belonging and unity. 

When you think about diversity and inclusion, these are tactics to produce an end result. The end result we want is an organization, a community, a nation of people who feel like they belong. And, we want unity. We can’t just focus on belonging and community. We have communities everywhere, but there's not always unity among them. 

I also think we need an integrated approach to leadership training—not simply labeling separate diversity and inclusion training. Even in titling these efforts, we marginalize them by making them separate and apart from what leaders do. Teach leaders what we expect from them. Show them how to lead for everyone. This integrated, interdependent, interconnected weaving into the fabric of operations and leadership is important if we are going to make sustainable systemic change.

1440: Leaders need to keep growing, too. How can they better themselves and prepare for the future?

Michelle Maldonado: Personal-professional development is important, but today’s leaders also need to expand beyond being tactical and process-oriented. 

Before the pandemic, there were already predictions that by 2025 a certain percentage of jobs would be lost to technology. Initial indications show that the net loss is lower than the net gain, but there will still need to be reskilling and role repurposing. Much of that will require fine-tuned people skills, emotional intelligence and compassion. 

So yes, think about how your role will transform over the next few years. But also, expand your practical skills in parallel with your people skills. Everyone has worked with that one person who left scorched earth behind them. Maybe they were a big revenue producer or got the big deals done, but nobody wanted to work with them. That kind of behavior is not sustainable, and it's not good for organizations or the ecosystem. Leaders can proactively train themselves to be more emotionally intelligent.

1440: What can remote leadership look like?

Michelle Maldonado: This is a tough one, because part of leading is making that human connection. It’s that in-person act of stopping by somebody's office, checking in on them, taking a walk, having a cup of coffee in the break room. You can still call someone or have a video chat, but because everybody is on virtual platforms, there is some fatigue. 

It’s also hard because everybody has very full plates. We need to be creative in our quest to make people feel supported and connected, without creating more exhaustion. One of the things we can ask people is, “How are you doing, really?” Another important one, is “What can I do, as a leader of this team, to help support you?” A lot of people are afraid to ask those questions, because they're afraid of criticism or they're afraid of being vulnerable. But I think that the best way, in these times, is to simply ask the question. 

1440: What are you looking forward to next at 1440 Multiversity?

Michelle Maldonado: If health and travel conditions permit, I hope that we can resume the True North Leadership program in the fall. It’s one of my favorite collaborations, because it is so life-changing and transformative for leaders across industries. I have a Disrupting Workplace Bias workshop at the 1440 Leadership Center that I look forward to hosting, as well. 

I think those two opportunities, together, are great reflections of how 1440 is trying to help cultivate leadership wealth for everyone, across industries.
 

Apply now for True North Leadership, to be held October 17-22, 2021 at the 1440 Multiversity campus in Scotts Valley, California.

Host your group event at 1440 and add a Leadership Center session to your program. Learn more and submit an RFP. 

In January 2020, just before the pandemic shifted our lives in ways that no one could predict, award-winning television journalist and human rights activist Peggy Callahan interviewed Los Angeles native Amanda Gorman for the first episode of 1440 Life Inside Out – a special podcast series that explores the moments we all face in life when we’re not sure whether we are breaking through or breaking down.

Much of the world knows Amanda – a celebrated writer, poet and activist – from her moving delivery of The Hill We Climb during the 2021 presidential inauguration, when she became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. She celebrates another milestone less than three weeks later: The first poet to ever perform at a Super Bowl. 

At the time of her interview with 1440 though, Amanda – who named the first National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017 – was on winter break during her final year at Harvard University, preparing for her upcoming graduation, working to meet her upcoming book deadlines, and leading the nonprofit One Pen One Page organization she founded in 2016 to elevate the voices and stories of young people.

On 1440 Life Inside Out: Episode 1, Amanda shares her inspirations, the impact and opportunity of her childhood speech impediment, life’s difficult lessons, and more, as she embodies the 1440 vision of creating hope for living well for the greater good of humanity. 

She also visited the 1,200-year-old Mother Tree at the 1440 Multiversity campus in Scotts Valley, California, where she recited an excerpt from her poem titled What If? that she wrote for the DIALOGUE 2019 conference at Harvard Business School.

The poem I'm about to read is called What If? and I wrote it when I was going to be participating in a conference that Harvard was hosting called DIALOGUE. And I was very interested in what it means to have conversations with other people, to gather with other people and to really spread ideas in a holistic manner. And I thought it might be timely in thinking about 1440 because I feel like it is such a gathering place where ideas and people can all come together.

What if?

What if our world's leaders, innovators and thinkers

didn't speak about change in monologues?

What if we spoke and hoped through dialogue?

While dialogue is not the chorus speaking perfectly as one

dialogue is that daring cacophony.

The diverse call to action. It is complex and sometimes chaotic conversation

this courageous confrontation it is the collective compassion for the common good.

It is meeting with meaning, participation with purpose, speech in service of others here by dialogue.

We do not mean it in the abstract. We mean it's in the act.

It is a verb in every sense of the word.

It is participating, communicating, activating because we know something has to be done.

And fast. And though it might take years change is worth a lifetime. Push. By pull back. By fourth. We might not get the correct answers but we get closer to asking the right questions.

What if our world's leaders, businesses, innovators, thinkers gathered together.

What if we could look in each other's eyes not for press or publicity but for progress.

Then we the assembled would act with these words at our prow.

If past is written in prologue our progress will be spoken in dialogue as verb, vocation. a vow.

To not only ask what if? but also.

What now?

Stay tuned for upcoming episodes of 1440 Life Inside Out hosted by Peggy Callahan, featuring:

• Trailblazing explorer, mountaineer and social entrepreneur Sylvia Vasquez-Lovado, the first Peruvian woman to summit Mount Everest and the first openly gay woman to complete the Seven Summits.
   
• LavaMae^x founder and former CEO Doniece Sandoval, who spearheaded the San Francisco-based nonprofit that converts public transportation buses into bathrooms on wheels for the homeless. 
   
• Reboot co-founder, coach and facilitator Jerry Colonna, a venture capitalist credited with the early development of Silicon Valley.
   
• Idea Architects Chief Operating Officer and Editorial Director Lara Love, co-writer of the 2018 Oprah Book Club selection The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton.

Participate in 1440 Multiversity Online Learning here.

Browse our advocacy programs and support our work of creating hope for living well. 

Thanks to its easy drive market proximity to Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, in addition to access to three major airports — San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland — the private 75-acre 1440 Multiversity campus located in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains is on the radar of meeting planners across the country. As an added benefit, 1440 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit learning destination and each group booking gives back to philanthropic advocacy programs in the community, further attracting responsible corporations that want to give back and provide “meetings with a purpose.” Each booking at 1440 feeds a family of four in Santa Cruz County and advances other philanthropic programs such as Healing our Healthcare Heroes which offers scholarships to frontline medical workers.  

Meeting and events at 1440 Multiversity are very different from traditional hotel gatherings. Stay packages are all-inclusive and incorporate the connection of human and environmental health and wellness. Whether a single- or multi-day gathering, accommodations include three daily nourishing meals served in Kitchen Table; morning and afternoon wellness breaks; and a wide-ranging selection of indoor and outdoor signature classes and activities such as guided nature walks, yoga, meditation, improv, lectures, fitness classes and the Healing Arts center. The possibilities for a unique learning event and lasting memories are endless, and the outdoor meeting spaces and environments are vital elements to the overall experience in acting as “human charging stations.” 1440 has a large degree of flexibility to accommodate small executive offsites to large leadership training programs. Private cooking classes and family-style dinners are possible in the freestanding Teaching Kitchen or may be served under the stars in the adjacent Joanie’s Garden.

Campus locations like the 250-seat Redwood Amphitheater; Redwood Boardroom and Labyrinth; Kitchen Table Terrace and Outlook Patio were popular spaces for attendees pre-pandemic, and 1440 has developed even more outdoor venues in varying capacities to accommodate health and safety measures and social distancing considerations (learn more about our Campus Health & Safety Plan), increasing the number of total outdoor natural venues to more than 20 in addition to its 12 indoor meeting spaces. 

Here are the five most requested outdoor meeting locations on campus — both new options and meeting planner favorites — that your group or event attendees will talk about long after their visit.

Joanie’s Garden Table

Standard Capacity: 24 | Social Distance Capacity: 6 (12 as couples/duos in the same traveling party)

As the centerpiece of the 1440 “food is medicine” nutrition philosophy, Joanie’s Garden brings together fresh seasonal harvests alongside culinary learning opportunities that inspire the meals that are served across campus. Adjacent to the 1440 Teaching Kitchen, Joanie’s Garden has welcomed groups for nutrition classes followed by a garden lunch among the tomato vines, wine education dinners under the stars, and even custom Hive Dive classes for groups to learn more about the honeybee population at 1440. A gathering in Joanie’s Garden is nothing short of memorable.

The Cathedral

Standard Capacity: 250 | Social Distance Capacity: 60 (120 as couples/duos in the same traveling party)

Through the wood and across the bridge over Carbonera Creek is the most sacred outdoor meeting venue on campus: The Cathedral, which inspires energy, emotion and introspection in the redwoods. Set beneath the historic Mother Tree — a 250-foot-tall 1,200-year-old California Redwood that anchors 1440 Multiversity in concept and spirit — this large amphitheater-style space with its redwood benches, slate-tile stage and trickling creek will elevate meetings of any size.   Combined with a guided mindfulness exercise led by 1440 staff or a meaningful conversation activity to open guests up to new ideas and concepts, the Cathedral will have a lasting impact on attendees, offering a residual calm to those who have the opportunity to experience it. 

Redwood Terrace, Lawn & Fire Pit

Standard Capacity: 40 | Social Distance Capacity: 10 (20 as couples/duos in the same traveling party)

Tucked behind the Redwood meeting complex, the Redwood Terrace, Lawn & Fire Pit is a private setting that comes with some of the most unique offerings on campus. A slate-tile patio serves as a space for high-top tables; a family-style dining table; or an art or materials station for an interactive outdoor gathering. Stately hand-carved stone benches and a chaise lounge, along with Adirondack chairs, are dressed with cozy blankets and pillows and flank a one-of-a-kind stone fire pit. The adjacent labyrinth beckons contemplation as attendees mindfully travel along its path high above the Cathedral, which is visible down below. Combine these spaces with the indoor Redwood Boardroom for a motivating and productive executive offsite or teambuilding event you are sure to remember.    

The Canopy

Standard Capacity: 150 | Social Distance Capacity: 40 (80 as couples/duos in the same traveling party)
The newest outdoor venue at 1440 Multiversity, the Canopy is set in a wooded clearing surrounded by redwood trees that seemingly touch the sky. This space calls guests to wander the nearby campus trails (it is best to literally hike in and out of this space) or simply sit in contemplation in conversation circles made with log seats repurposed from fallen redwoods to learn and absorb the work that brings them to campus. Spacious and inspirational, the Canopy invites event planners and guests to make it their own. 

Outlook Patio and Crest Deck

Outlook Patio: Standard Capacity: 100 | Social Distance Capacity: 25 (80 as couples/duos in the same traveling party)

Crest Deck: Standard Capacity: 35 | Social Distance Capacity: 10; 20 as couples/duos in the same traveling party

The half-moon-shaped Outlook Patio is adjacent to the Outlook Building above Common Grounds with a panoramic view of the campus below. This space is ideal for afternoon meetings al fresco, teambuilding events or sunset receptions and after-dark afterglows.  

Perched above the Outlook Patio is Crest Deck, one of the most popular outdoor meeting venues on campus. This 1,100-square-foot two-tiered deck, surrounded by oak and redwood trees, is ideal for a morning yoga practice, a mid-day conversation circle or a late-afternoon classroom-style meeting and mixer. Set off the Crest Loop trail, attendees can continue their journey up the hill and explore the upper campus trails, or travel back down the stairs to quickly access Common Grounds Patio for a coffee or glass of wine by the fire pits.

Offsite meetings at 1440 Multiversity are an ideal opportunity to combine team productivity with an incredible learning opportunity that will continue to energize and motivate long after departing campus. 

Click here to submit an RFP.

View the 1440 Group Brochure here.  

Learn more about Signature Classes here. 
 

Thanks to its easy drive market proximity to Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, in addition to access to three major airports — San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland — the private 75-acre 1440 Multiversity campus located in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains is on the radar of meeting planners across the country. As an added benefit, 1440 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit learning destination and each group booking gives back to philanthropic advocacy programs in the community, further attracting responsible corporations that want to give back and provide “meetings with a purpose.” Each booking at 1440 feeds a family of four in Santa Cruz County and advances other philanthropic programs such as Healing our Healthcare Heroes which offers scholarships to frontline medical workers.  

Meeting and events at 1440 Multiversity are very different from traditional hotel gatherings. Stay packages are all-inclusive and incorporate the connection of human and environmental health and wellness. Whether a single- or multi-day gathering, accommodations include three daily nourishing meals served in Kitchen Table; morning and afternoon wellness breaks; and a wide-ranging selection of indoor and outdoor signature classes and activities such as guided nature walks, yoga, meditation, improv, lectures, fitness classes and the Healing Arts center. The possibilities for a unique learning event and lasting memories are endless, and the outdoor meeting spaces and environments are vital elements to the overall experience in acting as “human charging stations.” 1440 has a large degree of flexibility to accommodate small executive offsites to large leadership training programs. Private cooking classes and family-style dinners are possible in the freestanding Teaching Kitchen or may be served under the stars in the adjacent Joanie’s Garden.

Campus locations like the 250-seat Redwood Amphitheater; Redwood Boardroom and Labyrinth; Kitchen Table Terrace and Outlook Patio were popular spaces for attendees pre-pandemic, and 1440 has developed even more outdoor venues in varying capacities to accommodate health and safety measures and social distancing considerations (learn more about our Campus Health & Safety Plan), increasing the number of total outdoor natural venues to more than 20 in addition to its 12 indoor meeting spaces. 

Here are the five most requested outdoor meeting locations on campus — both new options and meeting planner favorites — that your group or event attendees will talk about long after their visit.

Joanie’s Garden Table

Standard Capacity: 24 | Social Distance Capacity: 6 (12 as couples/duos in the same traveling party)

As the centerpiece of the 1440 “food is medicine” nutrition philosophy, Joanie’s Garden brings together fresh seasonal harvests alongside culinary learning opportunities that inspire the meals that are served across campus. Adjacent to the 1440 Teaching Kitchen, Joanie’s Garden has welcomed groups for nutrition classes followed by a garden lunch among the tomato vines, wine education dinners under the stars, and even custom Hive Dive classes for groups to learn more about the honeybee population at 1440. A gathering in Joanie’s Garden is nothing short of memorable.

The Cathedral

Standard Capacity: 250 | Social Distance Capacity: 60 (120 as couples/duos in the same traveling party)

Through the wood and across the bridge over Carbonera Creek is the most sacred outdoor meeting venue on campus: The Cathedral, which inspires energy, emotion and introspection in the redwoods. Set beneath the historic Mother Tree — a 250-foot-tall 1,200-year-old California Redwood that anchors 1440 Multiversity in concept and spirit — this large amphitheater-style space with its redwood benches, slate-tile stage and trickling creek will elevate meetings of any size.   Combined with a guided mindfulness exercise led by 1440 staff or a meaningful conversation activity to open guests up to new ideas and concepts, the Cathedral will have a lasting impact on attendees, offering a residual calm to those who have the opportunity to experience it. 

Redwood Terrace, Lawn & Fire Pit

Standard Capacity: 40 | Social Distance Capacity: 10 (20 as couples/duos in the same traveling party)

Tucked behind the Redwood meeting complex, the Redwood Terrace, Lawn & Fire Pit is a private setting that comes with some of the most unique offerings on campus. A slate-tile patio serves as a space for high-top tables; a family-style dining table; or an art or materials station for an interactive outdoor gathering. Stately hand-carved stone benches and a chaise lounge, along with Adirondack chairs, are dressed with cozy blankets and pillows and flank a one-of-a-kind stone fire pit. The adjacent labyrinth beckons contemplation as attendees mindfully travel along its path high above the Cathedral, which is visible down below. Combine these spaces with the indoor Redwood Boardroom for a motivating and productive executive offsite or teambuilding event you are sure to remember.    

The Canopy

Standard Capacity: 150 | Social Distance Capacity: 40 (80 as couples/duos in the same traveling party)
The newest outdoor venue at 1440 Multiversity, the Canopy is set in a wooded clearing surrounded by redwood trees that seemingly touch the sky. This space calls guests to wander the nearby campus trails (it is best to literally hike in and out of this space) or simply sit in contemplation in conversation circles made with log seats repurposed from fallen redwoods to learn and absorb the work that brings them to campus. Spacious and inspirational, the Canopy invites event planners and guests to make it their own. 

Outlook Patio and Crest Deck

Outlook Patio: Standard Capacity: 100 | Social Distance Capacity: 25 (80 as couples/duos in the same traveling party)

Crest Deck: Standard Capacity: 35 | Social Distance Capacity: 10; 20 as couples/duos in the same traveling party

The half-moon-shaped Outlook Patio is adjacent to the Outlook Building above Common Grounds with a panoramic view of the campus below. This space is ideal for afternoon meetings al fresco, teambuilding events or sunset receptions and after-dark afterglows.  

Perched above the Outlook Patio is Crest Deck, one of the most popular outdoor meeting venues on campus. This 1,100-square-foot two-tiered deck, surrounded by oak and redwood trees, is ideal for a morning yoga practice, a mid-day conversation circle or a late-afternoon classroom-style meeting and mixer. Set off the Crest Loop trail, attendees can continue their journey up the hill and explore the upper campus trails, or travel back down the stairs to quickly access Common Grounds Patio for a coffee or glass of wine by the fire pits.

Offsite meetings at 1440 Multiversity are an ideal opportunity to combine team productivity with an incredible learning opportunity that will continue to energize and motivate long after departing campus. 

Click here to submit an RFP.

View the 1440 Group Brochure here.  

Learn more about Signature Classes here. 
 

A simple moment in the redwoods can be transformative, and 1440 Signature Experience faculty member and respected nature guide Gary Marcoccia thrives on teaching people how they can nourish their mind, body, and spirit through time spent in the wilds. A keen naturalist, ultra-runner, adventurer, kite surfer, and mountaineer who has traveled the world in discovery of nature’s wonder, Gary guides guests on walks through the majestic redwood comprising the 75-acre 1440 campus while sharing information and anecdotes about the flora and fauna.

What many may not realize is that a mindful, leisurely stroll along campus trails is a significant part of the integrated learning experience for guests, helping supplement their program, healing, and self-discovery work. The trail system is available to all registered guests of 1440 to explore at their leisure or as a 1440 Signature Class, and Rest & Renewal packages such as the new Explore the Redwoods experience provide an even more in-depth experience into the power of Mother Earth.

"Some might come to a learning destination like 1440 in search of belonging, wholeness, or connection. Part of what I see happening here is a subtle reminder that we are all part of the shared community of living beings and as such, are intimately engaged with the flow, breath, and being of Nature," Gary says. "My invitation to those who attend my 1440 nature walks is to see, hear, taste, and touch grace, and the sacred that is present in Nature. To let go of the noise, distraction, compulsion to perform, and fear of rejection. To make space to live a portion of the 1440 minutes in your day curious, available, and surprised by joy."

With the growing awareness of forest bathing and importance of disconnecting from technology to charge the mind, body, and spirit energy, guided nature walks as part of the 1440 curriculum are a beneficial treat for those who partake. On any given day, hour-long walks traverse parts of more than 4 miles of walking trails, weaving their way through old growth redwoods, alongside the babbling Carbonera Creek, to the base of the 1,200-year-old Mother Tree, and to panoramas and seating areas perfect for meditation and inspiration.

“The dynamic relationship between humankind and Nature is an unbreakable bond that sustains, nurtures and heals us,” Gary says. “When you listen to a running creek, walk among the towering redwoods, turn your face toward the sun, or take in the scents of the plant kingdom, you are connecting with the life-giving energy of Nature. The beauty of this powerful energy is that it subtly invites us to slow down, quiet the mind, and adopt gratitude to be our script.”

In his own words, Gary shares his five can’t-miss spots on the 1440 Multiversity campus trails, perfect for a deep breath, a scenic photo, or a quiet moment of reflection.

The Mother Tree
Lower Campus Trail at the Cathedral
“Most scientists agree that when you’re standing in the shadow of old growth Coast Redwood trees, you are among only 5 percent of the original old-growth forest remaining worldwide. When I gaze at the Mother Tree, I find myself wondering what this 1,000-year-old-plus tree has stood witness to in her lifetime, and in doing so call to heart this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: ‘The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more.’”

Corkscrew Tree
Lower Campus Trail, behind Oak and Madrone buildings
“This unique Coast Redwood tree, with its twisted spiral bark instead of vertical, can be easily found by walking up the paved hill that leads to Oak and Madrone and then entering the Lower Campus Trail at the end of the parking lot. You will quickly see the tree on your right. I’ve sent pictures of this tree to Coast Redwood researchers and they classified the corkscrew pattern as being uncommon, but not rare. There are numerous hypotheses out there, but I've yet to come across the definitive answer to the long-standing question on the cause of spiraling. One hypothesis suggests that prevailing winds and asymmetrical crown positions cause so much torque on the tree that it develops a spiral pattern in order to endure the mechanical torque loads imposed on it. Another hypothesis suggests that the tree is one of those rare beings that is hyper-tuned to the rotation of the earth. In the end, this phenomenon appears to be one of those mysteries of nature that we may never have an answer to.”

The Acacia Tree Bench
Upper Summit Trail
“On a clear day, this vantage point allows guests to see the Pacific Ocean along with a silhouette of the Gabilan Mountain Range in the background. Depending on the time of year, this can also be a great spot to catch the sunset, or the full moon illuminating the treetops in the valley. My favorite early morning walk is to take Summit Trail with a stop at this acacia tree bench and then on to the Ridge Trail loop. When I’m at this location I often call to heart this quote by Thich Nhat Hanh: ‘When we live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere.’”

Carbonera Creek
Furthest upstream point via Carbonera Trail
“This dead-end at the creek provides a beautifully wild secluded backdrop where one can simply sit and enjoy the soundscape. ‘Stillness. One of the doors into the temple,’ is a quote by Mary Oliver that I often call to heart at this location.”

The Circular Seating Area at the Lost Playground
Crest Trail
“Coincidentally, this seating arrangement was a request that I made to the 1440 team. Talking circles, peacemaking circles, or healing circles, as they’re often called, are deeply rooted in the traditional practices of indigenous people much like those who once inhabited the land that is now 1440. The symbolism of the circle, with no beginning and with nobody in a position of prominence, serves to encourage people to speak freely, thereby making sitting on the log rounds surrounded by the forest all the more special.”

Learn more about 1440 Rest & Renewal packages here.

Explore outdoor meeting venues for your next private group offsite. 
 

A simple moment in the redwoods can be transformative, and 1440 Signature Experience faculty member and respected nature guide Gary Marcoccia thrives on teaching people how they can nourish their mind, body, and spirit through time spent in the wilds. A keen naturalist, ultra-runner, adventurer, kite surfer, and mountaineer who has traveled the world in discovery of nature’s wonder, Gary guides guests on walks through the majestic redwood comprising the 75-acre 1440 campus while sharing information and anecdotes about the flora and fauna.

What many may not realize is that a mindful, leisurely stroll along campus trails is a significant part of the integrated learning experience for guests, helping supplement their program, healing, and self-discovery work. The trail system is available to all registered guests of 1440 to explore at their leisure or as a 1440 Signature Class, and Rest & Renewal packages such as the new Explore the Redwoods experience provide an even more in-depth experience into the power of Mother Earth.

"Some might come to a learning destination like 1440 in search of belonging, wholeness, or connection. Part of what I see happening here is a subtle reminder that we are all part of the shared community of living beings and as such, are intimately engaged with the flow, breath, and being of Nature," Gary says. "My invitation to those who attend my 1440 nature walks is to see, hear, taste, and touch grace, and the sacred that is present in Nature. To let go of the noise, distraction, compulsion to perform, and fear of rejection. To make space to live a portion of the 1440 minutes in your day curious, available, and surprised by joy."

With the growing awareness of forest bathing and importance of disconnecting from technology to charge the mind, body, and spirit energy, guided nature walks as part of the 1440 curriculum are a beneficial treat for those who partake. On any given day, hour-long walks traverse parts of more than 4 miles of walking trails, weaving their way through old growth redwoods, alongside the babbling Carbonera Creek, to the base of the 1,200-year-old Mother Tree, and to panoramas and seating areas perfect for meditation and inspiration.

“The dynamic relationship between humankind and Nature is an unbreakable bond that sustains, nurtures and heals us,” Gary says. “When you listen to a running creek, walk among the towering redwoods, turn your face toward the sun, or take in the scents of the plant kingdom, you are connecting with the life-giving energy of Nature. The beauty of this powerful energy is that it subtly invites us to slow down, quiet the mind, and adopt gratitude to be our script.”

In his own words, Gary shares his five can’t-miss spots on the 1440 Multiversity campus trails, perfect for a deep breath, a scenic photo, or a quiet moment of reflection.

The Mother Tree
Lower Campus Trail at the Cathedral
“Most scientists agree that when you’re standing in the shadow of old growth Coast Redwood trees, you are among only 5 percent of the original old-growth forest remaining worldwide. When I gaze at the Mother Tree, I find myself wondering what this 1,000-year-old-plus tree has stood witness to in her lifetime, and in doing so call to heart this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: ‘The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more.’”

Corkscrew Tree
Lower Campus Trail, behind Oak and Madrone buildings
“This unique Coast Redwood tree, with its twisted spiral bark instead of vertical, can be easily found by walking up the paved hill that leads to Oak and Madrone and then entering the Lower Campus Trail at the end of the parking lot. You will quickly see the tree on your right. I’ve sent pictures of this tree to Coast Redwood researchers and they classified the corkscrew pattern as being uncommon, but not rare. There are numerous hypotheses out there, but I've yet to come across the definitive answer to the long-standing question on the cause of spiraling. One hypothesis suggests that prevailing winds and asymmetrical crown positions cause so much torque on the tree that it develops a spiral pattern in order to endure the mechanical torque loads imposed on it. Another hypothesis suggests that the tree is one of those rare beings that is hyper-tuned to the rotation of the earth. In the end, this phenomenon appears to be one of those mysteries of nature that we may never have an answer to.”

The Acacia Tree Bench
Upper Summit Trail
“On a clear day, this vantage point allows guests to see the Pacific Ocean along with a silhouette of the Gabilan Mountain Range in the background. Depending on the time of year, this can also be a great spot to catch the sunset, or the full moon illuminating the treetops in the valley. My favorite early morning walk is to take Summit Trail with a stop at this acacia tree bench and then on to the Ridge Trail loop. When I’m at this location I often call to heart this quote by Thich Nhat Hanh: ‘When we live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere.’”

Carbonera Creek
Furthest upstream point via Carbonera Trail
“This dead-end at the creek provides a beautifully wild secluded backdrop where one can simply sit and enjoy the soundscape. ‘Stillness. One of the doors into the temple,’ is a quote by Mary Oliver that I often call to heart at this location.”

The Circular Seating Area at the Lost Playground
Crest Trail
“Coincidentally, this seating arrangement was a request that I made to the 1440 team. Talking circles, peacemaking circles, or healing circles, as they’re often called, are deeply rooted in the traditional practices of indigenous people much like those who once inhabited the land that is now 1440. The symbolism of the circle, with no beginning and with nobody in a position of prominence, serves to encourage people to speak freely, thereby making sitting on the log rounds surrounded by the forest all the more special.”

Learn more about 1440 Rest & Renewal packages here.

Explore outdoor meeting venues for your next private group offsite. 
 

With a heartfelt mission of creating hope for living well, 1440 Multiversity will increase its support of organizations and individuals seeking to inspire and enrich the world as it moves toward a strategic public campus reopening in 2021, prioritizing philanthropic initiatives, charitable giving and community building.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many retreat centers, hotels, resorts and other business closed their doors due to government regulations and limitations on social gathering. 1440 Multiversity has used this time to build and strengthen strategic partnerships, develop stronger communities, and create new programs in support of those in need impacted by current prevalent health, social and environmental challenges. Among several exciting changes, 1440 will expand its grant and scholarship program offerings to organizations and individuals – unbound by differences – to come together in community to explore, learn, reflect, connect and reenergize themselves through conversations around advocacy, community building, healthy living, belonging and unity, creating hope for living well by positively impacting the way people live, lead, love, work and wonder.

One of the first new grant programs to launch is Healing Our Healthcare Heroes, an all-inclusive campus and online initiative for frontline medical workers suffering from the moral injury of COVID-19. The initiative is designed to help these providers cope with the rigors of their work by learning to heal and care for themselves.  

“The decision to proactively suspend public on-campus programming until 2021 in order to focus on community building and philanthropic efforts felt like the right decision to make,” said Joanie and Scott Kriens, co-creators of 1440 Multiversity. “While we are saddened to pause the work we so deeply care about and believe in, we remain optimistic that our future charitable program offerings at 1440 – led by our Healing Our Healthcare Heroes initiative and with the support of our strategic partners – will provide opportunity for everyone to live more productive and healthy lives while serving the global community in more impactful and relevant ways.”

Community Building and Support During COVID-19
Building, supporting and maintaining community have been at the forefront of 1440 Multiversity efforts during the COVID-19 crisis and the 75-acre campus was quickly designated as an “essential business” by the County of Santa Cruz, Office of Emergency Services. In an eight-week span through April and May, the 1440 Multiversity team of over 30 culinary professionals designed new menus and prepared 40,000 nutritious meals that were distributed to more than two dozen county shelters and service sites to nourish community members in need. 1440 Multiversity also gifted the use of 15,000 square feet of its Redwood conference complex so the County could establish an Alternative Care Site to help expand local healthcare capacity in the community.

As Santa Cruz County was ravaged by the CZU Lightning Complex Fire this fall, a strategic community partnership with fellow 501(c)(3) nonprofit Operation BBQ Relief allowed 1440 to support the region even further, preparing and serving another 21,000 meals to fire evacuees and first responders during a five-week span in August and September. Through its Healing Our Community program, 1440 subsequently provided housing and meals for more than 30 families evacuated and left homeless by the wildfires.

Throughout the pandemic, 1440 Multiversity has remained committed to immersive wellness, and simultaneously launched its 1440 Multiversity Online Learning platform to continue its deep community engagement and keep its mission work alive virtually through webinars and classes while offering health and wellbeing resources in partnership with its renowned faculty. Accessible through the newly launched 1440.org, visitors to the site will continue to enjoy new complimentary content, including a special section dedicated to the 1440 Teaching Kitchen supplemented by a chef-led instructional video series centered around healthy and nutritional cooking basics. The new Eat Well Live Well series will debut in December.

Healing Our Healthcare Heroes and Creating Hope for Living Well
1440 Multiversity is raising funds to support its charitable community programs, starting with Healing Our Healthcare Heroes – a three-day, two-night all-inclusive workshop at the 1440 Multiversity campus (supplemented by a 12-month online continuing edu­­cation program) that provides frontline healthcare workers the opportunity and time to heal, connect and care for themselves as they cope with the fear and anxiety caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Born out of a debt of gratitude for the tireless efforts of these providers, the invitation program is free for frontline medical workers and will be funded by the generous support of corporate sponsors, foundations and donors in order to prioritize the mental health and physical, emotional and spiritual rejuvenation of healthcare staff.  

1440 Multiversity will look to further expand its support resources as it embarks on new impactful initiatives and fosters community building for the greater good of the global population, and the organization’s mission of creating hope for living well is embodied in the brand pillars and offerings.

“We co-created 1440 Multiversity as a safe place to allow creativity to flourish and energy to renew,” Joanie and Scott Kriens said. “A major focus of the organization in 2021 and beyond will center around deepening community and program support in healthcare, social impact, inner wellbeing, authentic leadership, and enriching the world, among many other categories that we are intent on helping.”

With these deepened focuses at the forefront of its work, 1440 Multiversity will continue to welcome mission-aligned corporate and nonprofit groups to campus to work on essential social issues that positively impact and enrich the lives of their employees and communities. As the campus safely and systematically reopens in 2021, guests may once again be invited to book a Rest & Renewal stay, impactful learning program, private group off-site or join a scheduled community event featuring popular 1440 Signature Classes. Significant campus upgrades have been implemented to optimize guest and employee health, including the conversion of shared facilities into private accommodations accompanied by a comprehensive COVID-19 safety prevention plan.

Those interested in supporting or becoming a charitable partner for Healing Our Healthcare Heroes or other charitable programs at 1440 Multiversity – whether an individual, foundation or corporate donor – are encouraged to learn more by visiting www.1440.org/donate or emailing CreateHope@1440.org.

The PFC is the newest part of the brain in terms of evolution, and also the most complex. The PFC governs all the aspects of our lives that make us feel distinctly human; using empathy, leading by example, probem-solving, inspiring others, motivating ourselves, and more. Without a healthy PFC we tend to biologically default to our fight-or-flight response. It’s simply in the way we are wired. Relating to one another with understanding and compassion triggers different parts of our brains.

In today’s busy world, we are living in a time of transition and a sometimes-challenging call to higher levels of relating to one another with compassion and empathy. Great and cutting-edge leadership today demands an understanding of the brain. Learning tasks to train our brain to be wired toward compassion and empathy is simple yet it’s not easy as it takes practice and repetition to build new neural pathways.

Here are 5 tips you can begin today to keep your PFC healthy and wired toward optimal leadership.

1. Eat healthy fats
2. Meditate for five minutes
3. Do a mind-engaging task, puzzle, or new and fun activity
4. Brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand
5. Choose a new route to work

Becoming the leader you were meant to be takes time, focus and practice. Priming our neural pathways toward empathy and compassion is the first step. To learn more about wiring your brain for optimized leadership and to get a free ebook on how to jumpstart your practice visit www.neurosculptinginstitute.com

Join Lisa Wimberger January 10 – 12, 2020 at 1440 for Neurosculpting® to Manage Stress, Anxiety, and Depression. 

The PFC is the newest part of the brain in terms of evolution, and also the most complex. The PFC governs all the aspects of our lives that make us feel distinctly human; using empathy, leading by example, probem-solving, inspiring others, motivating ourselves, and more. Without a healthy PFC we tend to biologically default to our fight-or-flight response. It’s simply in the way we are wired. Relating to one another with understanding and compassion triggers different parts of our brains.

In today’s busy world, we are living in a time of transition and a sometimes-challenging call to higher levels of relating to one another with compassion and empathy. Great and cutting-edge leadership today demands an understanding of the brain. Learning tasks to train our brain to be wired toward compassion and empathy is simple yet it’s not easy as it takes practice and repetition to build new neural pathways.

Here are 5 tips you can begin today to keep your PFC healthy and wired toward optimal leadership.

1. Eat healthy fats
2. Meditate for five minutes
3. Do a mind-engaging task, puzzle, or new and fun activity
4. Brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand
5. Choose a new route to work

Becoming the leader you were meant to be takes time, focus and practice. Priming our neural pathways toward empathy and compassion is the first step. To learn more about wiring your brain for optimized leadership and to get a free ebook on how to jumpstart your practice visit www.neurosculptinginstitute.com

Join Lisa Wimberger January 10 – 12, 2020 at 1440 for Neurosculpting® to Manage Stress, Anxiety, and Depression. 

Although I presumably spent most of my childhood daydreaming, I seldom do it anymore. Occasionally, I’ll catch myself spacing out in the shower, just standing there, and I’ll try to hustle myself back on track, lest I waste any more time or water.

Rarely do we just let ourselves stare into space these days. Like many people, I feel uncomfortable when I’m not doing something, uncomfortable “wasting time.”

We humans have become multi-tasking productivity machines. We can work from anywhere, to great effect. We can do more, and do it far more quickly, than we ever dreamed possible. Our fabulous new technologies buy us tons more time to crank out our work, get through our emails, and keep up with Modern Family. Time my great-grandmother spent making food from scratch, or hand-washing the laundry, we can now spend, say, driving our kids to their away games.

So now that we have so much more time to work and do things previous generations never dreamed possible (or even deemed desirable), why do we always feel starved for time?

The obvious answer is that we have so much more work, and expectations about what we will accomplish on a good day have expanded, but the number of hours in that day have stayed the same.

That’s true, but I also think there is something else at work here: We have gotten really, really bad at just doing nothing.

Look around: We can’t even stand to wait in an elevator for 10 seconds without checking our smartphones. I’m endlessly fascinated by a new series of studies where the research subjects were put alone in a room, with nothing to do. The researchers describe their work:

In 11 studies, we found that participants typically did not enjoy spending 6 to 15 minutes in a room by themselves with nothing to do but think, that they enjoyed doing mundane external activities much more, and that many preferred to administer electric shocks to themselves instead of being left alone with their thoughts. Most people seem to prefer to be doing something rather than nothing, even if that something is negative.

You read that right: Many people (67 percent of men and 25 percent of women, to be exact) actually gave themselves painful electric shocks instead of just sitting there doing nothing–after they had indicated to the researchers that they would pay money NOT to be shocked again. One guy shocked himself 190 times in 15 minutes.

This brings me back to my main point: Stillness — or the ability to just sit there and do nothing — is a skill, and as a culture we’re not practicing this skill much these days. When we can’t tolerate stillness, we feel uncomfortable when we have downtime, and so we cancel it out by seeking external stimulation, which is usually readily available in our purse or pocket. Instead of just staring out the window on the bus, for example, we read through our Facebook feed. We check our email waiting in line at the grocery store. Instead of enjoying our dinner, we mindlessly shovel food in our mouths while staring at a screen.

Here’s the core problem with all of this: We human beings need stillness in order to recharge our batteries. The constant stream of external stimulation that we get from our televisions and computers and smart phones, while often gratifying in the moment, ultimately causes what neuroscientists call “cognitive overload.” This state of feeling overwhelmed impairs our ability to think creatively, to plan, organize, innovate, solve problems, make decisions, resist temptations, learn new things easily, speak fluently, remember important social information (like the name of our boss’s daughter, or our daughter’s boss), and control our emotions. In other words, it impairs basically everything we need to do in a given day.[i]

But wait, there’s more: We only experience big joy and real gratitude and the dozens of other positive emotions that make our lives worth living by actually being in touch with our emotions — by giving ourselves space to actually feel what it is we are, well, feeling. In an effort to avoid the uncomfortable feelings that stillness can produce (such as the panicky feeling that we aren’t getting anything done), we also numb ourselves to the good feelings in our lives. And research by Matt Killingsworth suggests that actually being present to what we’re feeling and experiencing in the moment — good or bad — is better for our happiness in the end.

Here’s the main take-away: If we want to be high-functioning and happy, we need to re-learn how to be still. When we feel like there isn’t enough time in the day for us to get everything done, when we wish for more time… we don’t actually need more time. We need more stillness. Stillness to recharge. Stillness so that we can feel whatever it is that we feel. Stillness so that we can actually enjoy this life that we are living.

So if you are feeling overwhelmed and time-starved: Stop. Remember that what you need more than time (to work, to check tasks off your list) is downtime, sans stimulation.

As a society, we don’t just need to learn to tolerate stillness, we actually need to cultivate it. Fortunately, it’s not complicated. Try driving in silence, with your radio and phone off. (Encourage your children to look out the window while you drive them, instead of down at their devices.) Eat meals out of the sight and sound of your phones and televisions. Take a walk outside every day, preferably in nature, without a phone or music player. If it’s hard, just try a few minutes at a time, adding a few minutes each day. Just practice; it’ll get easier, and the benefits will become more apparent.

Finally, forgive yourself the next time you find yourself staring blankly into space. You aren’t wasting time. You’re catching up on your stillness.

Are you longing for more time to focus on what matters most? (Or how about just more time in general?) Or more meaningful work or more fulfilling relationships? I would love to help you find these things! Please join me for a rejuvenating weekend retreat from November 1 to 3, 2019 at 1440 Multiversity, a beautiful 75-acre campus nestled in the California redwoods near Santa Cruz. Register or learn more here.

Christine Carter, Ph.D., is a sociologist and author of The New Adolescence, The Sweet Spot and Raising Happiness. A sought-after keynote speaker and senior fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, she draws on scientific research to help people lead their most courageous, joyful, meaningful, and productive lives.

Although I presumably spent most of my childhood daydreaming, I seldom do it anymore. Occasionally, I’ll catch myself spacing out in the shower, just standing there, and I’ll try to hustle myself back on track, lest I waste any more time or water.

Rarely do we just let ourselves stare into space these days. Like many people, I feel uncomfortable when I’m not doing something, uncomfortable “wasting time.”

We humans have become multi-tasking productivity machines. We can work from anywhere, to great effect. We can do more, and do it far more quickly, than we ever dreamed possible. Our fabulous new technologies buy us tons more time to crank out our work, get through our emails, and keep up with Modern Family. Time my great-grandmother spent making food from scratch, or hand-washing the laundry, we can now spend, say, driving our kids to their away games.

So now that we have so much more time to work and do things previous generations never dreamed possible (or even deemed desirable), why do we always feel starved for time?

The obvious answer is that we have so much more work, and expectations about what we will accomplish on a good day have expanded, but the number of hours in that day have stayed the same.

That’s true, but I also think there is something else at work here: We have gotten really, really bad at just doing nothing.

Look around: We can’t even stand to wait in an elevator for 10 seconds without checking our smartphones. I’m endlessly fascinated by a new series of studies where the research subjects were put alone in a room, with nothing to do. The researchers describe their work:

In 11 studies, we found that participants typically did not enjoy spending 6 to 15 minutes in a room by themselves with nothing to do but think, that they enjoyed doing mundane external activities much more, and that many preferred to administer electric shocks to themselves instead of being left alone with their thoughts. Most people seem to prefer to be doing something rather than nothing, even if that something is negative.

You read that right: Many people (67 percent of men and 25 percent of women, to be exact) actually gave themselves painful electric shocks instead of just sitting there doing nothing–after they had indicated to the researchers that they would pay money NOT to be shocked again. One guy shocked himself 190 times in 15 minutes.

This brings me back to my main point: Stillness — or the ability to just sit there and do nothing — is a skill, and as a culture we’re not practicing this skill much these days. When we can’t tolerate stillness, we feel uncomfortable when we have downtime, and so we cancel it out by seeking external stimulation, which is usually readily available in our purse or pocket. Instead of just staring out the window on the bus, for example, we read through our Facebook feed. We check our email waiting in line at the grocery store. Instead of enjoying our dinner, we mindlessly shovel food in our mouths while staring at a screen.

Here’s the core problem with all of this: We human beings need stillness in order to recharge our batteries. The constant stream of external stimulation that we get from our televisions and computers and smart phones, while often gratifying in the moment, ultimately causes what neuroscientists call “cognitive overload.” This state of feeling overwhelmed impairs our ability to think creatively, to plan, organize, innovate, solve problems, make decisions, resist temptations, learn new things easily, speak fluently, remember important social information (like the name of our boss’s daughter, or our daughter’s boss), and control our emotions. In other words, it impairs basically everything we need to do in a given day.[i]

But wait, there’s more: We only experience big joy and real gratitude and the dozens of other positive emotions that make our lives worth living by actually being in touch with our emotions — by giving ourselves space to actually feel what it is we are, well, feeling. In an effort to avoid the uncomfortable feelings that stillness can produce (such as the panicky feeling that we aren’t getting anything done), we also numb ourselves to the good feelings in our lives. And research by Matt Killingsworth suggests that actually being present to what we’re feeling and experiencing in the moment — good or bad — is better for our happiness in the end.

Here’s the main take-away: If we want to be high-functioning and happy, we need to re-learn how to be still. When we feel like there isn’t enough time in the day for us to get everything done, when we wish for more time… we don’t actually need more time. We need more stillness. Stillness to recharge. Stillness so that we can feel whatever it is that we feel. Stillness so that we can actually enjoy this life that we are living.

So if you are feeling overwhelmed and time-starved: Stop. Remember that what you need more than time (to work, to check tasks off your list) is downtime, sans stimulation.

As a society, we don’t just need to learn to tolerate stillness, we actually need to cultivate it. Fortunately, it’s not complicated. Try driving in silence, with your radio and phone off. (Encourage your children to look out the window while you drive them, instead of down at their devices.) Eat meals out of the sight and sound of your phones and televisions. Take a walk outside every day, preferably in nature, without a phone or music player. If it’s hard, just try a few minutes at a time, adding a few minutes each day. Just practice; it’ll get easier, and the benefits will become more apparent.

Finally, forgive yourself the next time you find yourself staring blankly into space. You aren’t wasting time. You’re catching up on your stillness.

Are you longing for more time to focus on what matters most? (Or how about just more time in general?) Or more meaningful work or more fulfilling relationships? I would love to help you find these things! Please join me for a rejuvenating weekend retreat from November 1 to 3, 2019 at 1440 Multiversity, a beautiful 75-acre campus nestled in the California redwoods near Santa Cruz. Register or learn more here.

Christine Carter, Ph.D., is a sociologist and author of The New Adolescence, The Sweet Spot and Raising Happiness. A sought-after keynote speaker and senior fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, she draws on scientific research to help people lead their most courageous, joyful, meaningful, and productive lives.

SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIF. (September 2, 2020) – In response to the rapidly growing needs resulting from the CZU Lightning Complex Fire and COVID-19 pandemic, 1440 Multiversity and Operation BBQ Relief have begun a two-week strategic partnership effective September 1, 2020, that provides support to the Santa Cruz County community and evacuees ravaged by these current crises.

As part of the collaboration, Operation BBQ Relief – a nonprofit disaster relief organization that deploys into stricken communities across the nation to feed displaced residents and first responders – will provide resources for 1440 Multiversity staff to prepare three nutritious meals per day for several churches and emergency response organizations across Santa Cruz County, totaling more than 5,000 meals each week to those in need.

“1440 Multiversity has dedicated its work to creating hope for living well, and together with our friends at Operation BBQ Relief, we are proud to establish a partnership to help sustain and nourish members of our community who might otherwise go hungry,” said Joanie and Scott Kriens, co-creators of 1440 Multiversity. “We are grateful that our campus has this opportunity to express an authentic love for others through the generous resources provided by Operation BBQ Relief to meet the needs of Santa Cruz County.”

Using its “food is medicine” approach, both hot and cold meals are prepared by members of the 1440 Multiversity culinary team at Kitchen Table, the heart of the nonprofit philanthropic campus. Following each daily meal preparation, the meals are hand-packaged to-go and picked up by the receiving organization three times per day to optimize food quality. The partnership with Operation BBQ Relief, along with supporting efforts by the City of Scotts Valley, will enable these organizations in need to secure the most nutritious meals they can to serve vulnerable members of the community, including fire evacuees and first responders.

“Operation BBQ Relief is proud to team with 1440 Multiversity to share the one hot meal that matters to families affected by the wildfires,” said Jarrid Collins, Chief Program Officer of Operation BBQ Relief. “A hot meal provides sustenance, hope and compassion. We are honored to work with an organization that helps provide nutritious meals to the community while also providing hope during these devastating times.”

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, 1440 Multiversity proactively suspended all public and private events on campus out of concern for public health and safety, temporarily moving its educational and well-being offerings to the 1440 Multiversity Online Learning platform. Opened in 2017, 1440 Multiversity is a modern learning destination that supports conversations that matter and inner fitness work to expand personal and professional development with an emphasis on health, wellness, belonging and unity to create hope for living well.

“1440 Multiversity is proud to answer the call to be of service during these most difficult times for those in need,” said Frank Ashmore, Managing Director of 1440 Multiversity. “Together with Operation BBQ Relief and in partnership and with the support of our committed city officials in Scotts Valley, we are humbled to do our part in community building, just as so many other people and organizations have done both locally and around the country.”

Located in Scotts Valley, California, the residential campus provides a venue for guests from around the world to enjoy a Rest & Renewal stay with signature classes, and attend impactful single, weekend or multi-day programs per year. 1440 Multiversity also welcomes mission-aligned corporate and non-profit groups with strong workplace cultures, who care about essential social issues and give back to their employees and communities.To learn more about 1440 Multiversity, Online Learning, and its 501(c)(3) nonprofit mission, please visit 1440.org or participate in our online learning at 1440.tv

About 1440 Multiversity

1440 Multiversity, located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, is a modern learning destination that welcomes private groups, leadership training, corporate retreats and a variety of individual programs led by thought leaders who blend science with direct-experience learning to enable more effective navigation of personal and professional relationships. 1440 Multiversity has hosted more than 1,200 programs and 100,000 participants since opening in May 2017. More information about the campus experience and full range of programs is available at 1440.org, and 1440 Multiversity Online Learning is located at 1440.tv. 1440 Multiversity is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit.

About Operation BBQ Relief

Operation BBQ Relief is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports communities following natural disasters with hot barbeque meals to those in need and on the front lines. After the devastating tornado in Joplin, MO. in May 2011, competitive pitmasters from eight different states answered the call to feed displaced families and first responders and served over 120,000 meals over 13 days. This experience was the catalyst that started what Operation BBQ Relief is today. With the help of more than 14,000 volunteers, Operation BBQ Relief has provided over 8 million meals throughout the United States. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization has provided over four million meals to first responders, medical workers, veterans, families and organizations affected by the pandemic. In 2017, Stan Hays, CEO and Co-Founder, was recognized as one of the “CNN Heroes” for his work with Operation BBQ Relief. For more information, visit obr.org or follow on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @opbbqrelief.

The dinner menu featured delicious seasonal items: Braised lamb (roasted mushroom as the plant-based option); late-summer tomato sugo and lemon gremolata; and summer squash succotash. Get a taste of Kitchen Table at home with our late-summer sugo recipe here.

Our heartfelt thanks to all of the first responders on the front lines of this crisis; we are grateful that the 1440 Multiversity campus is safe, and we look forward to serving Santa Cruz County residents in even more ways over the coming weeks in an effort to create and maintain hope and healing for our greater community.

1440 Multiversity – one of the nation’s premier nonprofit learning destinations – will begin a two-phase collaborative partnership with the County of Santa Cruz effective April 6, 2020. The partnership will support the County in meeting the growing needs of the community and those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic by optimizing the 1440 Multiversity workforce and resources of the 75-acre private campus located in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

As part of the partnership, 1440 Multiversity will prepare three nutritious meals per day for shelters across Santa Cruz County, totaling thousands of meals each week to those in need. Additionally, the campus has agreed to dedicate private space to establish an alternative care site (ACS), which helps expand local health care capacity in coordination with the county’s network of local providers as they prepare for a surge of patients impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“1440 Multiversity has always been dedicated to the well-being of others, so it was extremely important for us to figure out a way to support the global efforts taking place in response to this pandemic,” said Joanie and Scott Kriens, co-creators of 1440 Multiversity. “We are grateful that our campus has this opportunity to express an authentic love for others and has the resources available to meet the needs of Santa Cruz County. Hopefully, our heartfelt contributions will energize and inspire others to do the same, to keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible.”

Using its “food is medicine” approach, both hot and cold meals will be prepared by more than 40 members of the 1440 Multiversity culinary team at Kitchen Table, the heart of the nonprofit campus. Following each daily meal preparation, the meals will be packed to-go by hand and picked up for delivery by a County-issued courier service to the shelters three times a day to optimize the quality of each meal. The partnership with the County of Santa Cruz will enable shelters to secure the most nutritious meals they can to serve vulnerable members of the community and others in need. 

The ACS being established at 1440 Multiversity is designed to free up local hospital capacity by treating patients who need hospitalization but do not have complex medical needs. 1440 Multiversity is one of two identified sites in the county established to support the Santa Cruz County Public Health Division as part of its surge care planning; the alternative care sites will afford designated patients a safe place to receive care and recuperate while under the care of medical professionals and in keeping with best medical practices. Alternative care sites are private, not open to the public and are not walk-up medical facilities; they are designated for current hospital patients with a range of non-complex medical needs and not used to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients.

“1440 Multiversity is proud to answer the call and to be of service to our community and be able to join so many people and organizations around the country who have stepped up to help,” said Frank Ashmore, Managing Director of 1440 Multiversity.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, 1440 Multiversity proactively suspended all public and private events on campus temporarily out of concern for public health and safety, moving its educational and well-being offerings to the 1440 Multiversity Online Learning platform. Opened in 2017, 1440 Multiversity is a modern learning destination that supports conversations that matter and inner fitness work to expand personal and professional development with an emphasis on health, wellness, belonging and unity.

Participate in our online learning at 1440.tv.

Watch below as Christina discuss how life continues after loss. 

Join Christina at her program Temple Journey March 20 - 22, 2020. 

I was finishing an interview with the incredible Jamie Butler at the Lighter Side show which by the way you need to check out.

An incredible human being and I highly recommend her work.

Our interview together will be posted next week.

As we finished our chat Jamie asked me where do you get all this passion from and I said to her that when I discover something that everyone needs to know about, I get carried away.

I can’t stop. All I can think about is telling them what I discovered and how it can change their life. All I can think about is that I can’t have people being sad, and unhappy when there is a way out of sadness.

I want to run to you and tell you.

I want to scream it from the rooftops.

I want to look you in the eyes and say it doesn’t need to be so hard, here is why and how and what and where.

First thing to know

You are born with the ability to change your life no matter how much loss, sadness and difficulty you are experiencing. You are born ready. You are made to overcome it all.

You don’t even have to learn to do it, you know it. This is your journey and you wrote the map to where you are going. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t, that there is no way out. There is. And you are standing right in front of it.

Second thing to know

Your life is created by you and the people you choose to have around you. This is very crucial to know. You are the creator of yourself, your destiny and your experience but also who you bring into the world influences that creation. You create your life by choosing the kind of story you want to tell every day. You create by the way you respond to something difficult. By the way you see the world and by the people you choose to be in your life. The way they see you and the way they think of you impacts your life. This is why you must remember to only let people in who see you with love and respect. This is critical. You must choose wisely when it comes to co-observers and co-creators. I have so much to tell you about this and I will but for now, that is all you need. Allow only good people in. Period.

Third thing to know

Death is not death. When someone doesn’t seem like they are here it doesn’t mean they don’t exist. It means they exist in another way. In another place that is non-local, non-geographical, non-physical looking. You have access to that place. Every day. Every moment. You don’t have to wait for them to come contact you. You can be the one connecting with them. They want to connect with you. This has been one of the biggest discoveries I made while writing my new book. They want you to say hi and talk to them. I know this can come across as peculiar and I am fully aware of that. But death is just a word we use to describe the end of someone’s physical life. Not the end of them.

Fourth thing to know

You, the table in front of you, the computer, the phone, the trees, the solid-looking things in your life are not solid. They just appear solid and firm. The truth is that the nothingness of the space between your table and chairs, is the same as the table and chairs. Nothing and not nothing is one and the same. The empty space next to you, is made the way you are made. The reason why this is important to know is that if you knew that then when you see empty space you will know it is not empty at all, it has so many things in it, including your person. They are still here but you can’t see them with your eyes open. Your eyes can’t see all the light that exists. Your ears can’t hear all the sounds that exist. The people we think we lost are right here inside all the space around us.

Fifth thing to know

And last but not least there is a deeper reality, a deeper existence that you can’t see from here and it is where miracles come from. Where healing takes place. Where everything gets created and that deeper, more hidden reality is more real than this one. You can bring everything you want from there to here, it is your creation. When we start to know this, then we can be more in control of our life and what happens to it. Not knowing this, is like trying to drive the car at night without the lights on. Please don’t forget it. You are the driver of this experience and you now know what you need to do to turn the lights back on.

Join Christina at her program Temple Journey March 20 – 22, 2020. 

Learn more about life and loss from Christina on her podcast Dear Life and in this video where she addresses life after loss. 

Joan Borysenko is a licensed clinical psychologist, best-selling author, and speaker. In the video below, from Psychotherapy Networker, she discusses the resilience that comes from transformation. 

Join Joan at 1440 for her program

Joan Borysenko is a licensed clinical psychologist, best-selling author, and speaker. In the video below, from Psychotherapy Networker, she discusses the resilience that comes from transformation. 

Join Joan at 1440 for her program The Spiritual Art of Memoir, July 17 – 19, 2020. 

Kindness
 

Naomi Shihab Nye 
 

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.
 

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.
 

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.

Critical conversations are a fact of life.

You’re going to have these high-heat meetings with your team at work, your family, and your community. As authentic leaders, how we handle these situations takes courage, intention, and practice and says a lot about who we are as leaders.

I’ve learned a few things over the years about critical conversations:

1. In any high heat meeting, stay true to your values.

No matter how heated the conversation gets, stay centered in your values. One of my values is relationships. As an extrovert, I thrive on the energy that my interactions with others bring into my life. Putting relationships at the center of the conversation in a mindful way helps me to stay on track with my goal: to make sure the relationship remains intact, even if healing time will be needed.

2. Don’t respond immediately to a negative comment.

It’s easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment. Resist this temptation. Instead, use a deep breath or a 3-second pause to help you gather your thoughts and keep from intensifying the conversation into a shouting match or stony silence. This practice is simple, but it is not always easy to do when we are hooked.

3. Remember to be compassionate and empathetic.

We don’t always know what prompted a sharp, hurtful comment or an attitude of defensiveness or anger. Putting ourselves in the other person’s “shoes”, even for a moment, can help deflect any increasing heat in the conversation or meeting. Compassion takes tapping into your heart and can change the conversational path and (sometimes) the outcome.

As I continue to develop as an authentic leader, I’ve learned that I need to enter any challenging conversation or meeting with intention and when possible, preparation. As my friends and co-workers will attest, I don’t always get it right, but I have greater awareness that how I was raised and how I live affects how I show up.  And that awareness alone can really change things. Develop these practices and see if you agree.

Interested in learning and improving your skills in critical conversations? Join Larry Dressler, Scott Kriens and me at 1440 Multiversity, May 27-29, 2020 for Critical Conversations for the Authentic Leader, May 27-29, 2020. Space is limited so register soon.

Critical conversations are a fact of life.

You’re going to have these high-heat meetings with your team at work, your family, and your community. As authentic leaders, how we handle these situations takes courage, intention, and practice and says a lot about who we are as leaders.

I’ve learned a few things over the years about critical conversations:

1. In any high heat meeting, stay true to your values.

No matter how heated the conversation gets, stay centered in your values. One of my values is relationships. As an extrovert, I thrive on the energy that my interactions with others bring into my life. Putting relationships at the center of the conversation in a mindful way helps me to stay on track with my goal: to make sure the relationship remains intact, even if healing time will be needed.

2. Don’t respond immediately to a negative comment.

It’s easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment. Resist this temptation. Instead, use a deep breath or a 3-second pause to help you gather your thoughts and keep from intensifying the conversation into a shouting match or stony silence. This practice is simple, but it is not always easy to do when we are hooked.

3. Remember to be compassionate and empathetic.

We don’t always know what prompted a sharp, hurtful comment or an attitude of defensiveness or anger. Putting ourselves in the other person’s “shoes”, even for a moment, can help deflect any increasing heat in the conversation or meeting. Compassion takes tapping into your heart and can change the conversational path and (sometimes) the outcome.

As I continue to develop as an authentic leader, I’ve learned that I need to enter any challenging conversation or meeting with intention and when possible, preparation. As my friends and co-workers will attest, I don’t always get it right, but I have greater awareness that how I was raised and how I live affects how I show up.  And that awareness alone can really change things. Develop these practices and see if you agree.

Interested in learning and improving your skills in critical conversations? Join Larry Dressler, Scott Kriens and me at 1440 Multiversity, May 27-29, 2020 for Critical Conversations for the Authentic Leader, May 27-29, 2020. Space is limited so register soon.

1440: How do you define meditation?  

Jeff: At the most fundamental level, meditation is becoming awake. It’s about taking the time to get to know ourselves. This can happen on the meditation cushion or in other ways that together constitute what I call practice.  

Practice is about becoming awake to the fact that you have particular habits and patterns. As you start to see them and have more self-understanding, self-insight, and self-knowledge, you can begin to develop more space and freedom around the parts of you that are hard or that you want to change. You can begin to make small calibrations in those patterns to take you toward a healthier and more fulfilling way of existing that you instinctively know is possible. Ultimately, practice is about taking responsibility for your own stewardship of yourself.  

1440: What kind of things are included under the larger umbrella of “practice”? 

Jeff: The skills you develop in meditation I think of as upstream from all the other skills. In seated meditation you develop concentration (the ability to direct your attention), equanimity (the capacity to be with whatever is happening), and insight (the ability to get clear). Sitting meditation is explicitly about building these simple skills, so there’s incredible value in it.  

Beyond that, there are many other practices that help you develop these fundamentals, each one typically emphasizing one of these skills over the other. There are shamanic practices, body practices, martial arts practices, sports practices, creative practices, arts practices, psycho-therapeutic practices, somatic practices—the list goes on. The forms change, but the core skills are always there somewhere. Any of these practices can be part of how we try to balance and heal ourselves. 

1440: People often say things like, “Running is my meditation.” Can running, or other practices, be a substitute for meditation? 

Jeff: I’ve been thinking a lot about this because running is an important part of my practice and I need physical activity in addition to sitting meditation to help me self-regulate. I think practice happens on three different timescales. It happens in the moment. It happens on the level of months and years. And it happens on the scale of our entire life. Most practices affect all three levels, but they’ll tend to have one level where they shine.  

With something like running or other physical activities, it’s a practice that can shift your state quickly, so I think of it as an in-the-moment practice. Of course it benefits my physical health over the years and my lifetime, but I mostly do it to feel better right then, to stop myself from spinning out. 

With sitting meditation I do it not so much to shift my vibe in the moment but because I want to build the habit, and I know it’s going to benefit me for years to come. It doesn’t matter if I’m in a good or bad mood, if it’s raining or sunny, if I had a great or terrible day—I sit down and face whatever is there, as it is. This builds the skill of equanimity over time and contributes to what I think the third timescale is all about, and that’s the deeper spiritual and mystical experience of knowing that you’re complete. Of seeing things on a larger scale and resting in an expansive, open awareness. 

In theory I think all practices can be done with the three levels in mind, but with something like running I can manage to run in the moment and even to run in a way that meets what’s happening with equanimity, paying exquisite attention to each pixel of my experience. But because I’m usually running quickly, I don’t have the bandwidth to open on that larger mystical scale. Maybe some people do, but I think it generally happens with slower movement or stillness.  

1440: It sounds like there’s a lot of room for us to be creative in designing our own practice.  

Jeff: The single most creative thing we have to do in our life is our life. How do we distribute the care and love we have to give to ourselves and others? How do we configure a life of intentional practice without it becoming oppressive, like an endless “to do” list? We can remix our reality like a DJ.  

What do you already do that quickens your pulse and makes you feel alive and connected? Whatever that is, that’s your practice already. It’s there staring you in the face. You don’t have to just sit with your eyes closed alone in your house. Take what you learn on the cushion into whatever it is that gives you joy and enlivens you—connecting to people, creating art, doing a physical practice, or whatever it is.  

Do the experiment for yourself. You’re the only one who can tell you whether you’re fooling yourself or if it’s really working.  

1440: Where would someone start if they wanted to begin meditating?  

Jeff: Start incredibly simply. Don’t make a big deal about it. Just sit anywhere and see if you can be okay with whatever is going on. You don’t have to know right out of the gate if you’re doing a concentration practice or an open awareness practice or whatever—you can keep it simpler than that. Just sit and be with what’s going on.  

This will develop equanimity, but you don’t even need to know that. And if it’s hard to just sit and be okay with what happens, you can lightly focus on the breath or on sounds. Eventually you can move into concentration practices and insight practices where you notice habits and patterns, but you don’t need to start there. Start on the wide end of the funnel. I’d also recommend finding a community to sit with or an accountability buddy to help you stay on track. Apps are great too.  

1440: What if someone just doesn’t like sitting still and meditation feels torturous? 

Jeff: I have ADD and co-wrote a book called Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, so I know how hard this can be! But I think all of us need to learn to be able to sit still with ourselves. We have to confront our restlessness. If you really can’t do it at first, start with a slow movement practice like qigong or tai chi. Then when you develop enough presence and skill from that, let it settle down into a stillness practice. That doesn’t necessarily mean sitting in silent meditation. You might sit on the porch or on a bench or on a rock in the woods and just be with yourself and be okay for 10 minutes. And then maybe you can move into a more specific practice—there are so many options available. 

It can help to think of meditation as both an exploration and a training. As we practice, we’re learning who we are and in the act of looking at that, we change ourselves. It’s a paradox. Some people will take to it as a training because they like discipline. Others will think it feels too much like forcing themselves to eat their vegetables and will emphasize the exploratory side. Either way, the point is for you to learn about you. Learning how your thought processes work, what the body is doing, what it means to get out of your head and into your body—these things will change your life. And that will not only help you, but it will simultaneously radiate out into your family, your community, your work—everywhere. 

 
Join Jeff Warren at his program Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, April 24 – 26, 2020. 

This interview was conducted on behalf of 1440 Multiversity by Jenn Brown, a freelance writer and editor. 

Fragrant Festive Cocktails  

Recipes by Mixologist Joey Driussi 

Fig & Ginger Shrub Margarita 

Pair this cocktail with savory barbecued surf and turf. 

Yield: 2 Cocktails 

1 cup granulated sugar 

1 ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 

4 cups diced fresh figs (about 15 figs) 

¾ cup peeled ginger 

10 ounces sake 

2 ounces lime juice 

splash of orange juice 

honey and salt for rimming 

Fig & Ginger Shrub 

Combine the sugar, apple cider vinegar, diced figs, and peeled ginger. Mix well and store covered overnight; stir occasionally. Double strain through a mesh sieve to discard the large pulpy material. Depending on the size of the sieve, you may have leftover fig seeds in your creation. This is okay as the seeds don’t add an off-putting texture or taste. 

The Cocktail 

Add fig & ginger shrub, sake, and lime and orange juice. Shake or stir. Rim your glasses with honey and dip into salt for an added sweet-salty combo. Pour over ice and enjoy. 

Black Currant Old-Fashioned 

Pair with a savory dish or favorite dessert. 

Yield: 1 Cocktail 

1 cup black currants (or 2 ounces of black currant juice) 

2 dashes Angostura bitters 

2 dashes Australian bitters 

¼ cup sliced ginger 

5 ounces sake 

The Cocktail 

Combine all ingredients and allow to sit overnight, occasionally agitating the mixture. When ready to serve, strain all ingredients and pour over ice. 

Asian Pear & Apple Sangria 

Sip on one of these while serving hors d’oeuvres. 

Yield: 4 – 8 Cocktails 

1 bottle of your favorite dry white wine 

3 tablespoons brown sugar 

2 Asian pears thinly cut longways 

1 medium Granny Smith apple sliced 

1 small orange 

4 – 8 rosemary sprigs 

1 bottle dry hard cider 

The Cocktail 

Pour white wine into a large pitcher or decanter. Slowly stir in the brown sugar, until dissolved. Add Asian pear slices, apple, and orange. Stir gently and refrigerate for several hours before serving. To serve, place a sprig of rosemary into each wine glass, then add sangria. Top with hard cider for added booze and bubbles. 

1. “In order for people in organizations to thrive, managers have an obligation to do their self-work and assist others to do the same which very often takes the form of coaching and mentoring their people.” - Michelle Maldonado

2. “Nothing interesting or innovative has ever really happened in groups without the heat of passion, disagreement, fear or confusion.” – Larry Dressler

3. “Only when leaders accept who they are and release the need to be on someone else’s fast track can they be comfortable in their own skin.”- Bill George 

4. “The first step of appreciation is awareness: simply paying attention.” - Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp 

5. “That need to show up in a relationship in a courageous, authentic, vulnerable, real way is the same requirement whether you’re talking to an employee, or to a spouse, or to your friend, or to your child, or to yourself.” – Scott Kriens 

6.  “It’s not one plus one equals two, it’s a multiplier effect I get better my partner gets better, those around us and our strategy all gets better.”  – Dan Mulhern  

7. "Leader's life stories are more powerful than any set of characteristics or leadership skills they possess.” - Bill George 

8. "In a room filled with closed hearts, one compassionate heart is enough.” – Larry Dressler  

9. “Authentic leaders are fully present in the midst of conflict, confusion, and strong emotion and support those who are struggling."  – Gayle Ober   

10. "To build a high performing team you have to engage the whole person in the mission” – Scott Kriens  

Find more excellent leadership quotes here.

Larry Dressler and Gayle Ober teach Critical Conversations for the Authentic Leader, May 27-29, 2020

Bill George, Scott Kriens, Michelle Maldonado, and Dana Born teach True North Leadership October 11 –16, 2020. 

The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz  

This modern-day classic is based on ancient Toltec wisdom. A longtime New York Times bestseller, The Four Agreements is full of reminders on how to lead a fulfilling life. Who can argue with solid advice like this? 

Be Impeccable With Your Word 

“Every human is a magician, and we can either put a spell on someone with our word or we can release someone from a spell.”  

Don’t Take Anything Personally 

“Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.”  

Don’t Make Assumptions 

“We make an assumption, we misunderstand, we take it personally, and we end up creating a whole big drama for nothing.”  

Always Do Your Best 

“Everything is alive and changing all the time, so your best will sometimes be high quality, and other times it will not be as good.” 

Join the sons of don Miguel Ruiz for The Agreement of Love, March 27 – 29, 2020 to learn how to integrate these agreements into your everyday life. 

How to Get Sh*t Done by Erin Falconer  

Do you ever feel like you're crossing things off your to-do list but you’re still not getting much done? Author and productivity expert Erin Falconer contends that being busy is not the same as being productive. In her informative and accessible book, Falconer provides just enough real-life context combined with tools and exercises to help increase productivity and creativity.  

“The reality is that the very structure of our days – in which we rush from task to task. Cramming in as much as we can – not only reduces our ability to be creative, it also takes away our ability to know our own minds.”  

Learn to get more done with Erin Falconer at How to Get Sh*t Done, February 21–23, 2020. 

The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron, PhD  

Are you a highly sensitive person? It’s estimated that 15 – 20% of people are. 

In Elaine N. Aron’s best-selling book, highly sensitive people can learn more about what exactly that means, how it can affect work and relationships, and how to live well in the midst of overwhelm. She also discusses how men are sometimes left out of this conversation, but they too can be highly sensitive. Aron combines tests, tools, and tips to help. As a research psychologist and psychotherapist, Aron understands the difficulties on both a personal and professional level.  

“It is fascinating how extensively gender is confused with sensitivity. Men should not be sensitive, women should be. And it all begins at home.”  

“As sensitive boys become men, they must fall out of step with other men in the timing and nature of their lives. Being sensitive is not “normal” for men. Meanwhile, for women sensitivity is expected.”  

Elaine N. Aron, PhD, John D. Hughes, and Tracy Cooper, PhD, will be teaching A Weekend for Highly Sensitive Men March 13– 15, 2020. 

Gmorning, Gnight! Little pep talks for me and you by Lin-Manuel Miranda and illustrated by Jonny Sun 

"Read good books, have good sentences in your ears” wrote poet Jane Kenyon. But how to do that in a world full of content? Grab this collaboration between Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jonny Sun, full of morning and evening pep talks and delightful illustrations. This book will keep good sentences in your ears all day and all night long.  

“GMORNING.  

Grateful for the very NOTION of you, even more grateful for the reality.  

Look at you, a dream realized.  

We’re off! Let’s go! 

GNIGHT. 

Grateful or the REALITY of you, even more grateful  

For the notion of tomorrow. 

Rest up. We need you at your best.”  

Jonny Sun will be at The BOX Sessions™, February 28 – March 1, 2020, along with other creative thinkers like Samin Nosrat, Lynda Barry, and others!

The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp

Leading with integrity, compassion, and strength can be incredibly difficult. There are ways to make it easier. Using the 15 principles established in this book by leadership experts Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp, you can feel, practice integrity, and lead. This is a good one for leaders in all professions.  

“So the first step in taking responsibility is to shift from believing that the world should be a particular way to believing that the world just shows up ... All drama in leadership and in life is caused by the need to be right. Letting go of that need is a radical shift all great leaders make.”  

Diana Chapman and Jim Dethmer will be teaching 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, February 21 – 23, 2020. 

The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz  

This modern-day classic is based on ancient Toltec wisdom. A longtime New York Times bestseller, The Four Agreements is full of reminders on how to lead a fulfilling life. Who can argue with solid advice like this? 

Be Impeccable With Your Word 

“Every human is a magician, and we can either put a spell on someone with our word or we can release someone from a spell.”  

Don’t Take Anything Personally 

“Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.”  

Don’t Make Assumptions 

“We make an assumption, we misunderstand, we take it personally, and we end up creating a whole big drama for nothing.”  

Always Do Your Best 

“Everything is alive and changing all the time, so your best will sometimes be high quality, and other times it will not be as good.” 

Join the sons of don Miguel Ruiz for The Agreement of Love, March 27 – 29, 2020 to learn how to integrate these agreements into your everyday life. 

How to Get Sh*t Done by Erin Falconer  

Do you ever feel like you're crossing things off your to-do list but you’re still not getting much done? Author and productivity expert Erin Falconer contends that being busy is not the same as being productive. In her informative and accessible book, Falconer provides just enough real-life context combined with tools and exercises to help increase productivity and creativity.  

“The reality is that the very structure of our days – in which we rush from task to task. Cramming in as much as we can – not only reduces our ability to be creative, it also takes away our ability to know our own minds.”  

Learn to get more done with Erin Falconer at How to Get Sh*t Done, February 21–23, 2020. 

The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron, PhD  

Are you a highly sensitive person? It’s estimated that 15 – 20% of people are. 

In Elaine N. Aron’s best-selling book, highly sensitive people can learn more about what exactly that means, how it can affect work and relationships, and how to live well in the midst of overwhelm. She also discusses how men are sometimes left out of this conversation, but they too can be highly sensitive. Aron combines tests, tools, and tips to help. As a research psychologist and psychotherapist, Aron understands the difficulties on both a personal and professional level.  

“It is fascinating how extensively gender is confused with sensitivity. Men should not be sensitive, women should be. And it all begins at home.”  

“As sensitive boys become men, they must fall out of step with other men in the timing and nature of their lives. Being sensitive is not “normal” for men. Meanwhile, for women sensitivity is expected.”  

Elaine N. Aron, PhD, John D. Hughes, and Tracy Cooper, PhD, will be teaching A Weekend for Highly Sensitive Men March 13– 15, 2020. 

Gmorning, Gnight! Little pep talks for me and you by Lin-Manuel Miranda and illustrated by Jonny Sun 

"Read good books, have good sentences in your ears” wrote poet Jane Kenyon. But how to do that in a world full of content? Grab this collaboration between Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jonny Sun, full of morning and evening pep talks and delightful illustrations. This book will keep good sentences in your ears all day and all night long.  

“GMORNING.  

Grateful for the very NOTION of you, even more grateful for the reality.  

Look at you, a dream realized.  

We’re off! Let’s go! 

GNIGHT. 

Grateful or the REALITY of you, even more grateful  

For the notion of tomorrow. 

Rest up. We need you at your best.”  

Jonny Sun will be at The BOX Sessions™, February 28 – March 1, 2020, along with other creative thinkers like Samin Nosrat, Lynda Barry, and others!

The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp

Leading with integrity, compassion, and strength can be incredibly difficult. There are ways to make it easier. Using the 15 principles established in this book by leadership experts Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp, you can feel, practice integrity, and lead. This is a good one for leaders in all professions.  

“So the first step in taking responsibility is to shift from believing that the world should be a particular way to believing that the world just shows up ... All drama in leadership and in life is caused by the need to be right. Letting go of that need is a radical shift all great leaders make.”  

Diana Chapman and Jim Dethmer will be teaching 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, February 21 – 23, 2020. 

The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz  

This modern-day classic is based on ancient Toltec wisdom. A longtime New York Times bestseller, The Four Agreements is full of reminders on how to lead a fulfilling life. Who can argue with solid advice like this? 

Be Impeccable With Your Word 

“Every human is a magician, and we can either put a spell on someone with our word or we can release someone from a spell.”  

Don’t Take Anything Personally 

“Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.”  

Don’t Make Assumptions 

“We make an assumption, we misunderstand, we take it personally, and we end up creating a whole big drama for nothing.”  

Always Do Your Best 

“Everything is alive and changing all the time, so your best will sometimes be high quality, and other times it will not be as good.” 

Join the sons of don Miguel Ruiz for The Agreement of Love, March 27 – 29, 2020 to learn how to integrate these agreements into your everyday life. 

How to Get Sh*t Done by Erin Falconer  

Do you ever feel like you're crossing things off your to-do list but you’re still not getting much done? Author and productivity expert Erin Falconer contends that being busy is not the same as being productive. In her informative and accessible book, Falconer provides just enough real-life context combined with tools and exercises to help increase productivity and creativity.  

“The reality is that the very structure of our days – in which we rush from task to task. Cramming in as much as we can – not only reduces our ability to be creative, it also takes away our ability to know our own minds.”  

Learn to get more done with Erin Falconer at How to Get Sh*t Done, February 21–23, 2020. 

The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron, PhD  

Are you a highly sensitive person? It’s estimated that 15 – 20% of people are. 

In Elaine N. Aron’s best-selling book, highly sensitive people can learn more about what exactly that means, how it can affect work and relationships, and how to live well in the midst of overwhelm. She also discusses how men are sometimes left out of this conversation, but they too can be highly sensitive. Aron combines tests, tools, and tips to help. As a research psychologist and psychotherapist, Aron understands the difficulties on both a personal and professional level.  

“It is fascinating how extensively gender is confused with sensitivity. Men should not be sensitive, women should be. And it all begins at home.”  

“As sensitive boys become men, they must fall out of step with other men in the timing and nature of their lives. Being sensitive is not “normal” for men. Meanwhile, for women sensitivity is expected.”  

Elaine N. Aron, PhD, John D. Hughes, and Tracy Cooper, PhD, will be teaching A Weekend for Highly Sensitive Men March 13– 15, 2020. 

Gmorning, Gnight! Little pep talks for me and you by Lin-Manuel Miranda and illustrated by Jonny Sun 

"Read good books, have good sentences in your ears” wrote poet Jane Kenyon. But how to do that in a world full of content? Grab this collaboration between Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jonny Sun, full of morning and evening pep talks and delightful illustrations. This book will keep good sentences in your ears all day and all night long.  

“GMORNING.  

Grateful for the very NOTION of you, even more grateful for the reality.  

Look at you, a dream realized.  

We’re off! Let’s go! 

GNIGHT. 

Grateful or the REALITY of you, even more grateful  

For the notion of tomorrow. 

Rest up. We need you at your best.”  

Jonny Sun will be at The BOX Sessions™, February 28 – March 1, 2020, along with other creative thinkers like Samin Nosrat, Lynda Barry, and others!

The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp

Leading with integrity, compassion, and strength can be incredibly difficult. There are ways to make it easier. Using the 15 principles established in this book by leadership experts Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp, you can feel, practice integrity, and lead. This is a good one for leaders in all professions.  

“So the first step in taking responsibility is to shift from believing that the world should be a particular way to believing that the world just shows up ... All drama in leadership and in life is caused by the need to be right. Letting go of that need is a radical shift all great leaders make.”  

Diana Chapman and Jim Dethmer will be teaching 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, February 21 – 23, 2020. 

Dr. Eisenberg is also the director of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative (TKC), a group of 39 organizations with teaching kitchens, intended to establish and evaluate best practices relating to the design, implementation, and evaluation of teaching kitchens to be used as “learning laboratories” and translational research hubs. 

1440: How have you come to be so passionate and involved in supporting teaching kitchens? 

David Eisenberg: On paper, I'm a Harvard-trained doctor, board-certified internal medicine. I practiced primary care for about 20 years, and I've been a clinical teacher and researcher on the faculty at Harvard since 1984. That's my conventional resume.   

Also, I am the son and grandson of Jewish bakers from Brooklyn. 

As a child, I spent almost every weekend learning to cook and bake at my father's side. 

The power of making delicious food for others is something that I learned so early on that it has been a part of everything I've done.  

Sadly, when I was 10, my father died suddenly of a heart attack. He died six weeks after his mother and my mother's mother, all of unrelated diseases. And about a year later, my other living grandfather died.  

My mother was left with four children, ranging in age from one to 13. I was the second, age 10. And it was horrible. 

1440: That is tragic. Based on how well you have done, I gather your mother managed okay? 

David Eisenberg: I'm happy to say that last weekend we celebrated her 90th birthday. And from being the girl who pumped gas in Brooklyn and met my father delivering challahs, to being a widow at age 37, she became a federal judge and only retired five years ago. 

1440: That's outstanding. And what about the effects on you, of your father’s death? 

David Eisenberg: As a result of that tragic time, I wanted to study medicine because I couldn't understand what had happened.  

I was accepted to Harvard College during my senior year in high school, in the early '70s. At that time, the first reports of Chinese medicine, particularly acupuncture, came to the West. 

I saw the iconic front-page New York Times article by their op-ed editor in chief, James Reston, who was tracking Henry Kissinger in Beijing. In trying to figure out what Kissinger was doing in Beijing, Reston developed acute appendicitis. He was operated on by Chinese surgeons at the medical school which was built by John D. Rockefeller, where the doctors had all learned medicine in English from Ivy League physicians in the '40s.  

After his operation, Reston had abdominal pain, and they brought in an acupuncturist to treat the pain. He wrote about a thin needle being placed in his knee and his pain evaporating instantly. 

As a high school senior who wanted to be premed, I thought that was about the coolest thing I had ever read. 

So, when I entered Harvard College in 1972, I asked to do an independent study on acupuncture.  

1440: Back in 1972, you asked to do a study on acupuncture? 

David Eisenberg: Yeah. And they said, "Knock yourself out." 

But there was nothing in English in the more than 100 libraries at Harvard College that had anything to do with acupuncture and surgery. 

Nobody in the West knew what it was. 

I found one book that had been translated in the early '40s called The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine.  

1440: There must have been some interest somehow in the ‘40s, then, in what are often now referred to as complementary approaches. 

David Eisenberg: Yes, there was. In the first few chapters of that book—and I think this is relevant to 1440's destiny—there are two main points that really stopped me in my tracks. The first was that prevention is always superior to intervention.  

And the second epiphany, to me at least, was that how we eat and move and think—which they described as controlling our spirits, or our emotions—impacts our health and gives us our recuperative capacity. 

1440: I agree, but is it challenging to prove the efficacy of preventative medicine, since the disease never manifests? 

David Eisenberg: That’s the point of the research conference April 22 – 23 at 1440. We will show what we're preventing. 

Back in 1971, the concept of prevention was nowhere to be found in the premedical curriculum or in medical school. When I went to Harvard Medical School, nobody was studying the impact of what we ate, how we moved, or how our mind-body connection impacted our physiology or our health. So, I decided to learn Chinese and go to China. 

I became the first person to document in The New England Journal of Medicine the frequency with which Americans were using all these therapies.  

That catapulted my career and helped me do some of the early research on acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage, and mind-body work.  

I was the recipient of the first large National Institutes of Health grant to build a center of excellence at Harvard looking at complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine. 

Most of my career was spent there doing research, training people who now head up complementary, integrative medicine, and mind-body programs around the country and around the world.  

Now, remember, I'm a baker's son. So, in 1998, I approached the top cooking school in the United States, the Culinary Institute of America, and I said to them, "It's been my observation that nobody in medicine, meaning doctors, knows anything about nutrition. And even fewer people know anything about cooking or shopping for food and making delicious, healthy food." 

And, I said, "I would like to teach my colleagues about nutrition, shopping, and cooking as well as lifestyle."  

And they said, "That's great because we want to teach our chefs about nutrition. They don't understand the science."  

We shook hands, myself and the head of the nutrition department, Professor Walter Willett, and we launched a conference called Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives, which has been given 15 times since 2006, always sold out.  

That’s where I met Kenny Woods, executive chef at 1440, and he introduced me to Joanie and Scott Kriens, the cocreators of 1440 Multiversity. 

Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives is presented to 400 people a year at the conference center of the Culinary Institute in Napa, California, where participants learn the science behind what they should be eating more of or less of and why.  

We teach how to translate the science into healthy, delicious, and sustainable recipes, the kind of food Chef Kenny makes at 1440. 

Then we talk about mindfulness and its role in eating, cooking, enjoying food, and living. We talk about exercise and about strategies to change behavior when you're stuck.  

Over the course of three days, the registrants taste 325 different dishes.  

www.HealthyKitchens.org 

1440: And each time this conference serves 400 people?  

David Eisenberg: That's all we can fit. I'm sure if we had room for 4,000 people, we would have 4,000. 

And ever since I began this conference, I started with an imaginary future saying, "Someday we should build kitchens as teaching kitchens in hospitals to teach people a different relationship to food and optimal lifestyle." 

Then, in 2012, I started an experiment. We condensed this into a curriculum, and we went to the main campus of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York, and we offered the curriculum as an experiment to employees of the CIA who were not the chefs.  

1440: How did it turn out?  

David Eisenberg: By the end of 16 weeks, they could cook anything. They went from afraid to hold a knife to a choreographed ballet in the kitchen. 

We proved that people would do this, that they loved it, and the ones who were fat lost weight; the ones that were hypertensive, their blood pressure came down; the ones that had high cholesterol, their cholesterol came down. They started eating healthier food, moving more, and being more mindful. 

1440: The results are incredible. 

David Eisenberg: Yes, and while that experiment was going on, at the annual conference of Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives I asked, "By the way, for those of you who have come back, do any of you have a teaching kitchen in your hospital?" 

One hundred hands went up. It wasn't 100 different hospitals, but it was 30 or 40. And I realized, "The movement has begun. And it's never going to stop."  

So, I became the director of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative, where I could cherry-pick the organizations with teaching kitchens where they were teaching people to eat, cook, move, and think better about their choices. 

1440: And how did this lead to the Teaching Kitchen Research Conference at 1440? 

David Eisenberg: The goal of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative has been to share our best practices. 

Over the last two years we have met, we have created best practices, and we are ready to do our first multi-site demonstration project to show that this would work in three different cities, three different kitchens, with three different teaching ensembles.  

We hope to prove that it's replicable, scalable, and impactful. 

We want to show it can change people's behaviors and change their biomarkers—their weight, their blood pressure, their blood sugar; change their clinical outcomes—are they no longer diabetic or poorly controlled diabetic? Are they no longer hypertensive?  

And from the data we could predict enormous cost savings, regardless of who their third-party payer is.  

That's the ultimate goal. Because if we could show that it saves money, then they will be covered by third-party insurers. Once we do that, it's a hop, skip, and a jump to make the argument that ultimately the target is children to prevent these problems in the first place.  

And, we'll start building teaching kitchens in schools and colleges and universities.  

The Teaching Kitchen Research Conference is where we can showcase not only what we're thinking of doing but also the actual results from 20, 30, and 40 teaching kitchens across the United States and around the world. 

1440: This conference is also sponsored in part by the National Institutes of Health, how is that significant? 

David Eisenberg: A year ago I applied to the National Institutes of Health for a grant to support our scientific research meeting. They awarded us a grant which pays for a portion of the costs. So, this conference will be co-sponsored, if you will, by the National Institutes of Health, which validates the importance of figuring out: what's the science of teaching kitchens, and what kind of novel contributions can they make to the medical, public health, and scientific communities. 

And now, 1440 is the hosting site for world-class scientists, public health experts, physicians, and thought leaders in the health and sustainability world to come together and share their research. 

I personally can't think of a more appropriate site for such a conference. 

The 2020 Research Conference on Teaching Kitchens and Related Self-Care Practices at 1440 will be hosted April 22 – 23 by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in close association with the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative (TKC) and partially funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.  

Confirmed keynote speakers from Harvard, Dartmouth, the National Institutes of Health, and Google will describe the relevance of teaching kitchens to the future of medical, scientific, and technological research and innovation. 

For more information and to participate visit tkresearchconference.org 

This interview was conducted by Heidi Spear, writer and editor for 1440 Multiversity. 

Dr. Eisenberg is also the director of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative (TKC), a group of 39 organizations with teaching kitchens, intended to establish and evaluate best practices relating to the design, implementation, and evaluation of teaching kitchens to be used as “learning laboratories” and translational research hubs. 

1440: How have you come to be so passionate and involved in supporting teaching kitchens? 

David Eisenberg: On paper, I'm a Harvard-trained doctor, board-certified internal medicine. I practiced primary care for about 20 years, and I've been a clinical teacher and researcher on the faculty at Harvard since 1984. That's my conventional resume.   

Also, I am the son and grandson of Jewish bakers from Brooklyn. 

As a child, I spent almost every weekend learning to cook and bake at my father's side. 

The power of making delicious food for others is something that I learned so early on that it has been a part of everything I've done.  

Sadly, when I was 10, my father died suddenly of a heart attack. He died six weeks after his mother and my mother's mother, all of unrelated diseases. And about a year later, my other living grandfather died.  

My mother was left with four children, ranging in age from one to 13. I was the second, age 10. And it was horrible. 

1440: That is tragic. Based on how well you have done, I gather your mother managed okay? 

David Eisenberg: I'm happy to say that last weekend we celebrated her 90th birthday. And from being the girl who pumped gas in Brooklyn and met my father delivering challahs, to being a widow at age 37, she became a federal judge and only retired five years ago. 

1440: That's outstanding. And what about the effects on you, of your father’s death? 

David Eisenberg: As a result of that tragic time, I wanted to study medicine because I couldn't understand what had happened.  

I was accepted to Harvard College during my senior year in high school, in the early '70s. At that time, the first reports of Chinese medicine, particularly acupuncture, came to the West. 

I saw the iconic front-page New York Times article by their op-ed editor in chief, James Reston, who was tracking Henry Kissinger in Beijing. In trying to figure out what Kissinger was doing in Beijing, Reston developed acute appendicitis. He was operated on by Chinese surgeons at the medical school which was built by John D. Rockefeller, where the doctors had all learned medicine in English from Ivy League physicians in the '40s.  

After his operation, Reston had abdominal pain, and they brought in an acupuncturist to treat the pain. He wrote about a thin needle being placed in his knee and his pain evaporating instantly. 

As a high school senior who wanted to be premed, I thought that was about the coolest thing I had ever read. 

So, when I entered Harvard College in 1972, I asked to do an independent study on acupuncture.  

1440: Back in 1972, you asked to do a study on acupuncture? 

David Eisenberg: Yeah. And they said, "Knock yourself out." 

But there was nothing in English in the more than 100 libraries at Harvard College that had anything to do with acupuncture and surgery. 

Nobody in the West knew what it was. 

I found one book that had been translated in the early '40s called The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine.  

1440: There must have been some interest somehow in the ‘40s, then, in what are often now referred to as complementary approaches. 

David Eisenberg: Yes, there was. In the first few chapters of that book—and I think this is relevant to 1440's destiny—there are two main points that really stopped me in my tracks. The first was that prevention is always superior to intervention.  

And the second epiphany, to me at least, was that how we eat and move and think—which they described as controlling our spirits, or our emotions—impacts our health and gives us our recuperative capacity. 

1440: I agree, but is it challenging to prove the efficacy of preventative medicine, since the disease never manifests? 

David Eisenberg: That’s the point of the research conference April 22 – 23 at 1440. We will show what we're preventing. 

Back in 1971, the concept of prevention was nowhere to be found in the premedical curriculum or in medical school. When I went to Harvard Medical School, nobody was studying the impact of what we ate, how we moved, or how our mind-body connection impacted our physiology or our health. So, I decided to learn Chinese and go to China. 

I became the first person to document in The New England Journal of Medicine the frequency with which Americans were using all these therapies.  

That catapulted my career and helped me do some of the early research on acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage, and mind-body work.  

I was the recipient of the first large National Institutes of Health grant to build a center of excellence at Harvard looking at complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine. 

Most of my career was spent there doing research, training people who now head up complementary, integrative medicine, and mind-body programs around the country and around the world.  

Now, remember, I'm a baker's son. So, in 1998, I approached the top cooking school in the United States, the Culinary Institute of America, and I said to them, "It's been my observation that nobody in medicine, meaning doctors, knows anything about nutrition. And even fewer people know anything about cooking or shopping for food and making delicious, healthy food." 

And, I said, "I would like to teach my colleagues about nutrition, shopping, and cooking as well as lifestyle."  

And they said, "That's great because we want to teach our chefs about nutrition. They don't understand the science."  

We shook hands, myself and the head of the nutrition department, Professor Walter Willett, and we launched a conference called Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives, which has been given 15 times since 2006, always sold out.  

That’s where I met Kenny Woods, executive chef at 1440, and he introduced me to Joanie and Scott Kriens, the cocreators of 1440 Multiversity. 

Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives is presented to 400 people a year at the conference center of the Culinary Institute in Napa, California, where participants learn the science behind what they should be eating more of or less of and why.  

We teach how to translate the science into healthy, delicious, and sustainable recipes, the kind of food Chef Kenny makes at 1440. 

Then we talk about mindfulness and its role in eating, cooking, enjoying food, and living. We talk about exercise and about strategies to change behavior when you're stuck.  

Over the course of three days, the registrants taste 325 different dishes.  

www.HealthyKitchens.org 

1440: And each time this conference serves 400 people?  

David Eisenberg: That's all we can fit. I'm sure if we had room for 4,000 people, we would have 4,000. 

And ever since I began this conference, I started with an imaginary future saying, "Someday we should build kitchens as teaching kitchens in hospitals to teach people a different relationship to food and optimal lifestyle." 

Then, in 2012, I started an experiment. We condensed this into a curriculum, and we went to the main campus of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York, and we offered the curriculum as an experiment to employees of the CIA who were not the chefs.  

1440: How did it turn out?  

David Eisenberg: By the end of 16 weeks, they could cook anything. They went from afraid to hold a knife to a choreographed ballet in the kitchen. 

We proved that people would do this, that they loved it, and the ones who were fat lost weight; the ones that were hypertensive, their blood pressure came down; the ones that had high cholesterol, their cholesterol came down. They started eating healthier food, moving more, and being more mindful. 

1440: The results are incredible. 

David Eisenberg: Yes, and while that experiment was going on, at the annual conference of Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives I asked, "By the way, for those of you who have come back, do any of you have a teaching kitchen in your hospital?" 

One hundred hands went up. It wasn't 100 different hospitals, but it was 30 or 40. And I realized, "The movement has begun. And it's never going to stop."  

So, I became the director of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative, where I could cherry-pick the organizations with teaching kitchens where they were teaching people to eat, cook, move, and think better about their choices. 

1440: And how did this lead to the Teaching Kitchen Research Conference at 1440? 

David Eisenberg: The goal of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative has been to share our best practices. 

Over the last two years we have met, we have created best practices, and we are ready to do our first multi-site demonstration project to show that this would work in three different cities, three different kitchens, with three different teaching ensembles.  

We hope to prove that it's replicable, scalable, and impactful. 

We want to show it can change people's behaviors and change their biomarkers—their weight, their blood pressure, their blood sugar; change their clinical outcomes—are they no longer diabetic or poorly controlled diabetic? Are they no longer hypertensive?  

And from the data we could predict enormous cost savings, regardless of who their third-party payer is.  

That's the ultimate goal. Because if we could show that it saves money, then they will be covered by third-party insurers. Once we do that, it's a hop, skip, and a jump to make the argument that ultimately the target is children to prevent these problems in the first place.  

And, we'll start building teaching kitchens in schools and colleges and universities.  

The Teaching Kitchen Research Conference is where we can showcase not only what we're thinking of doing but also the actual results from 20, 30, and 40 teaching kitchens across the United States and around the world. 

1440: This conference is also sponsored in part by the National Institutes of Health, how is that significant? 

David Eisenberg: A year ago I applied to the National Institutes of Health for a grant to support our scientific research meeting. They awarded us a grant which pays for a portion of the costs. So, this conference will be co-sponsored, if you will, by the National Institutes of Health, which validates the importance of figuring out: what's the science of teaching kitchens, and what kind of novel contributions can they make to the medical, public health, and scientific communities. 

And now, 1440 is the hosting site for world-class scientists, public health experts, physicians, and thought leaders in the health and sustainability world to come together and share their research. 

I personally can't think of a more appropriate site for such a conference. 

The 2020 Research Conference on Teaching Kitchens and Related Self-Care Practices at 1440 will be hosted April 22 – 23 by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in close association with the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative (TKC) and partially funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.  
 

Confirmed keynote speakers from Harvard, Dartmouth, the National Institutes of Health, and Google will describe the relevance of teaching kitchens to the future of medical, scientific, and technological research and innovation. 

For more information and to participate visit tkresearchconference.org 

This interview was conducted by Heidi Spear, writer and editor for 1440 Multiversity. 

Brave (adj): show courage. 

Kind (adj): generous, helpful, and caring about other people. 

When you read the dictionary definitions of these two words, it doesn’t seem that hard to be brave or kind, right? 

Yet being kind seems kind of bold in our increasingly fractured and divided world. Why? Maybe because being kind means you are creating a moment of vulnerability in a society where people seem to be putting on more armor daily. You are choosing to act in a humane and civil manner in a world that feels like it's getting a bit less civilized. You are choosing to care.

But that’s okay. Heck, it's better than okay! Choosing to care is the way we help each other and this world. 

So get out there and be brave and kind. Be kind and brave. But don’t be kind of brave. (That never seems to work out as well. If you're going to be brave, go for it!) 

And don't get caught in the idea that every act must be big or grandiose. Being brave and kind doesn’t have to be that hard or that overwhelming. Start small. There is no competition that you can win for being kind. After all, kindness isn’t about winning. It’s about caring, remember?

As Judith Orloff reminds us: “Don’t think you have to be Mother Teresa. In your life, start with random acts of kindness, a springboard to other outlets. Do at least one good deed a day … feel the energy rush from that. Then consider expanding your repertoire.” 

We know how good it can feel to be kind … but we don’t always do it. Why? Because maybe we’re stressed or scared or bored or just waiting for someone else to do the heavy lifting. We’re tired.  

Yet if we don’t take the time to change the world, who will? 

Be brave. Be kind. And when you’re extending kindness, remember to be compassionate with yourself, also. (You can’t give what you don’t have.) “Meet yourself with kindness and self-love,” teaches Panache Desai. Like we are reminded in this interview with Martha Beck, healing oneself can be achieved with deliberate and repeated patience and kindness. 

Lastly, don't pollute your own mind! Like Sylvia Boorstein says, "The Buddha taught kindness towards everyone, including oneself. If I get mad at my neighbor next door, or if I nullify the country next door, I pollute my own mind." 

Simple moves can have major effects. Because, as Shinzen Young reminds us: “You can dramatically extend life—not by multiplying the number of your years, but by expanding the fullness of your moments.” 

Brave (adj): show courage. 

Kind (adj): generous, helpful, and caring about other people. 

When you read the dictionary definitions of these two words, it doesn’t seem that hard to be brave or kind, right? 

Yet being kind seems kind of bold in our increasingly fractured and divided world. Why? Maybe because being kind means you are creating a moment of vulnerability in a society where people seem to be putting on more armor daily. You are choosing to act in a humane and civil manner in a world that feels like it's getting a bit less civilized. You are choosing to care.

But that’s okay. Heck, it's better than okay! Choosing to care is the way we help each other and this world. 

So get out there and be brave and kind. Be kind and brave. But don’t be kind of brave. (That never seems to work out as well. If you're going to be brave, go for it!) 

And don't get caught in the idea that every act must be big or grandiose. Being brave and kind doesn’t have to be that hard or that overwhelming. Start small. There is no competition that you can win for being kind. After all, kindness isn’t about winning. It’s about caring, remember?

As Judith Orloff reminds us: “Don’t think you have to be Mother Teresa. In your life, start with random acts of kindness, a springboard to other outlets. Do at least one good deed a day … feel the energy rush from that. Then consider expanding your repertoire.” 

We know how good it can feel to be kind … but we don’t always do it. Why? Because maybe we’re stressed or scared or bored or just waiting for someone else to do the heavy lifting. We’re tired.  

Yet if we don’t take the time to change the world, who will? 

Be brave. Be kind. And when you’re extending kindness, remember to be compassionate with yourself, also. (You can’t give what you don’t have.) “Meet yourself with kindness and self-love,” teaches Panache Desai. Like we are reminded in this interview with Martha Beck, healing oneself can be achieved with deliberate and repeated patience and kindness. 

Lastly, don't pollute your own mind! Like Sylvia Boorstein says, "The Buddha taught kindness towards everyone, including oneself. If I get mad at my neighbor next door, or if I nullify the country next door, I pollute my own mind." 

Simple moves can have major effects. Because, as Shinzen Young reminds us: “You can dramatically extend life—not by multiplying the number of your years, but by expanding the fullness of your moments.” 

The Practice at 1440 Multiversity: A Design-Your-Own Yoga Retreat 

“Whatever our limits are in range of motion, no matter how small or how big, within that range of motion, there's an infinite amount of space to explore.” – Rodney Yee   

The wonderful thing about The Practice at 1440 is that you get to decide exactly what you’re focusing on for the weekend. Ever wanted to design your own yoga retreat? Now you can.  

This collaboration between 1440 and Yoga Journal is bringing together some of the best and biggest names in yoga (like Seane Corn) so you can choose from different instructors and classes to create your perfect yoga retreat! 

Why we’re excited:  

Join Chelsea Jackson Roberts, PhD, Saturday morning class, I Have a Dream: A Practice to Honor the Voice and Work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Using the words of Dr. King’s famous speech, she will lead a practice and meditation grounded in the practice of ahimsa (nonviolence). Dr. Roberts is also the co-founder of an Atlanta-based nonprofit Red Clay Yoga.  

The Power of Prayer: Insight, Transformation, and Truth with Caroline Myss

“Somewhere within all of us is a thread, however worn that might be, that attaches us to the invisible, imaginary, indescribable, seductive, chaotic, calming, terrifying, enchanting, miraculous and mysterious domain of the sacred. Tug at the thread and something indeed tugs back.” – Caroline Myss 

Why we’re excited:  

Caroline Myss is a five-time New York Times best-selling author and a renowned medical intuitive. Her amazing insight into the power of prayer is legendary and this class roster is filling fast. Get your spot before it sells out! 

Path of the Courageous Heart with Omid Safi, PhD, and Sharon Salzberg  

“Go, be your best self. Be your most beautiful self. Be your luminous self. Be your most generous self. Be your most radically loving self. And when you fall short of that—as we all do, as we all have—bounce back and return. And return again. There is a grace in this returning to your luminous self.” 
– Omid Safi, PhD 

Why we’re excited:  

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation superstar credited with helping bring meditation to the West and she will be teaching alongside highly-regarded writer Omid Safi: this is a dream team! (If you haven’t checked out Omid's writing for On Being, we highly recommend it. You’ll find delightful nuggets of wisdom, insight, and resilience.) 

Metta, or Lovingkindness, meditation is a specific meditation practice that can help you reconnect with yourself and engage in the world with a sense of love and self. 

Navigating the Storm: Finding Peace and Purpose in Uncertain Times with Martha Beck, PhD 

A session with a life coach can be incredibly helpful. A weekend with America’s most renowned life coach is a game-changer.  

Why we’re excited:  

We love Martha Beck for so many reasons that it’s hard to choose just one. But since we absolutely must choose one (this blogpost can’t go on forever—though we wish it could!) we’d say that Martha has this incredible ability to take difficult topics and make them so simple and digestible anyone can use it. For instance, she says, 

“I want to tell you a secret about that really big decision you’re trying to make. You know the one. Ready? Here it is: You have already made that decision.”  

Thought-provoking, right? Martha’s advice helps you dive deep and begin to question what wisdom you might be keeping from yourself. 

The BOX Sessions™: A Creative Gathering in Collaboration with & Hosted by Laura Holson 

Why we’re excited:  

Award-winning New York Times journalist Laura Holson is bringing some of the most innovative and creative thinkers of our time to our campus here in the redwoods. 

Original thinkers like:   

• Cooking sensation Samin Nosrat 
• The Moth radio show and podcast 

• Cartoonist, author, and MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant" recipient Lynda Barry 

• Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu

• Novelist Jonathan Franzen 

• Emmy-award nominee Alec Berg 

• And others!  

In breakout sessions and workshops, you’ll learn directly from these creative geniuses.  

DreamCamp with Sheri Salata and Nancy Hala 

The Sheri + Nancy Show comes to 1440! 

Why we’re excited:  

Have you read Sheri Salata’s incredible book The Beautiful No? Sheri Salata is the former Executive Producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show, and her book The Beautiful No chronicles her real-life transformation once she left her dream job. We’re so excited that she’s bringing her experience and story to 1440 so you can learn about how she created the life of her dreams, and how you can too.  

Sheri and Nancy rocked the 1440 campus in 2018 with “This Is 50” and we can’t wait to welcome them back! Don’t wait on this one either: we expect a full campus. 

Playful Magic with Elizabeth Gilbert and Sarah Jones 

Elizabeth Gilbert returns to 1440 and this time she brings a new partner in creativity, Sarah Jones. 

Why we’re excited:  

This program is bringing together two incredibly talented people to the 1440 stage: 
 

• Elizabeth Gilbert is the best-selling author of Eat, Pray, Love and numerous other award-winning books, including City of Girls. Her TED talks have been viewed by over 18 million people and she is one of our favorite teachers here at 1440. She sold out the campus twice with Brave Magic with Cheryl Strayed and we expect Playful Magic to be absolutely fantastic. 

• Tony award-winning performer, writer Sarah Jones has been lauded by critics, including the New York Times. Her off-Broadway play Bridge & Tunnel was produced by Meryl Streep.  

“Sarah’s particular genius is the intimacy she creates.” – Artistic Director Tony Taccone 

The Practice at 1440 Multiversity: A Design-Your-Own Yoga Retreat 

“Whatever our limits are in range of motion, no matter how small or how big, within that range of motion, there's an infinite amount of space to explore.” – Rodney Yee   

The wonderful thing about The Practice at 1440 is that you get to decide exactly what you’re focusing on for the weekend. Ever wanted to design your own yoga retreat? Now you can.  

This collaboration between 1440 and Yoga Journal is bringing together some of the best and biggest names in yoga (like Seane Corn) so you can choose from different instructors and classes to create your perfect yoga retreat! 

Why we’re excited:  

Join Chelsea Jackson Roberts, PhD, Saturday morning class, I Have a Dream: A Practice to Honor the Voice and Work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Using the words of Dr. King’s famous speech, she will lead a practice and meditation grounded in the practice of ahimsa (nonviolence). Dr. Roberts is also the co-founder of an Atlanta-based nonprofit Red Clay Yoga.  

The Power of Prayer: Insight, Transformation, and Truth with Caroline Myss

“Somewhere within all of us is a thread, however worn that might be, that attaches us to the invisible, imaginary, indescribable, seductive, chaotic, calming, terrifying, enchanting, miraculous and mysterious domain of the sacred. Tug at the thread and something indeed tugs back.” – Caroline Myss 

Why we’re excited:  

Caroline Myss is a five-time New York Times best-selling author and a renowned medical intuitive. Her amazing insight into the power of prayer is legendary and this class roster is filling fast. Get your spot before it sells out! 

Path of the Courageous Heart with Omid Safi, PhD, and Sharon Salzberg  

“Go, be your best self. Be your most beautiful self. Be your luminous self. Be your most generous self. Be your most radically loving self. And when you fall short of that—as we all do, as we all have—bounce back and return. And return again. There is a grace in this returning to your luminous self.” 
– Omid Safi, PhD 

Why we’re excited:  

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation superstar credited with helping bring meditation to the West and she will be teaching alongside highly-regarded writer Omid Safi: this is a dream team! (If you haven’t checked out Omid's writing for On Being, we highly recommend it. You’ll find delightful nuggets of wisdom, insight, and resilience.) 

Metta, or Lovingkindness, meditation is a specific meditation practice that can help you reconnect with yourself and engage in the world with a sense of love and self. 

Navigating the Storm: Finding Peace and Purpose in Uncertain Times with Martha Beck, PhD 

A session with a life coach can be incredibly helpful. A weekend with America’s most renowned life coach is a game-changer.  

Why we’re excited:  

We love Martha Beck for so many reasons that it’s hard to choose just one. But since we absolutely must choose one (this blogpost can’t go on forever—though we wish it could!) we’d say that Martha has this incredible ability to take difficult topics and make them so simple and digestible anyone can use it. For instance, she says, 

“I want to tell you a secret about that really big decision you’re trying to make. You know the one. Ready? Here it is: You have already made that decision.”  

Thought-provoking, right? Martha’s advice helps you dive deep and begin to question what wisdom you might be keeping from yourself. 

The BOX Sessions™: A Creative Gathering in Collaboration with & Hosted by Laura Holson 

Why we’re excited:  

Award-winning New York Times journalist Laura Holson is bringing some of the most innovative and creative thinkers of our time to our campus here in the redwoods. 

Original thinkers like:   

• Cooking sensation Samin Nosrat 
• The Moth radio show and podcast 

• Cartoonist, author, and MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant" recipient Lynda Barry 

• Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu

• Novelist Jonathan Franzen 

• Emmy-award nominee Alec Berg 

• And others!  

In breakout sessions and workshops, you’ll learn directly from these creative geniuses.  

DreamCamp with Sheri Salata and Nancy Hala 

The Sheri + Nancy Show comes to 1440! 

Why we’re excited:  

Have you read Sheri Salata’s incredible book The Beautiful No? Sheri Salata is the former Executive Producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show, and her book The Beautiful No chronicles her real-life transformation once she left her dream job. We’re so excited that she’s bringing her experience and story to 1440 so you can learn about how she created the life of her dreams, and how you can too.  

Sheri and Nancy rocked the 1440 campus in 2018 with “This Is 50” and we can’t wait to welcome them back! Don’t wait on this one either: we expect a full campus. 

Playful Magic with Elizabeth Gilbert and Sarah Jones 

Elizabeth Gilbert returns to 1440 and this time she brings a new partner in creativity, Sarah Jones. 

Why we’re excited:  

This program is bringing together two incredibly talented people to the 1440 stage: 

• Elizabeth Gilbert is the best-selling author of Eat, Pray, Love and numerous other award-winning books, including City of Girls. Her TED talks have been viewed by over 18 million people and she is one of our favorite teachers here at 1440. She sold out the campus twice with Brave Magic with Cheryl Strayed and we expect Playful Magic to be absolutely fantastic. 

• Tony award-winning performer, writer Sarah Jones has been lauded by critics, including the New York Times. Her off-Broadway play Bridge & Tunnel was produced by Meryl Streep.  

“Sarah’s particular genius is the intimacy she creates.” – Artistic Director Tony Taccone 

The Practice at 1440 Multiversity: A Design-Your-Own Yoga Retreat 

“Whatever our limits are in range of motion, no matter how small or how big, within that range of motion, there's an infinite amount of space to explore.” – Rodney Yee   

The wonderful thing about The Practice at 1440 is that you get to decide exactly what you’re focusing on for the weekend. Ever wanted to design your own yoga retreat? Now you can.  

This collaboration between 1440 and Yoga Journal is bringing together some of the best and biggest names in yoga (like Seane Corn) so you can choose from different instructors and classes to create your perfect yoga retreat! 

Why we’re excited:  

Join Chelsea Jackson Roberts, PhD, Saturday morning class, I Have a Dream: A Practice to Honor the Voice and Work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Using the words of Dr. King’s famous speech, she will lead a practice and meditation grounded in the practice of ahimsa (nonviolence). Dr. Roberts is also the co-founder of an Atlanta-based nonprofit Red Clay Yoga.  

The Power of Prayer: Insight, Transformation, and Truth with Caroline Myss

“Somewhere within all of us is a thread, however worn that might be, that attaches us to the invisible, imaginary, indescribable, seductive, chaotic, calming, terrifying, enchanting, miraculous and mysterious domain of the sacred. Tug at the thread and something indeed tugs back.” – Caroline Myss 

Why we’re excited:  

Caroline Myss is a five-time New York Times best-selling author and a renowned medical intuitive. Her amazing insight into the power of prayer is legendary and this class roster is filling fast. Get your spot before it sells out! 

Path of the Courageous Heart with Omid Safi, PhD, and Sharon Salzberg  

“Go, be your best self. Be your most beautiful self. Be your luminous self. Be your most generous self. Be your most radically loving self. And when you fall short of that—as we all do, as we all have—bounce back and return. And return again. There is a grace in this returning to your luminous self.” 
– Omid Safi, PhD 

Why we’re excited:  

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation superstar credited with helping bring meditation to the West and she will be teaching alongside highly-regarded writer Omid Safi: this is a dream team! (If you haven’t checked out Omid's writing for On Being, we highly recommend it. You’ll find delightful nuggets of wisdom, insight, and resilience.) 

Metta, or Lovingkindness, meditation is a specific meditation practice that can help you reconnect with yourself and engage in the world with a sense of love and self. 

Navigating the Storm: Finding Peace and Purpose in Uncertain Times with Martha Beck, PhD 

A session with a life coach can be incredibly helpful. A weekend with America’s most renowned life coach is a game-changer.  

Why we’re excited:  

We love Martha Beck for so many reasons that it’s hard to choose just one. But since we absolutely must choose one (this blogpost can’t go on forever—though we wish it could!) we’d say that Martha has this incredible ability to take difficult topics and make them so simple and digestible anyone can use it. For instance, she says, 

“I want to tell you a secret about that really big decision you’re trying to make. You know the one. Ready? Here it is: You have already made that decision.”  

Thought-provoking, right? Martha’s advice helps you dive deep and begin to question what wisdom you might be keeping from yourself. 

The BOX Sessions™: A Creative Gathering in Collaboration with & Hosted by Laura Holson 

Why we’re excited:  

Award-winning New York Times journalist Laura Holson is bringing some of the most innovative and creative thinkers of our time to our campus here in the redwoods. 

Original thinkers like:   

• Cooking sensation Samin Nosrat 
• The Moth radio show and podcast 

• Cartoonist, author, and MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant" recipient Lynda Barry 

• Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu

• Novelist Jonathan Franzen 

• Emmy-award nominee Alec Berg 

• And others!  

In breakout sessions and workshops, you’ll learn directly from these creative geniuses.  

DreamCamp with Sheri Salata and Nancy Hala 

The Sheri + Nancy Show comes to 1440! 

Why we’re excited:  

Have you read Sheri Salata’s incredible book The Beautiful No? Sheri Salata is the former Executive Producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show, and her book The Beautiful No chronicles her real-life transformation once she left her dream job. We’re so excited that she’s bringing her experience and story to 1440 so you can learn about how she created the life of her dreams, and how you can too.  

Sheri and Nancy rocked the 1440 campus in 2018 with “This Is 50” and we can’t wait to welcome them back! Don’t wait on this one either: we expect a full campus. 

Playful Magic with Elizabeth Gilbert and Sarah Jones 

Elizabeth Gilbert returns to 1440 and this time she brings a new partner in creativity, Sarah Jones. 

Why we’re excited:  

This program is bringing together two incredibly talented people to the 1440 stage: 

• Elizabeth Gilbert is the best-selling author of Eat, Pray, Love and numerous other award-winning books, including City of Girls. Her TED talks have been viewed by over 18 million people and she is one of our favorite teachers here at 1440. She sold out the campus twice with Brave Magic with Cheryl Strayed and we expect Playful Magic to be absolutely fantastic. 

• Tony award-winning performer, writer Sarah Jones has been lauded by critics, including the New York Times. Her off-Broadway play Bridge & Tunnel was produced by Meryl Streep.  

“Sarah’s particular genius is the intimacy she creates.” – Artistic Director Tony Taccone 

Happy reading!

1. What's the Difference Between Happiness and Fulfillment? 

This book excerpt from "Find Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team" by Simon Sinek and Peter Docker was a bit hit with leaders and pretty much everyone.

Point to ponder: "All kinds of things make us happy at work: hitting a goal, getting a promotion, landing a new client, completing a project—the list goes on. But happiness is temporary; the feeling doesn't last."

2. How to Thrive if You're a Highly Sensitive Person  

This interview with psychologist and author Elaine N. Aron, PhD. dishes out great advice for anyone trying to exist in our constantly-on society.

Point to ponder: "Generally, it's much harder for men to be sensitive than it is for women, because it's assumed that women are going to be more sensitive. With men, it depends more upon what they look like and how they set out to portray themselves." 

3. Get Rid of What You Don't Need 

This excerpt from "The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own" by Becoming Minimalist founder Joshua Becker holds many gems. Read it. You'll understand.

Point to ponder: "Getting rid of what you don't need is the first step toward crafting the life you want." 

4. Nutrition Is Far More Important Than Many People Realize 

This interview with Thomas M. Campbell (co-author of the best-selling nutritional guidebook The China Study) wades into the high-carb/low-carb debate and the dangers of sugar.

Point to ponder: "I think the variety of low-carb approaches, as a group, are among the most dangerous nutritional trends."

5. 5 Brilliant Books About the Human Spirit 

This collection of snippets from authors like Elizabeth Gilbert, Caroline Myss, and Sheri Salata will pick you up and make you think.

Point to ponder: "Maybe it's time to rethink everything about what is possible. Maybe it's time to dust off your dreams and give yourself permission to ask the 'what about' question: What about the life I always wanted?"

Join Seane and other expert yoga instructors at The Practice at 1440: A Design-Your-Own Yoga Retreat Jan 17 – 20, 2020. 

• So many cool non-profits take over the 1440 campus 

• So many awesome speakers grace the 1440 stage 

• And we get to give back to the communities that sustain our communities! 

Once upon a time (May of 2017), 1440 Multiversity opened its doors to the public. Since then, we’ve hosted thousands of esteemed faculty and 100,000 fantastic visitors, but we’ve only done Service Week once before, so we’re super-excited to host #1440serviceweek Dec 9 – 13.  

What is Service Week? 

For four days, we pause our regular programming and host (for free!) a diverse set of knowledgeable speakers giving inspiring lectures and workshops focused on leadership, social change, mindfulness, and so much more.  

And the best part? They’re speaking and working with an audience made up of key personnel from nonprofit organizations across the Bay Area and the U.S, including: 

• Digital NEST, Inc. 

• Enneagram Prison Project

• Ever Forward Club

• Common Roots Farm

• And numerous other impactful organizations. 

Why do we do it? 

Here at 1440, we believe in providing resources to those who might not otherwise have access. We recognize the importance of building community, avoiding burnout, and sparking innovation. Ultimately, service week is a thank you to those who do so much for so many. 

We see you, we hear you, and we honor you. 

Among the amazing speakers we have coming to #1440serviceweek: 

Jerry Colonna, Founder and CEO of Reboot.io, professional coach, and facilitator:  

“Strong back and open heart … It’s giving a shit about people, purpose, meaning. It’s working toward something greater than merely boosting your ego, greater than just soothing your worries and chasing your demons away. It’s leading from within, drawing on the core of your being, on all that has shaped you.” – Reboot by Jerry Colonna 

Learn more about Jerry Colonna by listening to this podcast from On Being:  

Guy Kawasaki, marketing genius, author, entrepreneur: 

“For entrepreneurs, the operative phrase is, “I pitch, therefore I am.” Pitching isn’t only for raising money—it’s for reaching agreement, and agreement can yield many good outcomes including sales, partnerships, and new hires.” – Guy Kawaski, The Art of the Pitch

Learn more about Guy Kawasaki on his new podcast Guy Kawasaki's Remarkable People or on his website. 

Lynne Twist, co-founder of The Pachamama Alliance, and founder of The Soul of Money Institute:

“We listened to stories of heartbreaking violence and blocking of basic human needs. We found strength sharing our commitment to social justice, stopping impunity, and bringing humanitarian aid and support to some of the most desperate situations on earth.” – Lynne Twist, Nobel Women's Initiative in Germany

Learn about her incredible work here. 

Want to learn about all of our incredible 1440 Service Week speakers? Find the full list here. 

• So many cool non-profits take over the 1440 campus 

• So many awesome speakers grace the 1440 stage 

• And we get to give back to the communities that sustain our communities! 

Once upon a time (May of 2017), 1440 Multiversity opened its doors to the public. Since then, we’ve hosted thousands of esteemed faculty and 100,000 fantastic visitors, but we’ve only done Service Week once before, so we’re super-excited to host #1440serviceweek Dec 9 – 13.  

What is Service Week? 

For four days, we pause our regular programming and host (for free!) a diverse set of knowledgeable speakers giving inspiring lectures and workshops focused on leadership, social change, mindfulness, and so much more.  

And the best part? They’re speaking and working with an audience made up of key personnel from nonprofit organizations across the Bay Area and the U.S, including: 

• Digital NEST, Inc. 

• Enneagram Prison Project

• Ever Forward Club

• Common Roots Farm

• And numerous other impactful organizations. 

Why do we do it? 

Here at 1440, we believe in providing resources to those who might not otherwise have access. We recognize the importance of building community, avoiding burnout, and sparking innovation. Ultimately, service week is a thank you to those who do so much for so many. 

We see you, we hear you, and we honor you. 

Among the amazing speakers we have coming to #1440serviceweek: 

Jerry Colonna, Founder and CEO of Reboot.io, professional coach, and facilitator:  

“Strong back and open heart … It’s giving a shit about people, purpose, meaning. It’s working toward something greater than merely boosting your ego, greater than just soothing your worries and chasing your demons away. It’s leading from within, drawing on the core of your being, on all that has shaped you.” – Reboot by Jerry Colonna 

Learn more about Jerry Colonna by listening to this podcast from On Being:  

Guy Kawasaki, marketing genius, author, entrepreneur: 

“For entrepreneurs, the operative phrase is, “I pitch, therefore I am.” Pitching isn’t only for raising money—it’s for reaching agreement, and agreement can yield many good outcomes including sales, partnerships, and new hires.” – Guy Kawaski, The Art of the Pitch

Learn more about Guy Kawasaki on his new podcast Guy Kawasaki's Remarkable People or on his website. 

Lynne Twist, co-founder of The Pachamama Alliance, and founder of The Soul of Money Institute:

“We listened to stories of heartbreaking violence and blocking of basic human needs. We found strength sharing our commitment to social justice, stopping impunity, and bringing humanitarian aid and support to some of the most desperate situations on earth.” – Lynne Twist, Nobel Women's Initiative in Germany

Learn about her incredible work here. 

Want to learn about all of our incredible 1440 Service Week speakers? Find the full list here. 

• So many cool non-profits take over the 1440 campus 

• So many awesome speakers grace the 1440 stage 

• And we get to give back to the communities that sustain our communities! 

Once upon a time (May of 2017), 1440 Multiversity opened its doors to the public. Since then, we’ve hosted thousands of esteemed faculty and 100,000 fantastic visitors, but we’ve only done Service Week once before, so we’re super-excited to host #1440serviceweek Dec 9 – 13.  

What is Service Week? 

For four days, we pause our regular programming and host (for free!) a diverse set of knowledgeable speakers giving inspiring lectures and workshops focused on leadership, social change, mindfulness, and so much more.  

And the best part? They’re speaking and working with an audience made up of key personnel from nonprofit organizations across the Bay Area and the U.S, including: 

• Digital NEST, Inc. 

• Enneagram Prison Project

• Ever Forward Club

• Common Roots Farm

• And numerous other impactful organizations. 

Why do we do it? 

Here at 1440, we believe in providing resources to those who might not otherwise have access. We recognize the importance of building community, avoiding burnout, and sparking innovation. Ultimately, service week is a thank you to those who do so much for so many. 

We see you, we hear you, and we honor you. 

Among the amazing speakers we have coming to #1440serviceweek: 

Jerry Colonna, Founder and CEO of Reboot.io, professional coach, and facilitator:  

“Strong back and open heart … It’s giving a shit about people, purpose, meaning. It’s working toward something greater than merely boosting your ego, greater than just soothing your worries and chasing your demons away. It’s leading from within, drawing on the core of your being, on all that has shaped you.” – Reboot by Jerry Colonna 

Learn more about Jerry Colonna by listening to this podcast from On Being:  

Guy Kawasaki, marketing genius, author, entrepreneur: 

“For entrepreneurs, the operative phrase is, “I pitch, therefore I am.” Pitching isn’t only for raising money—it’s for reaching agreement, and agreement can yield many good outcomes including sales, partnerships, and new hires.” – Guy Kawaski, The Art of the Pitch

Learn more about Guy Kawasaki on his new podcast Guy Kawasaki's Remarkable People or on his website. 

Lynne Twist, co-founder of The Pachamama Alliance, and founder of The Soul of Money Institute:

“We listened to stories of heartbreaking violence and blocking of basic human needs. We found strength sharing our commitment to social justice, stopping impunity, and bringing humanitarian aid and support to some of the most desperate situations on earth.” – Lynne Twist, Nobel Women's Initiative in Germany

Learn about her incredible work here. 

Want to learn about all of our incredible 1440 Service Week speakers? Find the full list here. 

You know, when we all (after a month of holiday indulging) start issuing promises to do better. We make … resolutions. 

• “I’m going to get in shape.” 

• “I’m going to meditate.” 

• “I’m going to write a book.” 

And then life happens and those resolutions disappear like puffs of smoke from a chimney. 

Many of us break resolutions about 3 weeks into January. Or 3 days. Maybe 3 hours. (Some years are rougher than others.) Some people stick it out longer but the sobering truth is that 80% of people abandon their resolutions by the second week of February. 

And once again, we confront the perennial truth: resolutions don’t work. 

But the real question is this: If resolutions don’t work, why do we make them? And why do we keep on making them? Isn’t there a better way? 

There is a better way. Resolutions don’t work but you know what does work? 

Reservations. 

I’m serious.  

Pick a date on the calendar and commit right now: 

• To something 

• To anything 

• To improving. 

Select something you want to do or attend or compete in and make that reservation now. Sign up for something and put your money down. And then you’ll have to see it through. 

For example, one year I kept kicking around the idea of completing a triathlon. It was a fun idea and I trained some … until I signed up for a sprint triathlon. And then I trained A LOT. Just the idea of that date on my calendar five months away was enough to send me onto my bike, into the pool, and even onto the running trail (which was not my favorite). Why? I made a reservation, not a resolution. Booked. Committed. Focused. Money on the line. 

So, let me ask this: what dream do you have for this coming year? Do you want to: 

• Write a memoir? 

• Paint? 

• Lead a team? 

• Meditate every day? 

• Learn something new? 

Whatever your dream is, don’t wait. Sign up for something now, before the holidays. Commit and start planning now so that you set yourself up for success in the new year. Pick a book, pick a course, pick a new way you want to be you in the next year.  

Don’t let this be another year where your good intentions drift away with the winter clouds and you find yourself wondering again what happened. You can do better than that! 

Resolutions may not work but reservations do. That’s the good news. Start moving towards your dream. 

Ready to start right now? Check out these upcoming programs (or pick something else just for you!): 

• Path of the Courageous Heart with Sharon Salzberg and Omid Safi, PhD, Jan 31 – Feb 2. 
• The China Study in Practice with Thomas M. Campbell and MD Erin Campbell, MD, MPH, Jan 10 – 12. 
• Mindful Self-Compassion at Work with Christopher Germer, PhD, and Wibo Koole Jan 12 – 17. 

Will this dessert recipe– from our Kitchen Table to yours – become a new family favorite? Whip up Butternut Squash Mousse Parfaits to add just the right amount of sweetness and spice to your holiday menu, or use this recipe anytime to treat yourself while filling your home with the unforgettable scents of the season. 

Ingredients

Serves 4 

•1 cup pureed butternut squash 

•1 tablespoon coconut oil 

•3 tablespoons maple syrup 

•½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste 

•½ teaspoon cinnamon 

•¼ teaspoon ginger 

•1⁄8 teaspoon nutmeg 

•1⁄8 teaspoon cardamom 

•pinch of cloves 

•1⁄8 teaspoon salt 

Whipped Coconut Cream 

•2 ½ cups coconut cream 

•2 tablespoons maple syrup 

•½ teaspoon vanilla 

•1⁄8 teaspoon salt 

Granola 

•¼ cup coconut oil 

•2 tablespoons maple syrup 

•¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste 

•1¼ cup rolled oats 

•¾ teaspoon cinnamon 

•½ teaspoon ginger 

•1⁄8 teaspoon cardamom 

•1⁄8 teaspoon nutmeg 

•½ cup chopped hazelnuts 

Directions

Butternut Squash Puree  

Cut a butternut squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Lightly oil squash and place cut side up on a baking sheet. Roast  in a 350° F oven for 25 – 35 minutes, or until the flesh is tender. Allow to cool and scoop the flesh into high-powered food processor. Blend until a smooth puree is formed.  

In a pan, melt coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla bean paste. Add puree, spices, and salt, stirring constantly over low heat until the mixture is well combined and warmed through. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature. To speed up the process, place in refrigerator uncovered, or place in a bowl over an ice bath.   

Whipped Coconut Cream  

Place coconut cream in the refrigerator overnight to allow the cream and water to separate. In the morning, strain off excess water.   

Whisk together prepared coconut cream, maple syrup, vanilla,  

and salt in a mixer or by hand until smooth and creamy.   

Reserve 1 cup to use in the butternut squash mousse.   

Butternut Squash Mousse  

In a bowl combine the cooled butternut squash puree and 1 cup of the reserved whipped coconut cream. Gently fold together until combined and set aside. 

Granola  

Melt coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla bean paste.  

In a bowl combine oats, spices, and chopped hazelnuts.   

Pour melted coconut oil mixture over the granola and mix well.   

Spread mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350° F for 12 – 15 minutes or until granola is golden brown,   

stirring once or twice to allow for even browning. Then cool.   

Assembling the Parfait  

Spoon an even layer of granola into the bottom of a jar or bowl.   

Follow with a layer of butternut squash mousse, then a layer of whipped coconut cream, and another layer of butternut squash mousse. Finish with a dollop of whipped coconut cream and grate fresh nutmeg over the top. Enjoy! 

The word gratitude gets thrown around SO much this time of year.  

But what is gratitude really?  

Is it simply “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness" ... or is gratitude something more?

Maybe gratitude is also something deeper, something that can’t be so easily defined. Maybe it's the amazing feeling we get when we express deep gratitude and thanks to those we care about.  And maybe it's what happens to our lives when we live in a state of perpetual gratitude.

Think about it: What's the difference between practicing gratitude and simply expressing thanks? And is there a valid, scientific reason to express gratitude more often than once a year? 

In her blog, renowned life coach Martha Beck writes about a study that showed an increase in happiness among people who express genuine gratitude. Just by expressing thanks, they became happier. Hmmm. What if, instead of just once a year, we cultivated a regular gratitude practice? Could this have a meaningful impact on our lives and relationships? 

Here are a few scientific ways for you to create your own gratitude practice:  

Write a thank-you note or letter (and give it to the person you are thanking). Writing down your feelings of thanks will almost certainly improve your relationship with that person. Plus, it gives you a moment to reflect on the importance of that person. Also, why not write one to yourself? Self-love is important, too.  

Keep a gratitude journal. Remind yourself of what you’re thankful for in the moment and look back to remember all the wonderful people and things in your life.  

Prayer can be a form of gratitude. Author and medical intuitive Caroline Myss likes this prayer: “I am grateful for all I have and for all I do not have. If I am grateful for having been spared of suffering, give me the grace to help those who are suffering. Amen.” 

A meditation practice. Think good thoughts. Incorporate feelings of gratitude into your meditation practice by creating a mantra of what you’re grateful for. Meditation superstar Sharon Salzberg says, “I encourage myself to remember that being grateful doesn’t mean I have to keep a gratitude jar that counts my blessings. It just means I can reset my thoughts, just like in meditation, and choose instead to gently settle my attention on something positive.” 

1. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert 

Elizabeth Gilbert’s most recent novel, City of Girls, is part retrospective and part coming of age. It's a gorgeous love letter to a lost era and New York City. Focusing on one woman’s youth and the events that shifted her life’s story, Gilbert paints a vivid picture of life in 1940s New York at its most glamorous.  

“The town was perched proud and solid on its nest of granite, tucked between its two dark rivers. Its stacks of skyscrapers glittered like columns of fireflies in the velvety summer air. We crossed over the silent, commanding bridge – broad and long as a condor’s wing – and entered the city. This dense place. This meaningful place. The greatest metropolis the world has ever known– or at least that’s what I’ve always thought.  

I was overcome with reverence. 
I would plant my little life there and never abandon it again.”  

2. Inheritance by Dani Shapiro

What if you took a DNA test and found out your father wasn't a biological relative?

That's what happened to author Dani Shapiro, and she transformed her personal and contemporary experience into a stunning non-fiction literary page-turner. Shapiro’s New York Times best seller, Inheritance, is poignant and beautifully written, keeping keep you on the edge of your seat while pondering life’s big questions.  

“After listening to my entire story, he quietly said: 'You can say, This is impossible, terrible.'Or you can say, This is beautiful, wonderful. You can imagine that you're in exile. Or you can imagine that you have more than one home.'” 

3. The Beautiful No by Sheri Salata

Are you living the life you want? Or do the vague ghosts of discontent knock on your door at night and whisper to you of dreams long abandoned?

The Beautiful No might be the book you need. This transformational guidebook by Sheri Salata (former executive producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show) is the fabulous inspiration for anyone who needs an empowering story of how life changing experiences can happen at any age, even after 50.

“Maybe it’s time to rethink everything about what is possible. Maybe it’s time to dust off your dreams and give yourself permission to ask the ‘what about’ question: What about the life I always wanted?” 

4. Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss

Spirit can feel like an elusive concept at times, but this book by best-selling author and medical intuitive Caroline Myss anchors spirit discussion in a very real way to the stages of power and healing.

Anatomy of the Spirit brings together multiple spiritual and physical practices to create an excellent and holistic look into our well-being. Myss provides tools to inquire and develop wholeness.  

“The wounded child sees the Divine as operating a reward and punishment system, with humanly logical explanations for all painful experiences. The wounded child does not understand that within all experiences, no matter how painful, lie spiritual insights. So long as we think like a wounded child, we will love conditionally and with great fear of loss.” 

5. Love Big by Rozella Haydée White

"Healing doesn't happen overnight. It requires ongoing care and attention."

If you just said "amen" then you're going to love this book by leadership coach Rozella Haydée White, who writes about relationships, division and the ways in which healing ourselves might be the most radical thing we can do to create change. 

“Knowing something and believing something are very different than living something. No matter how much we know, this knowledge doesn't always translate into action."

1. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert 

Elizabeth Gilbert’s most recent novel, City of Girls, is part retrospective and part coming of age. It's a gorgeous love letter to a lost era and New York City. Focusing on one woman’s youth and the events that shifted her life’s story, Gilbert paints a vivid picture of life in 1940s New York at its most glamorous.  

“The town was perched proud and solid on its nest of granite, tucked between its two dark rivers. Its stacks of skyscrapers glittered like columns of fireflies in the velvety summer air. We crossed over the silent, commanding bridge – broad and long as a condor’s wing – and entered the city. This dense place. This meaningful place. The greatest metropolis the world has ever known– or at least that’s what I’ve always thought.  

I was overcome with reverence. 

I would plant my little life there and never abandon it again.”  
 

2. Inheritance by Dani Shapiro

What if you took a DNA test and found out your father wasn't a biological relative?
 

That's what happened to author Dani Shapiro, and she transformed her personal and contemporary experience into a stunning non-fiction literary page-turner. Shapiro’s New York Times best seller, Inheritance, is poignant and beautifully written, keeping keep you on the edge of your seat while pondering life’s big questions.  

“After listening to my entire story, he quietly said: 'You can say, This is impossible, terrible.'Or you can say, This is beautiful, wonderful. You can imagine that you're in exile. Or you can imagine that you have more than one home.'” 

3. The Beautiful No by Sheri Salata

Are you living the life you want? Or do the vague ghosts of discontent knock on your door at night and whisper to you of dreams long abandoned?

The Beautiful No might be the book you need. This transformational guidebook by Sheri Salata (former executive producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show) is the fabulous inspiration for anyone who needs an empowering story of how life changing experiences can happen at any age, even after 50.

“Maybe it’s time to rethink everything about what is possible. Maybe it’s time to dust off your dreams and give yourself permission to ask the ‘what about’ question: What about the life I always wanted?” 

4. Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss

Spirit can feel like an elusive concept at times, but this book by best-selling author and medical intuitive Caroline Myss anchors spirit discussion in a very real way to the stages of power and healing.

Anatomy of the Spirit brings together multiple spiritual and physical practices to create an excellent and holistic look into our well-being. Myss provides tools to inquire and develop wholeness.  

“The wounded child sees the Divine as operating a reward and punishment system, with humanly logical explanations for all painful experiences. The wounded child does not understand that within all experiences, no matter how painful, lie spiritual insights. So long as we think like a wounded child, we will love conditionally and with great fear of loss.” 

5. Love Big by Rozella Haydée White

"Healing doesn't happen overnight. It requires ongoing care and attention."

If you just said "amen" then you're going to love this book by leadership coach Rozella Haydée White, who writes about relationships, division and the ways in which healing ourselves might be the most radical thing we can do to create change. 

“Knowing something and believing something are very different than living something. No matter how much we know, this knowledge doesn't always translate into action."

Deep power and communication exists within our hands. The way we use our hands impacts how we think, move, feel, heal and relate to people in our lives. Through our hands, we can learn to soften our relationship to the world around us, create safer boundaries and open ourselves to more play with others. 

Put simply, the way we use our hands reflects the way we live.Changing the way we move our hands changes how we experience well...pretty much everything.

Science has shown that our hands are our direct connection to our brain’s frontal lobe. As embryos, our hands and neocortex developed in parallel, and they continue to develop in parallel as adults.

The more refined movement we can access through our hands, the more we expand the capacity of our brain. When we have more access to the movements and sensations in our hands, we can be more creative, playful, connected and sensitive to the world and the people around us. 

Our hands are essential for nervous system regulation, which is the foundation for mental, emotional, physical and relational health. They allow us to set boundaries, negotiate safety, and relate to the environment around us. 

At the Up & Downworkshop that is taking place December 5-8, we will be using simple practices to access the somatic and autonomic nervous systems through our hands to find better resiliency and safe, playful social engagement - all hallmarks of good mental and physical health. 

In the workshop, people also learn to re-awaken their sense of touch. 

Touch is an essential part of life. But if we had abusive, intrusive, unwanted, or misattuned touch (or no touch at all!), when we are developing as infants, toddlers, grade-schoolers and teens, we won't know what good, nurturing, healthy, loving, safe, and unconditional touch truly is. We won't know how to touch others and it will be very tough to connect to ourselves in a loving and unconditional way. 

Through our hands and the deep connection they have in regulating our nervous system, we can also help ourselves and others to heal. Coupled with intention, intelligence and a playful sense of curiosity, we can start to heal the deeper parts of ourselves that have been waiting for this level of communication and nurturing. 

I invite you to come and recapture the potential energy and power that is within your hands and have fun doing so at the Up and Down workshop on Dec 5–8, 2019.

Financial stress can wear you out but it doesn't have to. Watch Manisha Thakor, financial literacy advocate and financial planner for women, explain how you can find Money Zen. Plus, check out her budgeting tips below!

An excerpt from Manisha's book Your Path to True WELLth: a whole new approach to money, meaning & purpose: 

Step #2: Learn what healthy spending looks like.

If you ask the average person, “What is a healthy mix between spending on needs and wants versus savings?” you will likely get a blank stare. That’s because very few of us were ever given straight forward guidelines to follow in this area.

Back in the early 1990s when she was a Harvard Law School professor specializing in bankruptcy, Senator Elizabeth Warren and her daughter Amelia wrote a delightful book called ALL YOUR WORTH. In it, they identified an optimal “balanced spending formula” of 50/30/20. It is simple, powerful, and after all these years it’s still the most effective healthy spending rule of thumb I’ve come across.

The “Balanced Spending Formula” Looks Like This...

• 50 percent – the ideal amount of your take-home pay that goes toward needs

• 30 percent – the ideal amount of your take-home pay that goes to wants

• 20 percent – the ideal amount you set aside for savings

Join Manisha to discover a mind-body-spirit approach to financial well-being at MoneyZen for Women January 24-26, 2020 at 1440. 

Financial stress can wear you out but it doesn't have to. Watch Manisha Thakor, financial literacy advocate and financial planner for women, explain how you can find Money Zen. Plus, check out her budgeting tips below!

An excerpt from Manisha's book Your Path to True WELLth: a whole new approach to money, meaning & purpose: 

Step #2: Learn what healthy spending looks like.

If you ask the average person, “What is a healthy mix between spending on needs and wants versus savings?” you will likely get a blank stare. That’s because very few of us were ever given straight forward guidelines to follow in this area.

Back in the early 1990s when she was a Harvard Law School professor specializing in bankruptcy, Senator Elizabeth Warren and her daughter Amelia wrote a delightful book called ALL YOUR WORTH. In it, they identified an optimal “balanced spending formula” of 50/30/20. It is simple, powerful, and after all these years it’s still the most effective healthy spending rule of thumb I’ve come across.

The “Balanced Spending Formula” Looks Like This...

• 50 percent – the ideal amount of your take-home pay that goes toward needs

• 30 percent – the ideal amount of your take-home pay that goes to wants

• 20 percent – the ideal amount you set aside for savings

Join Manisha to discover a mind-body-spirit approach to financial well-being at MoneyZen for Women January 24-26, 2020 at 1440. 

What are The BOX Sessions™ ? 

The BOX Sessions™ are an opportunity to find the amazing creative community you've always wanted.

Whether you're a writer, film-maker, cook, artist, or a creative in any way, you can find inspiration and learn to live outside the box in this amazing weekend. Laura Holson, New York Times journalist and founder of The BOX Sessions™ says, “We are all faced with unrelenting demands in our daily lives and need inspiration more than ever.”  

So she created this special gathering at 1440 to inspire and spark people looking to reinvigorate their imagination and sharpen their creative skills. 

In this one weekend, you can meet world-class artists and award-winning filmmakers including the popular The Moth radio show and podcast; cooking sensation Samin Nosrat; novelist Jonathan Franzen; Crazy Rich Asians director Jon Chu; cartoonist, author and MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant” recipient Lynda Barry; and others.  

During workshops and breakout sessions, explore your sense of wonder and curiosity and experience the power of community.  

If you’re trying to get back into your creative groove or trying something new, don't miss this one. We'll see you here in the redwoods at The BOX Sessions ™.  

Words of advice from some of the many luminaries who will be at The BOX Sessions™:

“Season food with the proper amount of salt at the proper moment; choose the optimal medium of fat to convey the flavor of your ingredients; balance and animate those ingredients with acid; apply the right type and quantity of heat for the proper amount of time—do all this and you will turn out vibrant and beautiful food, with or without a recipe.”  

You can find her on her Netflix show Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, or in one of her excellent cookbooks. 

Cartoonist, author and MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant” recipient Lynda Barry: 

“I guess that’s sort of my obsession right now: showing people that drawing is this other thing than just how it looks. It’s actually a language, a way of thinking. It’s almost like having this extra brain. I’m trying to get my students to see past how their drawing looks and see it rather as communication.” 

Jonny Sun, author, illustrator, and one of TIME Magazine’s “25 Most Influential People on the Internet” of 2017 is creating some of the best wholesome memes on the internet. As he says in his extremely popular Ted Talk:

“I’m excited about externalizing the internal, about taking those invisible personal feelings that I don’t have words for, holding them to the light, putting words to them, and then sharing them with other people in the hopes that it might help them find words to find their feelings as well.” 

Find these creatives and more at our upcoming program The BOX Sessions™ at 1440 Multiversity on February 28-March 1, 2020. 

What are The BOX Sessions™ ? 

The BOX Sessions™ are an opportunity to find the amazing creative community you've always wanted.

Whether you're a writer, film-maker, cook, artist, or a creative in any way, you can find inspiration and learn to live outside the box in this amazing weekend. Laura Holson, New York Times journalist and founder of The BOX Sessions™ says, “We are all faced with unrelenting demands in our daily lives and need inspiration more than ever.”  

So she created this special gathering at 1440 to inspire and spark people looking to reinvigorate their imagination and sharpen their creative skills. 

In this one weekend, you can meet world-class artists and award-winning filmmakers including the popular The Moth radio show and podcast; cooking sensation Samin Nosrat; novelist Jonathan Franzen; Crazy Rich Asians director Jon Chu; cartoonist, author and MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant” recipient Lynda Barry; and others.  

During workshops and breakout sessions, explore your sense of wonder and curiosity and experience the power of community.  

If you’re trying to get back into your creative groove or trying something new, don't miss this one. We'll see you here in the redwoods at The BOX Sessions ™.  

Words of advice from some of the many luminaries who will be at The BOX Sessions™:

“Season food with the proper amount of salt at the proper moment; choose the optimal medium of fat to convey the flavor of your ingredients; balance and animate those ingredients with acid; apply the right type and quantity of heat for the proper amount of time—do all this and you will turn out vibrant and beautiful food, with or without a recipe.”  

You can find her on her Netflix show Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, or in one of her excellent cookbooks. 

Cartoonist, author and MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant” recipient Lynda Barry: 

“I guess that’s sort of my obsession right now: showing people that drawing is this other thing than just how it looks. It’s actually a language, a way of thinking. It’s almost like having this extra brain. I’m trying to get my students to see past how their drawing looks and see it rather as communication.” 

Jonny Sun, author, illustrator, and one of TIME Magazine’s “25 Most Influential People on the Internet” of 2017 is creating some of the best wholesome memes on the internet. As he says in his extremely popular Ted Talk:

“I’m excited about externalizing the internal, about taking those invisible personal feelings that I don’t have words for, holding them to the light, putting words to them, and then sharing them with other people in the hopes that it might help them find words to find their feelings as well.” 

Find these creatives and more at our upcoming program The BOX Sessions™ at 1440 Multiversity on February 28-March 1, 2020. 

Caroline Myss is a five-time New York Times best-selling author and internationally renowned pioneer in the fields of human consciousness, spirituality and mysticism, health, energy medicine, and medical intuition.

1440: How do you understand God at this point in your life?

Caroline: I no longer have a religious or anthropomorphic view of God. For me, God is law. God is represented in the laws of nature and the organizational system of the universe.

God is both impersonal and intimate.

We see the impersonal nature of God in the structure of the universe, down to the duplication of the mathematics of nature and how perfect it all is. The intimate nature of God is prayer.

1440: This is a very different understanding of God than that of modern religions. Do you think we’re evolving toward this understanding?

Caroline: Earth-based gods are colliding now because we’ve reached the end of earth-centric religion. It’s the end of the “God-as-man” era. Abrahamic religions are fighting for the last vestiges of this mythology, but God has no religion. It’s time for the myths of religion and the politics of religion to fade away.

Most of us won’t live to see this, but we are evolving into a spirituality that is organic. Our individual health and the organics of our bio-spiritual ecology are one with the bio-spiritual ecology of nature. That will be our salvation.

1440: How did you come to have this understanding of God?

Caroline: I came to this not from my work as a theologian, but as a medical intuitive. I first began to wonder why people don’t heal, and then eventually I wondered why people don’t want to heal. We’re becoming sicker. We’re becoming more depressed and more addicted.

I realized that these illnesses were actually soul illnesses—spiritual crises—and the language that people needed, the holy language of prayer, simply was not available. We had dismantled the route to the soul so successfully that people didn’t even know there was such a thing as a spiritual crisis anymore, so they had no option but to say they had a psychological crisis.

1440: How does this play out on a practical level with our health?

Caroline: It means if I’m sick and I go to a doctor and the doctor says, “Your heart’s not well. I have a medication for it, but it’s going to knock the hell out of your kidneys,” then I say goodbye to that doctor. We need doctors that can treat us as a whole system.

The new spiritual dictate is ecological theology; it has to be holism.

We cannot adhere to a religion or medicine that is based on separation. This is why it’s time for religions to begin to evaporate.

1440: Is there anything useful from religion that we can keep?

Caroline: We can retain the mystical teachings because they are not about separation or the politics of God, which is what religion is. Mystical teachings are fundamentally about the laws of the universe. The laws of men have to go—the laws of the universe are what will be retained.

1440: We’ve traditionally turned to religious leaders for spiritual guidance. Where will we look for guidance in this new model?

Caroline: The soul is deep, profound, and rigorous, and it brings you to truth. It does not bring you to your history so you can figure out who hurt you. It is not a journey of discovering how to get even with others.

It is a journey of how to discover why you want to get even, why you want to hurt others, why you are unforgiving. It’s a journey of excavation of why you sabotage your health. This is where prayer comes in.

And it’s why no one should go into the soul unescorted. If you go unescorted, you will never heal. You need a spiritual director and companions to help you along the way. Spiritual directors will be the new priests. We still need the sacraments. We do not fare well without confession.

1440: Are there other practices that have the same effect as prayer?

Caroline: I’m all for holy listening. Holy listening is a way of relaxing, of releasing the debris and waiting to hear God. It’s not a practice; it’s a devotion. It’s a devotion because you make a vow that says you’ll show up in holy listening and wait.

You wait and you wait and you get over that childish, egocentric entitlement that says because you’ve showed up you expect to hear something. Expect nothing. God is everywhere, but most of you are blind as a bat.

Guidance is around all the time, in every single thing, not just when things ‘work out.’

How do you know if things are working out? Remember, you’re looking through a tiny lens. You don’t see what’s coming, you don’t see what’s gone, you don’t see the influences of other people. How do you know what’s supposed to be happening?

Everything is being worked in a grand, huge, eternal alchemy that is constantly unfolding. The hand of God is in every single second, every single breath, and that’s how you have to think. You have to shave down your expectations and appreciate absolutely everything. You have to realize the power of a smile or an act of kindness generates so much force in the world. That’s God in the world.

Join Caroline for The Power of Prayer: Insight, Transformation, and Truth, Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2020, at 1440.

Caroline Myss is a five-time New York Times best-selling author and internationally renowned pioneer in the fields of human consciousness, spirituality and mysticism, health, energy medicine, and medical intuition.

1440: How do you understand God at this point in your life?

Caroline: I no longer have a religious or anthropomorphic view of God. For me, God is law. God is represented in the laws of nature and the organizational system of the universe.

God is both impersonal and intimate.

We see the impersonal nature of God in the structure of the universe, down to the duplication of the mathematics of nature and how perfect it all is. The intimate nature of God is prayer.

1440: This is a very different understanding of God than that of modern religions. Do you think we’re evolving toward this understanding?

Caroline: Earth-based gods are colliding now because we’ve reached the end of earth-centric religion. It’s the end of the “God-as-man” era. Abrahamic religions are fighting for the last vestiges of this mythology, but God has no religion. It’s time for the myths of religion and the politics of religion to fade away.

Most of us won’t live to see this, but we are evolving into a spirituality that is organic. Our individual health and the organics of our bio-spiritual ecology are one with the bio-spiritual ecology of nature. That will be our salvation.

1440: How did you come to have this understanding of God?

Caroline: I came to this not from my work as a theologian, but as a medical intuitive. I first began to wonder why people don’t heal, and then eventually I wondered why people don’t want to heal. We’re becoming sicker. We’re becoming more depressed and more addicted.

I realized that these illnesses were actually soul illnesses—spiritual crises—and the language that people needed, the holy language of prayer, simply was not available. We had dismantled the route to the soul so successfully that people didn’t even know there was such a thing as a spiritual crisis anymore, so they had no option but to say they had a psychological crisis.

1440: How does this play out on a practical level with our health?

Caroline: It means if I’m sick and I go to a doctor and the doctor says, “Your heart’s not well. I have a medication for it, but it’s going to knock the hell out of your kidneys,” then I say goodbye to that doctor. We need doctors that can treat us as a whole system.

The new spiritual dictate is ecological theology; it has to be holism.

We cannot adhere to a religion or medicine that is based on separation. This is why it’s time for religions to begin to evaporate.

1440: Is there anything useful from religion that we can keep?

Caroline: We can retain the mystical teachings because they are not about separation or the politics of God, which is what religion is. Mystical teachings are fundamentally about the laws of the universe. The laws of men have to go—the laws of the universe are what will be retained.

1440: We’ve traditionally turned to religious leaders for spiritual guidance. Where will we look for guidance in this new model?

Caroline: The soul is deep, profound, and rigorous, and it brings you to truth. It does not bring you to your history so you can figure out who hurt you. It is not a journey of discovering how to get even with others.

It is a journey of how to discover why you want to get even, why you want to hurt others, why you are unforgiving. It’s a journey of excavation of why you sabotage your health. This is where prayer comes in.

And it’s why no one should go into the soul unescorted. If you go unescorted, you will never heal. You need a spiritual director and companions to help you along the way. Spiritual directors will be the new priests. We still need the sacraments. We do not fare well without confession.

1440: Are there other practices that have the same effect as prayer?

Caroline: I’m all for holy listening. Holy listening is a way of relaxing, of releasing the debris and waiting to hear God. It’s not a practice; it’s a devotion. It’s a devotion because you make a vow that says you’ll show up in holy listening and wait.

You wait and you wait and you get over that childish, egocentric entitlement that says because you’ve showed up you expect to hear something. Expect nothing. God is everywhere, but most of you are blind as a bat.

Guidance is around all the time, in every single thing, not just when things ‘work out.’

How do you know if things are working out? Remember, you’re looking through a tiny lens. You don’t see what’s coming, you don’t see what’s gone, you don’t see the influences of other people. How do you know what’s supposed to be happening?

Everything is being worked in a grand, huge, eternal alchemy that is constantly unfolding. The hand of God is in every single second, every single breath, and that’s how you have to think. You have to shave down your expectations and appreciate absolutely everything. You have to realize the power of a smile or an act of kindness generates so much force in the world. That’s God in the world.

Join Caroline for The Power of Prayer: Insight, Transformation, and Truth, Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2020, at 1440.

Indigo

As I’m walking on West Cliff Drive, a man runs toward me pushing one of those jogging strollers with shock absorbers so the baby can keep sleeping, which this baby is. I can just get a glimpse of its almost translucent eyelids. The father is young, a jungle of indigo and carnelian tattooed from knuckle to jaw, leafy vines and blossoms, saints and symbols. Thick wooden plugs pierce his lobes and his sunglasses testify to the radiance haloed around him. I’m so jealous. As I often am. It’s a kind of obsession. I want him to have been my child’s father. I want to have married a man who wanted to be in a body, who wanted to live in it so much that he marked it up like a book, underlining, highlighting, writing in the margins, I was here. Not like my dead ex-husband, who was always fighting against the flesh, who sat for hours on his zafu chanting om and then went out and broke his hand punching the car. I imagine when this galloping man gets home he’s going to want to have sex with his wife, who slept in late, and then he’ll eat barbecued ribs and let the baby teethe on a bone while he drinks a dark beer. I can’t stop wishing my daughter had had a father like that. I can’t stop wishing I’d had that life. Oh, I know it’s a miracle to have a life. Any life at all. It took eight years for my parents to conceive me. First there was the war and then just waiting. And my mother’s bones so narrow, she had to be slit and I airlifted. That anyone is born, each precarious success from sperm and egg to zygote, embryo, infant, is a wonder. And here I am, alive. Almost seventy years and nothing has killed me. Not the car I totaled running a stop sign or the spirochete that screwed into my blood. Not the tree that fell in the forest exactly where I was standing—my best friend shoving me backward so I fell on my ass as it crashed. I’m alive. And I gave birth to a child. So she didn’t get a father who’d sling her onto his shoulder. And so much else she didn’t get. I’ve cried most of my life over that. And now there’s everything that we can’t talk about. We love—but cannot take too much of each other. Yet she is the one who, when I asked her to kill me if I no longer had my mind— we were on our way into Ross, shopping for dresses. That’s something she likes and they all look adorable on her— she’s the only one who didn’t hesitate or refuse or waver or flinch. As we strode across the parking lot she said, O.K., but when’s the cutoff? That’s what I need to know.

Any Common Desolation

can be enough to make you look up at the yellowed leaves of the apple tree, the few that survived the rains and frost, shot with late afternoon sun. They glow a deep orange-gold against a blue so sheer, a single bird would rip it like silk. You may have to break your heart, but it isn’t nothing to know even one moment alive. The sound of an oar in an oarlock or a ruminant animal tearing grass. The smell of grated ginger. The ruby neon of the liquor store sign. Warm socks. You remember your mother, her precision a ceremony, as she gathered the white cotton, slipped it over your toes, drew up the heel, turned the cuff. A breath can uncoil as you walk across your own muddy yard, the big dipper pouring night down over you, and everything you dread, all you can’t bear, dissolves and, like a needle slipped into your vein— that sudden rush of the world.

Join Ellen Bass and Roxan McDonald at 1440 for Fire and Ice: A Writing Workshop Nov. 22-24, 2019. 

• Sheri Salata
• Nancy Hala

August 6 - 9, 2020

Thursday - Sunday, 3 nights

All-inclusive program package to include:

• Tuition
• Three Meals in Kitchen Table (daily)
• Shared or Private Accommodations
• Signature classes and wellness offerings

Please Note: All packages are priced per person. Should you elect a shared accommodation and community hall bath, 1440 will randomly pair you with a gender-specific roommate. Only private rooms have the option of a private bath.  1440 Multiversity is a smoke-free campus.

Meet us in the redwoods for a four-day adventure with The Sheri + Nancy Show. Create the map to the life of your dreams.

Sheri Salata, cofounder of STORY, former executive producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show and co-president of Harpo Studios and the OWN Network, and Nancy Hala, cofounder of STORY, chief strategy officer and Fortune 500 brand strategist bring you:

• Health + Wellness
• Spirituality + Happiness. Romance + Sex
• Friends + Family. Creativity + Innovation
• Adventure + Discovery
• Sanctuary + Beauty
• Money + Abundance

Based on the inspirational life-guidance system, The Pillar Life.

Speakers. Workshops. Dream Sessions.

The joyride begins.

Tuition: $795 ++ accommodations and meals

More details coming soon.

• Sheri Salata
• Nancy Hala

August 6 - 9, 2020

Thursday - Sunday, 3 nights

All-inclusive program package to include:

• Tuition
• Three Meals in Kitchen Table (daily)
• Shared or Private Accommodations
• Signature classes and wellness offerings

Please Note: All packages are priced per person. Should you elect a shared accommodation and community hall bath, 1440 will randomly pair you with a gender-specific roommate. Only private rooms have the option of a private bath.  1440 Multiversity is a smoke-free campus.

Meet us in the redwoods for a four-day adventure with The Sheri + Nancy Show. Create the map to the life of your dreams.

Sheri Salata, cofounder of STORY, former executive producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show and co-president of Harpo Studios and the OWN Network, and Nancy Hala, cofounder of STORY, chief strategy officer and Fortune 500 brand strategist bring you:

• Health + Wellness
• Spirituality + Happiness. Romance + Sex
• Friends + Family. Creativity + Innovation
• Adventure + Discovery
• Sanctuary + Beauty
• Money + Abundance

Based on the inspirational life-guidance system, The Pillar Life.

Speakers. Workshops. Dream Sessions.

The joyride begins.

Tuition: $795 ++ accommodations and meals

More details coming soon.

We spend over a third of our day at work and so it makes sense to bring your whole self to work and not think you could even leave it behind. Read on for 10 of our favorite quotes on leadership.

1. “Leadership is not a position but an activity.” – Dan Mulhern

2.  “If you want to improve the organization, you have to improve yourself and the organization gets pulled up with you.”         – Indra Nooyi

3.  “Vulnerability is power.” – Michelle Maldonado

4. “The hardest person you will ever have to lead is yourself.” – Bill George

5. “Until people feel safe and until they feel like they’re cared about, they’re going to hold back.” – Scott Kriens

6. “Your culture begins at the top. Building a culture of ethics will not work if leaders are not providing the moral compass.”     – Dan Amos

7. “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”      – Sheryl Sandberg

8. “Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” – Sam Walton

9. “When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” – Malala Yousafzai

10. “Success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” – Michelle Obama

Learn more about True North Leadership at 1440. 

We spend over a third of our day at work and so it makes sense to bring your whole self to work and not think you could even leave it behind. Read on for 10 of our favorite quotes on leadership.

1. “Leadership is not a position but an activity.” – Dan Mulhern

2.  “If you want to improve the organization, you have to improve yourself and the organization gets pulled up with you.”         – Indra Nooyi

3.  “Vulnerability is power.” – Michelle Maldonado

4. “The hardest person you will ever have to lead is yourself.” – Bill George

5. “Until people feel safe and until they feel like they’re cared about, they’re going to hold back.” – Scott Kriens

6. “Your culture begins at the top. Building a culture of ethics will not work if leaders are not providing the moral compass.”     – Dan Amos

7. “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”      – Sheryl Sandberg

8. “Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” – Sam Walton

9. “When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” – Malala Yousafzai

10. “Success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” – Michelle Obama

Learn more about True North Leadership at 1440. 

1. Yoga has given me the space to understand that every part of me is necessary. Everything is exactly as it needs to be. And what needs to be silenced are the voices that make me feel otherwise. -Jessamyn Stanley  

2. Pushing through resistance lets us see what’s on the other side. -Seane Corn  

3. Yoga is a practice of self-inquiry.  -Nicole Cardoza  

4. One great benefit of yoga is that it increases our ability to pay attention to things that are increasingly subtle. -Annie Carpenter  

5. A lot of times, it's the limitations that become the teachers. In some ways, the teachers become your own body, mind, and breath. -Rodney Yee  

6. Whatever our limits are in range of motion, no matter how small or how big, within that range of motion, there's an infinite amount of space to explore. -Rodney Yee  

7. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you have three out of four of your limbs; it doesn't matter if you're fat, short, tall, male, female, or somewhere in between. None of that matters. All that matters is that we're human and trying to breathe together. -Jessamyn Stanley  

8. Yoga is here for us to cultivate power and transcend our limitations, personally and socially. -Susanna Barkataki  

9. The very thing that I learned through yoga, that is essential to my ability to wake up every morning, is the breath. In yoga, my practice allows me to appreciate each breath and each moment. I realized that everything counts. Every breath, thought, word, and action counts in my practice and in my world. When I take time to appreciate the breath, I make space for an appreciation of life.  -Chelsea Jackson Roberts  

10. If you open your heart and become like a child, you will always be blissful, always content.   -Dharma Mittra   

Join renowned instructors, Annie Carpenter, Seane Corn, Chelsea Jackson Roberts, and more for The Practice at 1440 on January 17 – 20, 2020, at 1440 Multiversity.

1. Yoga has given me the space to understand that every part of me is necessary. Everything is exactly as it needs to be. And what needs to be silenced are the voices that make me feel otherwise. -Jessamyn Stanley  

2. Pushing through resistance lets us see what’s on the other side. -Seane Corn  

3. Yoga is a practice of self-inquiry.  -Nicole Cardoza  

4. One great benefit of yoga is that it increases our ability to pay attention to things that are increasingly subtle. -Annie Carpenter  

5. A lot of times, it's the limitations that become the teachers. In some ways, the teachers become your own body, mind, and breath. -Rodney Yee  

6. Whatever our limits are in range of motion, no matter how small or how big, within that range of motion, there's an infinite amount of space to explore. -Rodney Yee  

7. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you have three out of four of your limbs; it doesn't matter if you're fat, short, tall, male, female, or somewhere in between. None of that matters. All that matters is that we're human and trying to breathe together. -Jessamyn Stanley  

8. Yoga is here for us to cultivate power and transcend our limitations, personally and socially. -Susanna Barkataki  

9. The very thing that I learned through yoga, that is essential to my ability to wake up every morning, is the breath. In yoga, my practice allows me to appreciate each breath and each moment. I realized that everything counts. Every breath, thought, word, and action counts in my practice and in my world. When I take time to appreciate the breath, I make space for an appreciation of life.  -Chelsea Jackson Roberts  

10. If you open your heart and become like a child, you will always be blissful, always content.   -Dharma Mittra   

Join renowned instructors, Annie Carpenter, Seane Corn, Chelsea Jackson Roberts, and more for The Practice at 1440 on January 17 – 20, 2020, at 1440 Multiversity.

Michelle Maldonado is founder of Lucenscia, a human potential and mindful business transformation firm. Named “Top Corporate Leader of the Year” and “Woman of the Year,” she is faculty and Meta-Coach for Dan Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence Coaching Certification program and a Certified Genos International Emotional Intelligence Practitioner. 

Michelle Maldonado is founder of Lucenscia, a human potential and mindful business transformation firm. Named “Top Corporate Leader of the Year” and “Woman of the Year,” she is faculty and Meta-Coach for Dan Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence Coaching Certification program and a Certified Genos International Emotional Intelligence Practitioner. 

Excited and Energized: The Challenge Response

Why Do Some People Feel More Threat Than Others?

Developing A Challenge Response

Connection Calms Stress

Disconnection Breeds Loneliness

Personal Reflection: An Exercise

• Which relationships, communities, or groups in my life really feed me (i.e., I feel happier and more connected after these encounters)?
• Which relationships, communities, or groups in my life leave me feeling isolated or lonely (perhaps I am ready to let these go)?
• What is one thing I could do to take my current relationships to a deeper level and initiate more conversations that matter?

Connection Calms Stress

Disconnection Breeds Loneliness

Personal Reflection: An Exercise

• Which relationships, communities, or groups in my life really feed me (i.e., I feel happier and more connected after these encounters)?
• Which relationships, communities, or groups in my life leave me feeling isolated or lonely (perhaps I am ready to let these go)?
• What is one thing I could do to take my current relationships to a deeper level and initiate more conversations that matter?

1440: Fear seems to be the most common reaction to death. What is it that we’re afraid of, exactly?

1440: When we are stripped down to that essential level, what do you see? Are we all the same or is there still a uniqueness to each of us?

1440: How can we access these lessons before our death so we can live a fuller life?

1440: What is this thing you refer to that’s larger than us and also includes us?

1440: In addition to the fear of dying, we also fear being the one left behind. What lessons have you learned that would be helpful for those who are grieving?

1440: Do you see a shift happening in our country when it comes to death and dying? It still feels like we have an abstract faith that medicine or science will save us.

• We put the relationship first, above all other self-interests.
• We protect each other’s sense of safety and security at all times.
• We apologize, make amends, and rectify misunderstandings or injuries in short order.
• We are fully transparent with each other.
• We minister to each other immediately when we are in distress.
• We are the first to know things.
• We never threaten each other or the relationship.

• We put the relationship first, above all other self-interests.
• We protect each other’s sense of safety and security at all times.
• We apologize, make amends, and rectify misunderstandings or injuries in short order.
• We are fully transparent with each other.
• We minister to each other immediately when we are in distress.
• We are the first to know things.
• We never threaten each other or the relationship.

1440: What is it about dance and movement that intrigues you as a photographer?

1440: In many ways, you use the human body as a building block for sculpture. What is your creative process for composing what you shoot?

1440: You use photography as a tool for advocacy. Why do you think it’s important for artists to use their creativity to shed light on social causes?

1440: What do you hope people take away from your work?

1440: How did your experience in healthcare lead to an interest in story, writing, and memoir?

1440: Who did you want to be in the world when you were a young girl?

1440: How often do you write and what does your personal writing practice look like?

1440: Do you have a favorite element of daily life that feeds your creativity?

1440: You talk about a thread of grace running through life. What is grace to you? How do you experience grace?

1440: As a Buddhist meditation teacher, do you find it difficult to deal with this seeming saturation of stimulants from the digital world? Technology, social media, and email are all over us. How do you cope? How do we cope?

“Irrespective of age, taking a look at our intention before we post or even open our devices seems like a good idea—what do we really hope to get out of engaging in this way, at this moment?”

1440: You’ve visited many richly spiritual places and met with the Dalai Lama. What seems to be the common thread that deeply happy and fulfilled people/cultures share?

I think the Dalai Lama put it very well when he said, describing himself, “I’ve never met anyone I consider a stranger.”

1440: Sometimes we think we just need a magic button to feel happy, but that doesn’t exist. What would you say to folks who are discouraged by hard setbacks as they try to move deeper in a more peaceful, loving existence?

1440: Can you tell us what lovingkindness is in 10 words or fewer? Is that even possible?

1440: In Real Love you wrote: “At those wounded moments when we most need love, a hardened heart can seem like the best defense.” This thought hits home for many of us. How can we not become hardened in hard times? How do we learn to offer an open heart in wounded moments when we need love?

1440: As a Buddhist meditation teacher, do you find it difficult to deal with this seeming saturation of stimulants from the digital world? Technology, social media, and email are all over us. How do you cope? How do we cope?

“Irrespective of age, taking a look at our intention before we post or even open our devices seems like a good idea—what do we really hope to get out of engaging in this way, at this moment?”

1440: You’ve visited many richly spiritual places and met with the Dalai Lama. What seems to be the common thread that deeply happy and fulfilled people/cultures share?

I think the Dalai Lama put it very well when he said, describing himself, “I’ve never met anyone I consider a stranger.”

1440: Sometimes we think we just need a magic button to feel happy, but that doesn’t exist. What would you say to folks who are discouraged by hard setbacks as they try to move deeper in a more peaceful, loving existence?

1440: Can you tell us what lovingkindness is in 10 words or fewer? Is that even possible?

1440: In Real Love you wrote: “At those wounded moments when we most need love, a hardened heart can seem like the best defense.” This thought hits home for many of us. How can we not become hardened in hard times? How do we learn to offer an open heart in wounded moments when we need love?

• Sit up tall on the floor or a chair. Close your eyes or rest them in one place. Imagine that you are sitting outside, looking up at a tall mountain.
• Now imagine that you are getting ready to climb this mountain. Imagine standing and beginning to walk uphill. How are your legs feeling? Take a full breath in and notice how the mountain air smells. Look around. Are you in the woods? Are there flowers? Birds? What else can you see?
• As you continue to climb, the path gets steeper, and you have to work much harder. Soon you have to use your hands also, and your body is working very hard. Imagine how your muscles are feeling. What is happening to your breathing? Pause in your climb and look around? What can you see now?
• As you get close to the top of the mountain, notice how you are feeling. Imagine reaching the very top. You’ve done it! Stand at the top of the mountain and appreciate the hard work you did to get here. Look out over the surrounding land.
• When you’re ready, lay down on your yoga mat (and imagine laying down on the earth at the top of the mountain). Imagine how good this rest would feel after your long climb, your hard work. Let your body sink into the ground. Notice the feeling of the mountain air on your body, and the steady support of the earth underneath you. Rest here for as long as you’d like.

What draws me in is not what people do for a living but why they do it.

What draws me in is not what people do for a living but why they do it.

1440: How do you define the notion of self?

1440: How does that compare to the understanding of self you grew up with?

1440: Where and how did you grow up?

1440: You talk about the importance of owning your story. Why do you believe that is so vital?

1440: What did it take for you to start owning your story?

1440: How do you define the notion of self?

1440: How does that compare to the understanding of self you grew up with?

1440: Where and how did you grow up?

1440: You talk about the importance of owning your story. Why do you believe that is so vital?

1440: What did it take for you to start owning your story?

1440: What does it mean to find your WHY?

1440: Let’s talk about the relationship between an organization’s WHY and an employee’s WHY.

1440: That reminds me how you often say “when people feel safe, remarkable things happen.” How do institutions cultivate this safety?

1440: What are the urgencies and trends in the workplace you and Simon and team most often witness and hear about today?

Toxic Homes

Plastics & Food

Not Very Pretty

The Inside Story

The Good News

• Invest in high-quality air and water filters. These basic components of life can’t be underestimated, and the investment will be worth the benefit. Drinking plenty of fresh, clean water is essential for our detoxification mechanisms to work their best (and it helps us look good, too).
• Ditch plastics and cook clean. Opt for stainless steel or glass for storing food and beverages, and if you have to buy canned goods look for those labeled BPA-free. It’s also important to use clean cookware without nonstick coatings like Teflon to avoid other undesirable chemicals. Stainless steel and ceramic coated pots and pans are safer options.
• Explore holistic dentistry. If you have amalgam fillings, consider looking for a holistic or biologic dentist to remove them. Do your research to make sure they use the correct safety precautions like proper ventilation and dental damming, otherwise, it could do more harm than good. It’s easy to find fluoride-free toothpaste—that’s an incredibly easy swap that can help your health in multiple ways.
• Get outside in the sunshine each morning. Not only does this support optimal levels of vitamin D, which regulates both your hormones and immune system, but it also supports the production of antioxidant and sleep-supporting melatonin.
• Limit exposure to electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs). Signals produced by Wi-Fi, cell phones, TVs, computers, and other electronic devices can decrease the activity of endocrine organs. Put your phone on airplane mode at night, turn off the Wi-Fi router when you’re not using it, and get an EMF protection pad to use underneath your laptop to limit your exposure.
• Eat organic, pasture-raised, high-fiber, real food. Choosing organic food protects us from the dangers of agricultural chemicals. When it comes to animal products like meat, eggs, and dairy, choose organic, pasture-raised, or grass-fed to avoid harmful synthetic hormones and get a more nutrient-dense product. Along those same lines, it’s essential to eat foods in their most natural and wholesome form, especially plants. Consume plenty of fiber to ensure your body removes toxins efficiently. Bonus points for eating broccoli—this provides beneficial compounds like calcium d-glucarate that helps bind and eliminate excess estrogen.
• Sweat and move every day. Sweating through exercise and the use of infrared saunas is extremely detoxifying, helping to offset the many physical insults we’re exposed to. My favorite ways to get moving are Zumba, dance, and rebounding to support lymphatic flow and effective detoxification. Be aware, though, that over-exercising (CrossFit every single day) can increase stress hormones and negatively impact sex hormones, leading to hypothalamic amenorrhea (a loss of your period) and infertility.
• Love your body with massage, acupuncture, and dry brushing. Massage and acupuncture can improve circulation throughout the entire body and increase blood flow to the uterus and ovaries—which helps to release toxins. Acupuncture can target specific endocrine organs to help correct imbalances. Dry brushing is something you can do at home to get the same benefits; simply use a natural bristle dry brush and, starting at your feet, use broad overlapping strokes on each part of the body, working upwards and always brushing toward the heart.
• Use herbs and supplements as needed. Hormonal testing can reveal individualized needs to help us best correct imbalances. For example, someone who is estrogen dominant could benefit from diindolylmethane, or DIM, derived from cruciferous vegetables which will help with estrogen metabolism. Someone in need of more follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and progesterone may benefit from taking an herb called vitex. Magnesium can be helpful for reducing high levels of cortisol and the citrate form is particularly helpful for moving the bowels to eliminate toxins.
• Rest, meditate, and sleep. Taking downtime is essential for your overall well-being, as it lets you calm the nervous system, reduce stress hormones, and cultivate hormonal balance. Meditation is one way to restore yourself to a calm and peaceful place—even just a few minutes a day of eyes closed and deep breathing can work wonders. Earthing is another great stress reliever, too. This simply involves getting outside in nature with your bare feet on the ground in order to shift your energy and circadian rhythm for deeper, more restful sleep. Of course, sleep plays a super special role in allowing the brain to detoxify, while also calming stress hormones, balancing hunger hormones, and improving mood. If you’re struggling to get good sleep, try wearing blue-light blocking glasses at the computer or when you’re watching TV to protect your body’s natural melatonin production. It’s also helpful to create a nightly bedtime ritual and get into the same sleep/wake cycle every day.

1440: Why is it so important for us to listen to what inspires us?

It’s not that you have to have the passion in place before you can engage. Passion is just a pointer to an activity where you are most likely to be present in what you’re doing—to really be there simply because you love that thing and so you’re completely engaged. It’s really the being there that matters, not the passion itself.

I often tell people, “You could be cleaning bathrooms and be completely present in that and loving every moment of it.” Most of us don’t think of bathrooms in that way, but it’s absolutely possible! The word passion indicates a full engagement or wholeheartedness, the wholeheartedness of being in the moment of whatever is happening. You could say it’s more about the process of being in what’s happening than the specific content of what you’re doing.

1440: What if you don’t know what your passion is?

1440: So we are actually looking for a state of being as opposed to a vocation?

Sarah: That’s it. And the part of us that wants to find that state of being is actually in the way of us finding it. The part of your personality that is hunting for answers to questions like, “What’s my passion?” or “How can I be more present in what I’m doing?” is preventing you from being there. It’s really paradoxical, but that seeking is what’s obstructing what’s actually happening from coming into your awareness.

We each have a collection of ideas about ourselves and we’ve mistaken that for who we really are.

That part that wants to figure it out has to get out of the way so that true living can happen. It’s happening all the time, but the part that’s struggling to get it right or follow the rules or find somebody that can tell you what to do is actually in the way of just being here, so you don’t notice what’s right in front of you. We call it “nose-esitis.” It’s right at the end of your nose—it’s really hard to see, but it’s right there in front of you when you stop looking for it.

Sarah Susanka will be teaching The Not So Big Life from May 18 – 20, 2018, at 1440 Multiversity.

1440: You had an early spiritual awakening and became a teacher at a young age. How has it been to “grow up” in that position?

1440: That sounds like the opposite of many spiritual teachings which encourage the stripping away of the ego, right?

1440: So who are we if we’re not our ego?

1440: If I were to say, “I’m an extremely responsible person, I always have been,” would you say that’s the ego even though it feels like a truth about myself and who I am?

• You are the real thing.
• You are the main thing.
• Savor that.

Peter Jaret: First, what exactly is mindfulness?

PJ: How is mindfulness different from meditation?

PJ: Let’s talk about mindfulness in the workplace. What are the benefits?

PJ: Are there specific health benefits to mindfulness practice?

PJ: How is mindfulness practice taught?

PJ: What kinds of companies are taking an interest in mindfulness training?

PJ: Some tech companies have been criticized for harsh working conditions. Could mindfulness training become a “Band-Aid” fix to serious workplace problems?

PJ: What advice would you offer someone who works in a company that doesn’t offer mindfulness training?

PJ: How do you use mindfulness training at the Greater Good Science Center?

This story originally appeared on Greater Good, the online magazine of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. For more, visit Greater Good online.

• Coffee with a friend at 8:30
• Teach a class at 10:00
• Take a barre class at noon
• Lunch with someone else at 1:30
• Massage client at 3:00
• Meet with a student at 5:00
• Teach at 7:00
• Tango at 9:00
• Go out for drinks at 11:00.
• Be a mentor? Sure. Sub your classes? Absolutely. Volunteer? Indeed. See every art event that rolls through town. Commit to every single social opportunity that presents itself. Check.
   
  You want to seize the day, but it’s not healthy to run frantically from moment to moment.
   
  Are you saying “yes” to tasks and obligations or to experience? Are the experiences a “hell yeah!” or merely a “why not?”
   
  Even in my case, I was discovering that although I was taking on positive, fun, and entertaining experiences, it was still too much to digest.
   
  Too much is too much.
   
  Gorging on fabulousness is still gluttony. It will leave you bloated and jonesing for more.
   
  I love the old Buddhist adage, “Don’t just do something, sit there.”
   
  During my treatment I let all of the yessing fall away. I spent the entire summer on my front porch futon, reading books, napping, going for slow walks around the neighborhood, and watching the clouds roll across the sky. Listening to birds, watching the squirrels flash through the trees, cats curled up at my feet. People brought me food. My world got small and insular, yet rich and fascinating beyond measure. I referred to it as my North End Bell Jar. (Not the Sylvia Plath kind.)
   
  I had no interest in going anywhere or even particularly interacting with people. Not because I was depressed or self-conscious or feeling unwell.
   
  I simply needed to say “hell yeah!” to being still.
   
  I was so content. I wasn’t missing or longing for anything at all. My social media time was scaled way back, I had stopped posting my weekly newsletter, and I was not teaching or doing bodywork. Living very simply on a nest egg I was fortunate enough to have. I have never felt better. I think I might be on to something.
   
  Yet, too much stillness can make one bloated and sluggish.
   
  Treatment is over, I am reentering my working world and staying attentive to how I operate. It is not the way I used to. Pausing to take a breath before I make a decision or say yes or no to someone or something. Making my “no” neither apologetic nor contrary.
   
  Allowing my “no” to be just as positive and affirming as my “yes.”
   
  Jodeen Revere revels in her unconventional, multifaceted dream life. She is an actor, a writer, Thai yoga massage therapist, creative movement and dance enthusiast, and RYT-200 yoga teacher currently on an endless sabbatical. She writes a blog chronicling her cancertastic adventures. She loves writing, reading, viewing and heatedly discussing film, eating really good snacks, and chillin’ with her cats Julian and Tilda. She is a kind and good-natured smart ass. She is very funny. Just ask her. Her favorite human, ever, is her daughter, Lily.

The Floating Brain: Our Best Defense

Mindfulness and the Immune System

• Reduced markers of inflammation, high levels of which are often correlated with decreased immune functioning and disease.
• Increased number of CD-4 cells, which are the immune system’s helper cells that are involved in sending signals to other cells telling them to destroy infections.
• Increased telomerase activity; telomerase help promote the stability of chromosomes and prevent their deterioration (telomerase deterioration leads to cancer and premature aging).

Mindfulness Meditation and Possible Mechanisms of Increased Immunity

• Decreased Stress, Increased Emotional Regulation: It has been confirmed through research that what we think and feel impacts our immune system via chemical messages from the brain. Therefore, stress, negative thinking styles, and certain emotional states can have a negative impact upon our immune system, creating an environment increasingly susceptible to disease. Mindfulness’s mechanisms toward greater well-being are complex and multifold, but practice is implicated in decreased stress, decreased rumination, and increased ability to deal with difficult emotions. In this way, practicing mindfulness might stave off impaired immunity.
• Targeted Brain/Immune System Communication: Another link between mindfulness and the immune system is mindfulness’s direct impact upon brain structures responsible for talking to the immune system. More specifically, research indicates that mindfulness meditation increases activity in the prefrontal cortex, right anterior insula, and right hippocampus, the areas of the brain acting as our immune system’s command center. When these parts are stimulated through mindfulness, the immune system functions more effectively.
• Activation of the Second Brain (the Gut): Mindfulness can boost immunity via the gut microbiota. As per a previous article I wrote here on Mindful, the human body is comprised of trillions of micro-organisms, most of which reside in the gut, which are called the gut microbiota. It turns out that the gut microbiota are key players in the development and maintenance of the immune system; the bacteria in the body that helps distinguish between intruder/foreign microbes vs. those that are endogenous. Studies have shown that stress tips our microbial balance, putting us at risk for dysbiosis, (a shift away from “normal” gut microbiota diversity), stripping us of one of our prime defenses against infectious disease, not to mention the cascade of reactions that ensue, which potentially wreak havoc on the central nervous system (CNS). Mindfulness-based stress reduction impacts our immune system by helping to maintain healthy gut microbiota diversity that is often upset by stress.

This article was originally published on Mindful.org, a non-profit dedicated to inspiring, guiding, and connecting anyone who wants to explore mindfulness. Go here to view the original article.

• 1:40 Looking at the mind, emotions, and educational experiences of kids in K-12
• 3:48 Helping kids to truly learn, not just be taught
• 4:13 Changing STEM to STREAM
• 4:55 The RULER approach to education (from Dr. Marc Brackett of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence)
• 5:18 Dr. Nadine Burke Harris’s work on negative child experiences and how they affect development of the whole child into adulthood
• 6:52 The “Yes Brain” and its connection to science and why it matters so much to the whole child approach to learning
• 9:05 The value of test takers vs. creative thinkers in innovative companies, and how to build resilience and creativity in the children in today’s world, i.e. how to cultivate the “Yes Brain” in kids
• 11:39 The “BRIE” concept in Dan’s book (Balance, Resilience, Insight, Empathy)
• 13:45 “I don’t have to lose my me in a we” (and how to become a “mwe” instead)
• 14:50 Performance expectations and the tragedy of teen suicide
• 16:20 The futility of the win/lose mindset and what happens in the brain during this process
• 19:00 The brain’s reaction to physical threats and social exclusion
• 20:18 “How do we develop the rest of ourselves … and be fully human?”

Body Myth 1: The Body Is Too Painful

• Do I view my inner pain as an insurmountable problem?
• Do I feel only anxiety when I drop inside?
• Do I feel like my pain is bigger than me?

Body Myth 2: The Body Is Mysterious and Dangerous

Body Myth 3: The Body Is Seductive and Leads You Astray

• “Guard against your body’s urges.”
• “Control your body’s impulses and sublimate them.”
• “Stay in charge of your body and hold its compulsions at bay.”

Body Myth 4: The Body Is Out of Control and Must Be Dominated

Body Myth 5: The Body Knows Far Less Than the Brain

Where Do We Go from Here?

1440: What does a whole-food, plant-based diet look like?

1440: Why should someone consider switching to a whole-food, plant-based diet?

1440: Did your start out your career trying to make a case for this way of eating?

1440: When did you switch to a whole-food, plant-based diet?

1440: Making dietary changes seems to be one of the most challenging things for people to do. Do you recommend making a sudden switch or a gradual one?

1440: How much can we rely on our own body’s wisdom in telling us what to eat?

1440: What is your take on food addiction?

1440: What is the current problem with the way we think of nutrition?

1440: Are you saying we shouldn’t pay attention to nutrition labels on food products?

1440: What made you think a wholistic approach to nutrition was superior to the reductionist approach?

1440: Is wholism just about whole food?

1440: What are some other things, besides food, that people can do to enhance their health?

1440: Should we ignore most of what we read about nutrition science in the news?

1440: The world is changing rapidly, and sometimes it feels like it’s not headed in the right direction. How do you think we got here?

Panache Desai: Every human being was created with absolute love and perfection and precision. The problem is then we’re trained to conform in a way that’s limited.

We’ve become units of production and we derive our value from what we have the capacity to produce instead of recognizing our value comes from the fact we exist.

1440: Is there a way out?

Panache Desai: As consciousness expands—as individuals become empowered to express what I call their Soul Signature, which is rooted in love—things are changing. Individual empowerment, or enlightenment, means being the most loving version of yourself. And sometimes being the most loving version of yourself isn’t just rolling over.

Sometimes being the most loving version of yourself is standing in the truth of the fire that’s within you.

1440: How do we balance our individual transformation with our work in the world as these big shifts happen?

Panache Desai: As people shift in themselves, they naturally shift in the way that they participate in the world. I don’t believe that it’s a superficial change. I really believe it’s happening from a very deep place within people’s hearts.

We’re at a point of divergence. People have exhausted the possibilities of fame and money and achievement. All of those things that we hold up as banners that signal success, people are realizing they’re empty and meaningless, that there’s no fulfillment to be found in any of it. That leads to disillusionment, which leads to an individual coming back to themselves, to what’s real and true for them.

From politics to finance to religion, people are experiencing heightened levels of disillusionment. But in the midst of that disillusionment, there’s innovation. From cryptocurrencies to political and social activism, we’re living in a time where pockets and movements are emerging. Of course the status quo will try and subdue them. But they won’t be able to because now too many people are awake and aware.

The old game is over. The age of collective amnesia is ending, and the age of the awakened individual is beginning and emerging.

1440: How do we deal with all the anger and rage that the current changes are bringing up?

Panache Desai: That reaction is no different than a two-year-old in a toy store who wants a toy but can’t have it. In that moment the two-year-old believes that the toy is everything. We thought these people and systems and structures were advocating on our behalf. We believed they actually represented us. Now we’re seeing that they don’t, so naturally that leads to frustration and anger.

But frustration and anger eventually leads to personal empowerment, which leads to innovation and creativity. This is why it’s such an amazing time to be alive.

1440: What happens to us when we don’t get the love we need as a child?

1440: How does this line of thinking help the situation?

Margaret Paul: The wounded self figures that if it’s our fault we’re not being loved, then we can try to figure out how to do it right—how to act right and how to be good enough in order to get the approval we need and avoid the disapproval we can’t handle when we’re that young.

It gives us a sense of control over getting love and avoiding pain.

1440: But this doesn’t seem to work. Why not?

Margaret Paul: Unfortunately, when we operate from the wounded self, we take the beautiful essence, the soul essence, of who we really are and hide it away in order to create an image or mask that we hope will be good enough.

We call this hidden part our inner child. It’s the part that often expresses to us through our feelings and intuition.

1440: Does the suppression of our inner child lead to issues like depression and anxiety?

1440: There are also challenging things in life that happen in school and elsewhere as we’re growing up, so it’s not just about our parents, right?

1440: Is it possible to reparent that inner child?

1440: So how do we do it?

1440: How do we do this if we didn’t have any role models for it?

1440: What do you say to those who say it is selfish to focus on yourself so much?

1440: What is the main thing that holds people back from living their fullest life?

• You have to have a job.
• You have to go to the best school.
• You have to eat/not eat a certain food.

1440: How does fear stop us?

1440: So how can people work with fear?

1440: So you’re not replacing fear with confidence or fearlessness, you’re learning to live with it?

1440: Why is it that so many relationships don’t work out?

1440: So it’s a myth that we can expect our partner to make us whole?

1440: Why are we so often attracted to the “wrong” person?

1440: Do you have an example you could share?

1440: If one person in a bad relationship does the inner work, will the relationship survive?

1440: Being single can often feel like second-class status and that being in a relationship is the end game. If we’re able to give ourselves the love and happiness we’re looking for, how does that change our experience of being single?

1440: Why is it that so many relationships don’t work out?

1440: So it’s a myth that we can expect our partner to make us whole?

1440: Why are we so often attracted to the “wrong” person?

1440: Do you have an example you could share?

1440: If one person in a bad relationship does the inner work, will the relationship survive?

1440: Being single can often feel like second-class status and that being in a relationship is the end game. If we’re able to give ourselves the love and happiness we’re looking for, how does that change our experience of being single?

• Others who have gone through what we are going through now.
• Others who are going through what we are going through now.
• Others who know, who understand, who would listen and help if only we would raise our voices above the whisper in our hearts and ask just once—brave and bold—for help.
• But we don’t. We sit together in isolation, and we lament. To ourselves, to the blue screens of our laptops, to the dots blinking on our phones as we hope for the text that might just save us after all.
   
  But, somewhere deep down, we already know that no single text can save us.
   
  When what we need, what we desire, what we long for so hard that we would cry out in the night in the middle of our dreams, if we still dreamed (if we were not so sleep-deprived that we no longer enter the REM Kingdom where all our past haunts and future hopes live) is connection. What we really want is so simple, and yet so frightening, that we hide from it and run from it and anesthetize ourselves to the possibility of it.
   
  Connection.
   
  Human connection. Person to person to person to person.
   
  • Scary
  • Thrilling
  • Real
  • Why do we run? Because real connection takes guts.
     
    But you have guts. You know this, so maybe it’s time to start acting like you do.
     
    Brave isn’t a word reserved for battlefields or plane crashes. It belongs to all of us living and breathing in this landscape of life. Some days, just waking up and deciding to go on is a brave act witnessed by no one but us, yet still meaningful, still so, so, so meaningful.
     
    So the next time that you find yourself adrift in this world, in this life, in this existence, I would ask that you remember this: there are others here who wish for the same things you do, who want to have conversations of depth and soul and integrity as we figure out how to live in this modern landscape, in this tech world of our design. People, like you, who are taking steps out of the confused now and moving towards a clearer, more connected, but sustainable, future.
     
    • Find your way to sonder.
    • Bring your voice above a whisper.
    • Reach out and connect.
    • It might be the way we’re going to get through this.
       
      Lisbeth Darsh is the Digital Marketing Manager at 1440 Multiversity, as well as the author of six books and the popular fitness/inspiration blog Words With Lisbeth. A former executive at CrossFit Inc, she has also been a fitness coach/gym owner, an English professor, and a United States Air Force officer, with degrees from Vassar College (BA) and California State University at Dominguez Hills (MA). You can usually find Lisbeth with a book or barbell in hand, looking to lift spirits and weights.

1440: Where do you find inspiration? Are there any teachers you turn to for wisdom?

1440: In recent years, you’ve become a parent to two sets of twins. What is that experience like?

1440: How do you find stillness in the midst of all of that?

1440: What’s your current growth edge?

Recently the Be Here Now Network (BHNN) was lucky enough to sit down for a cup of coffee with Pilgrim Heart Podcast host Krishna Das (KD, to his fans) to talk about how chanting has opened his heart.

Be Here Now Network: What is the role of music in mantras and chanting? How important is the music?

BHNN: Is there something in the vibrations of these sounds in our bodies that helps open us up to that power?

BHNN: So is that where the devotion rings a little sweeter?

BHNN: In the context of our Western notion of yoga and mindfulness, would you consider chanting a mindfulness exercise?

BHNN: I feel like learning the Hanuman Chaleesa has been my insurance policy.

BHNN: It seems like he [Neem Karoli Baba] was so funny.

BHNN: What was it that Maharaj-ji said about being one-pointed?

BHNN: For those of us who are newer to kirtan and chanting, when we first encounter the scene it can seem kind of religious, like it’s a part of Hinduism. What do you think?

BHNN: That simplicity must throw people off, especially with Maharaj-ji.

BHNN: Do you feel the audience at all when you’re chanting?

BHNN: What’s the difference between mantra and chant?

• We have an interaction with another person or witness an event.
• We have an emotional response that rises up.

• Are you spiritual?
• Are you religious?
• Do you believe in God?
• Do you believe in the right God?
• What kind of yoga do you practice?
• Do you practice it the right way?

1440: Much of the advice you give—to eat well, get good sleep, move your body, be a good community member—was how most people lived just two or three generations back. What has happened in recent decades to plummet us to such an unhealthy state in our culture?

1440: What is causing such high levels of anxiety among teenagers?

1440: How can kids, or anyone, take back their mind from obsessive negative thinking?

1440: So how do we fight negative thoughts?

1440: What if a thought feels really true? What if it seems really obvious that the guy doesn’t like me because when I asked him to go to the school dance (or to grab a drink if I’m an adult), he said no? How do you work with that?

1440: So you’re not a fan of positive thinking, but is there room for other kinds of intentional thinking, like a gratitude practice or sending loving thoughts to yourself?

• How do you stay involved in issues that matter to you without burning out?
• How do you stay sane in what feels like an insane world?
• How do you give your best when the volume is too loud and getting louder?

1. Are You Exercising?

2. How Are You Starting Your Day?

3. What Are You Talking About?

• Diversify your news intake. Pay attention to sports, health, education, weather, comics, etc.
• Remember to ask your kids what they’re learning in school.
• Remember to check in with your spouse or partner and take care of your relationship.
• Remember to laugh.

4. What Are You Listening To?

• Consider big questions with Krista Tippett of On Being.
• Laugh with the folks on Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!
• Lose yourself in the storytelling of The Moth.

5. Have You Considered a Digital Sabbath?

6. How Are You Breathing?

1440: What’s the first step to beginning to feel your feelings?

1440: What happens next after we’ve welcomed the feeling into our consciousness?

1440: What about feelings that keep recurring because of thoughts we repeatedly think?

1440: You refer to yourself as a “vibrational catalyst” and describe your work as guiding people through “vibrational transformation.” Can you explain what these terms mean?

1440: Does this energetic shift start in the mind or body or somewhere else?

1440: How can we begin to shift the energy of our emotions?

1440: Once we shift our energy, will we have access to this harmony all the time?

1440: How do you empower people?

Whatever you’re experiencing

has been felt before by countless

others. In fact, it’s also being

felt, in this very moment,

by millions of others

around the world.

That we’re fragile.

And the only thing we can count on is change,

which often comes suddenly & without warning.

That life is precious.

That our only safety lies

in the goodness of one another.

Grief holds gifts.

When London School of Economics co-founder Graham Wallas wrote The Art of Thought in 1926, he outlined a classic framework for training our minds in the art of the creative process. More than half a century later, most scientists define creativity as “producing something new and useful”, and we have a much richer understanding of creativity’s cognitive and neural underpinnings. But what seems to remain from Wallas’s framework is this: creativity requires both freedom and constraint in our thinking.

Applied neuroscience—a fancy way of saying “how to use neuroscience knowledge in real life”—helps us understand how to practice the creative process. And it turns out, when you break down the brain processes involved in creative achievement, it becomes clear that mindfulness goes hand in hand with creativity. In fact, there are actually scientific ways to apply mindfulness to the creative process. First, let’s look at the key ingredients for the creative process.

Four Stages of the Creative Brain

• Preparation: First, coming up with a wide range of ideas is required, using divergent thinking—the freestyle birthing of different ideas connected to the creative task at hand. Divergent thinking relies on quieting the cognitive control network, which allows the default mode network—the brain’s virtual reality system—to roam more freely. This is the time to use the imagination, gather information and not be shy about being messy and random.
• Incubation: At some point you have as many ideas as possible, and it’s time to go offline. Sleep, surf, cook, enjoy life while the brain automatically takes care of organizing memory and sets the stage for creative insight.
• Illumination: Then, the Aha! moment comes suddenly and inexplicably. This is the true moment of creative insight when unrelated and subconscious ideas are suddenly linked together, brought to our consciousness ever so briefly by the salience network, which detects and immediately catches that small twinkle in our ocean of thoughts.
• Verification:  Finally comes the reality check for our brilliant but raw insight. This last step requires convergent thinking—using less of the imagination and more of the cognitive control and attentional networks for analytical evaluation, to fine tune an idea into something both novel and useful.

How Does Mindfulness Help?

Balance between the ‘freestyle’ and ‘control’ networks is extremely important, and not just for creativity. Yes, jazz and rap improvisation involve ‘releasing control’, but in exactly the right amount and balanced with ‘self expression’ areas to produce creative results. We need our control networks, too: a total lack of frontal brain control is linked to schizophrenia, substance use, and depression.

Mindfulness practice is the key to this balance.

How to Apply Mindfulness to The Creative Process

Preparation: Mindfulness meditation boosts divergent thinking. This part involves a lot of learning. Try meditating before your brainstorming and ideation sessions so that you are less distracted, fully focused and can produce higher quality initial rough ideas.

Incubation:  Mindfulness is particularly useful for this important and often underemphasised phase. Many people find it hard to go offline, relax, and stop obsessing. Even a short mindfulness meditation can calm your distracting thoughts, reduce anxiety or stress, and help you enter a truly chilled state. Maybe your great idea may even appear during meditation! The point is, don’t try to make it happen—it will occur naturally. Sleep and any form of mindful practice that doesn’t involve active thinking of the creative task is helpful. Walking meditation is great for reducing stress and anxiety that may arise when ‘doing nothing’. Relax and let the insight come naturally!

Illumination: When we practice mindfulness, we are more clear and can see our thoughts better—In other words, mindfulness increases awareness. If a brilliant insight appears in a cluttered and noisy mind, you may just miss it. So when the moment of insight comes, be sure to receive a clear signal.

Verification: In this phase, where the veil of reality is laid over your genius idea, it is important to stay focused, positive and motivated without getting defeated. Even if the first attempt doesn’t get you the results you want, each time adds to the next. Exercise and meditate during your refinement process. This promotes attention and skill during convergent thinking, for choosing the most novel and effective pathways to solution.

This article was originally published on Mindful.org, a non-profit dedicated to inspiring, guiding, and connecting anyone who wants to explore mindfulness. Go here to view the original article.

1440: What sparked your initial interest in the breath?

1440: Are these practices what led you to study happiness?

1440: What’s something unexpected or surprising that you’ve learned from more than three decades of committed practice?

Connect

Understand Transience

Gain a Larger Perspective

Breathe in That Oxygen

Distract Yourself

Put the Brakes on Adrenaline

• Reducing inflammation by defusing excess positive electrons
• Reducing chronic pain
• Improving sleep (I can vouch strongly for this!)
• Increasing energy (I noticed this also)
• Lowering stress and promoting calmness by reducing stress hormones
• Normalizing biological rhythms including circadian rhythm
• Improving blood pressure and blood flow
• Relieving muscle tension and headache (I noticed this)
• Lessening menstrual and female hormone symptoms
• Speeding healing
• Eliminating jet lag
• Protecting the body from EMFs (electromagnetic fields)
• Shortening recovery time from injury or athletic activity
• Reducing or eliminating snoring
• Helping support adrenal health.

1440: You talk about exploring self and Self. What are those two selves?

1440: How has fame impacted your sense of self?

1440: How do you practice self-care? What does that look like?

1440: If you were to prescribe a brain workout that someone could start on right away, what would you suggest?

1440: That’s a long list—it seems like there is an entry point for everyone on there somewhere.

1440: How does yoga help us come home to ourselves? What aspects of the practice can help us heal inner wounds and get to a place of comfort and connectedness?

1440: The world can be a confusing and overwhelming place. How do we remain grounded, centered, and focused in the whirlwind of distraction and stimulation?

1440: You write so elegantly about maintaining hope in a time of pain and conflict. How do you keep your heart lifted? How do you keep fuel on the fire of compassion and vision?

1440: Where can we apply our yoga practice to everyday living?

1440: Can you talk about the relationship between yoga and global community service?

Global awareness is embedded in self-awareness. Help another.

Join Janet at her program Body and Soul March 20 – 22, 2020. 

• Maybe you want a great butt
• Maybe you really like the outfits
• Maybe you are looking for a date
• Maybe it is to try something new, or because it is popular
• Maybe it is a moving meditation
• Maybe your doctor recommended it, or that heart attack pushed you into action.

Q: What is emotional balance?

• Your emotional reaction was too strong
• Your emotional reaction was too weak
• Your emotional reaction was inappropriate.

Q: Why is science relevant to emotions?

Q: How did the concept for Cultivating Emotional Balance originate?

Q: What skills will people learn? What will they take away from Cultivating Emotional Balance?

Q: In a time of global tension, how can people become happier and more compassionate?