By: Laura Fleetwood on April 23, 2023
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King and The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield are two books that are essential reading for anyone who wants to become a better writer or to get the most out of their creative endeavors. Both…
By: Alana Hayes on April 23, 2023
Max Weber’s work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism was published in 1905. Weber investigates the relationship between religious ideals and economic development in Western Europe in his book. He believed that Calvinism, with its focus on hard work, delayed gratification, and worldly success, played a significant role in the creation of modern…
By: Chad McSwain on April 23, 2023
Trauma is Prevalent “I think this man is suffering from memories.” This paraphrase of Sigmund Freud was used by Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk upon hearing the story of the unique and misdiagnosed symptoms of a war veteran.[1] This quote is quite poignant when it comes to the conversations around trauma and its presence in…
By: Alana Hayes on April 23, 2023
Hans Rosling’s book Factfulness takes us on a journey to discover how our world works. He believes that individuals are drawn to tales and headlines that focus on the negative when there is far more positive news in the world than we realize. Rosling invites readers to abandon knee-jerk emotions based on fear, shame, or anger…
By: Dinka Utomo on April 22, 2023
“Leaning forward and maintaining eye contact indicate engagement; leaning back and avoiding eye contact indicate disengagement, or even boredom, anger or disdain.” -Julian Treasure- In Indonesia, it is common scene to observe couples or families sitting together at a restaurant without engaging in any conversation. Instead, they are engrossed in their own smartphones, occasionally…
By: Russell Chun on April 22, 2023
Епілог-Epilogue (Ukrainian) Today, an online magazine article from one of my “go to” magazines presented itself. Listed on the Christian Realist Providence Magazine, I read Ed Meador’s article about “Apocalypse Now: The Revelations of Vladimir Putin.” Meador writes, “Now, following decades of deception, Putin has unveiled his heart of KGB darkness, outrageously demonstrating just how…
By: Daron George on April 22, 2023
INTRODUCTION In “The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity―and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race,” authors Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long present a captivating exploration of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in motivation, reward, and the pursuit of novelty.…
By: Laura Fleetwood on April 21, 2023
For as long as humans have existed, personality has been studied. And yet a comprehensive understanding of what makes humans so different from each other has largely remained a mystery, especially when it comes to proving personality science. Daniel Nettle set out to solve this mystery in his 2007 book titled, Personality: What makes you…
By: Daron George on April 21, 2023
INTRODUCTION Effective leadership is more crucial than ever in today’s complex and rapidly evolving world. Tom Camacho’s insightful book, “Mining for Gold,” offers a fresh perspective on how to draw out the best in ourselves and those around us. Cutting through the complexity and challenges of leadership development, Camacho provides practical and effective tools to…
By: Jana Dluehosh on April 20, 2023
I suffer as a light sleeper…it’s rough. In my 20’s I worked as a Residence Hall Director at a University in Chicago for 4 years. My bedroom was right above the front door of the hall, and I could hear everything…problem was that I didn’t always want to hear what was going on because it…
By: Shonell Dillon on April 20, 2023
Personality: What makes you the way that you are Dissociative identity disorder The DSM-5 states that dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder) is characterized by “switching” to alternate identities. You may feel the presence of two or more people talking or living inside your head, and you may feel as though you’re…
By: Shonell Dillon on April 20, 2023
The Body Keeps the Score If you are a social worker, business owner, youth recreation director, community advocate, mom, and grandmother you probably already know that “The body keeps the score”. The body is a tell-all that you need to rest, stop, and sit down. The body has a true way of communicating with us…
By: Adam Harris on April 20, 2023
Nausea, sleeplessness, anxiety, dread, and sweating describe some of my initial experiences when it came to speaking in front of midsize to large groups of people. At a young age I had a growing enthusiasm for ministry, the church, serving people, and God. I had no idea how much fear I would have to work…
By: Daron George on April 20, 2023
“The Body Keeps the Score” is a seminal work that has significant implications for leadership in the context of trauma. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk’s insights into the physical and psychological effects of trauma, as well as effective interventions and treatment strategies, are highly relevant to leaders who seek to promote the health and well-being…
By: Sara Taylor Lattimore on April 20, 2023
The book Sway by Pragya Agarwal has some very timely application for the ways that our unconscious bias can create significant obstacles and issues in our interaction with each other and with society. He addresses a number of biases and shares stories about how they have real world implications. For this blog I want to…
By: Caleb Lu on April 20, 2023
Book Summary In his book, The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk argues that trauma is not just a psychological problem, but also a physical one. When we experience trauma, our brains and bodies go into “fight-or-flight” mode.[1] This is a natural survival response that helps us to cope with danger. However, if…
By: Todd E Henley on April 20, 2023
April of 1983, I was a junior in high school and I was running for President of the Student Body. My main reason for running for office was to creatively impact more people with the gospel. One month before the election, one of my favorite teachers asked to see me after class. Mr. Riley looked…
By: Sara Taylor Lattimore on April 20, 2023
Ask Questions Learn More In the book Factfulness by Hans Rosling he passionately instructs his readers to consider new ways of thinking or certainly ways to avoid thinking. Rosling says “This book is my very last battle in my lifelong mission to fight devastating global ignorance. It is my last attempt to make an impact…
By: Sara Taylor Lattimore on April 20, 2023
Discover Your Label There seems to be a constant desire to understand one’s own personality or the personalities of those we interact with. The drive to understand what makes each other tick, why we would act in such a way, what motivates us to keep moving through this life has certainly intensified over time. There…
By: Audrey Robinson on April 20, 2023
My goal in writing this essay is to provide a different lens on unresolved posttraumatic experiences and how these experiences are a lurking crisis in our society. The first section is a high-level overview of Van Der Kolk’s book. The following section is a personal account of a lived traumatic experience. And lastly, is a…
