What's your question for 2024? flow game makes me think Jan 02, 2024

After nearly a month on the road I finally landed back home last week. I think by this time my body has stopped feeling like it is still in motion, but my inner world has yet to settle.

If you are like me you probably found 2023 quite a year. On one hand there were new adventures and interesting...

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What you can learn from getting stuck in the mud... life stories stories from the journey story as the map Dec 23, 2023

I've often found that the things truly worth experiencing challenge you to see if you are really committed. That happened to us in my last week in Africa, on the way to Mana Pools -- a UNESCO Heritage site which is a haven to all kinds of wild animals. 

Mana Pools is in the north of...

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Stories spotlight the secret ingredient to success collective story harvest story activism story as a map Dec 08, 2023

Yesterday was a day full of stories, here at Kufunda Village in Zimbabwe.

We started already the day before, briefing our storytellers and our young hosts about the process of Collective Story Harvest. Both groups were nervous, but excited too.

Then after our music and dance check in with the...

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Using story to move from "best kept secret" to well-known leader art of hosting collective story harvest crafting stories making meaning Dec 03, 2023
How do you move from "best kept secret" to "sanctuary for life open to the world"?
 
This is the question Kufunda Village in Zimbabwe is asking itself on the eve of its 21st birthday celebrations. I'm here in capacity of Harvester with the assignment to capture the essence of this special...
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A village is a place where stories meet future story makes me think story activism story as a map Dec 01, 2023

This is my third time in Zimbabwe. The first time was in 2006 and I was supporting a small group who wanted to replicate the customer service training program I had introduced through the Tourism Board in New Zealand.

I stayed in a compound and learned from the people working there how...

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Why this time in history actually IS unique story activism story as a map storymaking Nov 21, 2023

Perhaps it is the storytelling gene inside all of us that wants to proclaim that this moment in history -- our moment -- is  totally unique.  And yet the dynamics -- one might say the story elements -- are not new.

Generational struggle. Power imbalance. Gender...

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Where is your story now? makes me think story as a map Nov 06, 2023

In the many conversations I’ve had in my networks over the past weeks, three themes seem to consistently arise:

A overfull life / Intensity / Overwhelm

These people feel like there’s too much going on; the plate is too full or there are too many things to juggle. They are...

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Staying grounded during chaos art of hosting collective story harvest stories from the journey story activist Nov 05, 2023

I've been quiet for some time now, just cooking on my last journey and reflecting on the state of our world. There are two stories that stick with me from my very brief week in Istanbul. They reflect two lenses on what is happening and how we can host it.

The first is a moment in our ...

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SOAR
Cleaning up in the House of the Senses
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Cleaning up in the House of the Senses future story life stories listening makes me think practice Sep 22, 2023

Have you ever thought much about your senses?

They are the main way we meet the world in this physical body. Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch all help us to interpret the world. 

But often we get into a routine with the sensory realm and we respond to the world through habit. Working...

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Is this your threshold moment? stories from the journey Aug 20, 2023

I've just come back from spending a week in a house surrounded by forest in Connecticut. It had no internet, so I got away from the keyboard and the scrolling and spent time reading, resting and reflecting.

On my way there I stayed two nights with the vibrant and thoughtful Juanita Brown and her...

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The Yiddish word "die Levone" stories from the journey stories in a word Aug 04, 2023
Stories in a word...

German journalist Uwe von Seltmann fell in love with the Yiddish language and culture and has written many books about music, writers and history. These days he tours giving readings through Germany and the world. Here he talks about a favourite Yiddish word "die Levone" or...

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What does "practice" mean to you? art of hosting people in practice practice Aug 02, 2023

Do you ever feel you speak a different language to other people? And I'm not talking about all the flavours of English out there (which believe me, are wide and varied, the idioms will get you every time!).

Two words I use a lot are PRACTICE and PRACTITIONER. I often hear crickets when I mention...

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