I first met Jackie Bernardi on Twitter. We follow, and even retweet, each other. Jackie is passionate about healthy skin, honest and authentic leadership, and craft brewing. Jackie joined a Craft Brewery Pilgrimage visit to Belmont Brewing in Long Beach, and agreed to answer a few questions about her experience. Jackie, what is your story? How did you get involved in this movement? I am a foodie-when not working or taking care of the family, you will find my nose... Read more
It is easy to give ourselves over to revelry, to see revelry as a way to hide from pain or fear. Revelry is not a hiding place. It is not a sanctuary which allows us to escape real life for a short time. We discover ourselves moment by moment. We are not caught up in regrets or lessons of the past. We let go of anticipation and anxiety about the future. Revelry is about celebrating who we are, not masking or... Read more
Tripp Hudgins is a friend of mine who I have never met in person, which is a little surprising because we are on similar paths. We have each lived in Virginia, Illinois, and now in California, though I have also lived in Wisconsin. Our paths also incorporate being both Baptist and Episcopalian. As you can see from our guest posts on each other’s blog, our paths cross and diverge. I love the way Tripp thinks and writes, and look forward... Read more
Leadership is changing reality. Leaders help us see things in new ways. When we perceive situations in new ways, they become new. Leaders help us understand that life can be challenging because we see it that way. We look for problems and obstacles, and experience them as difficult to solve because we perceive them that way. We tend to find what we seek. It is very helpful for us to see situations clearly, to recognize the challenges we face. For... Read more
It is sometimes a challenge for me to remember the horizon. I tend to become focused on what is in front of me. My attention gets absorbed in the immediate decision we are trying to make, the specific question we are trying to answer, the person facing me who wants my help. When I walk, I tend to look where I am taking my next step. I need to remind myself how important it is to look for what is... Read more
Pub Theology by Bryan Berghoef is based in the belief that “good things happen when we sit down at the same table together and talk honestly about things that matter; frankly, having a beer does not hurt.” It is a book that speaks about things I value deeply: honesty about things that matter, openness and listening, and great craft beer. Bryan’s story includes his upbringing in the church and in the Midwest, his education, and his beginning to see beyond... Read more
I have had a long and complex relationship with the truth. As a young child, I was brought up always to tell the truth. It was clear to me that there was the truth, and everything else was not the truth. Learning the truth was like solving a puzzle, finding the right answer. Not knowing the truth was being confused, not being able to figure things out, being wrong. Knowing the truth gave me a good deal of comfort and... Read more
Leadership grows in the everyday. It is easy for some people to get caught up in understanding leadership as a set of lessons to be learned. We tend to believe that we will be effective leaders when we have mastered the essential leadership skills and concepts. Other people see leadership as a quality, or a group of qualities. We look for the characteristics of leaders we admire, and try to find those same traits in ourselves. We see ourselves as... Read more
For as long as I can remember, September has been one of my favorite months. September is filled with good things; many more than the average month. It begins in the United States with a holiday, Labor Day, which is essentially a day to prepare for all the other good things spread throughout the month. September is traditionally the month of going back to school, and the month in which our football really begins. It is the month of the... Read more
No More Heroes by Henry Biernacki is not really a novel. It is neither fiction nor nonfiction. It is not an adventure, nor a travel book, nor a commentary. It is more than these. No More Heroes is a relationship, a series of conversations and reflections, in book form. Henry Biernacki gives us a window into the connection between Suria, an eighty-year-old woman, and Niklas, a young man. Their relationship, and the book, flourishes in the way their similarities and... Read more
Strategic Monk
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