On Life and Meaning
Richard Thurmond is a community and economic development executive for a place-making organization. In this episode we explore basketball, editing and publishing a city magazine, staying and leaving, and the values of curiosity and humility.
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Claude Alexander, Jr. is bishop and senior pastor of a Baptist church. In this episode we explore the mission of the church, racism, misogyny and homophobia, segregation on Sunday mornings, the death of a brother, a crisis of faith, living with mystery, and the love of God.
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Jess George is a government and community affairs manager for a fiber optic company. In this episode we explore the digital divide, confronting bullies, being an ally to immigrants, and dropping keys to beautiful rowdy prisoners.
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Sonya Pfeiffer is an art gallery owner and criminal defense attorney. In this episode we explore story-telling, standing up to the power of the state, unconventional paths, the Owl theory, the practice of Ahimsa, and the one chance we have in this life.
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Beatriz Friedmann is a school counselor and information technology consultant. In this episode we explore emigrating from Brazil to North America, a corporate career, a summer of loss and pain, finding new purpose, and becoming present one step at a time.
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Ken Lambla is founding dean of a college of arts + architecture. In this episode we explore returning from Patagonia, merging fields of study, interdisciplinary design, stewardship, community, and how arts inform a life
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Clarence ‘Clay’ Armbrister is president of a historically black college and university. In this episode we explore strategic goals, the benefits and challenges of HBCUs, a family story of defiance, the power of education, public service, and the value of relationships.
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Liz Clasen-Kelly leads an agency serving men experiencing homelessness. In this episode we explore helping people needing shelter, working to end homelessness, abundant love, and encountering Christ in the in-between.
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Natalie Frazier Allen leads an organization that connects youth to the arts. In this episode we explore adverse childhood experiences, the power of the arts to heal trauma, telling the truth, Spelman College, and reflections on career, family and faith.
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Tom Warshauer leads a municipal community engagement team. In this episode we explore neighborhood development, Wilmington and New Orleans, home restoration, planting ideas, and enjoying diverse and authentic lives.
info_outlineBeatriz Friedmann is a school counselor, yoga instructor, IT consultant, researcher and traveler. Her school counseling incorporates mindfulness to help students develop self-awareness and self-control. She recently completed a 27-year career at IBM, where she held numerous positions, including as a business value consultant, project executive, application development manager and systems analyst. She worked for IBM in Brazil, Canada and the United States. Beatriz earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Technology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, a Masters of Business Administration degree from the Institute of Financial Markets in Rio de Janeiro, and Master’s degree in Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
This episode is perfect for anyone interested emigrating to new countries, balancing the mind with the heart, finding new purpose, and becoming present one step at a time.
IN THIS EPISODE
- Beatriz describes growing up in Brazil and her brother having Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LSG is is a complex, rare, and severe childhood-onset epilepsy).
- She talks about when she was 9 years old losing her mother to cancer and how she internalized her mother’s death.
- She explains the role of Logosophy in her life (Logosophy is a philosophy of conscious evolution and metacognition).
- She shares a memory of sharing a diary with a friend and what it revealed.
- Beatriz describes beginning her career at IBM Brazil, the life she lived, and choosing to leave Brazil behind.
- She tells a story about saying the name of her daughter.
- She describes emigrating to Canada, the challenge of being an immigrant parent, and how she felt about leaving her country of origin behind.
- Beatriz discusses emigrating again to the United States and adjusting to life in Chappaqua, New York.
- She describes turning 40 years old, entering therapy, coming to terms with the death of her mother, and questioning her career.
- She talks about moving again, this time to Charlotte, in search of belonging.
- She shares a summer of emotional pain when her career ended, her father died, her dog died, and her youngest daughter left home.
- Beatriz discusses finding solace and meaning in yoga, meditation, and a new career as a school counselor.
- She shares her plan to emigrate again, this time to Portugal, and the metaphor of walking as a way of living.
plus Mark’s Personal Word Essay: The Second Mountain
To learn more, visit On Life and Meaning