by Dr. Chris Johnson | Jan 1, 2023 | Consciousness, Mindfulness, Resilience
Illness and uncertainty have reigned over the past few weeks. Hunkered down on my couch with the flu and hot tea, I had ample time to review 2022. My conclusion? Life’s really all about our emotional responses. Taking time to review the year – and my reactions –...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Dec 1, 2022 | Learning, Mindfulness, Resilience
“Your mom is rare,” said a colleague after listening to me explain my Mother’s view of Thanksgiving traditions. For the past 20+ years, Mom would host anywhere from 25-40 folks for Thanksgiving Day dinner. Dad’s side of the family would convene to...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Nov 1, 2022 | Mindfulness, Practice, Resilience
Tomorrow’s a big day, mid-term Election Day 2022. You might be most concerned about the economy and rising prices, the uptick in catastrophic weather events, challenges to our democracy, or the lingering impacts of COVID-19. America is a Big Idea, an organic...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Oct 1, 2022 | Mindfulness, Practice, Resilience
Both my grandmothers had them, and my mom too. I learned to use one by middle school, though the pressure of it scared me a little. Still does today, but now I know its value. Enter: the lowly pressure cooker. Introduced for patent back about 100 years ago, it...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Sep 1, 2022 | Consciousness, Mindfulness, Practice
Back to school season is the new New Year. Explore this idea with me for a few moments. Given the craziness of the last handful of years – climate events freaking us out, a sense that life’s moving too fast with too much to juggle, polarizing conversations we’re not...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Aug 1, 2022 | Consciousness, Mindfulness, Resilience
I’ve been thinking about fields lately. As we’ve driven to visit my Mom, who lives down-state, the fields are full of sweet summer corn and lush soybeans. But some of the fields lay bare. Two+ years into the pandemic, we’re experiencing a labor crisis that continues...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Jul 1, 2022 | Consciousness, Mindfulness, Resilience
Have you been feeling mad lately? June was nothing short of brutal! We’re living through seismic changes in our world. Not even summer could slow the fire hose of excruciating news and loss. Mass shootings and police violence continued: Uvalde, TX; Akron, OH; Highland...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Jun 1, 2022 | Mindfulness, Practice, Resilience
Honestly, I’ve been struggling with writing this month’s newsletter. Oh, it’s not that I couldn’t find lots to write about – it’s a sunny spring day in Chicago that smells of new possibilities, the fascinating research about how our brains triage our emotions while we...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | May 1, 2022 | Consciousness, Embodied Leadership, Mindfulness
I’ve always loved a good plan, and embrace having plans to maximize my projects, outings, and even vacations. But more to the point, a good plan helps me to relax. Last week, I needed to make a new plan. This plan is to launch my book in July – The Leadership...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Apr 1, 2022 | Attention, Consciousness, Mindfulness
I’ve never been a napper until recently that is. Growing up on our family farm, where daylight hours were spent outside, naps weren’t appealing. Except to my dad, who’d tell us he was just going to, ‘shut my eyes for a bit,’ right after eating lunch. Naps used to seem...