Use this Tool to Feel Calmer in 30 Seconds

If you’re feeling stressed or anxious today (etc.), give yourself 30 seconds and breathe with me: 

You may have encountered the scientific benefits of breathing before. If you want to nerd out, here’s an article from Forbes and one from Harvard Health outlining how breathing intentionally does things like reducing anxiety, slowing heart rate, helping you regulate emotions, and affecting memory.

Be gentle with yourself and good to others this week. 

By the talented Charlie Mackesy.

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers, 

Where in the Virtual World is ConverSketch?

Indigenous Voices and Regenerative Foodscapes: Last week I graphically facilitated a session with Trees, Water, and People co-creating a vision for how we might bring more indigenous voices and stories forth to learn about food resilience and regeneration. I’m looking forward to planning and sharing what we create in the spring!

ShapingEDU Black Swan Thinking: ShapingEDU is back at it again with a series of online workshops around how to use systems thinking to predict, or at least be slightly less off-kilter when black swan events emerge. There are two more in the coming months – find out more here.

Boosting Women Leaders: How can companies support women leaders internally? Here’s a few tips from the McGuckin Group on boosting women leaders!

Live…in Greeley! I did my first on-site job for a strategic planning session for a local municipality. It felt great to be on the wall for the first time in seven months, and also strange with the realities of covid. I hope you are keeping well and taking care of yourselves!

My Biggest Takeaway from a Workshop in Visual Practice Might Surprise You. It Sure Surprised Me.

As a visual practitioner, I attend a LOT of meetings and workshops. Last week I flipped from business-as-usual (I mean, as usual as it can be for a visual practitioner) to step into a workshop as a participant rather than facilitator or recorder.

Hosted by Kelvy Bird and Alfredo Carlo, I found myself surrounded with people who I consider thought leaders and experts in the field. Over the course of a few days, I’ve begun to make a profound shift in the way I approach this work, and on a deeper level, provided conditions for me to examine how I show up in this world and what that means for the work I do for my clients.

The Visual Practice Workshop exceeded my expectations and pushed me to think more critically than I have in a long time, which means it’s going to take more than the couple of days I’ve had to process. I expect that what I’ve learned will be infused in these emails/posts moving forward, and I’m excited to catch and ride this wave of learning and pushing myself.

Most of all, I’m looking forward to what the things I’ve learned and explored this week mean for my clients. Applying new models to facilitate understanding of the group and their ideas, moving into a deeper practice of partnership with my clients, and cultivating/holding awareness in and around my groups are filling my mind and heart with potential.

For now, what has settled in most deeply is the power of Breathing. Probably not what you were expecting, right? Me either – life is funny that way.

Whether it’s taking a deep breath at the beginning of a session I’m scribing to truly listen to the bigger message before jumping in, or taking a deep breath to allow myself the time and space to think at a more systemic level about ConverSketch or the challenges my clients are tackling, or reflecting on the cyclical nature of systems and what we can learn from them. There is much to learn from breath and I’m ready to dive in with you!

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, partnership and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers, Karina

Interested in testing out how to apply some new approaches to this work?

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Phoenix, Arizona: Last week before heading to Portland, I spent the day with the ASU Technology leadership team to continue supporting them as they build their organizational culture.

Illustrated video for NPS: Today I’m in the studio for the National Park Service filming another public service announcement about how to fish smart and be healthy. You can watch the other finished PSA’s here.