Living Your Purpose— with Cecily Nicholson

05/17/22 • 55 min

The Tension of Emergence: Thriving in a world that remakes, not breaks

Jennifer is joined by Cecily Nicholson, a critically-acclaimed poet to discuss her path of purpose through social action and and poetics. An advocate of mental health, prison abolitionism and a meticulous researcher Cecily shows us how to be generous observers of how the micro-everyday is tied to systems and histories of marginalization. She highlights the tensions of our choices on the inner and outer path of social change and the possibilities of emergence when we don't fix on a limited sense of self or time. In this episode she offers guidance on how to stay engaged with what we love while decentering ourselves as humble creatives.
Cecily Nicholson teaches at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver and is the author of Wayside Sang which won the 2018 Canadian Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry. She's the author of Triage and From the Poplars, which received the 2015 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. Her upcoming book Harrowings is focused on Black ruralities and will be published in Fall 2022.
Links & Resources

To learn more about Cecily, her poetry and readings visit here.
To stay in touch with Jennifer and her offerings sign up for her newsletter here or stay connected with her on Instagram.
Show music by the talented Jordy Walker

Gratitude for this show’s theme song Inside the House, composed by the talented Yukon musician, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist Jordy Walker. Artwork by the imaginative writer, filmmaker and artist Jon Marro.

To learn more about Cecily, her poetry and readings visit here.
To stay in touch with Jennifer and her offerings sign up for her newsletter here or stay connected with her on Instagram.
Show music by the talented Jordy Walker

Previous Episode

The Art of Belonging and Our Capacity to do Unexpected Things — with Pádraig Ó’Tuama

Where do you belong? Where are your edges of belonging?
Belonging/not belonging is a universal and intimate experience that shapes our identities, self-confidence, rebellion and personal evolution. In Episode 2 of Tension of Emergence, Jennifer speaks with poet and theologian Pádraig Ó’Tuama about belonging and how it's shaped by language through politics, theology and recent national events like Brexit.
At the heart of this conversation, Pádraig and Jennifer discuss:

how language became a source of rebellion and relief as he navigated exclusion and belonging in beloved places and institutions;
the importance of truth-telling to name and liberate what's inconvenient and difficult; and
how to create places where we all belong.

At the end, Jennifer offers a practice to help explore and cultivate belonging and inclusion in daily life.

Pádraig Ó’Tuama is the author of many books including In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World, Readings from the Book of Exile and Borders and Belonging: The Book of Ruth, A Story for our Times with Glenn Jordan. He hosts the popular Poetry Unbound podcast with OnBeing Studios and The Corrymeela Podcast. Most recently Pádraig was the poet in residence at the Morton Deutsch International Centre for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia University.
Links & Resources-

To learn more about Pádraig's writing and work you can visit his website here.
Stay in touch with Jennifer's work and offerings to support your path of emergence by subscribing here or by following her on Instagram.
Show music by the talented Jordy Walker

Next Episode

The Fierce Energetics of Renewal (Part 1) - with Lisa Gibson and Brooke McNamara

In the never-ending tide of grief and loss, what is your path to renewal?

In this episode coach, facilitator, and systems change consultant Lisa Gibson and poet, dancer and Zen monk Brooke McNamara explore a wholehearted approach to renewal during times of intense rupture. They offer a dynamic path to recalibrate our energy while strengthening our presence and responsiveness to what life throws at us. In Part 1 of this conversation, they unpack conventional approaches to renewal by sharing the—

limits of rest and relaxation and the importance of rigor and confrontation
surprising antidote to our individual and collective exhaustion
role of shadow and death in life-affirming renewal

Tune in for an invigorating conversation on how to renew yourself when exhausted and overwhelmed in difficult times. Lisa and Brooke remind us that this path helps dissolve the limits of what we thought we could do or be.

Links & resources—