December 2020 Newsletter

Note from SSS
Good day,

Know that 2020 has presented us all with many unexpected changes, and change is always a challenge. As we look ahead to a new year, we remember that travel broadens but struggle deepens and gives you unexpected insights. The challenges of the pandemic and within the Grove spurred innovation by all. Look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

Below are a few articles I wanted to share:
Mashable’s 20 Really Good Things That Happened In 2020
WSJ’s A Burning Desire to Say Bye to 2020

Wishing everyone the happiest and healthiest New Year.

Stay safe, stay well.

Cheers,
Susan

Members in the News

Connie Duckworth, Retired Partner, Goldman Sachs: Connie Duckworth has joined the Corporate Board of MP Materials and is also serving as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee. MP Materials owns and operates Mountain Pass in California, the only rare earth mining and processing site of scale in the Western Hemisphere.

Upcoming Virtual Table Topic
A Look at 2021 and the Future: A Light on the Horizon
Saturday, January 16
11:00 AM ET/ 9:00 AM MT
Led by Special Guest: Dr. Jose Stevens

We hope you’ll join us for a very special Virtual Table Topic where Dr. Jose Stevens will share insights about the upcoming year.

More information about Dr. Jose Stevens
José Luis Stevens, PhD is the President and Co-Founder (with wife Lena) of Power Path Seminars, an international school and consulting firm dedicated to the study and application of shamanism and indigenous wisdom to business and everyday life. José completed a ten-year apprenticeship with a Huichol (Wixarika) Maracame (Huichol shaman) in the Sierras of Central Mexico. In addition, he is studying with Shipibo shamans in the Peruvian Amazon and with Paqos (shamans) in the Andes in Peru.

In 1983 he completed his doctoral dissertation at the California Institute of Integral Studies focusing on the interface between shamanism and western psychological counseling. Since then, he has studied cross-cultural shamanism around the world to distill the core elements of shamanic healing and practice. He is the author of twenty books and numerous articles including Encounters With Power; Awaken The Inner Shaman; The Power Path; Secrets of Shamanism; Transforming Your Dragons; and Praying With Power.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82414965807?pwd=QlQwYytIdk1hR0hzaUVYNGZRcXdLZz09

Meeting ID: 824 1496 5807
Passcode: 724072
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kebWkK4l6b

RECAP: Virtual Table Topic
Sorting Fact from Fiction in Our Age of Disinformation
Led by Special Guests: Upendra Shardanand and Vivian Schiller

Please see below articles, books, and resources recommended by our speakers.

Books:

• About Narrative Brain: How History Gets Things Wrong, The Neuroscience of Our Addiction to Stories – Alex Rosenberg
• About polarization/splintering of community: Bill Bishop, The Big Sort, Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam
• About the arising complexity in governing our collective life: Jamie Susskind, Future Politics
• An entertaining (it’s a healthy dessert!) view into where Russia is and the US could be headed: Nothing is True and Everything is Possible (Peter Pomerantsev)

Articles:

• How to talk to conspiracy theorists—and still be kind
• How to talk to friends and family who share misinformation

News sources off the beaten path:

• https://thebulletin.org/ for analysis you may not see in your usual reading
• https://www.scotusblog.com/ Supreme Court Analysis
• https://www.bellingcat.com/ assorted investigations particularly about misinformation

San Antonio Virtual Retreat

Based on the survey that was sent out for San Antonio, there was very limited willingness to attend an in-person event, although we all want to connect with one another. For this reason, we will not be holding our retreat in San Antonio. Our year and a half of work on the retreat won’t go to waste. The San Antonio committee is not letting the pandemic get in the way of creating a great opportunity to spend meaningful and fun time with our friends and soon to be friends. We, therefore, are shifting to a virtual retreat, which will reflect the fantastic program that we have created.

The San Antonio committee already has a number of panels already planned, such as “Thriving Through Chaos”, sharing stories of businesses and individuals that were living on the edge before the crisis and have used this time to reorganize themselves and come out stronger; and “Going from Problem Solving to Problem Finding”, a panel focused on looking beyond problem solving, and identifying problem-finders, people with diverse interests — art, literature, science, anthropology — who can identify things that people want before people even know they want them—we are searching for speakers from across our Grove cohorts to fill these panels. If you are a new member or have not spoken at a Grove event before, and feel like you have an interesting story or perspective to share on one of these panels, please reach out to us.

The San Antonio Virtual Retreat, will be the evening of Friday February 19, 2021 and mid-morning/early afternoon on Saturday February 20, 2021.

Films of the Month
Curated by Naomi McDougall Jones

Movie – Streaming
Kajillionaire
Available on: iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay, etc
Director: Miranda July
Starring:  Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Belcher, Kim Estes, Gina Rodriguez
Synopsis: A woman’s life is turned upside down when her criminal parents invite an outsider to join them on a major heist they’re planning.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Crime
IMDB link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8143990

Series – Streaming
A Suitable Boy
Available on: Acorn TV (through Amazon)
Creators/Director: Mira Nair
Starring: Tanya Maniktala, Ishaan Khattar, Mahira Kakkar
Synopsis: A vast, panoramic tale charting the fortunes of four large families and exploring India and its rich and varied culture at a crucial point in its history.
Genre: Drama/Romance
IMDB link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10795574