100th EC
April 4, 2022
By Greta Seitz
Wow, we have reached the 100th Essential Conversations! Whether you were able to share your voice at one or all 100 sessions, we want to take a moment to thank and celebrate you! We could not have done it without the wonderful members of the CPL community such as yourself.
Your voice matters! Your voice + many voices = collective impact
After 100 sessions of essential and impactful conversation, there is surely a lot to be grateful for. We started off this celebratory session with a pause to think of a time in which we experienced gratitude for either a person or thing to set our intentions and ground us before we began. Speaking of grounding, we began with an activity led by our wonderful Director of CPL Communities, Terry Chapman, in which everyone had one minute to grab two items within the room. One item represented something that grounds us or keeps us grounded while the other item conversely keeps us from feeling grounded. Whether it be phones or figurines kept close, each person got the opportunity to share with a small group their objects and why they chose that particular item. Feeling grounded is important during these times of change and sometimes tribulation, whether it be big or small. We deserve to feel grounded and it can be helpful to remind ourselves of how we can implement those practices into our everyday lives, whether it be spending time in nature, building our relationships, or even just taking a pause from a phones every once in a way.
Press play and turn on sound
Following the activity, we gathered as a large group to remember the conversations we have had together this past year and some time by highlighting all of the wonderful conversation starters who have shared their voices. A video featuring some of the conversation starters such as Richard Leider, Margaret Wheatley, Richard Barrett, Ed Dugger, Mercedes Martin, and more offered a reflection on some of the important topics we have covered from purpose to inclusion to being a leader and more. We are so grateful for not only the amazing conversation starters but everyone who has attended and continues to show up for the Essential Conversations each week. We hope you feel inspired to share the wisdom, love, and gratitude that is harnessed each week and to share with others to create an ever-powerful ripple effect on the larger communities outside of CPL.
In the Wisdom Circles we utilized Jamboard to paste “sticky notes” and images that each group found relevant when discussing safety, welcoming & belonging, and purpose as seen in the images shown. This breakout session was very active and playful, allowing groups to work collaboratively and learn from one another while we experimented as a group and it sure was fun! To see the different words the different groups associated with each of the categories along with the visual representation through images was not only engaging but the end result is truly powerful expressions of what this community seeks to build by uplifting each and every person through a sense of safety, belonging, and purpose.
Did you enjoy the 100th Essential Conversations or any of the previous sessions? We would love to hear from you! As the celebration continues, we encourage you to share your voice by uploading a video to our Flipgrid using the password below (no account necessary).
As we continue to celebrate the past 100 Essential Conversations and everything we have learned and discussed in just a over a year, we would like to invite you to another opportunity! On Tuesday April 19th, from 6:00 - 8:00 PM CT US, CPL will be convening an “Ultimate Dinner Party” inspired by an Essential Conversation with Richard Leider. Dinner parties are a great way to gather in community and share in the ritual of breaking bread but with a twist! At this dinner party we seek to continue to partake in meaningful conversation and we want you to be a part by sharing your voice. There are three different ways to participate and tickets to attend can be purchased for $20 for an individual or group and registration will include the Ultimate Dinner Party Handbook as well as a zoom link to attend the event. We hope to see you there!
