Good / True / & Beautiful | with Ashton Gustafson

Happy New Year.

Shawn Achor is a New York Times bestselling author of Before Happiness (2013) and The Happiness Advantage (2010). He is the winner of over a dozen distinguished teaching awards at Harvard University where he delivered lectures on positive psychology in the most popular class at Harvard. Shawn has become one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between happiness and success.

Fr. Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition. He is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fr. Richard’s teaching is grounded in the Franciscan alternative orthodoxy—practices of contemplation and self-emptying, expressing itself in radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized.Fr. Richard is the author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, and Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi. His newest book is The Universal Christ (coming March 2019).

Ryder Carroll is a New York Times best-selling author, digital product designer, and inventor of the Bullet Journal method. He's been featured by the New York Times, LA Times, Fast Company, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Vogue, Bloomberg, and others.

Parker J. Palmer is a columnist for On Being, Quaker elder, educator, activist, and founder of the Center for Courage & Renewal. His books include A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life, and Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. His latest book is On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old.

Our fast-paced lives are filled with distractions, frequently leaving us disillusioned and dissatisfied―with ourselves, with others, and even with God. Spiritual practices that used to sustain us fall short when life circumstances bring us to the limits of our self.Phileena Heuertz' latest book, Mindful Silence, illuminates some of the fundamentals of contemplative spirituality, drawing from a wellspring of wisdom from the tradition and Phileena’s personal experience.For more information, visit www.mindfulsilence.org.

Morgan Harper Nichols is a writer and artist who makes her work around people and their stories. Her song, “Storyteller” has garnered over 1 million Spotify plays and her self-published book of poetry by the same title is a #1 Amazon Bestseller in Inspirational Poetry. Morgan lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband Patrick Kekoa, and has made her life’s work about creating for the stories of others, through music, words, art, and design. Visit https://morganharpernichols.com/ for more information.

For over 15 years CJ Casciotta has helped some of the world's biggest brands discover their unique identity and share it creatively including Lululemon, The United Nations, MGM Studios, and Whole Foods. His work has been featured on national media including CBS, MTV, Amazon Prime, and The Huffington Post. Recently, he has been sharing his ideas and speaking at places like TEDx, Creative Mornings, STORY Conference, charity : water, and Saddleback Church.

Upon returning to NYC in 2006, having seen the effects of dirty water firsthand, Scott turned his full attention to the global water crisis and the (then) 1.1 billion people living without access to clean water.He established a small core team in a tiny Manhattan apartment and created charity: water. The organization set out on a big mission, to bring clean water to every person living without it, and an even bigger vision, to reinvent charity with an innovative 100% model and radical transparency, proving every single water project funded.Twelve years later, with the help of more than 1 million supporters worldwide, charity: water has raised more than $320 million and funded nearly 30,000 water projects in 26 countries. When completed, those projects will provide over 8.4 million people with clean, safe drinking water. Scott was recognized in Fortune Magazine’s 40 under 40 list, the Forbes Magazine Impact 30 list and was recently #10 in Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business issue. He is currently a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.Scott lives in New York City with his wife Viktoria, son Jackson and daughter Emma. Read Scott’s story in his new book Thirst.Visit cwtr.org/goodtruebeautiful for more information. 

Simon Davies has had a fondness for the kitchen from a very young age, growing up in California. His first job, at a local diner, was just to make some spending money as a high schooler. His desire to cook professionally stemmed from late nights cooking for friends at parties and the fun and sense of community that it brought. After attending culinary school and working at several restaurants in the Portland, Oregon area Simon took an internship at Alinea in 2009 and has grown with the company ever since. In his spare time, he enjoys his other passions of painting and music. For more information, visit https://alinearestaurant.com/.