My life has changed a lot since I began writing this Wisdom Within, Ink blog back in 2009-ish. It particularly changed when I began working on my first book in 2015 and freelancing shifted my focus away from facilitating and coaching. By the time I returned to school to complete an MFA in Creative Nonfiction/Memoir … Continue reading Welcome to my woefully out of date, but hopefully still helpful, blog!
I originally wrote this article for Chrysalis, The Journal of Transformative Language Arts (which is currently under maintenance), April 2016 Let the river take me, a compilation poem Let the river take me — Even when it hurts, it breathes with the joy of laughter, undulating. I choke on life, I’m really here in the world. I … Continue reading Let the river take me: Learnings from facilitating an at-risk group
This the fifth in a series of poems from the “Write to Recover” group I facilitate. I put them together from phrases that resonate with me while participants read. I add nothing but punctuation and the occasional conjunction. This one is comprised of the words of five participants. Sometimes the way is right in front … Continue reading I simply decided to live
Originally published in my "All Write!" column in the Rutland Herald, Feb. 22, 2016 under the title, "Your friend at the end of the pen." I think most would agree that the best kind of friend is the one with whom we can be free to be ourselves — our perfectly imperfect selves. With a … Continue reading Who ya gonna call?: Your journal, your friend
This is an edited version of my "All Write!" column in the Rutland Herald, published January 29, 2016 The most compelling reason to write as far I'm concerned is the ability to access a great wealth of knowledge about yourself. Dr. Ira Progoff, who is considered the grandfather of personal journaling due to his development … Continue reading More than you know: Why and how to start journaling
This post is an edited version of my 1/9/16 Rutland Herald column, "All Write!" Last week I offered some ideas and prompts for envisioning and planning your future. In this post I will continue on the theme of setting intentions through personal writing methods, this time by discussing personal mission statements. I have found, as … Continue reading Writing a personal mission statement
This post is an edited version of the first posting of my newest column in the Rutland Herald called "All Write!" which ran January 2, 2016. Writing isn’t only my career (something for which I am extremely grateful), but also has been my lifeline since I was a teenager. I started writing a diary … Continue reading Envisioning a Write New Year
In a couple of weeks I will be presenting "De-Stress, the Write Way" at my local hospital for the second year. This blog post was written in response to my experience there and was originally posted at tlan.org with the title, "When Writing To Relieve Stress Makes You Anxious." I made a mistake. I recently presented … Continue reading When writing makes you feel crappy
I don't write much about journaling techniques here at Wisdom Within, Ink. Although this blog is indirectly about journaling, it isn't a "how-to" kind of place. Here, and in my workshops, I'm more story-teller than "just the facts, ma'am" kind of teacher. However, I do know lots of techniques, exercises, and prompts to help you … Continue reading Updated Journaling Technique Article Index
Recently I met with a career coach. My intention was to see how my (rather unorthodox) skills and experience might translate into the "real" world and a "real" job. Well, you know that saying, "Physician, heal thyself"? My session with her was a clear example of how we can be blind to our own needs … Continue reading On a mission (statement)
joanna tebbs young 