From Refuge Seeking to Emotional Resilience With Jim Karwisch & Ivan Alfaro

"When we try to defend our egos rather than grow and change, we end up perfectly designed for a world that happened already, instead of growing better able to handle the world that is coming next." - Jennifer Garvey Berger, Leadership Mindtraps

Are you the type of person where challenges transform you into a better and stronger human or are you someone who gets knocked down and has a hard time getting back up? If challenges are taking you out or slowing you down, this Listen to Learn episode of the Share Life podcast is for you.

With crisis and tragedy, we're going to face many difficult challenges across our lives, from the local and personal to the broad and societal levels. This conversation is designed to help leaders mature and grow so that they can proactively and effectively navigate the challenges, and also persist when the unexpected blows come our way.

The Origin of This Podcast Episode

Originally, I discovered the phrase refuge seeking in the context of political journalism from Arthur L. Carter. He posted a terrific article in 2020 titled, The Coming Confrontation between the American Press and the Republican Party, which you can read here. In his essay, he talked about the difference between truth-seeking and refuge-seeking. He brought me insight on the topic of fairness criticism, in reporting, a type of criticism which is often used as an authoritarian shield to dismiss things certain people or groups don't want to reckon with the truth. 

Here is how Carter describes the dynamics.

"An observation I have frequently made in my press criticism is that certain things mainstream journalists do they do not to serve the public, but to protect themselves against criticism. That’s what “he said, she said” reporting, the “both sides do it” reflex, and the “balanced treatment of an unbalanced phenomenon” are all about."

Reporting the news, holding power to account, fighting for the public’s right to know are first principles in journalism, bedrock for sound practice. But protecting against criticism is not like that at all. It has far less legitimacy, especially when the criticism itself comes from bad faith actors. Which is how the phrase “working the refs” got started. Political actors try to influence judgment calls by screeching about bias, whether the charge is warranted or not. 

You can read further at his blog post here.

I connected deeply with Arthur's insight in its specific sense and I wondered how we might lean into the idea in a way to help people move from refuge-seeking to truth-seeking and emotional resilience was the solution that came to mind. How might we avoid that reflexive trap to push back again the toxic tyranny in our personal lives or in the public sphere? To seek truth requires a top commitment to it, and that commitment requires emotional resilience to withstand the criticism that will come with it.

This workshop was born from this place of tension.

Free Downloadable Resources

Note: This episode is a follow-up conversation to a private workshop held in the Share Life Academy. By diving into the emotional landscape of 2024 identifying and processing our experiences, we gained valuable insights to cultivate resilience and navigate future challenges with courage.

In this 1-hour transformative workshop, we:

• Reflected on 2024: Explored the emotional highs and lows of the past year.
• Uncovered Hidden Lessons: Discerned the valuable insights that 2024 has to offer.
• Built Emotional Resilience: Developed strategies to weather future emotional storms.
• Conquered (a Little) Refuge Seeking: Learned how to break free from the cycle of self-protection and embrace vulnerability.

At the end of this free workshop, participants emerged with clarity on their emotional journey this past year and resources to more effectively identify and process them in the future. 

If you'd like to turn your 2024 experiences into a catalyst for personal growth, listen to or watch this podcast episode and fill out the form to access the following free resources.

You'll also get email updates about future workshops that you can participate in, and access to the free Discord-based Share Life Academy.

• The Mood Meter Tool & State Change Reading & Worksheet
• 3 Immediate Steps Resource
• AI-Generated Book For Participants: From Refuge Seeking to Emotional Resilience
• Workshop Outline

Podcast Discussion Summary

In this episode of the Share Life podcast, Jason Scott Montoya, Ivan Alfaro, and Jim Karwisch explore the concepts of refuge-seeking and emotional resilience.

We discuss the implications of refuge-seeking in journalism and society, the importance of healing and reflection, and how regret can lead to personal growth.

We emphasize the significance of emotional resilience and the power of reflection in personal development. And, we also explore the parallels between emotional and physical resilience, the challenges of navigating difficult conversations, and the critical role of hope in fostering change and personal growth.

Listen To This Discussion

Click here to listen in on Spotify directly, or click play below to immediately begin streaming.

You can also find this discussion on Pocket Casts, Itunes, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts under the name, Share Life: Systems and Stories to Live Better & Work Smarter or Jason Scott Montoya.

Watch This Conversation

Click here to watch this discussion on Youtube directly, or click play on the embedded video below to begin streaming the interview.

Click here to subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Refuge Seeking and Emotional Resilience
• 02:46 Understanding Refuge Seeking in Journalism and Society
• 05:58 The Importance of Healing and Reflection
• 09:00 The Role of Regret in Personal Growth
• 12:04 Navigating Relationships and Emotional Responses
• 15:04 The Balance of Seeking Refuge and Responsibility
• 17:58 Reframing Refuge Seeking as a Positive Action
• 20:54 Emotional Resilience and the Power of Reflection
• 29:04 The Importance of Emotional Awareness
• 32:50 Purpose and Direction in Life
• 36:45 Seeking Refuge and Belonging
• 39:54 Emotional Resilience vs. Physical Resilience
• 44:55 Navigating Difficult Conversations
• 52:21 Hope as a Catalyst for Change

Who is Jim Karwisch?

Jim Karwisch is the founder of Untangled Narrative equipping people to master their story and fuel their success. He helps you discover the hidden forces that are negatively affecting your life and how to overcome them.

His background is in communication, storytelling, improvisation, corporate training, coaching, and group facilitation.

In his free time, he is a streamer, podcaster, writer, sci-fi fan, gamer, and highland cow enthusiast. Jim lives near Atlanta, GA with his wife, son, mother-in-law, and a pile of pets.

Who Is Ivan Alfaro?

Ivan Alfaro is an affordable housing developer creating 2.7M Units by 2047. He's Improving communities to create Generous Financial & Immeasurable Emotional ROI. Ivan joined us for both the live Share Life Academy workshop and the follow-up podcast public conversation. You can connect with him on Linkedin here or visit his website here.

What is the Share Life Academy?

The Share Life Academy is a community and place for us to develop ourselves, each other, and our organizations; and to get inspired.

We're succeeding when we're individually and collectively Thriving Together.

We aim to Share Life with others, to give and receive. We operate with the values of "Love, Mindfulness, Mastery, Dependability, and Openness."

The Share Life Academy is a place to help us escape survival mode, dream big, see clearly, and achieve great things together.

One of our goals is to prioritize the important over the avalanche of urgency, to make sure we keep the ball moving forward on important projects that matter in the long run. It's also a place to discuss the important things that prevent us from finishing them and enable us to succeed.

Fill out the following form to access the Academy.

Historical Details About This Past Event

When & Where Was This Webinar?

When: December 18th, 2024 at 2pm - 3pm ET

Where: The 1-hour webinar will take place inside the Share Life Academy Discord Channel (Discord is like Slack but better). There is no cost to participate and Discord is free to join if you do not have an account.

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