Episode Description:
There are special moments in life when we experience a profound sense of awe at the planet we inhabit—such as the recent solar eclipse, when communities across America gathered in public spaces to gaze at the sky in wonder. Indeed, as we mark this year’s Earth Month, we need to blend our concerns over climate change and environmental sustainability with a rekindled sense of awe at our lives and our place in nature. In today’s episode, we talk with Martha Blackwelder, a creative entrepreneur who founded Unexpected Adventures NYC, an educational company offering creative team-building events, including “Awe Walks” in Manhattan’s Central Park to encourage people to get outside in nature and find more moments of joy, aliveness, and awe. Martha, a widely recognized Asian art historian, is endlessly curious about the connections between art, culture and nature, and is passionate about inspiring others to slow down, reengage their senses and reclaim their own vitality for life.
Guest Description
Martha Blackwelder is a creative entrepreneur based in New York City who believes staying curious increases our vitality and aliveness. Trained as an Asian art historian, she’s always looked for new ways to engage and inspire audiences. In 2020 she founded Unexpected Adventures NYC, an educational company offering creative team-building events in NYC. What makes these adventures different is Martha’s passion for curiosity and aliveness which began as a reaction to her workaholic mindset. During Covid, she saw that her hard-driving attitudes toward work, which had helped her succeed in her professional career (raising millions of dollars and overseeing two building projects), were not healthy. She found that curiosity, having fun and getting outside in nature with people, can do wonders. Today, Blackwelder is passionate about inspiring others to reclaim their own vitality and excitement for life. She’s recently added Awe Walks in Central Park to her roster, encouraging “slowing way down” and finding more moments of joy, aliveness, and awe in your life.
To find out more about Awe Walks:
https://unexpectedadventuresnyc.com/
An ‘Awe Walk’ Might Do Wonders for Your Well-Being, published in The New York Times, September 30, 2020
“Finding More Awe: Awe Moments and Why You Need Them” hosted by PSS.
Contact: martha.blackwelder@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnexpectedCuratedAdventures/
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martha-blackwelder-13476248/
X: @marthablackwelder
An Inside View of How Senior Centers Work Episode description: There are over 11,000 senior centers in America. They serve over a million adults every day, offering a wide variety of programs and services, from meals and nutritional programs; to social and recreational activities; intergenerational programs; and fitness and wellness classes. Most of us
Read MoreAs we drift past the 4th of July and Baseball’s All-Star game—the traditional mid-summer break—I’m reminded of my years growing up, when I would settle into a period of quiet contentment, freedom from the frenetic pressures and worries of daily life. It always seems to coincide with the annual appearance of thousands of fireflies, lighting
Read More