Event Report: WE Int. Coffee Conversations Vol. 5
February is the month of Valentine's Day and remembering our loved ones. This was also the topic of the latest session of WE Int. Coffee Conversation on Feb 21. Love as we know comes in all shapes and forms, it blossoms under different arrangements and is expressed in variety of ways. What is healthy love? How can love be channeled in empowering and liberating relationships? Those are some of the questions we unpacked in a wonderful, honest and initimate discussion over some mulled wine and good company.
Here are the reference to some of the things that came up in the conversation and will hopefully guide you to to challenge the idea of love and empowerment:
1. TED TALKS
Brené Brown - The Power of Vulnerability
Esther Perel - Rethinking infidelity ... a talk for anyone who has ever loved
2. Podcast
Tim Ferriss - Striving versus Self-Acceptance
"Dear Sugars" is here, speaking straight into your ears. Hosted by the original "Sugars," Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond, the podcast fields all your questions — no matter how deep or dark — and offers radical empathy in return.
3. Netflix show - The Call to Courage
4. Books
Love languages: an important concept to understand for healty relationships
Marriage should be based on love, right? But does it seem as though you and your spouse are speaking two different languages? New York Times bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman guides couples in identifying, understanding, and speaking their spouse’s primary love language—quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, or physical touch.
Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust.
From intimate relationships to global politics, Sarah Schulman observes a continuum: that inflated accusations of harm are used to avoid accountability. Illuminating the difference between Conflict and Abuse, Schulman directly addresses our contemporary culture of scapegoating. This deep, brave, and bold work reveals how punishment replaces personal and collective self-criticism, and shows why difference is so often used to justify cruelty and shunning.
Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills—and it can be great: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the courage to write your novel. Sugar—the once-anonymous online columnist at The Rumpus, now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of the bestselling memoir Wild—is the person thousands turn to for advice.
5. People
Dr. Nicole LePera is a Holistic Psychologist who believes that mental wellness is for everyone. She views mental and physical struggles from a whole person perspective and works to identify the underlying physical and emotional causes. Her instagram tackles issues on self-healing; dealing with trauma and building healthy relationships.
WE Int. hosts monthly coffee sessions for members and non-members to have a informal discussion, make friends and share knowledge and experiences about gender/women' issues. It is an inclusive and respectful space - everyone is welcome!