Have you ever experienced a word in your vocabulary that is taken for granted? You know its general meaning and your pencil (or keyboard) has placed the letters in the boxes of a crossword puzzle, but when the combination of individual letters are connected, or you speak the word aloud, a simple vocabulary word comes …
Author: Julie Powell, Ed.D.
With over 30 years in higher education, I have a passion for seeing people, not only succeed at life, but to flourish in their God-given space personally, professionally, and spiritually.
The Hospitable Leader
Recognizing that other people may not track with my philosophy that one should view an athletic event or a college classroom as an opportunity to demonstrate hospitality, my hope is that even those who disagree will be able to connect with the concept of a Hospitable Leader. Author Terry A. Smith invites us to ponder …
Lesson of the Slime Mold
The more hours spent engaged in research on a flourishing life, the more convinced I become that a successful definition rests more in relational equity and connecting with others than in the measurement of achievements and successes. Whether it’s words of wisdom from the Reverend Billy Graham in Nearing Home or Bob Buford’s Finishing Well, …
Culture of Hospitality
Ponder this question with me: Can a preeminent athletic program be created through a culture of hospitality? Several years ago, in one of my classes, and I don’t remember which course it happened to occur in, probably in sport facilities during our home court/field debate, the topic emerged around this concept of viewing the opponent …
Martha, Martha, Martha!
For those of us who grew up in the 1970s watching the television show The Brady Bunch, we can hear Jan, in her frustration of being the middle sister vocalize, “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!” With Jan’s voice so ingrained in my head, I must admit that every time I read the Biblical story of Mary and …
In the Zone
After offering one example of Bridging the Generational Gap using technology, today the desire is to explain another opportunity for generations to find commonality through the lens of Flow Theory. Recurring repeatedly in the flourishing research from a myriad of disciplines including sports, psychology, and education, is the concept of flow, created by Dr. Mihaly …
Bridging the Generational Gap
Perhaps the reason I am so drawn to study the research on Gen Z is related to the fact that never experiencing motherhood, there was the absence of witnessing the gradual changes that occur every day with one’s own children; therefore what I detected in the college classroom appeared to be a dramatic change. Or, …
Masterclass on Life
Have you ever mastered a skill? If you use the Merriam-Webster’s definition of the verb, it means “to become skilled or proficient in the use of” or “to gain a thorough understanding of.” Adopting this definition, have you mastered any skills in your life such as riding a bike, driving a car, or speaking another …
Seasons of a Professional's Life
Out of a desire to see emerging adults embrace a life of significance has grown this pilgrimage into what constitutes a flourishing life. One of the key components, in my opinion, that enables a young person to succeed personally and professionally is the investment, the relational equity, they create with mentors, especially when intentionally seeking …
The Hospitality Room
For those of us who routinely are a part of a sporting event, whether as a volunteer or an employee, we understand the importance of the hospitality room where we can refresh ourselves with snacks and visit with colleagues during intermissions of play. During the more than two decades that Jackson served as the host …
Flourishing @ Life 