Ellia Ryan's Page

What does it take to be fearless?We regularly hear stories of people who have saved planeloads of passengers, rescued victims of political atrocities, left abusive relationships with only the clothes on their back… and we say they are fearless. For us mere mortals, there are many situations far less traumatic that can trigger fear, so what does it take – and what does it mean – to be fearless?1. Are there stories of fearlessness in your family – perhaps as immigrants, veterans, slaves, or as a…See More

Another interesting conversation cafe this month in Seattle. Our little conversation cafe community is gaining recognition and numbers, with interest from local radio and a steady stream of people joining the Meetup group. Coffee and tea houses are now asking to become permanent hosts - yay! A second facilitator has joined me, so we will be able to host two conversations each month - both on the same topic, but in different parts of town. Would love to hear from local World Cafe Community bods…See More

Would love to see any of my Seattle cafe colleagues here...This month's topic is: How do we bring joy into our lives?We would all welcome feeling happier and more joyful - can you imagine anyone saying, "no thanks, I have all the joy I need for this year"? There has been an increasing amount of research into 'happiness' in the past decade, including that funded by Paul G. Allen for the PBS program "This Emotional Life" (episodes online until approx 1/18/09). This type of research explores…See More

I'm finally getting my act together and posting an event BEFORE it happens! Would love to see any of my Seattle cafe colleagues here...This month's topic is: How do we bring joy into our lives?We would all welcome feeling happier and more joyful - can you imagine anyone saying, "no thanks, I have all the joy I need for this year"? There has been an increasing amount of research into 'happiness' in the past decade, including that funded by Paul G. Allen for the PBS program "This Emotional Life"…See More

I have been hosting monthly "Conversations That Matter" in Seattle neighborhoods since September 2009. I like that the World Cafe format is a gentle way of encouraging community involvement; I hope it will eventually become a habit!Inspired by Meg Wheatley's book "Turning to One Another", I chose the topic of the December conversation salon as "Bearing witness - what are we willing to notice?"; when faced with images and news of human suffering - do we feel helpless and overwhelmed, or do we…See More