How to Think Impossibly
In part 11 of the Secret Body series of conversations, Michael Lerner talks with author Jeffrey Kripal about his book How to Think Impossibly.
The Ecology of Resilience
As part of Commonweal’s Omega Resilience Awards’ narrative research initiative, the Ecology Team of researchers led by Alejo di Risio—journalist, environmental consultant, and cultural strategist—set out to document emerging stories of resilience grounded in environmental stewardship, land connection, and sustainable practices across the Global South. In this conversation, Host Susan Grelock-Yusem will talk with Alejo to explore their journey and what they learned about ecological imagination, narrative as resistance, local wisdom at global scale, and the power of community. Following the conversation, join us for a live interactive dialogue with the full Ecology Research Team.
Reimagining the Future
Do you want to be of service? This question greeted the earliest people who came to work at Commonweal. For 50 years, Commonweal has followed that calling and developed organically, more like an ecosystem than an institution. We have grown deep roots in our physical home place in Bolinas, California, as we also developed a […]
Leading Through the Polycrisis: Healing, Resilience, and the Future of Environmental Health and Justice
Some leaders have said we are the first generation to understand the full dimensions of the climate crisis and the last generation to do something about it. As leaders, how can we hold the polycrisis without being crushed by the enormity of the personal, political and planetary challenges? Join Host Michael Lerner for a conversation with Gary Cohen, Annie Leonard, and Brandi Jenkins about the long road that has brought the environmental health and justice movement to where we are in this moment.
Invitation to Evolving in the Wonderment
What happens when you write one poem a day for 20 years? In this invitation to Evolving in the Wonderment, Winter Visiting Scholar Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer shares her journey with the simple every day, with the writing process, and her dance with grief, love, community, and joy. Follow her journey as a Commonweal New School resident through our events and workshops with her, coming in January 2027.
Quiet Reflection in Community: My Residency at Commonweal
In this short article, Visiting Scholar Catherine Olweny reflects on her residency at Commonweal New School.
Explore the Art of Being with Visiting Scholar Catherine Olweny
Bringing with her the traditional Aboriginal practices of dadirri—a sacred practice of deep listening, reflection, stillness and connection to the land—and yarning—a conversational practice used by indigenous Australians to share knowledge, stories, and culture, Dr. Catherine Olweny offers another pathway to Mastering the Art of Being. Cultivating this presence is a gift she found in her own life, one she shares with other clinicians, and one we can learn from as well. Follow along with Commonweal New School’s Summer 2026 Visiting Scholar Catherine Olweny journey as resident through her writings, podcasts, and exercises gathered during her visit.
Re-Dreaming Healing through Narrative and Story
Bringing with her the traditional Aboriginal practices of dadirri—a sacred practice of deep listening, reflection, stillness, and connection to the land—and yarning—a conversational practice used by indigenous Australians to share knowledge, stories, and culture—Catherine Olweny talks about ways that art and narrative techniques allow difficult experiences to be shared.
Tending Our Future: Spirituality, Service, and the Art of Healing
Known for bringing loneliness and social connection into the national conversation, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy joins host Serena Bian at Commonweal’s New School to reflect on the deeper currents beneath his work. Beginning with his spiritual biography, we explore the questions, traditions, and experiences that shaped his understanding of service, healing, and what it means to belong.