Coming up with writing prompts that were creative enough to stimulate imaginations for one month was no small undertaking. It could not have been accomplished without the help of many people. Here you can find a little about your Expedition Leaders, people who have contributed to the prompts for this project. We are not crediting any one prompt to any one Expedition Leader. Though some prompts were published in their origninal forms, many others were morphed together or used as spring boards for other ideas. The prompts were the combined efforts of the following people and we are forever grateful for their help, love and support.
Susan Marshall, LPC, CPCS is the founder of The Center for Mindful Exploration and of the COVID EXPEDITIONS project. She spends much of her time amazed at the bravery of her psychotherapy clients. She teaches meditation and mindfulness based classes and supervises new therapists. Mostly, she just loves thinking about what makes us tick. The rest of the time she laughs and paddles and laughs some more with her husband and loves her twenty-something year old sons. Susan was published in At Home (Family and Home Network), May 2002, August, 2002, April 2003 and she wrote the blog Mindful Mustings from 2013 – 2017. You can learn more about Susan at The Center for Mindful Exploration. http://mindfulx.site
Joanne Rogers is the Director of Learning and Development and yoga instructor at the Center for Mindful Exploration. She has been with CFME for 10 years. Additionally, Joanne is an occasional writer and editior. You can learn more about Joanne at the Center for Mindful Exploration. http://mindfulx.site
LaShannon Epps, LPC is a psychotherapist in private practice at The Center for Mindful Exploration. “I truly enjoy empowering others to discover their inner potential and strengths. I stand with my clients in the midst of their pain as they gain insight and awareness into life experiences, past and present. I am dedicated to creating sacred environments where true transformations can occur.” You can learn more about LaShannon at The Center for Mindful Exploration. http://mindfulx.site
Elizabeth Harper Neeld is an author and photographer whose books include the critically acclaimed Seven Choices: Finding Daylight After Loss Shatters Your World, a book chosen by The American Red Cross to distribute to volunteers working with families of 9/11 and a book that was the subject of two Public Television one-hour documentaries. Her book Tough Transitions (“Wise and inspirational…sure to strike a chord with readers…”Library Journal) was a Book of the Month Selection for One Spirit Book Club. A Sacred Primer was lauded by critics for offering “ideas and inspirational recommendations for creating stillness in daily living…that are original and eloquent and reflect years of research than than a whimsical, hot-selling idea.” About her photograph book, With Eyes Wide Open, Elizabeth states: “Beauty exists everywhere. Surprises abound. Light shines. With eyes wide open we all can participate.” This book of photographs is her testament to the gift of the everyday. You can learn more about Elizabeth at http://elizabethharperneeld.com/ http://centerpointpress.com/ https://www.amazon.com/author/elizabethneeld
Joey Orr is the Andrew W. Mellon Curator for Research at the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas. He directs the Integrated Arts Research Initiative (IARI) and serves as affiliate faculty in the Institute for Policy and Social Research, Museum Studies, and Visual Art. He was previously the Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, an associate editor for the Journal for Artistic Research, and has edited special issues of the Journal of American Studies (Oxford University Press) and Visual Methodologies. Learn more about Joey at www.joeyorr.com
Holly Roberts has lived in LaGrange since 2014. She grew up in Tennessee and graduated from the University of Memphis with a master’s degree in audiology and speech-language pathology. She moved to Georgia in 1996 and served as a volunteer in her communities and churches. She has volunteered with the Smart Kids Smart Lunch program and has worked with Circles of Troup County since June 2015. She teaches Circles classes and job readiness training and also works one-on-one with Circles Leaders and Allies. She is married to Adam and they have three sons.
Terri Codlin enjoyed a career as a Montessori educator at the First Presbyterian Montessori school here in LaGrange. She taught there for 24 years. After that she worked at the Lafayette Society for Performing Arts and also began to explore her creative passion by delving into paper painting. Presently, she spends her time serving as President of the Board of Hillside Montessori. She is thrilled to be around children on a regular basis and is so proud of this school, which was founded and run by her former student, Bethany Headrick. Terri is a regular Gentle Yoga participant at Mindful Exploration. Learn more about Terri at https://www.facebook.com/Terri-Codlin-Artist-648215798593974/
Laura Breyfogle is a happily recently retired naturalist. Though she no longer gets paid to share her love for the natural world, it remains her passion. Favorite past times include gardening, monitoring bluebird boxes, birding, hiking and spending time with friends and family (for the most part virtual). Volunteer work in 2020 will be focused on helping with political campaigns and legislation.
Dale Allen has had a varied career. She taught special education and third grade for 13 years and loved it. She spent the next 13 years raising her child, volunteering, and trying her hand at different pursuits. She has spent the last 10 years actively studying different healing modalities. Dale is looking forward to the next stage of her life as a practitioner of healing arts using a modality called Quantum Activations.
Bethany Headrick has a love for learning and desire to create opportunities in her community. This led her to form the steering committee that founded Hillside Montessori of LaGrange in 2011 . Bethany holds a B.A. in English and M.A.T. from LaGrange College along with Montessori certification from North American Montessori center. She is a graduate of the 2018 Leadership Troup class, was recently recognized as one of LaGrange’s 20 under 40, and is currently a member of the West GA Health Insiders. In addition to serving as Head of School for Hillside Montessori, she is on the Advisory Committee for Chattahoochee Riverkeeper/WPL Floating Classroom and serves on the Board of Directors for Lafayette Society for Performing Arts. She spends a lot of time working, but is thankful that her job embodies many of her hobbies and things she loves: her children, creating meaningful relationships, trying to grow things in the dirt, food, creative challenges, cultural studies, books, writing, and nature. Learn more about Bethany at https://hillsidemontessorilagrange.com/
Emma Morris is a freelance flutist and flute teacher in the northern New Jersey area. She recently received her Master’s degree in Flute Performance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee where she performed in notable venues such as Kresge Auditorium at MIT, Sanders Theatre at Harvard University, and the New York Flute Club at Columbia University. She has also performed with prominent musicians throughout her career in both masterclass settings and at summer festivals – some of her most recent appearances include orchestral concerts at the 2019 Philadelphia International Music Festival at Bryn Mawr College and a solo performance at the Buffet Crampon New York Showroom. When she is not in rehearsals, Emma teaches private flute lessons to people of all ages and musical ability. In her free time, she enjoys hiking or spending time by the pool with a book. Learn more about Emma at https://emmamorrisflutist.wixsite.com/emmamorrisflutist?fbclid=IwAR3bni7jkSSVGA7FPS4duGfu5f3GUrhe8BWUpW3szCC9x5EMvBOztCXyGM0
Kristina Thurman, MA, ALC, graduated with a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from LaGrange College. She has worked with young adults and adults in a variety of settings from community mental health to an on-campus college counseling center. Most recently, she has served as the Executive Director for the Center for Healing and Attachment, working with women in recovery and their children. She is currently an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at LaGrange College. She serves on the Board for Troup CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and volunteers with Circles of Troup County. She spends all of her free time with her husband and two children, hiking, kayaking and exploring. Learn more about Kristina at www.restore-counseling.org