Janet Luongo

Women's Leadership Conference At Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa The student chair of the conference introduces me as the Keynote: Janet Luongo is dedicated to the cause of diversity. She is undaunted by what strikes others as insurmountable conflicts. She will tell her story, "How I Got My Paintings to Paris Despite Stupid Bureaucrats." In that story, including my story of troubled teen years, I found a humorous way to urge the students to take risks to be true to their vision of their best life. With visual slides, activities, interactions, meditation and movement, energy slowed down and picked up. Lively discussions followed.

I begin by reading excerpts from my coming of age memoir, Rebellion, 1967, of people I encountered who I'd been taught to see as "Other." I then invite participants to delve into memories of their own - messages from family and culture that shaped their stories and beliefs. They recall and jot notes on encounters and relationships with those of other races, gender identities, religions; then may share their stories. We talk about what we learned from the encounters, and which messages we had to "unlearn." We can be astonished by various perspectives of others. We reveal our authentic feelings and memories in the service of honoring every human being as complicated, worthy and unique. For one Women's group, we spent four evenings on Zoom. The workshop can be delivered in two hours, half day or full day workshops.The experience can lead to profound understanding of ourselves and others, and a bonding of participants. Perfect for understanding diversity and team spirit.

I begin with a slide show about Picturing you Dreams, and how creative envisioning enabled me to achieve major aspirations. The Process for participants. 1. Warm Up Questions: What do you like to do, dream about and think you do well? 2. Picture Your Dream: Imagine, without constraints of time and money, being your best self. 3. Draw simple symbols of your dream. 4. Plan how you will journey to your dream - detail the anticipated steps, partners, resources, obstacles, alternatives. 5. Persevere. 6. CELEBRATE. At last, and when you reach your destination, and at all the stops along the way! Offered at the Danbury Library, CT. and for TUCWomen, Westport CT, and IIN health coaches, Nosara, Costa Rica, Good for personal and organizational growth, empowerment for women and for mixed groups of any age.