We started meeting in 2018 and have evolved through the years! Here’s what we have done, if you’re curious: (wow, it’s a lot!)

Here was our first group when we started this at Kevin’s photography studio:

We have done a bunch of different book studies:

… and a wide range of TED Talk “watch parties” and discussions

… and discussions about various documentaries

We have had some absolutely wonderful guest speakers:

We had a fun time at our Drum Circle and Picnic Around a Campfire at South Wind Equestrian Center in Leander!

We’ve eaten together, pot lucks, dinner outings to area restaurants

We had a fantastic study of the book “The Road Back to You” led by two licensed professional counselors, 
Lisa Blackwood and Sherri Woodworth.

Here are more details about our previous activities:

• December 13, 2024 Field Trip to Community First! Village of Lights
• November 18, 2024 Topic: Loneliness and Isolation – Discussion
  • Watching two TED Talk and discuss
  • 1) How to Fight Loneliness: Everyday hacks for a connected life – Juliana Schroeder
  • 2) The Dangers of Loneliness – Richard Pile
• October 14, 2024 Indigenous People’s Day TED Talk Watch Party and Potluck:
  “Indigenous In Plain Sight” – Gregg Deal
  “Why aren’t there more Native American restaurants?” – Sean Sherman
• Breaks due to travel and my leading workshops out-of-state
• August 19, 2024 TED Talk Discussion “Is someone you love suffering in silence? Here’s what to do.” – Suicide Prevention
• Limited Meetings During Summer Months
• June 17, 2024 Two TED Talks – Discussion
  • The Secret to a Longer Life May Be Your Social Life – Susan Pinker
  • There’s More to Life than Being Happy – Emily Esfahani Smith
• May 20, 2024 6:45pm Watch Party: The Year of Living Biblically | A.J. Jacobs | Talks at Google
• May 6, 2024 6:45pm Dinner Outing to Jack Allen’s Kitchen, Round Rock
• April 15, 2024 7pm Watch Party “Transcending Failure – Rising Strong” – Video interview Oprah Winfrey with Brene Brown
• April 1, 2024 7pm Guest Speaker: John Rudd – President Mobility Worldwide Austin
• Mondays February 5, 19, March 4, 18 “Multi-Part Discussion for February/March 2024 – “That Scandalous Rabbi Jesus” March 4, 18 2024 7pm” led by Guest Bill Henderson [First session included a free taco bar]
• Monday January 29, 2024 7pm – The Charlie Center – Serving the Homeless Population in North Austin – Guest Speaker, Leah Hargrave
• January 26, 2024 Lunch at Newk’s Restaurant
• December 18, 2023 6:30pm – Dinner Outing to La Margarita in Round Rock
• Dec 2, 2023 5:30pm Our annual visit to Community First Village of Lights! 18 of us attended!
• Nov 20, 2023 6:30pm: Gratitude – The importance of giving thanks at Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner
• Nov 6, 2023 7pm: An Important Discussion about Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking | Guest Speaker Teri Jansen
• October 2, 2023 7pm Watch Party: “Changing the way we see Native Americans” – Matika Wilbur – TEDxTeachersCollege
• September, 2023 Break
• August 28, 2023 7pm Watch Party “Rainn Wilson on the secret to happiness: One-on-one with Stephanie Ruhle”
• August 14, 2023 7pm TED Talk Watch Party “How Dolly Parton Led Me to an Epiphany – Jad Abumrad”
• July 10, 2023 7pm TED Talk Watch Party and Potluck “Faith and Doubt – Greg Tonkinson”
• June 23. 2-23 6:30pm Dinner Outing to Y’alls Down Home Cafe in Round Rock
• June 19, 2023 7:00pm Juneteenth Documentary Watch Party & Potluck
• May 19, 2023 7:30pm Attended Williamson County Symphony at the new Lakeline Park in Cedar Park
• May 15, 2023 6:30pm Dinner Outing to Taste of Ethiopia in Pflugerville
• May 1, 2023 7pm TED Talk & Potluck – The Danger of a Single Story – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• April 24, 2023 7pm TED Talk & Potluck – How Radical Hospitality Can Change the Lives of the Formerly Incarcerated – Reuben Jonathan Miller
• March 27, 2023 7pm TED Talk – A Broken Body Isn’t a Broken Person
• March 6, 2023 6:30pm – Documentary Watch Party and Potluck Dinner – Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times
• February 20, 2023 Book Discussion and Potluck: “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones”
• February 6, 2023 “Know Your Neighbor” program with a representative from the H.E.Butt Foundation – Presentation and Potluck Dinner
• January 16, 2023 Documentary Potluck Watch Party – “Martin Luther King Jr. – Enough is Enough”
• December 12, 2022 Home for the Holidays Watch Party – Collected Donations for the Hill Country Community Ministries Food Pantry
• December 9, 2022 5:30pm Community First Village of Lights
• November 7, 2022 Book Discussion/Video: “The Four Agreements”
• October 17 and 24, 2022 No Meeting
• October 10, 2022 – Potluck/Watch Party – Indigenous People’s Day
  Indigenous in Plain Sight
  Honoring indigenous cultures and histories: Indigenous Futurisms: Cultures of Radical Love
• October 3, 2022 – Potluck/Watch Party – Two videos by Buddhist Nun Pema Chodron on Transcending Resentment and Relaxing with Impermanence
• September 2022 Break while Kevin & Gail were leading workshops in Colorado
• Monday September 5, 2022 – Eva Cassidy Documentary Watch Party and Pot Luck 
• Monday August 1-29, 2022 The Kindness Diaries – Potluck Watch Parties
• Monday July 25, 2022 Brene Brown – Atlas of the Heart Series Watch Party and Snacks
• Monday July 18, 2022 Mid-Summer Break
• Monday July 11, 2022 Dinner Outing!
• Monday July 4, 2022 Independence Day Break!
• Monday May-June, 2022 Brene Brown – Atlas of the Heart Series Watch Party and Snacks
• Monday April 18, 2022 TED Talk Watch Party: Listening to Shame – Brené Brown – Watch Party and Snacks
• Monday April 4, 2022 TED Talk Watch Party: “What I learned from 100 days of rejection” – Jia Jiang
• Saturday March 19, 2022 Celebrate Grand Opening of Cinful Sweets storefront! Congratulations Cinthya Romriell!
• Monday March 14, 2022 6pm CDT Pizza Night at Pour House Pints & Pies (on Jollyville Road)
• Monday March 1, 2021 7:00pm CST
  Breaking the Isolation Happy Hour
• Monday February 1, 2021 7:00pm CST 
  Discussion over Zoom of a Brene Brown Podcast “Brene on Words, Actions, Dehumanization, and Accountability“
• Monday January 18, 2021 7:00pm CST
  Discussion over Zoom of a Brene Brown Podcast “Brene on FFTs”
• Monday December 21, 2020 7:00pm CST
  Holiday Eggnog Virtual Happy Hour
• Monday November 30, 2020 7:00pm CST
  Virtual Happy Hour
• Monday November 23, 2020 7:00pm CST
  Virtual Happy Hour and chat with Cinthya Romriell about her experiences on Candy Land.
• Sunday November 22, 2020 8:00pm CST
  Watch Party of The Food Network’s Premiere of “Candy Land” 
• Sunday November 15, 2020 8:00pm CST
  Watch Party of The Food Network’s Premiere of “Candy Land” with Pastry Chef / Chocolatier Cinthya Romriell of cinfulsweets.com!
• Monday November 9, 2020 7:00pm CST
  Chit-Chat & Chocolate Tasting with Pastry Chef / Chocolatier Cinthya Romriell of cinfulsweets.com!
• Monday November 2, 2020 7:00pm CST
  Discussion on the Netflix docudrama: ‘ The Social Dilemma’
• October 19, 2020 7:00pm CDT
  A look at how the concept of Native American “Listening Circles” are being used today, with Guest Darius Pettway
• Monday October 12, 2020 7:00pm CDT TED Talk Watch Party: America’s Native Prisoners of War – Aaron Huey
• Monday October 5, 2020 7:00pm CDT Topic: Life Recovery
  Guest Speakers Ellen Mainiero and Randy Nettles
• Monday September 28, 2020 7:00pm CDT Topic: Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator – Tim Urban – TED Talk Watch Party
• Monday September 21, 2020 – BREAK – No class!
• Monday September 14, 2020 7:00pm Topic: Surprising Lessons in Facing Rejection – Youtube Video Discussion
• Monday August 31, 2020 7:00pm Virtual Happy Hour
• Monday August 24, 2020 7:00pm Well-Being During COVID-19
• Monday August 10th and 17th, 2020 – BREAK – No class!
• Monday August 3, 2020 7pm CDT Watch Party
  “The Truth About the Confederacy in the United States” – Jeffery Robinson Video Discussion regarding this YouTube Talk: (click here)
• Monday July 27th, 2020 7pm CDT – Watch Party TED Talk
  “To This Day … for the bullied and the beautiful” – Shane Koyczan
• Monday July 20th 7pm MORE Thought Provoking Questions – Open Discussion
• Monday July 13th 7pm Thought Provoking Questions – Open Discussion – An Informal Discussion – Just a time to get together and pick a couple of questions from this website and discuss. https://bucketlistjourney.net/365-thought-provoking-questions-answered/
• Monday July 6th TED Talk Discussion “Why I, as a black man, attend KKK rallies” – Daryl Davis
• Monday June 22nd 7pm CDT – Book Discussion 
  “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens.
• June 20, 2020 “A Conversation of Understanding – Race Relations in America” – A special video conference we collaborated to put together with Darius Pettway (https://www.dariuspettway.com/)
  If you missed out, we recorded it! You can view it here!
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9ixKLSsNMI
• June 8, 2020 8pm Just Mercy – Movie Watch and Discussion
  A powerful and thought-provoking true story following lawyer Bryan Stevenson and his history-making battle for justice against racial prejudice and oppression.
• Monday June 1, 2020 7pm Online Happy Hour
• Monday May 18, 2020 7pm
  Online TED Talk Watch Party
  “The Gift and Power of Emotional Courage” by Susan David
• Monday May 11, 2020  7pm
  Online Brené Brown Talk Watch Party
  “Why Your Critics Aren’t The Ones Who Count”
• Monday April 27, 2020  7pm
  Online TED Talk Watch Party
  “How the Worst Moments in Our Lives Make Us Who We Are”
  by Andrew Solomon
• Monday April 20, 2020 7pm
  Online Virtual Meeting using ZoomWho’s My Neighbor . . . Who Am I? 
  Career/Passions Share Time
• Monday April 13, 2020 7pm
  Online Virtual Meeting using Zoom
  Book Discussion: “Wonder” by RJ Palacio
• Monday April 6, 2020 7pm “Virtual Happy Hour” BYOB 😉
  Online Virtual Meeting using Zoom
• Monday March 30, 2020 7pm “Virtual Happy Hour” BYOB 😉
  Online Virtual Meeting using Zoom
• Monday March 23, 2020 Online Virtual Meeting using Zoom – Simply to connect with each other to share how we’re all making it through this crisis.
• Monday March 9th, 2020 7pm: Perspectives on Growing Up BLIND
  Guest Speaker: Ann Foxworth 
• Monday March 2, 2020 6:30pm Dinner Outing!  CraigO’s Pizza and Pastaria 5501 Balcones Dr. in Austin http://craigositalian.com/Balcones/
• February 3, 10, 17, 24  4, 2020  Book Discussion
  “The Road Back to You”  Led by licensed professional counselors Lisa Blackwood and Sherri Woodworth
• Thursday February 6th, 2020 7am Breakfast at Kerbey Lane Cafe
• Monday January 27th, 2020  7pm Documentary Watch Party
  With potluck food.  CBS News Story: “Photo Finish – Kodachrome” – National Geographic Documentary: “The Last Roll of Kodachrome”
• Breakfast Get-Together Wednesday January 22nd, 2020 7am at Jim’s Restaurant.
• Monday January 6th, 2020  Movie Night!  Kodachrome (the movie)
• December 16, 2019 Guest Speaker David Dauber – Accessibility Specialist in the Civil Rights Department of the State of Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) in Austin, Texas. and co-producer, performer, writer and promoter of The Gene and Dave Show
• Potluck Dinner and Guest Speaker Kaylee Lartigue
  Kaylee progressively lost her hearing as a young child but never let that hold her back.   She’s an activist advocating for the Deaf community. More info: Click Here
• December 7th 2019 Community First! Village of Lights and Movie Night
• December 2nd Happy Holidays Party!
• Special Program –  We Are Not Broken – Volunteers Info Meeting
• Guest Speaker Matt Freeman – Spiritual Director for Mobile Loaves & Fishes – Community First! Village
• November 1st FUN EVENING – Drum Circle and Picnic Around Campfire at South Wind Equestrian Center in Leander
• Dinner Outing:  Mandola’s Italian Kitchen, Cedar Park
• Book Discussion: “Broken Open – How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow”  by Elizabeth Lesser
• Guest Speaker: Deborah Cole, MSF, LUT
  Author of Forthcoming Book: “Letting Go: How Less Becomes More”
  Topic: “The Heart and Soul of Cuba: The People”
• Guest Speaker: Nichola Cotto, Photographer and founder of an amazing organization:  We Are Not Broken
• Guest Speaker: Bill Schoening, Radio Voice of the San Antonio Spurs helping make a positive impact on men incarcerated in Texas prisons.
• Guest Speaker: Kelly Jones, founder of Unbridled Connection – Creating Connections Between Horses and Humans which supports military and first responders, and their families, by providing a safe, confidential, therapeutic environment that promotes healing through deeper connections and improved relationships.
• Stories and photos from our Rocky Mountain Photography Workshop – Kevin Gourley
• Documentary – Watch and Discuss
  Brene Brown: “The Call to Courage”
  (we watched it a 2nd time, it was so good!!)
• Dinner Outing:  Ike’s Love and Sandwich in Cedar Park
• TED Talk Watch and Discuss: 
  “Say Your Truths and Seek Them in Others” – Elizabeth Lesser
• “The Kindness Diaries”   We’ll watch an episode and discuss.
• TED Talk Watch and Discuss 
  “What Makes a Good Life: Study on Happiness” Robert Waldinger
• TED Talk Discussion with Fiona McInally
  “The Missing Connections in the Fight Against Poverty” 
• Documentary – Watch and Discuss
  Brene Brown: “The Call to Courage”
• “Meet the Author” Session and Potluck Dinner with Author Darius Pettway
• Book Discussion of “A Chance To…” by Darius Pettway
  Darius is working to restore opportunity to young adults by providing them with tools of leadership, self-empowerment and conflict resolution. 
• TED Talk Discussion Forum
  • “We Need to Talk About an Injustice” – Bryan Stevenson 
  • “My Stroke of Insight” – Jill Bolte Taylor 
• Dinner at Nancy’s Sky Garden (Cedar Park)
• Book Discussion: Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habitsby Gretchen Rubin
• Dinner at Almarah Mediterranean Cuisine (620/Lake Creek Parkway)
• Dinner at Kerbey Lane (Anderson Mill/183)
  6pm Monday December 3, 2018
• TED Talks – Discussion Forum
  • Do Schools Kill Creativity? Sir Ken Robinson
  • Bring On the Learning Revolution Sir Ken Robinson
• Book Discussion: The Last Arrow: Save Nothing for the Next Life  by Erwin McManus
• Documentary and Discussion: Finding Vivian Maier
• TED Talks – Discussion Forum
  • The Power of Introverts – Susan Cain
  • The Surprising Science of Happiness – Dan Gilbert
  • Your Elusive Creative Genius – Elizabeth Gilbert
• Book Discussion: “29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life” by Cami Walker
• Dinner at Kerbey Lane
• Book Discussion: The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are” by Brene Brown