When: Monday June 1 2026 7:00pm What: TED Talk – You are not alone in your loneliness – Jonny Sun Through a beautifully honest and humorous reflection on his own vulnerabilities, artist Jonny Sun reveals how sharing your loneliness with the online world can unexpectedly connect you with a supportive global community of fellow outsiders. Bring: Potluck light food/snack item to share – I’ll bring a pizza. (if you don’t have time to bring a food item, come anyway!) Where: Kevin Gourley’s Photography Studio at 11740 Jollyville Rd. Suite 400, Austin TX RSVP: Let us know you’re coming, so we know how to set up tables & chairs. Send an email to
BREAKFAST: Tuesday June 9th our monthly breakfast! 8am at Kerbey Lane Cafe (183 @ Anderson Mill). RSVP to so we know what size table to get!
When: Monday June 15, 2026 7:00pm What: TED Talk – This is what happens when you reply to spam email – James Veitch In this hilariously entertaining TED Talk, comedian James Veitch walks us through a weeks-long email exchange with a scammers’ “gold” representative, proving that replying to spam email can become a masterful, laugh-out-loud exercise in wasting their time. Bring: Potluck light food/snack item to share – I’ll bring a pizza. (if you don’t have time to bring a food item, come anyway!) Where: Kevin Gourley’s Photography Studio at 11740 Jollyville Rd. Suite 400, Austin TX RSVP: Let us know you’re coming, so we know how to set up tables & chairs. Send an email to
When: Monday May 4, 2026 7:00pm What: TED Talk – My Road Trip Through the Whitest Towns in America Rich Benjamin shares his experiences embedding himself in “Whitopias” to understand the social and political implications of self-segregation in America. Bring: Potluck light food/snack item to share – I’ll bring a pizza. (if you don’t have time to bring a food item, come anyway!) Where: Kevin Gourley’s Photography Studio at 11740 Jollyville Rd. Suite 400, Austin TX RSVP: Let us know you’re coming, so we know how to set up tables & chairs. Send an email to
BREAKFAST: Tuesday May 12th our monthly breakfast! 8am at Kerbey Lane Cafe (183 @ Anderson Mill). RSVP to so we know what size table to get!
When: Monday May 18, 2026 7:00pm What: TED Talk – AI is Coming for Your Job. Now What? Vlad Tenev discusses the inevitable disruption of the labor market by AI and suggests that the future belongs to those who use these tools to become “one-person empires.” Where: Kevin Gourley’s Photography Studio at 11740 Jollyville Rd. Suite 400, Austin TX RSVP: Let us know you’re coming, so we know how to set up tables & chairs. Send an email to
When: Monday April 6, 2026 7:00pm What: TED Talk – My life started when they said it was over | Elin Kjos In her viral TEDx talk, viewed over 44 million times, Elin Kjos shares how a terminal cancer diagnosis shifted her focus from future achievements to living fully in the present, proving that life can truly begin even when it seems to be ending. Bring: Potluck light food/snack item to share – I’ll bring a pizza. (if you don’t have time to bring a food item, come anyway!) Where: Kevin Gourley’s Photography Studio at 11740 Jollyville Rd. Suite 400, Austin TX RSVP: Let us know you’re coming, so we know how to set up tables & chairs. Send an email to
BREAKFAST: Tuesday April 14th our monthly breakfast! 8am at Kerbey Lane Cafe (183 @ Anderson Mill). RSVP to so we know what size table to get!
When: Monday April 20, 2026 7:00pm What: How To Stop Doom Scrolling – 7 Tips To Break Free From Social Media First, what exactly IS “Doom Scrolling?” Doomscrolling is the act of continuously scrolling through bad news on social media or news feeds, despite the feelings of anxiety or dread it produces. The video “How to Stop Doomscrolling (And What to Do Instead!)” by Psych2Go provides actionable strategies to break the cycle of addictive social media use by understanding the brain’s negativity bias and implementing practical “friction points,” such as setting timers, using grayscale mode, and replacing passive consumption with creative or physical activities Where: Kevin Gourley’s Photography Studio at 11740 Jollyville Rd. Suite 400, Austin TX RSVP: Let us know you’re coming, so we know how to set up tables & chairs. Send an email to
When: Monday March 2, 2026 7:00pm What: Sorry, meeting canceled due to an emergency.
BREAKFAST: Tuesday March 10th our monthly breakfast! 8am at Kerbey Lane Cafe (183 @ Anderson Mill). RSVP to so we know what size table to get!
When: Monday March 16, 2026 7:00pm What: Conan O’Brien’s Dartmouth Commencement Address! Conan O’Brien’s 2011 Dartmouth commencement address is a humorous yet poignant speech that uses his personal experience with professional failure to argue that our setbacks ultimately define us and allow us to reinvent ourselves. Bring: Potluck light food/snack item to share – I’ll bring a pizza. (if you don’t have time to bring a food item, come anyway!) Where: Kevin Gourley’s Photography Studio at 11740 Jollyville Rd. Suite 400, Austin TX RSVP: Let us know you’re coming, so we know how to set up tables & chairs. Send an email to
Starting off to a positive start in February, we’ love for you to join us! Invite a friend!
When: Monday February 2nd, 2026 7:00pm What: TED Talk Watch Party! “The happy secret to better work” w/ Shawn Achor This is a very popular TED talk watched over 27 million times! We believe we should work hard in order to be happy, but could we be thinking about things backwards? In this fast-moving and very funny talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that, actually, happiness inspires us to be more productive. Bring: Potluck light food/snack item to share – I’ll bring a pizza. (if you don’t have time to bring a food item, come anyway!) Where: Kevin Gourley’s Photography Studio at 11740 Jollyville Rd. Suite 400, Austin TX RSVP: Let us know you’re coming, so we know how to set up tables & chairs. Send an email to
BREAKFAST: Tuesday February 10th our next monthly breakfast! 8am at Kerbey Lane Cafe (183 @ Anderson Mill). RSVP to so we know what size table to get!
When: Monday February 16th, 2026 7:00pm What: TED Talk Watch Party! “10 ways to have a better conversation” w/ Celeste Headlee When your job hinges on how well you talk to people, you learn a lot about how to have conversations — and that most of us don’t converse very well. Celeste Headlee has worked as a radio host for decades, and she knows the ingredients of a great conversation: Honesty, brevity, clarity and a healthy amount of listening. In this insightful talk, she shares 10 useful rules for having better conversations. “Go out, talk to people, listen to people,” she says. “And, most importantly, be prepared to be amazed.” Bring: Potluck light food/snack item to share – I’ll bring a pizza. (if you don’t have time to bring a food item, come anyway!) Where: Kevin Gourley’s Photography Studio at 11740 Jollyville Rd. Suite 400, Austin TX RSVP: Let us know you’re coming, so we know how to set up tables & chairs. Send an email to
We haven’t figured out what we’re doing in February yet! Stay tuned…!
Celebrate a New Year! Happy 2026 Everyone! Here’s our lineup of January activities with our Life-Insights group!
When: Monday January 5th, 2026 7:00pm What: TED Talk Watch Party! “You can do better than a New Year’s resolution – How to Be a Better Human” w/ Gretchen Rubin Bring: Potluck light food/snack item to share – I’ll bring a pizza. (if you don’t have time to bring a food item, come anyway!) Where: Kevin Gourley’s Photography Studio at 11740 Jollyville Rd. Suite 400, Austin TX RSVP: Let us know you’re coming, so we know how to set up tables & chairs. Send an email to
BREAKFAST: Tuesday January 13th our next monthly breakfast! 8am at Kerbey Lane Cafe (183 @ Anderson Mill). RSVP to so we know what size table to get!
When: Monday January 19th, 2026 7:00pm What: TED Talk Watch Party! “The Art of Asking” by Amanda Palmer A popular TED talk viewed over 13 million times. In The Art of Asking, Amanda Palmer explores the transformative power of vulnerability, arguing that asking for help is not an act of weakness or begging, but a collaborative exchange that builds deep human connection and trust between artists and their communities. Bring: Potluck light food/snack item to share – I’ll bring a pizza. (if you don’t have time to bring a food item, come anyway!) Where: Kevin Gourley’s Photography Studio at 11740 Jollyville Rd. Suite 400, Austin TX RSVP: Let us know you’re coming, so we know how to set up tables & chairs. Send an email to
BREAKFAST: We had our monthly breakfast on Tuesday December 9th at 8am at Kerbey Lane Cafe (183 @ Anderson Mill). MANY THANKS to all who joined us! Mark your calendars now for our next breakfast on Tuesday January 13th at Kerbey Lane!
In our typical “busy-ness” of the approaching holidays, let’s not have a formal evening meeting in December.
Instead, I encourage you to attend one or both of these great events:
WILLIAMSON COUNTY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Fri, Dec 12 @ 7:30 PM Worship Center @ Bethany United Methodist Church Plus, you’ll get to see an art exhibit we just created by our new Creative Crossroads Arts Group at Bethany, which I lead.
AUSTIN CIVIC WIND ENSEMBLE <- Melissa & Alyssa are in this! Sat, Dec 13 @ 2:00 PM Cornerstone Building @ Bethany United Methodist Church
TED Talk Watch Party – CANCELLED Christmas is an Arms Race: Georgine Getty at TEDxXavierUniversity
Georgine Getty, an advocate for the homeless, uses the provocative title “Christmas is an Arms Race” to critique the immense cultural pressure the holiday season places on vulnerable people. She argues that this societal emphasis on giving and celebration inadvertently highlights and intensifies the often unseen burdens and struggles faced by those in need. Ultimately, her talk calls for a deeper understanding of how the expectations of holiday generosity can force the lives of the homeless into the public spotlight.
Invite: A friend to join you! When: Monday December 1, 2025 7:00pm Bring: Potluck light food/snack item to share – I’ll bring a pizza. (if you don’t have time to bring a food item, come anyway!) Where: Kevin Gourley’s Photography Studio at 11740 Jollyville Rd. Suite 400, Austin TX RSVP: Let us know you’re coming, so we know how to set up tables & chairs. Send an email to
ALSO Breakfasts! – 2nd Tuesdays!
We are now also getting together for breakfasts on the 2nd Tuesday of each month! No topic. Just fellowship and great conversation.
December 98am at Kerbey Lane Cafe (183 near Anderson Mill)
Coming up next, we have TWO options for dining and fellowship. There’s nothing better than good food and good company. 🙂
Dinner!
Pizza at Aviator Pizza on 4005 West Parmer Lane Monday November 17th 6:15pm RSVP to so we know what size table to get! https://aviatorpizza.com
Breakfast!
Tuesday November 11th 8am at Kerbey Lane (183 near Anderson Mill). RSVP to so we know what size table to get!
We are now doing breakfasts on the 2nd Tuesday of each month! So, November 11th, then December 9th, so put these on your calendars!
Looking Ahead
December 1, 2025 7pm Watch and Discuss TED Talk + Light Snacks Christmas is an Arms Race: Georgine Getty Georgine, passionate about helping the homeless, unveils the hidden truths of Christmas that forces people in need to live in the public’s eye. Where: Kevin Gourley Photography Studio 11740 Jollyville Rd. Suite 400, Austin