Reflections
These are reflections from the field — moments where the practice of bearing witness opened something unexpected. They are written to show what this work looks like when it is actually lived.
Losing the Ground
Often, when I put a barrier up, artificial or otherwise, I lose a chance to actually feel something and connect with it, whether that's my own emotions or someone else's suffering.
Real vs. Ideal: Dukkha in the Startup Trenches
The moment a startup stops seeing the distance between what it's building and what it knows would actually serve the patient, the clinician, the partner, operational excellence quietly becomes optional. Nobody notices until the damage is already done.
Learning to Let Go and Let In
When guide runner Mikail Huggins was asked by a reporter how he works with champion sprinter Libby Clegg, he remarked, "I have to put myself in that situation so when I run with her, we feel as one." What does it mean to feel as one with another? For starters, it means letting go of the self.
Tripawds
How would you imagine life as a dog who lost a limb? I’ve asked this question to many people and about 70% respond with “sad” or some variation. This response applies regardless of whether someone likes dogs or whether one has spent time with dogs.
Muga: Experiencing without Self
Empathy is a crucial component of human-centered design. However, achieving deep empathy can be challenging when designers approach subjects as separate from themselves. In traditional product design, the designer encounters the subject through the lens of a designer.
Bearing Witness Design: Innovation Through Lived Experience
Dr. Bernie Glassman was a brilliant aeronautical engineer who worked on some of the most complicated challenges for NASA including early approaches to landing on Mars. Bernie had an incredible mind for science and innovation along with a deep commitment towards social impact. What distressed Bernie most was the growing homeless population that he encountered daily in his town of Yonkers, New York.
Bearing Witness: The not so simple skill of being present without judgment
For most of my professional career, I prided myself in operating with a sense of urgency, especially in my line of work developing products for people suffering with disease. With this same sense of urgency, I felt a calling towards hospice work and this past year I joined Capital Caring Health as a hospice volunteer.
Getting up close to those you are serving
How close are you willing to get to the people you are seeking to serve?" This provocative question was posed to me when I was leading a team to develop products for people struggling with trauma and post-traumatic stress.