Weird Experimental Stuff!
Wait, what do you mean weird??
In addition to the more conventional work listed on my home page, I'm also a student of how to set young people up to live good, meaningful, and fulfilling lives - a pursuit that has taken me into what modern society might refer to as some really weird places.
For over a decade, since a disheartening stint in the classroom, I've explored the philosophy of science, technology, artisanship, learning, and work; developmental psychology (especially through the lenses of Jungian analysis and the positive psychology movement); youth talent development (from both the traditional gifted education perspective and through the lens of sports and performance psychology); group dynamics, organizational agility, and complex systems as they relate to young people and youth-serving organizations; how developments in technology impact kids; how young peoples' development, values, and outlooks on the future are impacting how new technologies and innovations develop; and the cultural, historical, and anthropological dimensions of growing up.
Much of my thinking is grounded in the work of pioneers across these fields. I draw from Kazimierz Dąbrowski's theories of personal development; Simon Sinek's ideas on leadership and human connection; the positive psychology visions cast by Martin Seligman and Scott Barry Kaufman; the community-building insights of Robert Putnam and Ray Oldenburg; the social psychology of Brené Brown and Johann Hari; Native American perspectives on systems and society from Robin Wall Kimmerer; commentary on science, technology, learning, and society from Adam Mastroianni, Ed Zitron, and Visakan Veerasamy, the non-traditional educational ventures of Grace Llewellyn, Justin Skycak, Michael Strong, and Chris Balme; thoughts on gender roles from Richard Reeves and Niobe Way; and the cultural studies of rites of passage, ceremonial experiences, and the transformations of growing up of Robert Moore, Victor Turner, Mircea Eliade, and Arnold van Gennep.