The Tension of Emergence: Thriving in a world that remakes, not breaks

Jennifer offers a practice to help you get unstuck, inspired by her conversation with filmmaker, writer and educator Nora Bateson.

In a culture that privileges the scientific, rational and objective, it’s hard to access other ways of knowing. Yet the intuitive, somatic, spiritual and poetic can give us perspective that might bring perspective and relief. 

Today, Jennifer encourages you to take an inventory of your preferred “ways of knowing” and how less familiar ones might ease (or heal) the places you feel most stuck. 

If you play with this practice and discover a new way of seeing or experiencing your ‘self’ we’d love to hear from you! 

Links & resources—

• For more practices and inspiration from Jennifer get  inspiring emails to help you navigate the hard mess of leading and being human
• Follow Jennifer on Instagram or LinkedIn
• Talk with Jennifer! Share an insight or ask a question here [email protected]

Gratitude for this show’s theme song Inside the House, composed by the talented Yukon musician, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist Jordy Walker. Artwork by the imaginative writer, filmmaker and artist Jon Marro. 

Are you caught in a double bind? One of those untenable life situations where you feel torn between two seemingly opposing identities or experiences? 

Jennifer talks with filmmaker, writer and educator Nora Bateson for an intimate look at double binds and how expanding our capacity to perceive what's missing, through warm data, can help us heal them. Starting with the legacy of system thinking giants (her father and grandfather),  Nora and Jennifer get personal and explore—

• Honoring legacy and breaking cultural paradigms
• Parenting and art making
• How life's challenges can transform limitation into possibility
• Healing as a movement towards greater vitality

Tune in for an intimate conversation on what it means to free ourselves from double binds by attuning and "combining" many different ways of knowing. 

Links and Resources:

• Get Nora Bateson’s book Combining
• Learn more about The Bateson Institute
• Subscribe to Jennifer’s newsletter Evolve for radical encouragement on the hard mess of being human

Gratitude for this show’s theme song Inside the House, composed by the talented Yukon musician, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist Jordy Walker. Artwork by the imaginative writer, filmmaker and artist Jon Marro. 

Jennifer offers a practice, inspired by her conversation with creative director and visionary artist Jon Marro.

How can you access more creative life force when you’re exhausted, too busy, or disheartened by world events? When we’re running at a feverishly high pace to be productive or save the world, it can feel impossible to slow down and “be creative”.

In this practice, Jennifer offers a “new doing” that can help you uncouple your time from being productive. From here, it’s easier to notice the wonder of ordinary life, which becomes a wellspring of creativity.

If you play with this practice and discover a new way of seeing or experiencing your ‘self’ we’d love to hear from you!

Links & resources—

• For more practices and inspiration from Jennifer get  inspiring emails to help you navigate the hard mess of leading and being human
• Follow Jennifer on Instagram or LinkedIn
• Talk with Jennifer! Share an insight or ask a question here [email protected]

Gratitude for this show’s theme song Inside the House, composed by the talented Yukon musician, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist Jordy Walker. Artwork by the imaginative writer, filmmaker and artist Jon Marro. 

How can we access more creativity and imagination- especially as old systems and structures collapse? Jennifer speaks with multi-disciplinary artist and visionary Jon Marro about courage and humility in the transformative world of creative activism. 

With reverence to the more-than-human and imaginal realms, they dive into: 

• Art as rupture, art as healing 
• The power and possibility of ‘constraint’ 
• Why creativity is a path to wholeness
• How to deepen your own creative practice 

Tune in for a giant permission to nurture your imagination by starting with the magic and mystical aliveness of ordinary life. 

Links & Resources:

• Watch Jon Marro’s “provocumentary” film, The Opening
• Learn more about Jon’s work and connect with him on Instagram
• Get  inspiring emails from Jennifer for radical encouragement on the hard mess of being human
• Connect with Jennifer on Instagram or LinkedIn

Gratitude for this show’s theme song Inside the House, composed by the talented Yukon musician, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist Jordy Walker. Artwork by the imaginative writer, filmmaker and artist Jon Marro. 

Jennifer offers a practice, inspired by her conversation with Prentis Hemphill. 

How can you return to a place of solidity when everything feels unstable? How can you reconnect with your inner knowing when you’ve outsourced the answers to gurus or experts? 

A helpful practice- with immediate benefit- is to literally ground yourself to the earth, using your feet and breath. 

If you find this practice makes a difference in your life or leadership- we’d love to hear from you! 

Links & resources—

• For more practices and inspiration from Jennifer get  inspiring emails to help you navigate the hard mess of leading and being human
• Follow Jennifer on Instagram or LinkedIn
• Connect directly with Jennifer! Share an insight or ask a question here [email protected]

Gratitude for this show’s theme song Inside the House, composed by the talented Yukon musician, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist Jordy Walker. Artwork by the imaginative writer, filmmaker and artist Jon Marro. 

In this episode Jennifer talks with writer, embodiment facilitator, political organizer and therapist, Prentis Hemphill. Together they explore how our body’s wisdom can help us hold more nuance, discern right action and generate healing. 

Tune in to hear about:

• The moment when we lose touch with our bodies 
• How nuance in our bodies help us avoid binary thinking/acting
• The power of “witnessing” and its critical role in social change
• Why we can’t keep emotions out of the room (even if we try)

Prentis also shares essential somatic practices that can ground and nourish ourselves when life (and change) feels too much. 

Links & resources—

• Learn more about the Embodiment Institute
• Follow Prentis and the Embodiment Institute on Instagram 
• Pre-order Prentis' new book, What It Takes To Heal, head to IG to read their book announcement.
• Get inspiring emails from Jennifer for radical encouragement on the hard mess of being human
• Follow Jennifer on Instagram or LinkedIn

Gratitude for this show’s theme song Inside the House, composed by the talented Yukon musician, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist Jordy Walker. Artwork by the imaginative writer, filmmaker and artist Jon Marro. 

Join host, Jennifer England as she continues to slow down and embrace the tensions that come with leading social change. 

What does it mean to live and lead wisely? How can we strengthen our resilience when we'd rather have certainty and control? How can we develop the courage to be more authentically ourselves- when there's such pressure to conform and arrive?

Through the power of film, embodiment, living systems, ancestral healing, leadership and more Jennifer explores how to lead with more wisdom, curiosity and courage so we can skillfully work with this cultural moment. 

With vulnerability, Jennifer weaves together the poetic, the personal and practical to help us embrace and thrive in uncertain times. Two episodes will drop each week, a deep dive with special guests followed by a bonus show offering you a practice you can take into the field of your own life. 

Gratitude for this show’s theme song Inside the House, composed by the talented Yukon musician, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist Jordy Walker. Artwork by the imaginative writer, filmmaker and artist Jon Marro. 

Welcome to the season two finale of The Tension of Emergence.

In this season, we composted outdated ideas of leadership. And in this episode, Jennifer shares her favorite moments of each season two interview.

She also offers three core principles that she’s carrying forward from these conversations — Embracing the Messy Middle, Embracing Wisdom Over Information, and Embracing the Fluidity of Identity.

Thank you for listening to season two of the show. If you enjoyed it, make sure to subscribe to Jennifer's newsletter.  We’ll be back for season three in Spring 2024.

Links & resources—

• For more practices, invitations and writing from Jennifer, subscribe to Jennifer’s newsletter
• Follow Jennifer on Instagram or LinkedIn

Gratitude for this show’s theme song Inside the House, composed by the talented musician, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist Jordy Walker.

Gratitude for this show’s theme song Inside the House, composed by the talented Yukon musician, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist Jordy Walker. Artwork by the imaginative writer, filmmaker and artist Jon Marro. 

Jennifer offers a practice, inspired by her conversation with conductor and musician, Ben Zander. 

Comparing ourselves to others is totally human and it limits possibility.  Jennifer encourages you to interrupt patterns of comparison that keep you trapped in the “calculating self”. Instead of getting rid of “comparison”, she invites curiosity and acceptance when “less than” or “better than” emotions and thoughts arise. 

If you play with the practice and discover a new way of seeing or experiencing your ‘self’ we’d love to hear from you! Email Jennifer with any questions or observations- [email protected]

Links & resources—

• For more practices, invitations and writing from Jennifer, subscribe to Jennifer’s newsletter
• Follow Jennifer on Instagram or LinkedIn

Gratitude for this show’s theme song Inside the House, composed by the talented musician, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist Jordy Walker. 

Gratitude for this show’s theme song Inside the House, composed by the talented Yukon musician, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist Jordy Walker. Artwork by the imaginative writer, filmmaker and artist Jon Marro. 

It’s easy to get caught in the pursuit of wealth, fame and power- especially if we’re attached to certain arrival points through the constant evaluation of ourselves. Jennifer is joined by Ben Zander, Conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and co-author of The Art of Possibility to talk about how we shift from our smaller 'self' to the alchemy of 'we'.  

In this episode they discuss- 

• The necessary tension of mastery and creative expression
• Leading from every seat- how to inspire confidence in each other 
• Moving from comparison to contribution 

Join Jennifer and Ben for a heart-felt exploration of how to shed old ways of being so love and generosity can lead.  

Links & resources—

• Ben Zander’s Legacy project The Benjamin Zander Center, resources for educators, musicians, corporations & music appreciators.
• Read Ben Zander and Rosamund Stone Zander’s book, The Art of Possibility
• Learn more about host Jennifer and her offerings? Subscribe to her newsletter or follow her on Instagram.

Gratitude for this show’s theme song Inside the House, composed by the talented musician, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist Jordy Walker. 

Gratitude for this show’s theme song Inside the House, composed by the talented Yukon musician, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist Jordy Walker. Artwork by the imaginative writer, filmmaker and artist Jon Marro.