Awakening doesn’t just happen. It requires engagement. To this end, each of the 31 steppingstones is accompanied by a Community Space page, that is hosted by a skilled facilitator who will act as your Steppingstone Guide. When you arrive on the Community Space page, you will find a welcome letter from your Guide describing how the content of the steppingstone has impacted their life. Additionally, you will find questions, prompts, and suggestions for how you might join with others to actively explore the content of the steppingstone. To this end, it is our hope that each steppingstone will provide a congenial space for experimentation, risk taking, listening, truthspeaking… and, ultimately, awakening.
Peter Yu
Stepping Stone 1 — Asleep or Awake?
"I live in the pothole-ridden streets of greater Boston and connecting with nature connects me to my soul."
Curran Hunter
Stepping Stone 2 — What We Believe We Become
Stepping Stone 18 — Living Life Now
"Few experiences bring me greater joy than picking wineberries and watching spectacular firefly shows in my backyard during the summer."
Morgan Kravarik
Stepping Stone 3 — Questions Rather Than Answers
"I reside in Boulder, Colorado, where I feel most at home along the rivers and among the mountains. Find me laughing with the birds and singing musical numbers around my house"
Indigo Murray
Stepping Stone 4 — Education for What?
"I love learning about relationships and the healing arts and I am endeavoring to embody vulnerability, fearlessness, and joy in all that I do."
Amanda Quinones
Stepping Stone 5 — Truthspeaking as a Catalyst for Awakening
"I am a New York native living in Los Angeles. The sun and water bring me peace and creative energy fuels me!"
Cassy Correa
Stepping Stone 6 — The Story that Lives Us
Stepping Stone 15 — Reclaiming Wildness
"I live in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. I love Puerto Rico, the smell of crisp mountain air, and time spent with loved ones."
Katie Fields
Stepping Stone 6 — The Story that Lives Us
Stepping Stone 31 — It All Comes Down to Choice
"Even though I am currently residing in the City of Brotherly Love, I feel most at home in the woods near the mountains! I am passionate about discovering connections between what it means to be human and the complex systems of the Earth we belong to!"
Alex Liney
Stepping Stone 7 — Breakdown
"At the moment, I’m living in the urban coast of New England and spend my time lifting heavy things above my head."
Katie Pettine
Stepping Stone 8 — Rites of Passage as Gateways for Awakening
"I’m a writer who's sanctuary is in the mountains. I prefer dogs over most people and eat dessert with every meal. I feel lost if I’m not carrying a book with me everywhere, and I have anxiety around driving, even though I love to explore new places."
Liz Karcewski
Stepping Stone 8 — Rites of Passage as Gateways for Awakening
"I am 25 years old and I live in Philadelphia. I am an artist and I feel most alive when I am drawing or painting!"
Ashley Jenkins
Stepping Stone 9 — Success from the Inside Out
"I’m passionately curious and love to read, learn from others, and explore the amazing beauty of our planet. When I’m not having a solo dance party, you can typically find me anywhere near water or walking around my neighborhood."
Erin Fackenthal
Stepping Stone 10 — The Seed in Each of Us
"The words most true to me are thoughtful, curious listener, intuitive, reliable, creative and passionate. I am 20 something & navigating life one day at a time!"
Maelis Mitting
Stepping Stone 11 — Hearing the Call
"I currently live in Baltimore and was born and raised in France which is where I truly feel a connection to my spirit. I am on a mission to empower the people around me, most notably kids, through education and entrepreneurship. I am here to encourage what the French call, Joie de Vivre, the joy of living."
Nick Strubel
Stepping Stone 12 — From Breakdown to Breakthrough
"I'm from Bellefonte, a small town in the heart of Pennsylvania, surrounded by forests and farmlands. I'm the most myself when exploring new trails with my two puppies or while discussing books and movies with anyone who comes into the library that I manage."
Tiffany Godley
Stepping Stone 13 — Transcending Dualism
"I am really just a learning and growing individual who finds joy in connection, silliness, and the practice of finding meaning in the malaise. Thank you for taking the time to explore Awaken 101!"
Jamie Quail
Stepping Stone 14 — Recovering Imagination and Play
"I feel inspired by the resilience of living things and the mystery of life; and when all of that gets too heavy, a bit of lightness found through The Bachelor, vinyls, and delicious food will do the trick."
Christy Carfagno
Stepping Stone 17 — Opening to Love
Stepping Stone 18 — Living Life Now
"My name is Christy and my greatest passion is creating a more empathetic and loving world through my everyday actions. I enjoy nothing more than connecting with and caring for animals, spending time in nature, and having conscious conversations with the people in my life. Most days you can find me running with my dogs, creating delicious vegan meals, and writing about my thoughts on the world. I am here to listen, to create, and to connect with this beautiful community!"
Madison Rios
Stepping Stone 19 — Befriending our Shadow
"At this point in my life I’m an organic farmer who loves to paint, run, read, hike up mountains, travel spontaneously, dance with strangers, and share joy."
Samylda Charles
Stepping Stone 20 — Each Day a Call to Presence
"I am a passionate and curious spirit who happens to be a Premed student and a professional Astrologer. My hometown is New York and I love finding meaning through connecting our human experiences."
Kristina Leung
Stepping Stone 21 — Living Within the Story of Enoughness
"I am a lover of food, a social gamer, and explorer of local culture. I’m also a great hype girl, so reach out if you’re in a rut and need a little help discovering your elevated self!"
Genevieve Brandenberg
Stepping Stone 22 — Food—From Passive Consumer to Awakened Participant
"Hello, my name is Genevieve and I'm an elementary school art teacher in Northern Virginia. I love cooking, gardening, beekeeping and creating artwork in my studio."
Brynne Travis
Stepping Stone 22 — Food—From Passive Consumer to Awakened Participant
"I am a lover of humor and breaking social norms who feels most at home when traveling to new places!"
Aaron Angert
Stepping Stone 23 — Transportation: An Exercise in Awakening
"As a 22-year-old, I inexplicably exchanged keys to the USA (and a beat-up pickup truck) for a new life in Denmark. Now, fifteen years later, I’m a fully-fledged immigrant with two Danish children who I love hauling everywhere in our front-loading family cargo bike."
Amanda Krakovitz
Stepping Stone 16 — Discovering Full-Body Intelligence
Stepping Stone 24 — Community—What Can We Do for Each Other?
"I am a field instructor for Outward Bound—an International Program that organizes outdoor adventures. In this role, I work to transform lives by cultivating perseverance, cooperation, and creative problem solving."
Annamarie McKevitt
Stepping Stone 25 — Happiness From the Inside Out
"I am a passionate creator, explorer and learner who loves hugging trees and riding waves."
Alex Mezyad
Stepping Stone 26 — A New Story of Self
"I am currently living in Colorado where I spend my time exploring the mountains, chasing sunsets, and photographing the beauty I see. I look forward to traveling more of the world and getting to know people's stories."
Jen Early
Stepping Stone 27 — A New Story of the Human Other
"I am a mother, daughter, partner, sister, friend and educator. My mission is to know and to teach love, and to embrace the change that only love can bring. I am most at home enjoying life from the Delaware River to the mountains of Colombia."
Alan Hanczyc
Stepping Stone 28 — A New Story of Earth
"I am a high school teacher and outdoor enthusiast who is most at home fly-fishing the rivers of North America and hiking and biking in the mountainous terrain of New England."
Kaitlyn Spangler
Stepping Stone 29 — A New Story of the Universe
"I reside in the beautiful hills of central Pennsylvania, where the lush ferns and rolling farmland feel like home. I love trail dancing through the forest and being where the seasons are as dynamic as I am."
Maddie Almer
Stepping Stone 30 — Healing—Breakdown Revisited
"I am a creative thinker, a whiskey sipper, tea drinker. I burn incense, collect books, marvel at rocks, and live life in a wabi-sabi state of mind. I enjoy slow walking and living with intention. My Aquarius soul is constantly pushing boundaries and living to the beat of my own drum."