Letter from the President and CEO July 2024

Dear Reader,

As recovery from the recent devastating storm in Houston continues, I have once again observed the power of community and connection as containers for resilience. While these circumstances have been difficult, the ability of the Institute to activate its networks to respond in real time has been humbling and inspiring.

As you may be aware, part of our response has been activating the Greater Houston Healing Collaborative to provide psychosocial support to those who have been adversely impacted. The skills we teach are time-tested, evidence-based practices that can mitigate the effects of heightened stress.

Before the storm, on June 29, we held the third installment of our quarterly series, Heroic Self-Care, in collaboration with Impact a Hero. 27 veterans from across the branches of the military joined the all-day retreat to learn these transformative skills. One of our participants remarked, “After learning the techniques, I felt many things, from grief and relief to peace and healing … Learning these skills helps more than words can explain.” We are so grateful to be able to serve the veteran community in this way, and it gives us hope that the skills ripple out into the community in times of need.

We experience a yearning for wholeness and transformation on a daily basis as we navigate the social, political, economic, psychological, and physiological forces that contextualize our lives. Somehow, these dynamics are both deeply personal and inherently social, which means that, in some ways, we are the authors of our own fate, and in other ways, we are all in it together.

The Institute’s programs will continue to meet people where they are, recognizing individual differences while simultaneously celebrating what binds us together. 

Warmly,
Stuart

Stuart Nelson
President and CEO