BACKGROUND AND HISTORY

By Paula Comunelli, Founder and CEO of Listening Well

The year 2000 was coming to a close, and it had been a year of massive change. I left my job in corporate world, received my master's degree, got married, and decided to spend the rest of my life doing what had heart and meaning for me. Committed to leading an authentic, meaningful, and joy-filled life, I had the opportunity to create whatever I wanted. But, what did I want? And more importantly, who was I? It wasn't clear to me who I truly was without the title, the job, the money, and all the stuff to do. But I did know enough NOT to take action until I was clear. So for more than a year, I waited, reflected, inquired, and slowed myself down enough to discover what was true for me.

In 2002 the answer came: I wanted to create a mentally healthy community. My intention was to facilitate a collective community conversation using Appreciative Inquiry. With clear intention, I moved into action by accessing support, raising funds, marketing, and designing the Mental Health Summit. In the fall of 2003, more than one hundred diverse community members gathered and created a plan to create a mentally healthy community. The Santa Cruz County Coalition for mental health was born.

Planning the Summit, working with the Coalition, and engaging with people whose lives had been influenced by mental health issues, I realized the importance of telling our stories and being heard. In 2004, I produced an event where stories of hope and recovery were told to increase mental health awareness. The stories were well received by the community, but more importantly profound change was happening in the lives of the storytellers. After the 1st storytelling event, Coalition Board Members said, "These stories and this process is so powerful, we recommend that you take this program and this process nationwide."

Listening Well was formed to use the power of our stories to integrate the learning embedded in life's lessons, so we become the change we seek. Our programs offer the opportunity to reflect on lived experiences, track the learning process, and integrate that which still holds true for the storyteller. Listening Well's work emphasizes focusing on what is working (Appreciative Inquiry) and archetypal and cross-cultural wisdom. Working with us offers you an opportunity to see how you create the life you choose. It is a guide to answering and re-answering the questions:

  1. Who am I?
  2. Why am I here—what are the possibilities for my life?
  3. How will I create the life of which I dream?
  4. What were the results I created?

Enjoy your journey...