Trilith Foundation Latest Articles

Leave Nothing Unsaid

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 15:28:57 GMT

Our affirming words can literally change the trajectory of someone’s life.

At our latest Enrichment series event Jody Noland spoke to us about the importance and power of sincere written affirmation.

As an author, speaker, and coach, Jody brings an infectious passion for writing words of encouragement. Her greatest joy comes from helping others leave nothing unsaid to the important people in their lives.

Jody recounted several stories from her own life where written words of affirmation encouraged others, helped them through grieving a loved one, left a lasting memory, or motivated others towards life change.

Through these experiences, Jody has become a self-proclaimed “letter evangelist” and has spent her time and resources to develop a workbook with a step-by-step approach to writing a meaningful letter. Jody also speaks and leads Leave Nothing Unsaid workshops across the country.

We underestimate the positive impact that our words can have in the lives of people we care about, both professionally or personally.

Jody told us a story about serotinous pinecones , which only open and release their seeds under extreme heat like a forest fire. Similarly, there are people we have in our world that have been through the equivalent of a forest fire. They’ve been through hardships and no longer have hope.

The gift we can be to each other by being intentionally affirming is that we can remind others about the qualities we love in them and help them refocus on special gifts and abilities they may have forgotten about themselves.

Jody taught us that there is a difference between affirming and just appreciating. Appreciating often focuses on what someone has done for us. Affirming is like mining for gold. We can tell people: these are the things in you that make you so special. These are the things I truly value in you.

Most of us are more well-versed in what’s wrong with us than what's right. When you’re inside the jar, you can't see the label. We have the opportunity to tell people these are the things I see in you that are so unique and so special.

Memories fade but ink lasts. Text messages are great, but writing affirming words down in a permanent way gives people something to be read and re-read.

Jody’s final encouragement to us was to write these affirming words now. Life is fragile and the unexpected can happen at any moment. We often wait until funerals to express how we really feel about people, and then it's too late.

Don’t wait. Don’t put it off. Eulogize the living.

Affirmation truly can change lives and relationships. Not only can you change the trajectory of a life, but your affirming words can be healing and life-giving. Think on a daily basis about who in your life you can affirm.

Following this Enrichment Series event, Jody Noland hosted a Leave Nothing Unsaid workshop at Trilith on Thursday, July 27th. Jody taught us her powerful, step-by-step process to write affirming letters to those who matter most.

For future workshops and events, check out the calendar of Trilith Foundation events here.

Mental and Emotional Resilience in Life and Work

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 15:21:35 GMT

Seven years ago, Angela Duckworth released her book, Grit, into the world. This book deeply resonated with its readers and was on the New York Times Bestseller’s list for 21 straight weeks. In her book, Angela defines “grit” as passion and perseverance directed towards an objective over an extended period of time. Success in life requires a combo of passion and perseverance (or resilience).

At our May Enrichment Series event, we were honored to have professional creatives Michael & Wynn Albanese, Mimi Tin, and Blaine Hogan join us on a panel focused on mental and emotional resilience.

Michael Albanese , a writer and entrepreneur, and his wife Wynn Alabanese , an actress, live in Trilith with their two daughters. Blaine Hogan , an actor, writer and director, lives in Trilith with his wife and daughters. Mimi Tin is an environmental designer, interior and graphic designer, product developer, entrepreneur and also resident of Trilith.

Interviewed by host Fred Odom on the topic of mental and emotional resilience in life and work , here is a recap of their conversation:

Q: What is your “why” behind the work you do?

Michael: Art has the capacity to change the world, to change culture. Storytelling is part of my DNA and it anchors me to my purpose.

Wynn: The creative fulfillment I get from collaboration with others and the relationships I build. There’s at least one person from each project I’ve worked on that has become a lifetime friend.

Blaine: The power of stories to transform.

Mimi: Since I was little, I felt such a strong calling to use my creative ability to create products and spaces that bring joy, laughter, and love into people’s lives and homes. It’s in my blood, it’s what I was made for.

Q: Do you think you are born with resilience, or do you develop it?

Wynn: You’re born with it, but it’s also a muscle that you build. As actors and artists, we have to see our art as a gift. Once you give a gift to a friend, you don't call the next day seeking praise and validation. You give the gift and let go. Same with your work - on set and in auditions. Do the work and let go. This mindset will help you build more resiliency in your journey as a creative.

Mimi: For me, I had parents who were incredibly resilient. They were immigrants who escaped from military regime, survived in the jungle and came to the U.S. with twenty dollars. I had the opportunity to watch them survive and do what they needed to do to be resourceful and resilient. But they also raised us to not be quitters.

Blaine: View your life and work as a portfolio. Of course, we want to be successful now, but if we think about our life as a body of work, it takes the pressure off of each project. My work and practice in resilience is building a body of work that at the end of my lifetime I’m proud of.

Michael: On the other side of the no is the yes. The answer no is better than no answer at all. It hurts, but at least it's definitive and you can move on. We’re born with resilience, but like Wynn said it’s a muscle and it takes time, resistance and pain to break yourself down and build yourself up to get stronger.

Q: What are some ingredients to resilience?

Wynn: Vulnerability and having a growth mindset over time are ingredients to resilience. Focusing on growth, the experience, and being able to share your gift, instead of focusing on the no's and rejections, helps you grow in your resilience.

Mimi: For me, it’s important to remember that no experience is ever wasted. Every single thing is a step that leads you to success. If you have that mindset, you’ll be fully immersed in your work.

Blaine: Imagination! Where we are sitting now in Trilith, years ago it was just wildflowers and now I can’t believe we get to live here! The idea that you can imagine something is an ingredient for resilience. We often think of time as linear: past, present, future. But it’s actually past, future, present. Anything bad we experience from the past we project onto the future. And whatever we’re imagining the future to be is how we live in the present. But the easiest thing to change is the past and how we view it. So what we can do is go back to your past and renarrate the script of where you came from, and that helps us have belief in the future. The power of resiliency is imagining a different future, which redefines the past which allows you to live differently in the present.

Q: What role does community play in your ability to be resilient?

Blaine: There is something called the downward spiral. When something bad happens, we can so quickly go from the first thought to the worst spot. The power of resilience is how quickly can you stop that downward spiral. You need people around you reflecting that the worst thought is not the truth. Also, being at Trilith and being around so many people taking risks every single day gives me resilience and courage. I couldn’t do that if I lived in another place, I couldn’t do that without the power of community.

Mimi: Collaboration is so important. As creatives, we have to be open to feedback. There’s always a way to make a product or project better. You have to talk to people who have your best interest at heart.

Q: What filters do you all use when receiving feedback from others?

Wynn: You need to build a “Board of Directors” - people who love you and who you deeply trust.

Blaine: When I receive feedback, I find some time in quiet and stillness and ask myself “is there some truth I can glean from this?”

Michael: The artist both doesn’t care and also deeply cares what others think. We live in that tension. Praise and criticism are both demons, one just has a sweeter voice. We have to be careful not to listen to either too much.

Wynn: We also say in our house that praise and criticism are two wings to the same bird. If you go looking for praise, you’ll find criticism. One bloats you up and one brings you down that you end up in a down place. Finding that balance is a very difficult task as an artist.

We were so inspired to hear the stories and experiences from these seasoned professional creatives. At Trilith Foundation, we believe that stories move us, change narratives and change society.

Our Enrichment Series is designed to gather people in community and learning around the elements that make us flourish. We aim to educate and enrich the lives of those who attend as we hear from speakers and experts in their field. Learn more and see details for our next Enrichment Series event here .

In conclusion, here are some kind words from one of the attendees of this event:

Wow, where do I begin? Today's event was so powerful and encouraging. I loved the message and each of the speakers with their unique perspectives on resilience. I think I previously shared with you that our peer program is called "Out of the Ashes, a Road to Resiliency". We teach resiliency to our veterans and first responders. I feel we have a very strong program, but I got so many more great ideas out of today's session. I left the event and added a few notes for our next class. Thank you again for the platform to share our message so we can help our veteran community.

– Brenton Briggs, Executive Director of The Eden Project

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 16:18:23 GMT

At our last Enrichment series event, we were privileged to have Jenn Boughey share her insights into mental and emotional health. Jenn Boughey is the founder of Uncommon Grit - a mindset coaching business dedicated to helping women unlock their full potential.

Jenn spent a significant part of her life in corporate America but left it all to pursue her passion for counseling. After receiving her master's degree in counseling, she journeyed into her career as a personal coach and counselor. At the center of Jenn’s work is her belief in the power of people’s choices, thoughts, reactions, and internal narratives to shape the trajectory of their lives. Jenn particularly has a burden to help women know their true worth, break free from lies they have lived under, and help them find a healthier state of mind.

At this event, she spoke to us about the power of our choices, thoughts, reactions, and how the narratives we tell ourselves can literally change the trajectory of our lives. In her time with us, she described how the most important story we know is the story that we tell ourselves about our lives and about the lives of others. Jenn talked about the moldability of the brain and how critical it is that we feed it positive information. If we are to live emotionally healthy lives, we must first accept that we are personally responsible for the narrative we are living in.

We are all selling and telling ourselves stories. We are the ultimate salespeople to ourselves. In fact, the greatest story you will ever tell is the story you tell yourself.

While it is vital that we evaluate the story that we tell ourselves about our lives, Jenn stressed how crucial it is for us to examine the story we tell ourselves about other people’s lives. When we tell ourselves a poor narrative about someone else, we are actually negatively affecting our own emotional health. When we believe the best of others, it opens the door for the greatest relational potential with that person.

What’s at stake inside of our storytelling is your greatest potential. You could be the very one in your own mind stealing your greatest potential from you, from other people and from the relationships you have.

In conclusion, Jenn emphasized the importance of closely guarding whom we allow to speak into the narrative of our lives. She used the brilliant example of a boardroom with glass walls where many people are looking into the room but only select people are allowed inside. If we are to live out our desired future, we must have people around us that will champion our direction and the decisions we make.

Questions to consider:

What are the stories you are telling yourself about yourself?
What are some of the stories you are telling yourself about others close to you?
Who are the people you are allowing to speak into your life?

Designed to gather in community and learning around the elements that make us flourish, our Enrichment Series aims to educate and enrich the lives of those who attend as we hear from speakers and experts in their field. Learn more and see details for our next Enrichment Series event here .

To connect with Jenn, check out her website and her Instagram .

Mental Margin: Finding the White Space in Our Lives

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 13:00:00 GMT

On April 11th, 2023, we launched the Trilith Foundation Enrichment Series!

Designed to create space to gather in community and learn about the elements that help us flourish, the Enrichment Series features speakers, leaders, and experts in their fields who will guide us toward living better lives, one step at a time. Our hope is that the Enrichment Series will not only educate those who attend, but that it will enrich their lives in new ways as well.

We were thrilled to welcome Juliet Funt to lead a conversation on Mental Margin. Featured in top media outlets such as Forbes, CNBC, Fast Company, and NPR, Juliet is a globally renowned keynote speaker, tough-love advisor to the Fortune 500, and founder and CEO of the efficiency training firm, Juliet Funt Group. In her work, she’s been an evangelist for freeing the potential of companies by unburdening their talent from busywork, a powerful concept she’s brought to brands like Spotify, National Geographic, Anthem, Vans, Abbott, Costco, Pepsi, Nike, Wells Fargo, Sephora, Sysco, and ESPN. She’s also the author of A Minute to Think , a work devoted to helping readers reclaim their creativity, conquer their busyness, and do their best work as a result of the mental margin they find in doing both.

As Juliet led our first gathering in our Enrichment Series on Mental Margin, she pointed us to the one professional problem we all have in common: we are not infinite, but the work is. There will always be more to do. We are buried in work and overwhelmed, and many find themselves trying to grind harder. This is the age of overload we find ourselves in.

But there is a solution!

Look at your day and find the white space .

White space is the part of your day that is unburdened. It’s the margin where you are able to think, ideate, and play. Your greatest ideas and most productive work come from the white space of time where you have a minute to think.

But how do we create more white space in our schedules?

A practical way to gain more white space is to create what Juliet calls “the wedge” : to insert time in between activities that were previously connected . Time in between meetings, in between a question and a response. Adding time in between these activities creates a little oxygenation. This time doesn’t have to be long. These small interstitials of two minutes, five minutes, or 30 minutes can change the metronome of your day.

Juliet and her team’s research shows that American companies waste $1million annually on wasteful work for every 50 employees. Juliet walked us through four common thieves of our time. These thieves disguise themselves as assets but are actually risks to our time. They morph and steal our focus.

The thieves of time are:

Drive - risks turning into Overdrive.

Excellence - risks turning into Perfectionism.

Activity - risks turning into Frenzy.

The way to stop these thieves of time is to ask yourself these simplification questions:

Is there anything I can let go of?
Where is “good enough,” good enough?
What do I truly need to know?
What deserves my attention?

Lastly, Juliet helped us define high-value work versus low-value work.

The four R’s of High-Value Work are:

Revenue, Reputation, Reward, and Readiness.

The four P’s of Low-Value Work are:

Panicking, Pandering, Procedure, and Padding.

Juliet showed us how taking a minute to think can change the nature of work, guiding us to find the missing element of white space—short periods of open, unscheduled time that, when recaptured, change the very nature of our work and our lives.

After reading this, we urge you to find the white space in your own lives. Create “the wedges” in your schedule and give yourselves the time to think, ideate, play, and create something new. And learn more by reading Juliet’s book – A Minute to Think. You can read the first chapter of the book here .

If you'd like to know which of the Thieves is your biggest obstacle and how to overcome it, you may want to take Thieves of Time Assessment – a survey designed by the Juliet Funt Group to help individuals identify the root causes of workplace overload and reclaim their time. Take the assessment here . Juliet would love to hear from you and can be reached at juliet@julietfunt.com .

Join us on June 13th from 8:00-9:30am with Jenn Boughey for our next Trilith Enrichment Series event for a chance to listen, learn, and build community with others in the creative community.

To register for this session of the Enrichment Series, as well as all Trilith Foundation events, click here .

Campaign Update: We Reached Our Goal... & Need To Keep Going!

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 14:14:13 GMT

At the Trilith Foundation kickoff event on March 4th, we announced our fundraising campaign, 100 in 100.

The goal was to raise in 100 days enough funds to provide 100 mental health therapy sessions to creative industry professionals, and because of your generous support, we hit the goal of $20,000 20 days early!

We met our goal, but there’s still more to do! With 11 days left, let’s work together to invite others to join this mission in servin g more c reative professionals!

$500 = another life supported to get the help they need to thrive.

And what is also exciting is that 100% of the donations goes towards mental health sessions and will directly impact creative industry professionals.

How this will work...

Our goal with this campaign was to provide Access, Advocacy, and Financial Subsidy .

Here’s how we’ve done this:

Access

We have identified and approved five counseling centers to serve these creative industry professionals.

Advocacy

We will offer a crisis hotline, as well as frontline ambassadors to partner with in mental health, including Learning Circle Leaders, the Brain Trust, Passion City Church Staff and Trilith employees across the community.

Financial Subsidy

That is where your financial support comes in, and each qualified individual who applies will be given a reimbursement of up to $500 for the completed mental health sessions at an approved center.

What’s next...

In the coming days, we will open applications for individuals to submit for financial support for mental health counseling, and we will provide $500 of subsidy reimbursement for counseling services at pre-determined and approved locations for 40 individuals. Our recommendation is five counseling sessions per person, but in order to maximize the number of sessions, we recommend individuals use their insurance in conjunction with the financial support.

As you feel compelled, will you spread the word to others to invite them to be a part of the creative community thriving? Who are five people that you know who want to be a part of this?

We are so grateful to everyone who partnered with us in supporting the creative community by providing access to mental health resources.

To continue to donate to the Trilith Foundation’s 100 in 100, donate here .

A New Campaign: Introducing Trilith Foundation’s 100 in 100

Tue, 09 May 2023 19:09:33 GMT

May 2021, Michelle Williams published Checking In: How Getting Real About Depression Saved My Life — And Can Save Yours . She knows the need is great, not from speculation but from experience. As an actress, singer, and creative, her own struggle to manage her mental health is the subject of her book, and the platform for her work.

“I was the girl talking about empowerment and inspiration, and I found myself in need of some help," Williams says. "I found myself having to do the same thing that I had been telling people to do for years, which was to get some help if you find yourself overwhelmed."

As Williams knows firsthand, asking for help is the brave first step so many need to take on the path to sustained mental health. Now, she’s joining the call to respond to the mental health crisis sweeping through her industry. Since 2020, leaders in the entertainment and creative field have been increasing access to tools like therapy, counseling, and medical support on their sets and in their projects. Why? Because, like Williams, they know that mental health matters, both in their industry and in the world as a whole.

Finding a way to flourish in every aspect of who we are—the mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and relational—is crucial to our ability to live fully enriched lives. It’s crucial to the art we make, the work we do, and the stories we tell. As fully integrated people whose mental and emotional health impacts every aspect of our lives, we need to find healthy ways of managing and helpful tools to guide us toward living the full, creative lives we want to live.

The problem? Not everyone has a way to get the help they need.

The Trilith Fo undatio n’s 100 in 100 is our solution.

100 in 100 is a fundraising initiative taking place over the course of the next 100 days. The goal? To provide 100 mental health therapy sessions to creative industry professionals at no cost. With a mission to enrich the lives of the creators and makers who inspire the world, it’s our desire to see the mental health of these professionals impacted for the better. Because when their own lives are enriched, the work they do and the stories they tell enrich the lives of others in return.

This is where we want you to join in! Our goal is to raise $20,000 by June 12th, 2023, and we need your help to do it. We’re calling on you to partner with us in supporting the creative community by providing access to mental health resources. Because when we enrich the lives of those we serve—when we open the door to help with the things they may be struggling through—we’ll find that every part of who they are is changed for the better.

That’s certainly been the case in Michelle Williams’ life. The freedom she’s found in facing her own mental health head on is what she hopes to help fellow creatives find, too.

“I wanted to share my story in hopes that it would help others on their journey,” she says, “Mental health is extremely important, and we all have to do our part with supporting each other and erasing the stigma.”

To read more in Michelle’s book Checking In, click here .

Will you join us in doing your part to support others in need of mental health care?

To donate to the Trilith Foundation’s 100 in 100, donate here .

To learn more about upcoming Trilith Foundation events, visit our events calendar .

Introducing Our Enrichment Series: Mental Margin

Mon, 08 May 2023 22:35:43 GMT

Do you wish you could stop the mayhem of work and life for even a brief moment?

Do you sense that you could contribute more if there was a little more room in the day?

Do you want to find a way to just take a minute from time to time?

The reality is many of us do! So many of us wish we could find a little more mental margin in our lives, but actually taking the time to pause for our own health and wellbeing feels almost impossible.

At Trilith Foundation, we’re here to help!

We’re excited to launch our Enrichment Series . Designed to create space to gather in community and learn about the elements that help us flourish, the Enrichment Series features speakers, leaders, and experts in their fields who will guide us toward living better lives, one step at a time. Our hope is that the Enrichment Series will not only educate those who attend, but that it will enrich their lives in new ways as well.

We kicked off our first event on April 11th, and we were thrilled to welcome Juliet Funt to lead a conversation on Mental Margin. Featured in top media outlets such as Forbes, CNBC, Fast Company, and NPR, Juliet is a globally renowned keynote speaker, tough-love advisor to the Fortune 500, and founder and CEO of the efficiency training firm, Juliet Funt Group. In her work, she’s been an evangelist for freeing the potential of companies by unburdening their talent from busywork, a powerful concept she’s brought to brands like Spotify, National Geographic, Anthem, Vans, Abbott, Costco, Pepsi, Nike, Wells Fargo, Sephora, Sysco, and ESPN. She’s also the author of A Minute to Think , a work devoted to helping readers reclaim their creativity, conquer their busyness, and do their best work as a result of the mental margin they find in doing both.

Juliet led Trilith Foundation’s first gathering in our Enrichment Series on Mental Margin . She dove into how taking a minute to think can change the nature of work, guiding attendees to find the missing element of white space—short periods of open, unscheduled time that, when recaptured, change the very nature of our work and our lives. Juliet pointed us toward…

Gaining tools to combat burnout and exhaustion.
Learning to increase time for creative, innovative, and meaningful work.
Acquiring models and techniques that keep quality work out in front.
Maximizing talent capacity to do the right work.

Together, we can find the much needed mental margin that comes with stepping back, taking a strategic pause, and finding the oxygen that allows the sparks of our efforts to catch fire once again.

Join us on May 9th from 8:00-9:30 am for our next Trilith Enrichment Series event for a chance to listen, learn, and build community with others in the creative community.

To register for this session of the Enrichment Series, click here .

A Hopeful Beginning: The Kickoff Of The Trilith Foundation

Mon, 01 May 2023 12:57:48 GMT

As I look across nature in all it's splendor;

It creates this feeling inside, something warm, something tender.

The type of feeling that makes you want to create as well;

Not just anything though, something that causes the human heart to swell.

On an unseasonably warm early Spring night just outside of Atlanta, something started. Something new. Something inspirational. Something hopeful. Something that did, in fact, cause the human heart to swell.

A gathering of artists, dreamers, entrepreneurs, families, and friends to kick off Trilith Foundation.

Designed to enrich the lives of the creators and makers who inspire the world, Trilith Foundation desires to enhance the quality of our community, our creativity, and our common ground.

And on Saturday, March 4th, that’s exactly where we started.

In the midst this feeling, there is something else inside;

The other side of creating that I wish we could hide.

Because alongside the joy, a sorrow comes with;

Like a weight that is attached to a long-awaited gift.

We know the struggles in life are real. We recognize the epidemic of anxiety and depression that’s plaguing our people. We feel the brokenness in our communities, schools, and homes.

And, like you, we want to heed the call to act.

The challenge? The barriers we face to getting in the game. The exhaustion, the lack of margin, the need for connection, the loss of inspiration—it all has the potential to keep us from finding solutions that will enrich the world we live in and the communities we love.

That’s where we hope the Trilith Foundation comes in.

To create experiences and events that inspire the mind and heart.

To connect to resources that enable enrichment in each area of life.

To provide meaningful sources of connection, creativity, and community.

To see people flourish through the gift of sharing their stories with the world.

The painter who uses the brush to pour out his soul;

Yet knows that one day his art will be released and out of his control.

The mother who feels the joy of bringing new life into the world;

While holding the tension of one day sending off her little boy or little girl.

The writer who pours passion and grit in every single word

While reviews from a critic can cut deeper than the sword.

As a kickoff for the work Trilith Foundation will do this year and beyond, it was an event that called the community together as an invitation for collaboration. Our heart is to enhance the quality of life and the quality of what we’re making with our lives. To inspire members of our community to enrich their own lives and in turn, enrich the lives of those they serve. Because we believe that when our lives are enriched mentally, physically, spiritually, and relationally, we have everything we need to enrich the lives of others in return.

So why do we create?

Because of this passion deep inside that is longing to escape.

Or the unique contribution we can give to make the world a better place?

No matter our why, there are two sides to this coin;

And we bear through the trials, because of this community that we've joined.

This is why we create. This is what we celebrated with creativity and heart as we kicked off the work of Trilith Foundation. With art installations designed to express ways in which we all can be creators, a private concert with Ben Rector, and an invitation to sign our studio wall and declare your role in the movement to enrich lives alongside us, it was an evening overflowing with creative inspiration and the hope of more to come.

The joys even higher, the sorrows not as low;

It's that feeling we all desire, the feeling of being known.

We are the ones who seek to inspire the world;

To fill humanity with a hope more valuable than pearls.

The truth is we can’t do it alone. And at Trilith Foundation, we don’t want to do any of it without your help! Whether you’re donating your time, resources, or finances to support the work, attending upcoming events targeted at improving the overall health, wellness, and creativity of our community, or diving into one of our upcoming Learning Circles to grow alongside others, there’s a place at the Trilith Foundation for you.

Now is the time to respond to the work started at our kickoff.

To see beyond what’s possible.

To enrich lives that will enrich culture.

To believe progress is possible.

To see a thriving, healthy society fostered through the work of our hands and our hearts.

To change the story.

Because we believe a better future is possible, both at Trilith and beyond.

So, as we gather tonight, let's bring our full self;

From that place we can experience the definition of health.

Creators we are creators we were made to be;

And the best part of creating is the community it brings.*

Experiences to inspire

Resources to support

To see more from our March 4th kickoff event, and to learn more of what the Trilith Foundation is all about, visit us here .

*Poetry shared by Fred Odom at the Trilith Foundation kickoff.