AuthRev Articles

Exploring the Curiosities of Connection

A Framework for Conflict at the End of the World

In early 2022, Sara and I got a call from Rebel Wisdom. They had a problem: their community, despite being unusually bright, dangerously curious, and predisposed to that greatest of libertarian vices: solipsism, didn’t really know how to talk to each other. Their community was founded...

Jun 03, 2025 art of difficult conversations communication skills conflict resolution crisis negotiation de-escalation strategies difficult conversations emotional intelligence facilitation tools feedback skills group dynamics holding tension interpersonal skills leadership development nonviolent communication presence in conflict relational capacity relational intelligence self-regulation somatic awareness tactical empathy

Free Exposure Therapy

How to fight your dad - and win “You’re a failure,” he screamed at me. Red faced, spit flying from his mouth, hands balled into fists as he stared me down. “You never amounted to anything. And you don’t come home to visit!” I took a breath. Then I yelled back, just as loudly. “Don’t you want me t...

May 23, 2025 anger management arguments communication skills conflict resolution difficult conversations ecposure therapy emotional growth emotional regulation experiential healing family dynamics fight lab fighting better psychodrama ptsd recovery relational intellifence roleplay for healing somatic psychology trigger work truama-informed practice

Training Anger Management

How does state-dependent learning affect skill-building? Imagine this. You take a well-regarded communications course and learn the skills of curiosity, empathy, and self-expression. You come home and use the skills with your partner, which they love. Until…things go wrong. You’ve been practicing...

May 15, 2025 anger management communication conflict resolution conflict training curiosity difficult conversations embodied learning emotional regulation empathy experiential learning memory nervous system neurobiology psychology state-dependent learning

What I Want to Do With My Life (or, a commentary on community)

Balancing needs in a culture without collectivity I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do next with my life. After 13 years teaching communication and connection, I want to learn, contribute, and receive more. Meeting all these needs together will be hard. But I’ve been asking myself, “I...

by Sara Ness — May 02, 2025 collective collective identity communal living commune community community essays community living conflict & negotiation emotional intelligence group dynamics intentional community interpersonal dynamics living systems modern loneliness moral development personal growth prosocial psychology social health

Sitting in Uncertainty

The spiritual and scientific loss of a generation There’s a lot we don’t know. In science; in the world; in our lives. A lot we try to manage through action, when the iceberg of its totality is something we can barely touch. A lot we distract from. The main practice of our generation, it seems, i...

by Sara Ness — Apr 15, 2025 anxiety connection culture emotional wellbeing generational change grief loss mindfulness modern spirituality personal narrative post-religious identity presence reflection ritual uncertainty

How to Survive in Uncertainty

The science of why we struggle + my best strategies I didn’t know what to write on this morning. Most of my current research is on things like “how to do drywall” and “how to take care of chickens”, which…doesn’t seem like something y’all can learn more about from me than Youtube. (Welcome to far...

by Sara Ness — Apr 09, 2025 anxiety relief brain states coping strategies critical brain theory depression emotional intelligence existential tools mental health modern spirituality neuroscience personal growth philosophy resilience tools uncertainty

How To Create Meaningful Connections By Asking Great Questions

There was a time, not so long ago, when curiosity felt like an impossible skill for me. I would sit in a conversation, racking my brain for anything I could say. The only options were to talk about myself - which felt awkward unless they’d asked - say a non sequitur, or come up with a question...

by Sara Ness — Mar 26, 2025 authenticity awareness communication connection conversation curiosity dialogue empathy engagement interaction introspection listening presence questions relationships socializing transformation trust

What is Authenticity?

How to express ourselves and help others understand “It isn’t normal to know what we want. It is a rare and difficult psychological achievement.” — Abraham Harold Maslow What does it mean to be authentic? Is authenticity total honesty in all your words and actions? Is it following your imp...

Mar 18, 2025 acceptance authenticity connection expression identity mindfulness personalgrowth selfawareness transformation values

Lead Into Your Edge

Feedback Loops Feedback is invaluable You are allergic to it, and you can treat the allergy The person you identify as and the person that the world experiences are not the same person. For every person in your life—every person you’ve interacted with—there is an alternate version of yo...

Mar 11, 2025 community building constructive criticism emotional intelligence facilitation feedback leadership development performance evaluation personal growth self-awareness self-improvement social psychology workplace culture

Why People Don't Show Up To Your Stuff

and how to make it more likely that they will Anytime I create an event and people don’t show up, I have a little voice in my brain that says: “It was me, wasn’t it? I didn’t create a good enough event. I don’t have enough social cred. I have, in some way, secretly offended all of these people an...

Mar 04, 2025 audience engagement community building connection design effective communication engagement event design event planning experiental design experiential learning facilitation group dynamics hosting events human motivation invitation strategy leadership leadership development professional facilitation social psychology team building workshop design

Navigating Collective Trauma

Trauma ripples into communities like a wave, touching not individuals alone but entire networks of people. As I sat with Dr. Sarilee Kahn today, I was drawn into the layered complexity of shared grief. Her stories -most particularly her work in Afghanistan in the wake of a terrorist attack- offer...

Feb 27, 2025 collective community connection culture grief healing leadership loss practices resilience rutuals truama

How to Share a Withhold

Clear conflicts before they explode. Sometimes, I get angry with people and think they’re wrong. I know, shocking. As a communications teacher I should be immune to such emotions. But we tend to teach the things we’re bad at. And I am a sensitive, cranky human. For a long time I swung between t...

by Sara Ness — Feb 18, 2025 arguments clearing conflict difficult conversations fighting resolution shared reality subtext understanding withholds

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