Susan Wells has been active in the social justice movement since the 1950s. She and her husband, Albert, are founding board members of the Abelard Foundation which has supported social-change efforts for over fifty years. At 41, she earned a graduate degree in clinical psychology and opened a private practice in adult psychotherapy. Today, the couple splits their time between Montana and Northern California. Susan Wells is a graduate of Wellesley College and holds masters degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Sonoma State University.
By Susan Wells
Paperback, 240 pages (7 x 10)
Innovative program helped reverse the symptoms of burnout
What would happen if the leaders of our country’s social-justice movement no longer had the emotional or physical strength to do their critical work? Would civil rights, minimum-wage reform, and environmental protections vanish if those men and women fell victim to burnout?
These are questions that most of us don’t stop to ponder. But these non-profit leaders face a real threat. Seeing the need to help these leaders sustain their vision, balance and resilience, lifelong activists and philanthropists Albert and Susan Wells launched an experiment in the late 1980s. The couple converted their small Montana ranch into a place where community activists could address their symptoms of burnout, restore their energy and creativity, and return to their jobs with fresh hope and commitment. They called this inspiring, groundbreaking place Windcall.
In Changing Course: Windcall and the Art of Renewal, Susan Wells narrates the couple’s journey as they grow Windcall into a highly respected and wildly successful endeavor. Aside from offering a history of the project, the book serves as a practical guide, not only for other nonprofit leaders who can learn from Windcall’s unique model, but for anyone who has ever experienced the debilitating effects of burnout. Changing Course shows readers how they can restore balance in their lives.
The book concludes with in-depth profiles of seven leaders who came to Windcall through the years. Through these profiles readers will meet a diversity of social-justice activists and organizers and better understand their invaluable contributions to our democracy.
Comments
Anthony Thigpenn, Founder and President - Strategic Concepts in Organizing & Policy Education (SCOPE)
"My time at Windcall was a life-changing experience that helped shape the next fifteen years of my social justice work."
Richart Todd, former Executive Director - Atlantic Monthly
"In this extraordinary book, Susan Wells writes eloquently of the nation's most selfless men and women and the moving transformations that have occurred as they contemplate their lives."
Andy Stern, President - Service Employees International Union
"An approach to renewal for social activists that feeds the head and the heart."
Anna Eshoo, Congresswoman
"This marvelous book is both an inspiration and a practical guide on how to support these true American heroes who are committed to achieving equal justice and opportunity for all."
Harriet Barlow, director of the Blue Mountain Center
"After reading Susan Wells’ deeply considered reflection about Windcall, each of us will have learned something new about ourselves and be better equipped to face the world that so needs changing."
Karen Narasaki - Asian American Justice Center, Washington, DC
"Windcall's focus on increasing the longevity and inner fire of social justice leaders directly impacts their organizations' capacity to continue to evolve and to win over the long term."
Journalist & Reader Reviews
Madeline Janis, Executive Director - Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy
"This wonderful, nurturing book brings back a flood of memories for those of us who found life-affirming sustenance in the mountains of Montana. Readers: prepare yourselves to be enveloped with Susan's personal warmth and essential humanity."
Public Appearances by Author and Windcall Co-founder Susan Wells
Call 510-834-3892 for further information on the below events in March and April.
March 2008
March 25th-March 26th
Charlotte, NC
Friday, March 28th, 5PM
Virginia Festival of the Book
City Council Chamber, 605 E. Main Street
Charlottesville, VA
Susan Wells will be on a panel with Joe Szakos, co-author of We Make Change: Community Organizers Talk About What They Do - and Why and Michael Jacoby Brown, author of Building Powerful Community Organizations.
www.vabook.org
March 30th
Durham, NC
April 2008
April 7th-8th
Milwaukee, WI
April 9th-10th
Twin Cities, MN