Inaugural speaker event a “fantastic” night
Speakers explore the idea at the heart of the KCHP
On Wednesday, Jan. 18, the Kacmarcik Center for Human Performance (KCHP) was proud to host three dynamic speakers at The 885, as a group of over 70 attendees gathered to listen to various authentic perspectives on “The Art of the Good Life” and what it means to flourish.
“I think having events like this one is incredibly important,” said Brett Larson, a community service navigator, who attended the event. “Being able to come together and learn/discuss important topics is how we grow as individuals, organizations, and as a community. Getting together with those outside of our normal circles is always beneficial but sadly seems to happen too infrequently. I hope these types of events continue to take place and that the topics discussed continue to be about important and meaningful topics.”
Chief Learning Officer and Group President for Social Impact at Kacmarcik Enterprises Gretchen Jameson, says events like this are important to get people thinking and talking about big ideas that make an impact. “Events like Dare the Possible matter because people are getting an opportunity to think about the idea of flourishing and the art of the good life and there’s a lot of value in that.”
During the evening, three presenters delivered their “spin” on the “Art of the Good Life” in a PechaKucha-style presentation, in which the speaker presents 20 slides. They then have 20 seconds to talk about the image on each slide and deliver their presentation.
“The format was awesome. The PechaKucha format is ideal for this type of event—I loved it,” said Patrick McGovern, director of sales and marketing at Ascedia, who attended the event.
Presenters Rob Henken, Greg Sadler, and La’Ketta Caldwell were part of the evening’s lineup.
Henken is the President of the Wisconsin Policy Forum and the author and co-author of five reports that won national awards from the Governmental Research Association. He addressed security, stability, and overall well-being in his presentation, touching on non-partisan policy.
Sadler is president of ReasonIO, cohost of the Wisdom for Life radio show, an APPA-certified philosophical counselor, and a team member of the Modern Stoicism Organization. He discussed character and virtue in his approach to the Art of the Good Life and weaved in elements of stoic philosophy.
Caldwell is the Director of the Opportunity Academy with LUMIN Schools. She spent the past 13 years at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, most recently as the Director of the Arts program. Her PechKucha was centered around “HOPE” and what that means in a community, even when things go wrong.
“For me, La’Ketta Caldwell’s presentation on the ‘Seeds of Hope’ has nested in my heart and mind since, and remains,” says John Frantz, president of The Frantz Group, who attended the event. “Such a powerful testimony to what we all need—hope that the future can be good for everyone.”
The evening was a resounding success, with many people saying they were inspired by the presentations.
“There were two main highlights of the night for me,” Larson says. “The first was meeting new people as well as being able to catch up with those I did know that attended. The other highlight was the diversity of the speakers and the perspective they gave on the topic. Hearing about the philosophy of stoicism from one speaker and then about bipartisan policy creation all related to one central topic was fascinating.”
“I think the event was absolutely fantastic,” Jameson says. “I feel the evidence of that is the energy that was palpable in the room as people interacted and networked. We saw a unique cross-section of people present … so we had this really unique group of people and what brought them all together was their like-minded interest in the whole idea of the art of the good life. People are very interested in understanding what makes for a good life—not just for themselves, but for the common good”
As the KCHP encourages the community to achieve its potential, they plan to continue to offer inspired events. What’s next on the agenda? EmpowHER—an all-inclusive women’s conference taking place on March 21 which will empower all women, regardless of education, socioeconomic status, race, or employment level.
“We intend to be Milwaukee’s flagship fully-funded professional conference for women of all backgrounds,” Jameson says. “We really believe that in every event we do, bringing people together that represent a complete cross-section of the beauty that is Milwaukee’s tapestry is going to be the most powerful thing we can do to help people not only think about their own flourishing … but also figure out how we are going to get after that as a community.”
