Inspiration, Transformation, and Human Flourishing

Think Tank
Written By Fabio Issao

April 27-May 02, 2025
Oratorio di Barottoli

What is inspiration and how does it lead to the human will to create? Humans are storytellers—oral, musical, and artistic narratives are as old as evidence reaches into our past. Stories define values and create possibilities, define identities but also barriers, censorship, and trauma. How can personal and community narratives transform and lead to human flourishing at the individual and collective level? From psychotherapy to group dynamics, and from the search for meaning and for transcendence, we explore how stories can be a pathway to flourishing.

PARTICIPANTS

  • Dalal Abu Amneh is a renowned singer, neuroscientist, therapist and activist. Her work explores the powerful intersections between music, neuroscience, spirituality, social identity, and well-being. Dalal delves into how melodies and rhythms can profoundly influence emotions, cognition, and behavior on both individual and collective levels. She investigates the transformative potential of community music therapy and collective singing in reducing stress and fostering social cohesion. Through her music, Dalal aims not only to foster intellectual dialogue but also to break cultural barriers, using the universal language of music to inspire and motivate change.

  • Dr. Davidson is the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Founder and Director of the Center for Healthy Minds. He is best known for his groundbreaking work studying emotion and the brain. A friend and confidante of the Dalai Lama, he is a highly sought after expert and speaker, leading conversations on wellbeing on international stages such as the World Economic Forum, where he serves on the Global Council on Mental Health. Time Magazine named Davidson one of “The 100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2006.

  • Everard Findlay is a Global Systems Strategist with over two decades of experience in fostering cross-disciplinary connections for educational, economic, environmental, and social growth. As the founder of Everard Findlay, LLC, he has collaborated with heads of state, leaders, Ivy League institutions, artists, and foundations to align public, private, and NGO sectors, creating deep ecosystems and transformative opportunities for sustainable growth and innovation. Findlay serves as a Board Member of the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report where he functions as an Interdisciplinary Strategist and Development Expert. He is also an Advisory Board Member for the Department of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University, and a Mayoral-appointed Chair of Communications at GrowNYC, New York City’s Council on the Environment. He is a Global Ambassador for Morehouse College and the lead strategist for Cornell University Extension Nassau, where he oversaw the design of the Dynamic Learning Center to promote community cohesion and environmental education.

  • Diana Fosha, PhD, is the developer of AEDP™ psychotherapy, a healing-based, transformation-oriented treatment model. And she is Founder and Director of the AEDP Institute. For the last 20 years, Diana has been active in promoting a scientific basis for a healing-oriented, attachment-emotion-transformation focused trauma treatment model. Fosha’s work focuses on integrating positive neuroplasticity, recognition science and developmental dyadic research into experiential and transformational clinical work with patients. Her most recent work focuses on promoting flourishing as a seamless part of the AEDP therapeutic process of transforming emotional suffering. Drawing on affective neuroscience, attachment theory, mother-infant developmental research, and research documenting the undreamed-of plasticity in the adult brain, AEDP is an experiential clinical practice which reflects the integration of science,research and practice in psychotherapy.

  • Stathis Gourgouris is a poet, essayist, translator, sound artist, and professor of classics, English, Comparative Literature at Columbia University. He also writes opinion pieces on contemporary politics and culture in newspapers and internet media in both Greek and English. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2022. He was also a former president of the Modern Greek Studies Association (2006-2012) and director of the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society at Columbia (2009-2015). He is a member of the Sublamental Artists Collective, which releases his music and sound art compositions under the name Count G.

  • Dr. Flávia Maia is an influential thought leader, mentor, and advocate for the next generation of leaders, Dr. Maia continues to inspire positive change, dedicating her life to promoting leadership education for meaningful impact. In 2024, she was recognized at Change Now in Paris as one of the 25 Women Shaping our Future.

ESSAYS & ARTICLES

Fabio Issao
Currently focused on Branding and Information Design, Fabio Issao helps individuals and organizations to improve their visions, purposes and businesses strategies through design-oriented methodologies. In the last 12 years, Fabio co-founded 3 design studios (LUME, Flag and Camisa10). After that, he served as the Strategic Design Director at Mandalah, a global conscious innovation consultancy, for 5 years, where he helped global and local brands to implement design as a changing-driver for all its projects. Since July 2014 he's been working on different projects, all of them based on creating social good and purposeful products and services.
http://www.fabioissao.com
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