Christian Shockley: Poetry as Equipment for Living (Pt. 2)

Please note that this episode does touch on difficult experiences, which include the loss of a loved one due to suicide. If you or a loved one are in crisis, please contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline; the website is https://988lifeline.org/.I can’t think of a better conversation partner with whom to close out this season of People Watching.I first met Christian Shockley a few years ago, when I was interviewing vendors for learning management systems. In that process, I discovered Pathwright, where Christian serves as the Head of EdLabs and Learning Experience Design. I immediately appreciated Christian’s learning-first mindset, his obvious creativity, and his curiosity about the world and how we talk about our experiences.In addition to his work at Pathwright, Christian also works as the Head of Training at Readyy AI, and the Director of Sales Enablement for ASAPP, where he designs curricula, playbooks, and competency-based onboarding for teams. Busy guy! Christian is a graduate of King’s College London, and when he’s not working, he can be found at his leather-working bench, or writing on pedagogy, poetry, and digital learning.Our conversation explored our literary heroes, the difficult loss of loved ones due to trauma and aging, and how we learn to listen to the stories that role models tell us. We also talked about poetry, and shared some of our favorites. It was delightful.Make sure to like, share, comment, subscribe, and I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.Links MentionedBen Quash Kenneth BurkeJohn Milton, Paradise LostLucille Clifton, “the calling of the disciples”Lucille Clifton, “Here Yet Be Dragons”Christian Wiman, “Every Riven Thing”Christian Wiman, “2047 Grace Street”Osip Mandelstam, Christian Wiman, Stolen AirAustin Church, Pt. 1Austin Church, Pt. 2Other Places to Find ChristianWebsite: crs.workInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/christianrobertshockley/* You can learn more about this newsletter and my work on the About page.* Have a question? Ask me anything. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.r215coaching.com