Changing Course: Windcall and the Art of Renewal (Paperback)

by Susan Wells (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In an effort to address the alarming incidence of leadership burnout in the field of social change, Susan and Albert Wells retooled their Montana ranch as a place where community organizers,activists and non-profit sector professionals could restore their energies and creativity, and return to their jobs with fresh hope and commitment. Narrating the development and discoveries of the Windcall Resident Program, and filled with personal reflections of those who have attended, this book is a practical guide to both the causes of burnout and its reversal.

About the Author
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. 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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Heyday (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597140716
• ISBN-13: 978-1597140713
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,079,996 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important lessons for each and every one of us, November 2, 2007

By	J. Burgess (Seattle USA) - See all my reviews

What a lovely story - full of simple truths that any one of us can benefit from. It's a pretty fast read (less than 200 pgs), full of heartfelt, revealing portraits of real people and their experiences of renewal. The author and the people profiled provide us with a solution to the always-present problem of burnout - specifically for those who work in the fields of social and environmental justice. I think the story is applicable for anyone who may have 'lost themselves' in their work and now suffers from the various symptoms that so easily creep in.

It's a beautifully written, personal reflection by one of the co-founders of an inventive program they call Windcall. I readily recommend this book to anyone who has a spouse, friend, sibling or coworker that could use an optimistic reminder that we are not simply our work. And that the vital life force and creativity that often gets snatched away if one's identity becomes too locked and identified only with work-related responsibilities can indeed be restored and renewed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, November 10, 2007

By	Sadee Whip (seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While I'm not in the non-profit world, I found this book to be incredibly inspiring. This book is about community, supporting the people on the front lines, retreat and the difference one or two people can make.
The writing is poetic - so much so that I felt transported. I wish I knew of a way to get this book into a wider variety of bookstore subject areas as many more people would benefit from this than just folks in the non-profit world.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Walk the walk of social change, December 14, 2007

By	Wendy B. Lewis "[e-mail]" (Bozeman, MT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Author Susan Wells artfully weaves together inspiring stories from three points of view: social change-makers, her role as a mentor, and, for the reader, the power of open space to restore us. Her book is a counterpoint to today's obsession with benchmarks and metrics (in nonprofit and for-profit settings) rather than the people who create change.