Lisa Niver's Blog: We Said Go Travel, page 64

Swimming for Grace

by Vicki Bunke

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Standing along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, I found it fitting to learn that it is the lowest freshwater lake in the world. I had recently experienced the lowest point in my life. Eight months earlier, my 14-year-old daughter Grace died after living with osteosarcoma or bone cancer for four years. As I looked out over the lake, I was grateful that Grace picked this spot. She viewed the Sea of Galilee as the most sacred body of water on the planet. Seeing it in person, touching the water, and walking along the shoreline, I now understood why. Although there was something extraordinarily remarkable about this ancient body of water, the magnificence of the landscape didn’t make our purpose for being there any easier. Grace chose to be cremated upon her death and asked for us to place her ashes into the Sea of Galilee.

As I watched Caroline, Grace’s younger sister, lovingly pour Grace’s ashes into the water, I knew at that very moment that I needed to do something to honor Grace’s life. I knew I needed to do something to honor Caroline’s profound loss. I knew I needed to do something so that other younger sisters like Caroline would not have to help carry out the last wishes of their older sisters because they died of a disease called osteosarcoma. A disease whose treatment has not changed in three decades. Three decades.

But what would that something be? Standing on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in November 2018, I had no idea. Not a clue. Fortunately, however, that something found me four months later while sitting in a lecture hall at Emory University.

Prior to Grace’s cancer diagnosis at the age of eleven, she was an avid and energetic soccer player and runner. Following her initial 8-month cancer treatment that involved a partial-leg amputation and while waiting on her running prosthetic to be constructed, Grace turned to swimming. Although initially meant to be a means of getting back into shape to return to running, Grace fell in love with swimming.

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Not only did Grace take to swimming, but swimming took to her. She constantly improved, earning times faster than many teammates who swam with both legs. Although Grace’s swimming improved, her health did not. Grace’s cancer kept returning eventually leading to a terminal prognosis. Grace was going to die. But that didn’t keep her from swimming and competing. In fact, even as she became sicker, she became faster – eventually making it onto her high school swim team and being presented with her Team USA Paralympic swim cap. Determined to live her life fully and continue to make a difference, Grace kept swimming. Even choosing to stop chemo because while taking it, she couldn’t swim. Grace had to keep swimming for the sake of giving and finding a cure.

Shortly after learning of her terminal prognosis, Grace became involved with Swim Across America, a nonprofit organization that hosts open water swimming events to raise money for cancer research. Despite tumors growing in her lungs and on her spine, Grace swam a mile at the 2017 Swim Across America – Atlanta open water event. She raised over $20,000 for cancer research earning her the distinction of top fundraiser. Following that swim, Grace set her sights on 2018. She announced that she planned not to just swim again at the Atlanta event, but she dedicated herself to being the top national fundraiser. And she was, but she didn’t get to swim. Not because she didn’t want to, rather because she died six months prior to the event on March 25th, one day before her 15th birthday.

This is an excerpt from Grace’s 2018 Swim Across America fundraising page:

Last September, I was honored to swim at Lake Lanier to raise money for my treating clinic/hospital and in honor of the people who have helped me for the past almost 4 years. They all carry fancy titles like doctor, oncologist, nurse practitioner, nurse, physical therapist and prosthetist. But they have found a special place in my heart, and as a result, they all carry a much more valuable and special title now. I simply call them my friends. They care about me, they love me, and they wish they could do something more to save my life. But they can’t. They are smart and talented and dedicated and committed, but despite being all of those things, they can’t do anything now to save my life. My cancer called osteosarcoma just does not want to cooperate with their treatments and medications. No, it has other plans. Primarily it plans to take my life. And excepting divine intervention, it will. We just don’t know when. But if our collective ‘umbrella prayers’ remain unanswered, it will happen well before the next Atlanta Swim Across America Open Water event that will take place on September 22, 2018.

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But rest assured, I will definitely be at Lake Lanier come September 22nd. You just might not be able to see me. But if you are swimming in the water or cheering along the shore, I hope you will be able to feel my presence and spirit as we all continue to make waves to cure cancer. Because I am hopeful that by working together, we can change the future of other young people like myself who are diagnosed with cancer. Although the open water Atlanta Swim Across America event in September will have a finish line, guess what doesn’t? Hope. Hope has no finish line.

Hope, said Grace, has no finish line.

And neither does my commitment to honor Grace’s life and memory. Although Grace was not able to swim in the September 2018 event, guess who swam in her place? Me. Because I love swimming in lakes? No, I swam because Grace asked me to. Which was no small feat because up until the day I began training for the open water event, I had never swum a lap in my life. But I learned how, and I completed the mile swim in September 2018. At the closing ceremony of the 2018 event, I committed to swim the 5K the following September. Yet that didn’t seem like enough as I stood along the shore of the Sea of Galilee in November 2018 watching Caroline pour out Grace’s ashes from a wooden urn.

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But what more could or should I do to honor Grace’s life? The answer came to me in March 2019 at a Swim Across America presentation at Emory University. While sitting in the lecture hall listening to the Swim Across America-sponsored doctors describe their research, I received a message. And this was the message: I was supposed to swim in 14 of the Swim Across America open water events to honor the 14 years that Grace lived. 14 open water events for 14 years of Grace. 14 open water events to raise money for cancer research. This endeavor became known as The Amazing Grace Swim Across America Tour.

The Amazing Grace Swim Across America Tour began on Mother’s Day weekend in Tampa, Florida. At this point, I have completed 10 of the open water swims, with 4 more to go. In addition, to Tampa, I have traveled to Detroit, Nantucket, New York, Connecticut, St. Louis, Chicago, and Denver. Our collective team has raised over $100,000 to fund cancer research in Grace’s honor.

[image error] So why do I swim?

I swim with the hope that one day in the future when another young person who believes like Grace that the Sea of Galilee is the most sacred body of water on the planet, that they can travel to Israel with their family and stand along the shoreline as a tourist rather than as a heap of ashes in a wooden box. That is why I swim. Like Grace, I swim for hope. Hope, said Grace, has no finish line.

[image error] Mom Swimming Across America to Honor Her 14 Year Old Daughter Lost to Cancer, Finishes with 14th Swim on October 2 in Hometown

Vicki Bunke Comes Home to Atlanta for Last Swim of the Year

ATLANTA, September 22, 2021 — Vicki Bunke, the Mom who has spent this summer swimming across America in honor of her 14 year old daughter Grace, who sadly lost her battle with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, is coming home to complete her 14th and final swim in her hometown of Atlanta on October 2, 2021. The swim will take place at the Swim Across America Atlanta open water swim, being held at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia. Joining Vicki for her final swim is two-time Gold and Silver Medalist at the recent Tokyo Paralympic Games, Mallory Weggemann, who is also a 15-time world champion swimmer for Team USA.

Mallory was introduced to Grace prior to her passing by Delta CEO Ed Bastion. Mallory was so impressed by Grace that she featured Grace in her book Limitless: The Power of Hope and Resilience to Overcome Circumstance.

“I’m so excited to be able to join Vicki Bunke in her final swim in her hometown of Atlanta,” said Mallory. “The stars aligned and I happened to be in Atlanta for a book signing, of which Grace is one of the inspirational figures I’ve profiled. Even though Grace was only 14 years old when I met her, she was one of those individuals who leaves an indelible mark on your soul. She was wise and poised well beyond her years and inspired me with every swim and every dedicated action she made in her short life. I’m so honored to be able to share the water with her Mom Vicki.”

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An avid runner as a child, Grace was diagnosed at age 11 and battled osteosarcoma for nearly four years, undergoing treatment including a partial leg amputation where the lower half of her leg was reattached backward (rotationplasty) and three lung operations. While recuperating from the surgery, swimming found Grace. She quickly excelled at swimming making her varsity high school swim team and earning her national cap for the U.S. Paralympic team in 2017. She took to open water swimming and participated in the Swim Across America Atlanta open water charity swim near her home the fall of 2017. She bravely and publicly battled cancer with the trademark name given to her by others, “Amazing Grace.” 

“Grace found inspiration and hope in swimming,” noted her mom Vicki Bunke. “Participating in the Swim Across America open water swim was an accomplishment she strived for when she was sick. In fact, she came to love swimming so much that even though she continued to get sicker, she swam faster and better at every meet. In 2018, when she was too sick to swim, she asked me to swim in her place. When one of your daughter’s last requests on this earth is to swim for her when she no longer can, you honor that request. After Grace passed, I was compelled to do more. Swimming in 14 Swim Across America open water swims this year seemed a fitting tribute – a swim for each year of Grace’s life. To have Mallory and other members of my Team Amazing Grace join me at this last swim in our hometown makes it even more special. I know Grace is smiling at this and it is just another example of how ‘hope has no finish line.’”

“Vicki and Grace Bunke’s story is so compelling that we featured them in the first two episodes of this summer’s docu-series WaveMakers that featured Swim Across America athletes and inspirational stories about why we make waves to fight cancer, noted Rob Butcher, CEO of Swim Across America. “Grace’s story, even though it didn’t have the happy ending we all wanted, left a legacy of what she would have wanted for all of us left behind — to turn her loss into triumph. Team Amazing Grace and the 14 charity swims Vicki has undertaken this summer, celebrate the legacy of Grace Bunke, and importantly have raised critical funds for pediatric research.” 

Funds raised this summer by Vicki Bunke in her “Amazing Grace” swim tour total more than $122,000 and climbing and will specifically support pediatric cancer research and treatments. Every 15 minutes, 50 Americans are diagnosed with cancer. And for three decades, Swim Across America has been providing grants that have led to new cures in immunotherapy and gene therapy that have given hope. To learn more about Vicki Bunke’s Amazing Grace Tour, visit swimacrossamerica.org/goto/Vicki.

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About Swim Across America

Swim Across America, Inc. (SAA) is dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related charity events. Founded in 1987, Swim Across America has raised more than $100 million that has funded cancer research and clinical trials. With the help of volunteers nationwide and Olympians, Swim Across America grants have been at the forefront of leading to new treatments in immunotherapy and gene therapy. To learn more visit  swimacrossamerica.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @SAASwim.

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Vicki Bunke Amazing Grace Swim Dates:

May 8:                         Tampa

July 9:                         Detroit

July 24:                       Nantucket

July 31:                       Long Island Sound (Larchmont, NY)

August 7:                     Long Island, NY

August 8:                     Fairfield County, CT

August 15:                  Charleston-Kiawah

August 21:                  Chicago

August 28:                  St. Louis

August 29:                  Denver

September 11:            Seattle

September 12:            Baltimore

September 25:            Dallas

October 2:                   Atlanta

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Inspired by “The Water Tree Way”

This week, I had the pleasure of sitting down for a conversation with renowned film composer Ruth Mendelson, who is currently celebrating the release of her first novel, “The Water Tree Way.” We had a lovely chat over Zoom, where we talked about her history and prolific career, as well as her frequent collaborations with zoology icon Dr. Jane Goodall.

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For a bit of context to the readers who don’t know me, I’m a Berklee College of Music senior, aiming to finish up my Music Business degree by the end of this year. I’ve met many wonderful professors during my time at Berklee, but few, if any, were as profound and knowledgeable off the bat as Ruth. Our conversation flowed and ranged from the philosophy of life to the state of the music industry today, as well as her career as both a successful composer and the first female faculty member in the Berklee film scoring department.

We began by talking about how she got into music in the first place. I asked what she’d heard growing up that convinced her to pursue music as a career. I was surprised to find out that her first instrument was the guitar, and that she’d been inspired as a young child by sneaking into blues clubs in Chicago. She was a regular at the clubs and was eventually invited up on stage to perform. Ruth recalled this to me fondly, while recalling that the guitarist was so much bigger than her that the strap went down to her ankles. She laughed as she told me how bad she thought she sounded, but how the guitarist had followed her out and convinced her to come back and learn so she could get better. From there, she began to work as a session player.

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Ruth’s turning point from guitarist to composer came as a result of a forced break from her instrument: she injured her wrist and had to put down the guitar for around 6 months to heal. For any artist, that’s a lot of time away from your creative vice, so Ruth began to study composition. 6 months later, that discovery changed her trajectory as a musician.

Ruth stressed to me that she was always working on several projects at a time, and was always jotting down new ideas that came to her sporadically. This also meant that she was accumulating a lot of material, much of which she continued to change and improve upon for years before finally feeling comfortable with the end product.

One of my early questions to Ruth was if her parents had supported her career, to which she was initially hesitant to respond. She responded that all in all, her parents are ultimately supportive now, but were skeptical at the time she started, when there were close to zero case studies at the time of successful female composers, especially for media such as film and television. She was also thankful for the eventual opportunities and space her parents had given her to become her own unique artist. I always ask this question, because sometimes people excel in spite of their parents. For Ruth, rather, she excelled in spite of her circumstances.

Ruth’s credits speak for themselves. Aside from her vast film, short film, television and podcast resumé, she is perhaps best known for her orchestral compositions and soundscaping work that she has composed for dozens of art/museum exhibits, and her work has widespread application for health and wellness, as well as early and special education. For an exhibit for the New England Aquarium, she composed a score entitled “Amazing Jellies: Council of the Sea Beings,” which has since been applauded by doctors, teachers, and mental health professionals for its sonic healing abilities.

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Given these prolific compositions and her general success in the area, I was somewhat surprised that Ruth is teaching at Berklee College of Music. However, it seems like Ruth herself was surprised to be called for the job. She was an alumnus and knew people teaching in the Film Scoring department. She again laughed as she recounted to me that she didn’t initially want to teach, but was “offered the gig” by the chair in the department. She tried it out and enjoyed it a lot, but realized along the way that there were many things missing from the department.  Since she has been a faculty member, the curriculum has shifted significantly to reflect a more modern environment and has also been made much more accessible to women .

While on tour with the One Human Family Gospel Choir playing the 5-string bass, Ruth played at the United Nations in Geneva in 2002. This is where she was introduced to one of her life-long collaborators, Dr. Jane Goodall. Ruth recalls that the two of them instantly hit it off and that their friendship blossomed from there due to mutual interests. The collaborations began quickly thereafter. Ruth is currently producing Dr. Jane’s most recent podcast, as well as contributing frequent music and scoring work to her other projects. Dr. Jane also wrote the foreword for Ruth’s first novel, “The Water Tree Way.”

[image error] Dr. Jane Goodall, Ruth Mendelson and mastering engineer Steve Thomas

We spoke a lot about this new book, as it’s what Ruth has been working towards for years. The book itself is, as described by a reviewer on the book’s official website, “thewatertreeway.com”, as “a fantasy book about courage, humility, adaptability, friendship, gratitude, interconnectedness, and above all things, love.” The story follows a young girl named Jai (pronounced JAY) who is guided by mystical forces on an epic journey of self-discovery, delving into complicated topics such as war, fear, loss, and revenge.

Ruth informed me she first had the idea for the book in 1985 but didn’t know anything about writing a book or getting it published. The ideas came in “snippets” that Ruth then stitched together into a fully weaved story, suitable for all ages. While it was initially conceptualized as a book for children of all ages, reader response has shown that the book is a hit with 20-30-year-olds, not only children. Ruth noted that she’s had people up to the age of 92 who have told her how meaningful the book was to them. She’s also gotten many requests to write a sequel, so we may see that come down the pipeline eventually.

According to Ruth, the hardest part about putting the book together was figuring out how to get characters from point A to point B in the narrative. However, there was no challenge getting Dr. Jane Goodall to write the foreword; in fact, she volunteered to do it. On top of that, she’s also read demos for an audiobook version, so we may be lucky enough to hear Dr. Jane read the book to us before too long. Ruth also has several other projects coming soon, including scoring work she did for the movie Taking Down Giants, set to debut in 2022.

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To conclude, I asked Ruth what I believed to be the most important question of the interview: does she recommend a career in film scoring, and what advice does she have for young composers and musicians? She responded:

“The most important factor to consider is your motivation. If it’s ego gratification, I’d say that’s missing the point and not likely to be successful at even the most basic material level. However, if the motivation is to be of service with your talents: PLEASE GO FOR IT.

Take the time to go within and know yourself, because the world needs your sincerity and contribution. Your work will carry a remarkable power if you self-reflect regularly and commit to a career that is dedicated to contributing positive energy. Opportunities that would otherwise not be possible become possible when the intention is to be of service. I’ve experienced this several times. This requires patience, determination, and enthusiasm. Don’t give up. See any obstacles you encounter as opportunities to make you stronger.”

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I am a 2021 Southern California Journalism Awards Finalist!

[image error] Thank you Los Angeles Press Club and Southern California Journalism Awards! I am honored to be a 2x finalist.2021 Finalist: Southern California Journalism AwardsB6. TECHNOLOGY REPORTING

* Lisa Niver, Thrive Global, “Is Talking Through Technology Making You More Human? With Rana el Kaliouby”

* Michelle Boston, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, “Remember Me”
* Matthew Leising, Bloomberg Businessweek, “My Trip Down the Crypto Rabbit Hole in Search of the DAO Hacker”
* Alena Maschke, Long Beach Post, “Lies, Manipulations, Impersonations: ‘Dirty Tricks’ on Social Media Descend on Local Politics”
* Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, “NBCUniversal Quietly Sold $500 Million Stake in Snapchat”

[image error] B18B. BOOK CRITICISM

* Lisa Niver, Thrive Global, “‘Searching for Answers, “Finding My Father” with Deborah Tannen’, ‘Escape into Fiction This Fall: 12 Books to Fall in Love With’, ‘Coping with COVID through Groundhog Day, Total Meditation and Badass Habits'”

* Erik Himmelsbach-Weinstein, Los Angeles Times, “How L.A.’s ’60s Movements Fought for Justice — and Sometimes Even Achieved It”
* M.G. Lord, Los Angeles Review of Books, “The Deafening Choir of Oncoming Fate: On Jan Eliasberg’s ‘Hannah’s War'”
* Tom Teicholz, Los Angeles Review of Books, “Israel’s Holden Caulfield”
* Natasha Hakimi Zapata, Los Angeles Review of Books, “Antidotes to Brexit, COVID-19, and Other Afflictions in Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet”

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Lisa Niver has won many awards! From 2017 to 2021, in the Southern California Journalism Awards and National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards, she has won four times and been a finalist seventeen times for a variety of broadcast, print and digital categories. 

2021: National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards Winner for Book Critic See all of Lisa’s book reviews here.

2020: Southern California Journalism Awards Winner: Print Magazine Feature: Hemispheres Magazine for United Airlines, “Painter by the Numbers, Rembrandt” Finalist for: Online Journalist of the Year, Activism Journalism, Educational Reporting, Broadcast Lifestyle Feature

2020: Southern California Journalism awards 5x Finalist: Online Journalist of the Year, Activism Journalism, Educational Reporting, Print Magazine Feature, Broadcast Lifestyle Feature

2019: National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards Winner: Soft News Feature for Film/TV: KTLA TV Oscars Countdown to Gold with Lisa Niver and Finalist for: Soft News, Business/Music/Tech/Art

2019 Southern California Journalism Awards  Finalist: Broadcast Television Lifestyle Segment: Ogden Ski Getaway

2018: Southern California Journalism Awards Finalist: Science/Technology Reporting, Travel Reporting, Personality Profile

2017: Southern California Journalism Awards  Winner: Print Column “A journey to freedom over three Passovers” Finalist for: Travel Reporting.

More of my Awards? CLICK HERE!

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Couple devises DIY method of getting critical medical sup...

Couple devises DIY method of getting critical medical supplies into Syria

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Local Synagogues Aid Syrian ChildrenThe post appeared fi...

Local Synagogues Aid Syrian Children

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Stephen Wise Temple: A Place to call Home

[image error] Stephen Wise Temple, Los Angeles, California, Photo by Lisa NiverDuring Yom Kippur services at Stephen Wise Temple on Sept 16, 2021, Phil Koosed shared his family story from the past when his grandfather was the only survivor in his family from the Holocaust to the current generation when his own father now has eight grandchildren and Phil is spearheading the efforts of The Big Fill to Save the Syrian children. His family’s leadership has saved countless children, brought hope and sent over 50 pallets of supplies to Syria. They have raised over $550,000 with over $127,000,000 in-kind donations.

I had never felt bigger in my life.  I was 6 years old and I had just received my celebratory Torah during the Hagigat ha torah ceremony at Wise Temple.  My grandfather, a holocaust survivor with one amputated leg, hoisted me high onto his broad shoulders.  I could feel his pride radiating out as he marched around Wise with a joyful smile across his face.  But just four decades before that moment, my grandfather’s life had been shattered. His entire family had been murdered in the holocaust. His father, his mother, his brother, all his cousins, all his aunts and uncles.  All of them.  And as he rode alone in a packed train car heading to the camps, it seemed as if Judaism would die with his generation.  

Yet, through a miracle of G-d, he escaped and survived and here he was, carrying his grandson around this beautiful temple continuing the link of Judaism. L’dor v’dor. From generation to generation.

Fast forward ahead to last year and I am at my son’s Hagigat ha torah.  It is a little different because it is during Covid and Rabbi Stern is in my front yard with a mask on, a hazmat suit and some kind of contraption to hand a torah to my son from 6 feet away. But as Rabbi Stern starts to say some beautiful words and a prayer, my eyes well up.  First a single tear streams down my face, then a waterfall.  This was yet another link in the chain.  I was doing my small part in the 5,000 year history of our people.  I was doing to my part for my grandfather. L’dor v’dor.  From generation to generation.

[image error] Koosed Family [image error] [image error] Eight Grandchildren [image error] KOOSED FAMILY

Wise Temple was not only a part of this journey for me, it made this journey possible.  My parents, who are here today, signed up to be members of this temple over 40 years ago.  A young couple just trying to figure out how to raise Jewish children in LA, and not face the traffic of going to the city. They started going to services and then put me and my two sisters in the Wise school.  As time went by, we all had our Bar and Bat Mitzvahs with Rabbi Herscher, went through the confirmation program, spent every high holy day here, got married by the Wise clergy and made lifelong friends.  In recent years, the Wise community supported my family to help our charity, Save the Syrian Children, send over 50 pallets of humanitarian aid to children in war torn Syria!  And now, our sons and our 3 nephews attend Wise school causing even more chaos than I caused when I was here.  I am sorry Ms. Itri, Coach Star, Ms. Volterra and many of our multigenerational teachers who have had to deal with multiple generations of us.  As we all pursued our careers and got caught up with the busyness of life, the one constant for our whole family has been Wise Temple. 

There is no doubt that Judaism has struggled to find its path with my generation.  Sadly, I have seen some of my friends over the years become jaded and completely disconnected from Judaism.  

Without a place like Wise Temple, life can get busy and Judaism can fade away.  Not all at once.  Just slowly, generation by generation.

[image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] THE BIG FILL

But Wise Temple won’t let that happen. Because Wise Temple is an amazing community of love and tzedakah that lives up to its creed of making meaning and changing the world.  But it is not just that.  It’s bigger than that.  It is also fundamental to the continuity of our Jewish faith and traditions. Wise Temple gives families like mine and yours the opportunity to pass Judaism from generation to generation making sure, that not only does Judaism survive, but that it thrives.  

I ask that you join me in supporting this vital mission.  Give today not only to support this incredible community, all it stands for and the change we make together.  But give today to preserve the very existence this Jewish faith that we all so dearly love.  Too many generations before us, too many, have made the greatest sacrifice for us not to do everything we can to make sure that our bright light continues to burn from generation to generation.  Shana tova.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] SYRIAN CHILDREN

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIG FILL

Local Synagogues Aid Syrian Children

Couple devises DIY method of getting critical medical supplies into Syria

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Thank you SHOUTOUT LA for the interview!

[image error] Meet Lisa Niver | Journalist and TV Host

September 13, 2021 

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Niver and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?

Thomas Edison said: “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try one more time.”

I have learned that I need to keep taking small steps towards my goals. I have had to change my path literally and figuratively many times. I used to feel like my train was derailed and jumping off the track when things did not work out—when I left one grad school program for another, when my company went bankrupt right after 9/11, when I left my marriage, but now I realize I was just changing trains. In order to go in a direction, sometimes you have to take a bus or walk or find the next platform. When COVID started, I could no longer travel so instead of writing about travel as a travel journalist, I read books and worked on my own book. It was not what I thought I would be doing but it has turned out to be much better for me.

As Martin Luther King Jr. said:
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
Every day I work on making progress towards my goals.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

For many years, I taught science at Curtis School, Brawerman Elementary School and CCUSD middle school. When I was leaving to go travel, my students were sad and wanted to keep in touch. I created a monthly newsletter to share my adventures which eventually became my We Said Go Travel website in 2010 and led to my journalism career. https://www.wesaidgotravel.com/ I also began to shoot video and one of my 5th grade students taught me to use iMovie during recess. I now have over 1.35 million views on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/WeSaidGoTravel

I have loved being able to share my travel stories on KTLA TV.
https://ktla.com/tag/lisa-niver/ and recently I was on an episode on REELZ TV channel so now I am on IMDb: 

The best lesson I have learned is to use the “F” word—which of course is FLEXIBLE. Whether your plane is late, or there are no planes or plans because of a pandemic, we have to be ready for changes and to go with the flow.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

If my friends were visiting Los Angeles, I would take them to my favorite places: THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL for a concert and where I recently saw The Princess Bride
HIGH Rooftop at Hotel Erwin for Sunset views and drinks
Santa Monica beach for a long walk
MOLA art studio (Members Only LA—where I create my ceramics https://www.instagram.com/simplyceramics2 and you can too!)
CHA CHA CHICKEN for Caribbean food by the beach
THAI BOOM for Thai food in Culver City

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I would like to dedicate my Shoutout to Stephen Wise Temple and its incredible clergy. When I was traveling full time in Asia, I missed being able to participate in the Jewish community that I grew up in and it was part of my reason to return to Los Angeles. During COVID, our services were all on Facebook Live, Zoom or YouTube. I really appreciate all of their efforts to hold the spiritual space in a new way online. I am grateful to the entire team.

CONNECT WITH LISA:

Website: https://lisaniver.com/one-page/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisaniver

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaellenniver/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisaniver

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.niver/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/WeSaidGoTravel

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/wesaidgotravel/_saved/ 

We Said Go Travel Website: https://www.wesaidgotravel.com/category/we-said/

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Your Tango: Books to Help When Getting Divorced

Thank you to Jen Billock for including me in her article for Your Tango, “10 Most Helpful Divorce Books — Recommended By Actual Divorced Women” [image error] “Reading books helps — these ten are some of the best lesser-known books to read, as recommended by writers and divorcees:”6. Supersurvivors: The Surprising Link Between Suffering and Success by David B. Feldman and Lee Daniel Kravetz

Written by two psychologists, this book explores a phenomenon often undiscussed after trauma: when someone “bounces forward,” or pushes past traumatic events like divorce to become even better and more successful. Give yourself a post-tragedy confidence boost with this read.

“During my divorce, I felt like a failure. I felt embarrassed and worried about what to tell people. I read books like a lifeline to the future. I wanted something to make me feel better. I told everyone I was living in CrazyTown and I could not stop crying. When I read David Feldman and Lee Daniel Kravetz’s book Supersurvivors: The Surprising Link Between Suffering and Success, I was shocked to learn that “the disorientation and groundlessness experienced by many people after trauma can ultimately be advantageous.” 

I figured that my post-traumatic growth was going to be superb since I had leaned in so hard to my feelings I had dug underground. A huge shift for me was when I read this: “Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could be any different. … Forgiveness means breaking the psychological ties that bind you to the past, giving up the quest to change what has already happened. … Rather than dwelling on the past, she found herself asking the hopeful and forward-looking question ‘What now?’”

I was stuck in a loop in my head that said, “If only I had never met him.” Once I read that part of the book, I remembered that you cannot drive into the future if you only look through the rear-view mirror.”

—Lisa Niver, journalist

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