*Salons will resume in person when possible, or virtually. Check back at this page for more information!

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It seems that we all yearn for thoughtful dialogue about our collapsing political, economic, environmental, and justice systems. We seek to discover innovative ideas with the potential to create systemic change. We want to discuss new directions.  From 2015 to 2020, our "Virtual Salon" series featured unique thinkers and doers from around the world with creative new knowledge and game-changing ideas.  Sometimes, an important documentary film has served as a basis for thoughtful conversation. 

 

For these Salons, we gather in an informal, interactive, online setting that encourages deep thinking and discussion.  Conversations that Count create a space for fresh and original insights to emerge that can refresh our way of thinking. Our sessions provide a forum for progressive thinkers to weigh emerging questions, and together ignite ideas for change on a systems scale. Past Salon presenters Included the following:

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• Swedish visionary, inventor, and entrepreneur Lars Larsson, collaborating with the Vatican and the Dalai Llama in Dharamsala.  Lars took us on a fascinating journey through time and across the planet to help us expand our knowledge on the underlying causes of climate catastrophe.  He discussed the intersectionality between capitalism, global warming, exponential energy use, and the need to retain indigenous knowledge if we are to have a continuing human history.  

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• Highly respected and widely published Dr. Naresh Singh, who explored with us the realities of global immigration, including the underlying causes, how various nations and communities are responding, and emergent solutions.  Naresh is the pioneer of the “Sustainable Livelihoods” approach to poverty reduction introduced at the U.N. and now being used internationally.  

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• Founding Director of EFS International, Katherine Piel Kauffman, who offered us an innovative perspective on how human emotions drive our behavior and are central to our memory and learning systems, our physical and psychological health, our spiritual impulses, and our moral values – often defining our very identities. Katherine has spoken internationally on the function, evolution, physio-chemical, and informational nature of emotion, and its informative value toward creating nonviolence in a global village.