Category Archives: Stories

Two personal bests in a week: Freedom.

on August 1, 2025 in Choosing/Decision-Making, Exercises, Fitness, Freedom, SIDCHAs, Stories

When I started doing Turkish Get Ups, I struggled with a 25-pound kettle bell. Over the years, I worked up to where I comfortably do them with a 28-kilogram one, which is 61.6 pounds. My next heavier kettle bell is 70 pounds, which is a big jump. I wondered if I would ever be able to do it. I dented my floor when I lost control of a kettle bell[…] Keep reading →

I love recognition for my work and friendships that others pay for, like going on the field for batting practice

on July 28, 2025 in Stories

In my clubbing days over a quarter-century ago, I used to have to work to meet people to get into cool clubs and VIP rooms. I went for the music and dancing, but New York City clubs are like status sorting machines. At first I didn’t know many people, but over the years I met and befriended club owners, DJs, staff, and friends of all these people. They could bring[…] Keep reading →

I love when a team hits on all cylinders: when everyone acts with their specialty and we collectively achieve more

on June 28, 2025 in HandsOnPracticalExperience, NorthKorea, Stories

I should have written about this fun interaction with the core team working on the alumni community site this spring. Four of us were on a call. We were struggling to figure out a technical challenge. We wanted to do something that the host software didn’t seem capable of doing. We felt close to giving up. Would we have to pay for the higher tier? Pay for a service call[…] Keep reading →

Interesting trivial meditation story and book pictures

on May 19, 2025 in Awareness, Creativity, Stories

I meditate first thing in the morning every day. I’ve experimented with apps, but found them distracting. I joke that the countdown timer on my phone is my app, set to 33 minutes. I start the timer, then sit down and meditate until it goes off. Why 33 minutes? I ramped up over time and that’s where I’ve reached. I can usually tell around when the time is nearly up.[…] Keep reading →

Volunteering warmed my heart on a cold spring day

on March 31, 2025 in Habits, Stories

I wrote the following to my newsletter and thought after finishing it that it would work as a post, so here it is. I forgot to mention that volunteering has come to replace time I used to spend watching TV or on social media. Since Americans average over five hours of screen time per day and I don’t have a TV or use social media, I spend less time per[…] Keep reading →

One Year Without Access to My Own Roof. Nothing Replaces Hands-On Practical Experience.

on March 20, 2025 in HandsOnPracticalExperience, Stories

My building has been doing work on the facade, which for some reason meant no residents have been allowed on the roof. The building management told us they projected it to be a five month job. Today marks one year. They didn’t warn as when the day we couldn’t access the roof would begin. They told us it would happen some time. Then one morning they emailed us that that[…] Keep reading →

See me on Japanese TV!

on February 10, 2025 in Stories

NHK is a public broadcaster in Japan. For a weekly segment NHK@nyc, they interviewed me, recorded me charging from solar in the park, at my home, volunteering, and more. Click here for the page. There’s a video, pictures, and text. Most is in Japanese, but plenty of the video is in English and the web has plenty of translator tools. You get to see pictures and video of me picking[…] Keep reading →

The audio book for Sustainability Simplified is on sale!

on January 29, 2025 in Art, Audio, Leadership, Stories

The audio book for Sustainability Simplified is on sale at last! If you’ve been waiting to hear me read it, now’s your chance. It’s only available on Amazon (I’ll work with my publisher to make it available elsewhere). The free preview of the first five minutes is captures the opening story. I predict you’ll find it engaging. I confess I’m nervous how people will find my reading, which I consider[…] Keep reading →

The emotional struggles of living by your values when society opposes them: Janae Marie Kroczaleski, part 1

on January 24, 2025 in Choosing/Decision-Making, Fitness, Nonjudgment, Relationships, Stories

Almost ten years ago in this blog I wrote about an experience of art expressing something I didn’t know could be expressed. Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander captured an emotion I felt with my father and no one else. That emotion hit me hard. It was powerful. It influenced big decisions in my life, especially to learn and teach the social and emotional skills of leadership. I just experienced a[…] Keep reading →

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