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Q & A: Patricia Geist-Martin, Ph.D., Co-Author of ‘Falling in Love With the Process: A Stroke Survivor’s Story’

Patricia Geist-Martin, Ph. D.

We have been so inspired by our SJF Communications client, Patricia Geist-Martin, Ph.D., Professor Emerita in the School of Communication at San Diego State University. Dr. Geist-Martin’s research examines the stories people tell in making sense of their lives, particularly in their journeys through health and illness. ‘Falling in Love with the Process: Cultivating Resilience in Health Crises: A Stroke Survivor’s Story‘ (2020), is Dr. Geist-Martin’s fifth book (which she co-authored with Sara Parsloe, Ph.D.).

Here’s a little information about ‘Falling in Love with the Process: Cultivating Resilience in Health Crises: A Stroke Survivor’s Story‘ followed by our recent Q & A.

Patricia Geist-Martin, Ph.D., Bill Torres and Sarah Parsloe, Ph.D.

“WHY ME?” These were the first words that Bill Torres spoke after waking up from his stroke. Like many survivors, Bill lived his first days and weeks after stroke in a dark, heavy cloud of depression. Depression creates feelings of hopelessness, guilt, helplessness, and decreased energy—all symptoms that stand in the way of a survivor’s efforts to regain mobility and speech. Yet, rather than dwelling on asking “WHY ME?” Bill’s second words were, “WHAT NOW?” He set his mind to getting better, little by little, every day. As researcher and author, Peter Levine (2013) suggests, stroke survivors must “fall in love with the process … [and] see the process of recovery as an opportunity for growth.”

Falling in Love with the Process: Cultivating Resilience in Health Crises – A Stroke Survivor’s Story tells Bill Torres’ story of recovery and advocacy. The book is structured along two different timelines—the timeline of Bill’s early life and the timeline of his life from stroke onward. Chapters are alternated between Bill’s stories of growing up in San Diego and chapters that provide accounts of Bill’s journey of stroke recovery. These two separate storylines come together near the close of the book as we explore Bill’s approach to recovery and advocacy.

‘Falling in Love with the Process: Cultivating Resilience in Health Crises – A Stroke Survivor’s Story‘ is divided into three parts:

Part One: Picking Up the Pieces; Connecting the Dots explores the aftermath of Bill’s stroke and discusses the ways in which stigma, depression, and internalized ableism shaped Bill’s initially difficult emotional response to stroke. It also offers accounts of how his communication with key health care providers reinforced Bill’s drive to work on his own rehabilitation.

Part Two: Persisting Through Recovery considers both Bill’s capacity to structure his own rehabilitation routine and the ways in which his close network of friends supported him throughout his recovery process.

Part Three: Communicating as an Advocate explores how Bill transformed his survivor narrative into a tool for advocacy. It explains the strategies Bill used to successfully work with other stroke survivors and also describes the compassion fatigue that can accompany this kind of communicative labor.

Q & A with Patricia Geist-Martin, Ph.D. and Susan J. Farese, SJF Communications

Patricia Geist-Martin, Ph.D. & Susan J. Farese, SJF Communications

SJF: Why/How did you (and Sarah) decide to write a book about Bill Torres? 

PGM: After being a guest speaker in my Health Communication class at SDSU over the past 10 years, Bill suggested that I should write a book.  I resisted at first with so much on my plate, but then I thought of inviting Dr. Sarah Parsloe to co-author the book.  We knew the book would touch on the disabilities that come with stroke and the advocacy work that Bill engages in, and Sarah has a great deal of expertise on both of these topics.

SJF: Did you make any personal discoveries (or aha moments) while interviewing Bill for the book? If so…please explain

PGM: We made so many discoveries—too many to list here—and of course that is really what the book is all about.  First, resilience isn’t something we create from scratch at the moment we need it, it is something we develop over time beginning as a young person.  So cultivating resilience as a young boy served Bill well at 69 when he had his stroke. Second, resilience isn’t something we cultivate alone. People who have a network of friends and family that they can count on when they need it most can join forces with them to create resilience.  It isn’t about the number of people, it is about the quality of these relationships–having people in your life that you love and they love you and will be there for you when you need them.  That’s just two of the many lessons.

SJF: How did you decide on the title ‘Falling in Love with the Process: Cultivating Resilience in Health Crisis: A Stroke Survivor’s Story“? 

PGM: Peter Levine wrote a book about stroke called Stronger After Stroke, which is now in its third edition. https://www.springerpub.com/stronger-after-stroke-third-edition-9780826124135.html

He used the phrase in the beginning of his book, stating that stroke survivors must “fall in love with the process . . . [and] see the process of recovery as an opportunity for growth” (p. xiv).

SJF: What made you decide on increasing the distribution of the book from academia to the masses? 

PGM: Sarah and I are big believers in the power of stories.  While we teach this in our college classes, we knew the general public would enjoy the stories told by Bill, his providers, and his friends.  We also knew that the lessons about communication and resilience would be valuable for anyone, not just stroke survivors.  Anyone who is moving through the grief of losing someone they love or recovering from an accident or any illness would find lessons in Bill’s stories that are universal.

SJF: Tell us about your passion and teaching emphasis with ‘storytelling’, especially as it pertains to health communication?

PGM: Storytelling is about connecting with other people.  In telling our own stories, we put into words our joys, fears, and even our secrets.  In the process of telling our story and being listened to, we can actually change the chemistry in our bodies—telling stories of pain and trauma or joy and passion can have an effect on the brain where dopamine, cortisol, oxytocin, and endorphins are released.  In that release and in the chemical changes, we often feel pleasure—something that happens in hearing the story, not just the facts. I teach health communication from the point of view of stories—stories told to friends, family, providers, and even in health campaigns offer an opportunity to put into words, something that we are experiencing.  As we tell stories to others, we begin to make sense of our own experience and when we listen to others tell their stories we offer them the same opportunity.

SJF: If you had to write the book over again, would you change anything?

PGM: I think the only thing I would add to the book if I were still in the process of writing it would be for Sarah and I to tell more of our own stories, especially as we feel that have evolved in the process of collaborating with Bill, his providers, and his friends. Our stories are partially there, but I think the experience of collaborating with Bill was life-changing in so many ways, but specifically reflecting on my own path and the resilience I feel I have created in difficult and dark times.

SJF: A brief history of your upbringing, education, professor positions/teaching appointments and early retirement at SDSU.

PGM: I am a first-generation college student.  My dad graduated from high school and ended up as a pattern maker at John Deere Tractor Works.  My mom did not graduate from high school and was a stay-at-home mom to four children. Both my parents really emphasized education and especially reading.  I cannot think of one time in my life where I have not had one or more books on my night stand. My family moved around a lot-five states and seven houses by the time I was in second grade.  I think my own resilience was built through that experience.  I started out as a dance major at the University of Iowa in Iowa City but then switched to Literature and Writing when I discovered I wasn’t as skilled at learning and remembering choreography the way others were.  My minor was Communication and I was hooked.  I taught high school for two years—literature, writing, drama, and filmmaking.  But then my thirst for knowledge about communication led me to gain a master’s degree in Communication at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls Iowa and a Ph.D. in Communication from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. My first position as an Assistant Professor was at the University of Hartford in West Hartford, CT, then the Department of Speech at the University of Hawaii, Manoa in Honolulu, HI.  Finally, in 1990 I was hired by the School of Communication at San Diego State University.  I feel blessed to have lived and worked in all three universities and to have attended strong programs for my education. I am now in my second year of a five-year early retirement program where I teach three classes only in the fall and have the spring and summer off to do whatever I want. And my joy is writing, so I will keep doing that as long as I can!

SJF: Tell us about all of the books you’ve written:

PGM: These are the title of my books:

I have also published over 100 journal articles and book chapters.

SJF: Anything you’d like to mention about your upcoming book The Infinite Now?

PGM: I have been working on a memoir for over 15 years.  The tentative title is The Infinite Now: A Mother’s Past, A Daughter’s Future. My mom died of brain cancer when I was 17, right before Christmas in my senior year in high school.  The only way I could cope with this huge loss in my life was to press down any memories of my mom. This turned out to be the worst strategy, because the pain was still there under the surface.  It wasn’t until our only child, Makenna moved into her teen years that suddenly the past came rushing forward with each and every interaction—so it’s my mom’s past and my future woven with my past and my daughter’s future that form a braid of our two overlapping stories.  It is a labor of love that is both traumatic and joyful.  I hope to publish the book by summer 2021.

SJF: Where can we find you on the web?

PGM: My website is patriciageistmartin.com

Two Facebook pages: Patricia Geist Martin and Falling in Love with the Process

My Instagram @pgeistmartin

Find the book ‘Falling in Love with the Process at Kendall-Hunt or Amazon.com

A link to my recent interview on the U-T Community Spotlight with host Drew Schlosberg:

Stroke Survivor’s Inspirational Story Documented in Recent Book

SJF: Any recommendations for us to journal or document what we are going through with Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic?

PGM: Yes, this crisis calls on all of us to become resilient. Resilience requires us to be flexible and adapt to each new phase of the pandemic. Resilience also offers an opportunity to be creative and come up with new solutions to this experience of isolation. Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, Zoom, and other social media offer opportunities to reach out to support one another and decrease our sense of isolation. One new solution that my husband and I have been engaging in is virtual happy hours.  It is fascinating to realize that we our doing this more than we did when we had the opportunity (but supposedly not the time) to be connected with friends and family.  We just don’t stay on the phone as long as we do when we are telling stories, playing games, and goofing around “face-to-face” on zoom.  It’s fascinating to see some of the increased sharing and intimacy that is evolving on zoom with friends and family.

SJF: Is there anything else that you’d like to mention?

PGM: I love writing and teach it in most of my communication classes.  I love helping people tap into the stories they feel they must tell—about life, love, travel, pain, trauma, joy—anything.  So, in addition to the memoir, I have a few other books I plan to write, one about creative female leaders and another on the process of mentoring. I also plan to develop writing workshops in San Diego and in other cities, countries.  My husband will be retiring about the same time that I am and we hope to build a business together that takes advantage of the expertise that each of us could contribute.

SJF: Thank you so much, Patricia – it was such a pleasure to learn more about you and you work!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Down to Earth but Eyeing the Stars, Data Patterns & More: Alyssa Goodman, Ph.D., Professor of Astronomy, Harvard University

 

 

Extraordinary People Sharing Their Stories:

Alyssa Goodman, Ph.D., Professor of Astronomy, Harvard University

 

Susan Farese, SJF Communications (left)  with Dr. Alyssa Goodman in Newport  Beach, California, 2014

 

Our Connection

I first met Dr. Alyssa Goodman  in Lexington, Massachusetts in 2008, when our daughters, now 16 & 17, were in the same 4th grade Girl Scout troop and then continued as fifth grade classmates. Besides being “Girl Scout and Classroom Moms”, our families spent time together socially.

Alyssa has always intrigued me. I admire her deep intelligence, humor and authenticity. She is easy to connect with and is truly “down to earth” vs. “up in the clouds”, considering she’s a tenured Astronomy Professor at Harvard! There’s no arrogance about her, she is not a diva, has a great sense of humor, and she does not intimidate others. She has a keen sense of awareness of her environment and the state of the world to include the skies, and loves making sense out of patterns of all kinds. As an aside, she also always wore the coolest colorful earrings!

Although  my family and I moved to San Diego in 2010, we have kept in touch periodically. Dr. Goodman travels extensively and always lets me know when she is in my neck of the woods and vice versa. It’s my pleasure to interview Dr. Goodman as an “Extraordinary Person Sharing Her Story”

Alyssa Goodman, Ph. D.; Photo by Jenn Chang
Alyssa Goodman, Ph.D.; Photo by Jenn Chang

 

Alyssa Goodman, Ph. D.: Biography

Alyssa Goodman is Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University  and a Research Associate of the Smithsonian Institution.  Goodman’s research and teaching interests span astronomy, data visualization, and online systems for research and education. Goodman received her undergraduate degree in Physics from MIT in 1984 and a Ph.D. in Physics from Harvard  in 1989. She became full professor at Harvard in 1999, and was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2009. Goodman recently served as Chair of the Astronomy Section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and on the National Academy’s Board on Research Data and Information, and she currently serves on the both the IAU and AAS Working Groups on Astroinformatics and Astrostatistics. Goodman’s personal research presently focuses primarily on new ways to visualize and analyze the tremendous data volumes created by large and/or diverse astronomical surveys, like COMPLETE. She is working closely with colleagues at Microsoft Research, helping to expand the use of the WorldWide Telescope program in both research and in education.

And now, our interview:

SJF:  You are extremely intriguing to me! Tell us a bit about yourself…

AG: Sure. Wow, this goes back awhile! I was born in NYC grew up on Long Island. When I was 8 years old, I was captivated by and in awe of marine biologist oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. Oh how I really wanted to be a marine biologist at Woods Hole someday.

My eventual plan was to go to college first and study marine biology, but as time passed,   I changed my mind. My new plan was to become a  Physician, but a family member was very sick at the time and passed away.  I soon decided that dealing with illness and death wasn’t for me either.

I was a good student and always had a love for science. I applied to the undergraduate program at Harvard (but ironically was not accepted)! About the same time, my younger sister discovered (while reading stack of college application material) that MIT only “early accepted” or “deferred” applicants but  didn’t  “reject” any. I was accepted into MIT and majored in physics.

My Dad helped me to find a summer Internship at  an engineering company, where I subsequently interned for two summers, after high school graduation and after my freshman year at MIT. When it was time to plan an internship after my sophomore year at MIT there were two possibilities:  An “underwater archeological dig” and NASA! I was one of 60 applicants for a scholarship to an underwater archeological “dig” that one had to pay for and missed out on the scholarship by one spot.  I also boldly called NASA (no Google then…I merely looked the number up in the “yellow pages”) and accepted and was paid for a NASA internship.

After graduating from MIT in 1984, I was offered a job at the Bank of Boston, but said no and decided to delay working by going to Graduate School.

I was accepted to Harvard for graduate school and received my Ph.D. in Physics  1989.  I did my post doctoral at University of California at Berkeley for three years. My first post-graduate assignment was teaching Astronomy in 1992, (which was ironic, since I had only taken one Undergraduate and one Graduate Astronomy course and didn’t believe that I had the “credentials”)!

Alyssa Goodman, Ph.D.

 Harvard Professor of Astronomy, Alyssa Goodman, speaks about the new capabilities of Microsoft WorldWide Telescope 5.0 at the 223rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington D.C. (Photo: Microsoft Corporation)

SJF:  Very interesting that your awe of the ocean led you to your gazing at and studying the stars & galaxies! What have been your life hurdles? successes?

AG: While it wasn’t a “hurdle” I did have uncertainty as to when I would become a tenured professor at Harvard. In academia, all those years of education weren’t enough, even with a Ph.D. I was initially an Assistant Professor 1992-1995 and was considered Junior Faculty, then became an Associate Professor from 1995-1999.  Normally Associate Professors are tenured, but  that was not the case at Harvard. I taught for seven years and balanced an uncertain future, worrying that I would need to relocate, wondering if I could have a family, etc.  before I was tenured as a full professor in 1999.

SJF: Your “uncertainly” has certainly led you to a highly valued tenured position at Harvard and many amazing opportunities to educate and inspire us! Which leads me to the next question: Who are three people that you admire?

AG:  Jacques Cousteau, for his lifelong work as an exceptionally bright marine biologist,  Albert Einstein for his views of Judaism as a ” philosophy”  vs. a “religion” and  Meryl Streep for her versatility as an actress.

SJF: What have been three significant/pivotal  events in your life?

AG: My first memory of a pivotal event? Well, when I was in 9th school, I gave my National Honor Society speech.  One of my friend’s moms was there and heard my speech. She told me way back then that I had a “natural talent” for public speaking.  I didn’t realize what she meant at the time! Incidentally, that friend’s mom is actually now the mother of an undergraduate student studying violin at Harvard today! Another pivotal event was when I became tenured at Harvard.  And of course, becoming a Mom to my daughter Abby was a very special pivotal event and remains so.

SJF: What are your fears?

AG:  I fear that our beautiful planet Earth will be ruined due to climate change (as well as how some people treat it).

SJF: What are some of your strongest assets?

AG:  I  learn things well. I stop talking,  listen and pay attention. As an observer, I see patterns and connections. I also remember things that don’t connect. I stay fit.

SJF: Those assets are definitely words of wisdom!  What do you usually dream about?

AG:  Some dreams are vivid and memorable, some that are bad, I instantly forget!

SJF: That’s brilliant and concise way of describing your dreams! Speaking of dreams, how do you support dreams of others? Do you “give back”? if so with which groups?

AG: I give back with my time, efforts and donations. I donate to several charities, including KIVA which gives out micro loans, Women for Women and Habitat for Humanity.  I am a Worldwide Telescope Ambassador,  I’ve participated as a science fair judge, and I do community outreach as well. I’m also a a former Girl Scout Mom volunteer.

SJF: Do you have any regrets in life?

AG: Not being fluent in another language. Although I have studied French, I feel I could have studied a bit more.

SJF: Who are your role models? Male or female, in or out of your profession?

AG: This is very interesting, because they are both serendipitous friendships.  A female role model I admire is Astronomer Vera Rubin (Dark Matter)  and a male role model would be  Bob Kirshner , a Clowes Professor of Science at Harvard University who studied dark energy, and was a Wolf Medal Recipient.

SJF:  What qualities should the younger generation aspire to have that you think are important in this day and age?

AG:  There should be less emphasis on grades and more on actual curiosity and learning.

SJF: Agreed! How do you feel about the enourmous use of technology is being used today? Do you think we should connect more in person?

AG: I definitely use tech a lot, but have a love-hate relationship with it.  I like it when it is associated with learning. I don’t like it as a time waster!

SJF: Any funny anecdotes about astronomy?

AG: I occasionally take a look at xkcd.com; It’s what I call “nerd humor” and  it’s such a hoot!

SJF: I took a gander at it! Cool!  What’s been happening lately and what is up next for you???

AG:  I just taught a  one day advanced workshop in San Francisco in February, 2015 called “See Think Design Produce” with Jonathan Corum, Mike Bostock and Edward Tufte: world-class design architectures for information, data, images, videos, diagrams, interfaces, presentations. We spoke about how to convey information graphically. In March I will be presenting at and attending “Tools for Astronomical Big Data” speaking about  “Wide Data vs. Big Data” in Tucson, Arizona.

See, Think, Design Produce Speakers: Left to right: Jonathan Corum, Edward Tufte, Alyssa Goodman & Mike Bostock
Speakers at “See, Think, Design Produce ” Left to right: Jonathan Corum, Edward Tufte, Alyssa Goodman & Mike Bostock

 

SJF: Those sounds like interesting workshops! Speaking of San Francisco, and Tucson, where have you traveled? Where is your favorite place in the world??

AG: My job has taken me many places in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres! My favorite place is Martha’s Vineyard.

SJF: Thank you so much, it’s been such a pleasure interviewing you and getting to know you even more!

AG: My pleasure too!

 

Alyssa Goodman, Ph.D., Interesting Links:

About the World Wide Telescope: http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/

Astronomer on a Mission (Scroll) : http://alumni.harvard.edu/stories/making-magic-happen

World Wide Telescope News: https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~agoodman/wwtnews.html

 

 

Alyssa Goodman, Ph.D., Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/WKYCdn_t1K8” target=”_blank”>

https://www.youtube.com/embed/aL9aOM74dmg” target=”_blank”> 

 

Video: Visualizing the Universe – An interview with Prof. Alyssa Goodman:

Follow Dr. Goodman on Twitter (@aagie)