My relationship with Patti Digh’s work began many years ago when I stumbled upon her wonderful blog, “37 days”.  Despite the obvious differences, (she was raised in a small town in North Carolina, is a natural redhead and has the most wonderful southern drawl), I felt something strangely familiar in her words as I sat on that first day and read essay after beautiful essay.  It was like looking in the mirror.  I felt like I had known her my entire life.

The title of that blog was inspired by the death of Patti’s stepfather just 37 days after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.  The time frame became a wake-up call for her and she asked herself the question, “What would I be doing if I had 37 days to live.”  After the sudden death of my father in 2007, I knew that question.  I had asked it myself. Many of the writings from that blog found their way into book form and became an award winning book called Life is a Verb.

Patti is an author, speaker and educator who builds inclusive learning communities and gets to the heart of difficult topics like diversity, inclusion, and meaning. She is the author of 8 books, including the award-winning Life is a Verb. I was thrilled when she agreed to join me on the podcast to talk about the sparks that led her to a life of activism.

For the past last three decades she has focused her energies on diversity, inclusion, social justice, and living and working mindfully. She’s developed diversity strategies and educational programming for major nonprofit and corporate organizations, and been a featured speaker at many national and international conferences.

She has served on diversity councils for major non-profits like AARP, the American Red Cross, and many others. Patti teaches social justice education classes, and hosts an annual Life is a Verb Camp that fosters community among creatives from around the world. 

To listen to Patti’s episode, click here.

You can learn more about Patti’s work on her website.