“Story… was crucial to our evolution –

more so than opposable thumbs.”

– Lisa Cron from “Wired For Story”.

There is so much noise, so much news that it can all feel overwhelming. We hear it all the time – “I can’t watch it anymore” or “I’ve turned off the TV” or “I try to counteract it all but really, how many episodes of The Office can I watch?” We get it. Being inundated with so much can feel oppressive. It can leave us strained, hopeless and separated.

insidewink is doing something about that. We share personal stories that help us all feel that there is a light at the end of tunnel.

Our belief at insidewink is that when we can get through
all the disagreement,
wade through all the static

we discover the truth that we all are similar –
we all grieve,
we all cry,
we all laugh,
we all love

– and through stories, those feelings, desires, and lessons can truly reverberate for us.

Our brains are wired to share ideas and express feelings.

We all come from a long tradition of handing down lessons and knowledge from person to person, generation to generation. Insights gleaned from the past help us illuminate the future.

This sharing has been the foundation that has helped us create our society. We have been able to continuously build and improve on each other’s stories and ideas. This extraordinary ability to hear or experience or learn something and take it to a new level is what has set humans apart.

Every
communication,
every story,
book,
every article
is an attempt to leave a lesson, to touch, to encourage a dialogue.

Personal stories spoken and written from the heart are the building blocks that helps us create community. These communities allow us to feel supported and accepted, give us the freedom to be ourselves and buffer us from loneliness and separation. We believe that we all share a common thread of humanity and through that thread we find traits that everyone experiences; love of family, hopes for a better tomorrow and love of ice cream. This vision of our commonalities can truly heal the anxiety of our current times.

Leaving a legacy of promise, tolerance and encouragement through stories is important to the team at insidewink.

Our team writers share a personal story every month.

Jean Trebek writes the Respect Farm blog on insidewink which highlights her views and life lessons. Wife to Alex Trebek and not your typical “Hollywood housewife”, Jean has a deep connection to the spiritual teachings that she has focused on for most of her adult life. Her gentle spirit and graciousness is evident in all her stories. How she raised her two children, how she walks with her husband through life’s challenges, how she expresses gratitude for her friends and community are all relatable and are based on the loving idea of our commonality of shared experiences.

Alison Martin was raised by two reporters for the Daily News (her father actually won a Pulitzer Prize). She has lived her life as a professional actor for the last 30 years and recently turned her creative bent to writing. Her insidewink blog, Scuffed Stuff, is based on observational moments in her life – a cut toe, a moment in the ICU with her mother, a chance meeting at an elevator with an 8 year old boy – that lead her, and the reader, on a journey to an insight.

Jeanette DuBois is an incredible video/film editor and shares her blog Morning Mimosa with the insidewink audience. After years of creating visual stories, Jeanette’s addition of writing to her creative repertoire seemed like the logical next step. Her articles are deep, beautiful and heartfelt. She has a delicate way with words and truly paints a picture of her life.

Our Guest Writers are varied and insightful

insidewink also has an incredible, interesting, diverse group of guest writers. Some repeat writers include;
Dr. Elvira Aletta  who combines her therapeutic training with her own life in a way that opens us up to release and peace,
Julia Rael whose young voice reminds us of the joy in life,
Elin Hampton, whose writing, although always humorous, has a poignancy that rings true.

Humans have a need to share and be heard.

Small screens. Likes. Posts.

We are living in a world of short blips, immediate gratification and quips. Technology has kept up with our desire to be connected and continues to fuel our human need to discuss, argue, share, and support. 150 words in a tweet is great for some things… but there are times when the heart and mind need more.

“Do you know that only two things have been proven to help survivors of the Holocaust?

Massage is one.

Telling their story is another.

Being touched and touching. Telling your story is touching. It sets you free.”

– Francesca Lia Block, author

insidewink hopes to inspire all of us

to keep sharing the good,

to keep looking for our similarities,

to keep an open heart full of compassion and gratitude,

to keep telling stories.