The Growing Western ESP Explorer Storytelling Team

Arthur and Gwen

Wellbeing for Self; Wellbeing for the World

I will open with some strongly held personal beliefs (aka, my biases and my WHY for spending my energy on this work) evolving from my nearly 55 years of being on this dynamic planet and 25+ years of engaging with thousands of entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers. Here we go…The only way out of the messes that we have created for ourselves is to innovate our way out of them. This is the time for Entrepreneurs, Innovators and Changemakers to rise to the challenge. Not just a few people…in mass. And if we are to do this in mass, humans must be free to discover, develop and share their gifts with the world. Inside and Outside. In doing so, they have a shot at taking their bite out of the messy apple and personally flourishing at the same time through imagining, designing, building and living a way of life they love. And if done in community, the doors open wider, more people join in, persistence increases and we might just be that much happier and impactful overall. When people hear stories of others living this way of life, they are inspired and start to say…why not me?

--Arthur

Social Scientist, Explorer, Storyteller

Western ESP Explorer Team Leader

Dr. Arthur Sherwood (he/him)

Who am I? I am a storyteller, explorer, tinkerer and tender. These are my gifts and I share them with the world in many ways. Here I will describe a little of what this looks like at Western Washington University. Back in 2014, I was named the first Cole Professor of Entrepreneurship...a cool university title and set of resources that was in search of a purpose and design. Prior to this, I was a university professor at Indiana State University...a wonderful place and set of people. Yet, I felt I had reached a plateau and felt called to explore new paths. (and in there, was a lot of work with the the local food movement and food cooperatives).

I arrived at WWU full of energy and excitement to work with students and to help support them in their search for self and how they might find their part in this world through entrepreneurship, innovation and changemaking. The primary way I shared my gifts in this position was through working for students. I focused on collaborative program design, super cool curriculum and pressing the edges of what and how we learned at the university about ourselves, the world and the relationship between the two. I also was invited to become a WWU Community Engagement Fellow and Sustainability Fellow...both of which were critical to my own learning of self and the opportunities to identify and share my gifts with the world. I am so grateful for all the people that have been part of this journey.

In 2019, I started on the spark that would eventually become The Entrepreneur's' Story Projects. This was called The Flourishing Changemaker. This arose from some global work we were doing where I noticed that so many entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers were indeed making a difference, yet they were not flourishing, In fact, it looked like they were doing quite the opposite...they were languishing...beat up and burning out.

This made me curious...how is this possible? How can one be doing such amazing work yet find their professional way of life slowly leaking their vitality and energy?

Fortunately, I had formed a wonderful relationship with the people of the Centre for Executive Education at the United Nations established University for Peace in Costa Rica. Here we immersed ourselves in the question of what it means to flourish. I took a deep dive into Positive Psychology and started to build on some of this amazing thinking...

And in 2019, I launched a formal research project The Flourishing Changemaker and set out to start collecting stories. Then...well, we know. Covid. All hands on deck to figure out how we would make it through as a university and global community.

Finally, in mid 2022, I was able to pick this all back up and start story collecting. In Summer of 2023, this evolved into what you see here.

And so, for the next decade I have found my calling...my way to raise my own awareness, deepen my understanding and move forward in new pathways for sharing my gifts with the world.

And here we are. This is a personal journey. This is a collective journey.

I am a storyteller, explorer, tinkerer and tender in and of this world. I am Arthur. (I am also Bear...but you will have to ask me about that in person:-)

Western ESP Explorer and Camera Storyteller

Gwen Fluhr, MS (they/them)

Gwen has been taking photos all their life...and as technology advanced, videos became a love as well. Just take a walk with them, and you will experience the capturing of so many stories happening around us. From the interaction of coal-black raven couples in the PNW to the jungle crows on the Andaman Sea Coast; from a mallard ducks navigating an icy stream at Padden Creek in Bellingham to green sea turtles navigating the reefs of Mabul Island in Borneo; from local Salish Sea orcas to sloths in Costa Rica. And don't forget those ninja squirrel shenanigans! And humans too...of all sorts and in all sorts of stories. With degrees in outdoor recreation and herbal medicine and extensive experience in creative arts, world travel and healing, Gwen has a broad range of nature based interests including the interaction of humans and our more than human world. A perfect fit for the camerahuman that travels the world to capture the moments related to the Sustainable Development Goals. With multiple ESP Global expeditions already in their backpack, the excitement continues to tell the stories of entrepreneurs, innovators and changemaker's' as they engage with the issues related to the SDGs.

Western ESP Explorer and Podcast Storyteller

Kurtis Johnston

Hi, my name is Kurtis Johnston. Im a sophmore at Western Washington University studying Recreation Management and Leadership along with Entroproneurship. I have many pashions; skiing, backpacking, sailing and photography being my main recratory endevors. I'm super excited to be one of the first members of the ESP team! My job as a Western ESP Explore is to create and make available the recoding's/podcasts that Arthur (our team leader) and Gwen have collected over the past couple of years. Cheers to discovery, curiosity and creativity!

Western ESP Explorer and Marketing Design Storyteller

Hayden Wires

My name is Hayden and I've lived my whole life in Washington State. I was born in Seattle, raised in Bellevue, and now I live in the woods of Northern Washington State with my loving partner, two cats, a big yellow labrador, and ten chickens. I graduated from Bellevue College with a Bachelor’s in Digital Marketing in 2020; I’m currently a grad student at Western Washington University working on a Master’s in Business Administration.

Hey there! I'm Joe Fitzgerald, and I'm absolutely thrilled to dive into the world of ESP (Entrepreneur's Story Projects). I've always had an intense passion for storytelling, whether through film, writing, or any other creative medium you can think of.

My journey into storytelling took me to New Zealand for a year, where I was immersed in a sea of stories that ignited my passion even further. Working on a few independent projects during my time there, I encountered heaps of narratives that left a lasting impact on me.

Now, as I prepare to graduate this June from Western, where I've been studying Philosophy and Entrepreneurship, I'm eager to bring my love for storytelling into this exciting venture with ESP. I believe in the power of stories to inspire, educate, and connect people, and I'm committed to contributing my skills to this collective endeavor.