1450028083508767

Ann Stillwater


 Ann Stillwater

Neurodiverse, certified yoga instructor, nurse researcher and retired school nurse Ann Stillwater(she/they, M Ed, BSN, ADN, BA) learns and teaches that healing from traumas and “mistakes” leads to a deeper, richer, experience of this adventure called life. Anchored in personal experience, Ann’s research on “second victims” (published in 2018) introduced school nurses to the idea that those in helping professions may suffer emotional trauma when things do not go as expected. Ann completed Plum Village’s Mindfulness for Educators training in 2020, & continues to learn evidence-based strategies and a gentler, kinder way of relating to self and others in this traumatized world. Grateful to be a healer, spouse, parent of amazing grown children, & active citizen!  


Ann Stillwater

EXPERIENCES
    Activity Time Information
    Show Date
    Fri 4 Sep 2026 11:00 AM to 11:50 AM
    Title ShortLeaden Dysfunction to Golden Thriving – My Personal Alchemy
    Venue Science Tent
    Experience DescriptionHow does a socially awkward, book-wormish, gifted kid from a generationally addicted & dysfunctional family unbind from the past and stumble their way into greater healing and thriving? Alchemical Science! Part presentation, part discussion, this experience offers deeper personal growth opportunities. Alchemy, in the Middle Ages, had two complementary branches: the exoteric which focuses on the outer science; and the esoteric of psychological evolution and spiritual transformation leading to enlightenment. Ann utilizes both while sharing their story, with tools that allow participants to stumble their own way forward. Let’s learn them and become unbound, individually and culturally! The sciences of neurobiology, perfectionism, trauma-informed care, and neurodiversity offer exoteric perspectives and tools. Esoterically, wisdom from two twelve-step groups: Al-Anon (for family and friends of alcoholics), and Adult Children of Alcoholics and Other Dysfunctional Families, personalize and internalize the science. Music, story-telling, and mindfulness will help. Sources will be available. Start to possess your own history instead of letting it possess you! “I want somehow to tell the story of how the dispossessed become possessed of their own history without losing sight, without forgetting the meaning of the nature of their journey.” Sherley Anne Williams
    Show Date
    Fri 4 Sep 2026 2:00 PM to 2:50 PM
    Title ShortGrounding: Getting Out of My Head and Back to Earth
    Venue Front Porch
    Experience DescriptionGrounding, also called Earthing, is a deliberate embodied connection to physical reality. People are buying specific grounding pads or shoes, but these are unnecessary. Come and ground! Our modern society has prioritized mental, academic endeavors, resulting in stress and “Nature Deficit Disorder.” Journalist Richard Louv coined that term as a metaphor to describe how alienation from nature decreases health. Grounding is one way to re-center, de-stress and change ourselves for the better. Guided meditations will include geology and chakras. Between guided meditations, we will have time to share and discuss participant experiences and similar tools. We will lie on the ground. Wear comfortable (weather-appropriate) clothing, and bring a mat or blanket to lie on as well extra layers of clothing to avoid becoming chilled.