We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Whitney Griffin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Whitney, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
When I’m retired and sipping tea from my breakfast nook at my lakeside cabin in Colorado, I won’t really be retired. (As if I could.) I’ll always be learning and teaching at, I mean uh, teaching to anyone who will listen. My training as both a learning scientist and a yoga teacher allow me to research, teach, and share wisdom across formal and informal learning environments. Wherever I can find nature, I can design a learning space (hence, Colorado). The vision that brings me joy and fulfillment as a researcher-practitioner is one where I have designed sustainable school systems of inclusive environments for sciences and arts for all learners of all ages. I had the pleasure of going to graduate school (for educational psychology) in Seattle, Washington (go Dawgs). It was inspiring to see radical ways of thinking by people who engineered aspects of the city to be interdependent with the natural environment. My end goal as an educator/advocate is to participate in a sustainable future for the wellness of human beings for many generations to come. By the end of my professional career, I want to know I’ve contributed to world health, education, and compassion. My end goal is to do my best every day, knowing that every day I bring abundance.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My career as a psychology professor began as a yoga teacher. Learning how to teach anatomy while practicing anatomy is incredibly strenuous. I had to mentally juggle anatomical safety, verbal cueing, physical adjustments, musical timing, sequence memory, and not bump into any limbs that might catch me off guard. Flying feet are a real thing in the yoga room! I think what sets me apart in higher education is my embodiment of learning. The lessons from yoga I’ve learned along the way is that our bodies are not transportation machines to drop our brains off at the classroom door. We can and should involve our bodies in the learning process. Humans are designed with multiple intelligences, and bodily (kinesthetic) is but one of many! This aspect of education excites me and is backed up by Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Gardner (1983) argues that humans have capabilities in the multiple intelligences of (a) visual-spatial; (b) linguistic-verbal; (c) interpersonal; (d) intrapersonal; (e) logical-mathematical; (f) musical; (g) bodily-kinesthetic; (h) naturalistic; and the more recently added (i) existential areas. I want to contribute to this story by creating education that is universally accessible to all learners through all possible modes of intelligence.

I think the highest honor of my career would be getting to work for the World Health Organization.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Food: Brunch at Hamburger Mary’s Cuban food at Versailles Dinner at Redondo for a walk along the Riviera Porto’s Activities Hiking in Kenneth Hahn park Long Beach Aquarium Griffith Observatory The Good Nite karaoke 3rd Street Promenade Volunteering at a local farm (such as Sow a Heart) The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Mentorship shoutout to my first yoga teacher trainer, D’Andre Clayton (owner of Hot Yoga Healthy You studio), for teaching me the philosophy of the chakras. Mentorship shoutout to my grad school husband, Joh Howard, for teaching me the philosophy of education. Love and encouragement to both of my first teachers, my mom (professor) and my dad (adult education teacher). Organization shoutout to the LoveYourBrain Foundation, Kyla Pearce, for leading my first TBI yoga teacher training. Love and encouragement shoutout to my social support matrix.

Website: www.rewiredbrainyoga.com

Instagram: @whitnessbrainchange

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-whitney-griffin-73a00a7/

Twitter: @brainsloveyoga

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drwhitneygriffin

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs8Jf2bjN6XcXnDtydOt_lA

Image Credits
Soho Yoga. re+active Physical Therapy. Isis Roberts. LoveYourBrain.

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