A conversation with Hollywood Film Maker Angus Wall, Zen teacher Matthias Birk and Law Firm Leader Greg Starner
This webinar will explore how Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey can serve not just as a storytelling structure but as a practical guide for living a more authentic and purpose-driven life. Through dialogue with filmmaker Angus Wall Zen teacher Matthias Birk, and Law Firm Leader Greg Starner (facilitated by the Garrison Institute’s Managing Director Steve Varley).
Through dialogue we’ll examine how the stages of the Hero’s Journey help us:
- Recognize the call to adventure in our own lives.
- Navigate challenges and confront the ego.
- Find deeper alignment with who we truly are.
- Return with insights that can serve our communities and the wider world.
The Hero’s Journey is not only a narrative structure for movies, but also a living framework for personal growth. By embracing it, we can uncover purpose, overcome the traps of the ego, and live with greater clarity and meaning. Join us for this compelling and imaginative conversation.
Zoom links will be emailed within 24 hours of registration.
Please contact us at events@garrisoninstitute.org with questions.
SPEAKERS
Angus Wall is an Oscar and Emmy-winning filmmaker and founder of MakeMake, an interdisciplinary studio dedicated to re-enchantment. He has three grown children and lives in Southern California with his wife and three mutts.
Matthias Birk teaches Zen meditation at Still Mind Zendo in New York and leadership at NYU and Columbia Business School. He’s the founder of Self-Transcendent Leadership and the Director of Partner Development at White & Case. He lives with his wife, two kids and dog in Brooklyn, New York.
Gregory Starner is a litigation partner at White & Case and manages the firm’s New York office. He lives with his wife, three kids and a new puppy in Garrison, New York.
Steve Varley serves as the Managing Director at the Garrison Institute. In this role, Steve is responsible for the comprehensive strategy and support of the Garrison Institute’s efforts to apply the wisdom developed from contemplative practice to modern problems, with a special interest on the translation of individual practice to community, organizational, and systems-level problems. Steve’s previous experience includes leadership roles at prominent organizations such as National Public Radio (NPR) and the University of North Carolina. His leadership at UNC Pembroke resulted in record-breaking fundraising years and was defined by his orientation of service and partnership toward the local community and the Lumbee Tribe. Steve also served as President of the UNC Pembroke Foundation, an independent organization with endowment management and fundraising responsibility, where he oversaw millions of dollars in annual grantmaking for students with financial need. Previously, Steve served as associate dean of advancement at Yale University, completing a long term of service in health-related fundraising and global health initiatives. Prior to Yale, he was the vice president of development at Gardner-Webb University, where he spearheaded the Higher Ground capital campaign, the university’s most successful fundraising effort in its history.