We are excited to introduce a new partnership between the American Cancer Society and The Good Listening Project called "My Why." This unique opportunity is designed to provide ACS leaders and staff with dedicated time to reflect on your purpose and engage more deeply with your colleagues through meaningful conversation.
This is a two-part program:
Part I: One-on-One Listener Poet Sessions. You’ll talk 1:1 with a Listener Poet (via Zoom or phone) for ~20 minutes, providing a space to reflect on the deeper motivations that inspire your contributions to ACS’s mission. You’ll then receive an anonymized custom poem based on the conversation (see Part I below for more details).
Part II: Small Group Peer Conversations: You’ll join a one-hour conversation via Zoom with 3-4 of your ACS colleagues, led by a TGLP Listener Poet. This will be an opportunity to get to know others from across the organization and reflect on your stories together (see Part II below for more details).
We’ll celebrate your stories by compiling the anonymous poems into a special “Our Why” poetry anthology and culminate the program with a Poetry Reading Showcase. While all poems and stories are written anonymously, inclusion in publications is entirely optional.
Getting started: schedule your Listener Poet sessions here
1
Choose a time on the calendar for Part I: your one-on-one Listener Poet session. When confirming, you do not need to enter an access code.
2
After you confirm Part I, click the pink “Book Part II: Small Group Conversation” button to select a time that works for you. This should be at least 14 days after your Listener Poet session.
3
We’ll send you a calendar invite with a Zoom link for each session. If you opted for phone for Part I, your Listener Poet will call you at the start of your session.
More About the Program
Part I: One-on-one Listening Session
There’s no need to prepare for your session, but you’re welcome to consider what you might like your poem to be about in advance if you’d like.
Your poem can be about anything meaningful to you. It might highlight a passion or share the story of what brought you to, or keeps you, at ACS. You could focus on a transformative experience that shaped your reasons for being part of the ACS team. There’s no right or wrong focus—what matters most is that it’s personal and significant to you. If it’s helpful, you could reflect on the following questions in advance of your session:
What personal experiences or values drew you to work at ACS and how do they continue to inspire you in your role today?
How has your work at ACS impacted your view of life, illness, or purpose?
What do you hope to achieve or contribute through your work at ACS, both for those affected by cancer and for your own personal growth?
Your Listener Poet will write your poem based on the conversation, and email it to you within five days of your session. You will have the opportunity to suggest edits before the poem is finalized. The poem will be anonymized and is yours to keep and share however you’d like.
Part II: Small Group Conversation
After you’ve completed your 1:1 session with a Listener Poet and received your poem, you’ll join a 60-minute reflective conversation via Zoom with a small group of your peers. It will be facilitated by a TGLP Listener Poet, and you’ll receive an email a few days beforehand with more details, including who the participants for your session will be.
The purpose is to offer ACS team members a safe, supportive space to fostering deeper connections and understanding. Through guided discussions, participants are encouraged to share their poems with one another, listen actively, and make meaning together (sharing your poem is not required to participate).
The benefits include:
Community Building: By sharing openly in a respectful environment, participants strengthen relationships and create a sense of shared experience and purpose.
Peer Support: Participants are heard and validated, which cultivates connection and helps reduce feelings of isolation.
Enhanced Communication Skills: Active listening and empathetic dialogue improve interpersonal connections both in and out of the workplace.
Personal Growth: The sessions provide a chance for self reflection and deeper understanding of one’s own beliefs, purpose, and emotions.
ACS “Our Why” Poetry Anthol0gy
At the close of the project, we’ll celebrate and amplify your stories by compiling the anonymous poems into a special ACS “Our Why” poetry anthology. All participants will receive a printed copy to keep. If you do not wish for your poem and story to be included, simply opt out of publication and your poem will never be shared.
More Questions?
Share your questions with us here, and a TGLP program coordinator will get back to you asap!
“From my standpoint as a physician, it really turned the tables to have someone really listen to me. It’s usually my job to listen to my patients.
I walked out feeling a small amount of joy I hadn’t felt before in my heart.”
A Listener Poet talks with a clinician at Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., January 2020