Back in 2021, my dear friend and co-founder of Yes, And…eXercise!, Susan Scarlett gave me my first word of the year. She did it in a very kind way, recognizing that I had a deficit of this keyword in my life. By embracing it as my word of the year, she reasoned, I might be able to manifest more of it. Boy was she was right…

The word was “Joy” and it began the Jam for Joy, the name for our improvisation program.

In 2023, freshly graduated from my PhD program and embarking on this journey with our nonprofit organization, I chose two words: freedom and curiosity.

In 2024, recognizing the need for more community collaboration, I chose the word co-creation.

In 2025, I am excited to bring forth my word of the year – it’s a biggie in just three letters: Awe. I am inspired to embrace this word after reading Dacher Keltner’s book by the same title. 

Awe can be seen as “the chill-up-the-spine you might find in a poem, symphony, mountaintop, spiritual experience, or selfless act.” You can find it watching your dog play or in the majesty of a double rainbow. One of the things I loved about Keltner’s exploration into “Yosemite Bear’s” blissful interaction with the bent multi-colored wonder was his use of the word “Whoa!” It seems that the word has nearly universal usage, understanding and appeal for humans, regardless of the language we speak. In other words, we are connected by Awe. Whoa!

Another Keltner definition of the word helps: “the emotion we experience when we encounter vast mysteries that we don't understand”. This is particularly helpful as it underscores one of the reasons improvisation is so powerful: we play in the unknown on purpose. That’s scary enough for some people to keep them out. It’s fair because the unknown can serve as a mirror. If you go in with bad intentions, or even unresolved ignorance or a detrimental story, that will likely get reflected and perhaps even bounced on to someone else. In order to improvise cleanly – giving ourselves the greatest chance to see our whole selves and others for who they are, we must enter the blank space with an open heart – ready to affect and be affected. 

Awe also shows up in movies – the big ones that must be seen on the big screen. Keltner writes: “what attracts filmmakers like Steven Spielberg to awe is that one of the central aims of the arts is to unite people into a shared understanding of reality—what it is and what you need to change.” Think of some big Spielberg moments – how he uses the frame and the understanding of the size of the screen he intends you to see this image on in order to evoke awe. Whether it’s Jaws, Indiana Jones, E.T., Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, West Side Story or any other from his incredible body of work, all of these films have massive moments of awe. Moments that make us say Whoa! Moments that remind us of our place in the universe. 

There is so much more to explore in Awe – and I hope you’ll join me in 2025. I’ll offer one more Keltner quote from Awe: “Awe changes your sense of who you are. You start to realize, I’m not a separate person, I’m connected to all these people. If you’re looking for change, it’s a good emotion to seek.”

I couldn’t agree more. Come seek yourself, fellow travellers and moments of Whoa! in 2025 with us. 

Robert Cochrane, PhD

Founder & CEO, Yes, And…Exercise!

www.yesandexercise.org

Originally Published on https://www.yesandexercise.org/

Robert Cochrane, PhD Yes, And...eXercise!

Dr. Robert Cochrane is a graduate of UNLV's Integrated Health Sciences department. He's researching the effect of improvisation and storytelling on Parkinson’s disease. He received grants from the Parkinson's Foundation and support from the Davis Phinney Foundation along the way. He is a popular, unique and high energy Keynote speaker, bringing joy, optimism and practical tools for people in the PD community to thrive today.

He has a background in filmmaking, with the Artisan Entertainment release, The Playaz Court, and two Stephen King-based short films among his credits. His father, Dan, was diagnosed with PD in 2001, which shifted Robert’s artistic lens to health. He made his first documentary, the award-winning Boys of Summer in 2004. There are two follow up films in the series with the fourth film coming in 2023.

He moved his family back to Walnut Creek, CA, where he grew up. He lives there with his beautiful wife, two teenagers who are, indeed, "all that" and is a proud care partner for his amazing parents.