Your Write to Resilience
Four Saturdays from 10:00 - 11:30 am
January 16 - February 6, 2027
$120 for all four classes
Instructor: Kathryn Goldman

Your Write to Resilience is a guided wellness practice based on the science of journaling.
The process of expressing our emotions through writing has been shown in numerous studies to improve both physical and mental well-being. In Your Write to Resilience, we put pen to paper, writing as fast as we can, capturing our first thoughts - writing over our inner critic. This process offers a way to develop a new habit that boosts resilience in all aspects of life.

This is not a writing instruction class - there are no rules or requirements.  Our writing will be sloppy, loose, imperfect and unrestricted! Together we will co-create a safe space to express our thoughts and feelings through words.

For the artist in you, Your Write to Resilience is also a great way to generate beautiful raw materials for poems, blogs or memoirs. For newcomers and experienced writers alike, this process is an effective tool for getting down on paper the ideas that you have been wanting to develop.

What We Will Do
Each class, you will be offered a different set of writing prompts to explore our resilience. To get started, we’lll read poetry or prose and we will write in lively 5 -10-minute bursts, capturing anything that comes to mind, without pausing, amending, or editing. Remember, the goal is to write faster than your inner critic!

At the end of each writing burst, we can choose to read out loud what we have written. When we read there is no need for explanations. We just read the raw material we created.  The rest of us will listen without comments, questions or judgement. The instructor willl be writing and reading alongside you.

We will close each session with time to silently reflect on what was uncovered through the writing and perhaps identify a personal commitment.

MEET THE INSTRUCTOR
Kathryn Santana Goldman, BSN, MS

Kathryn has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Master of Science in Health Education and numerous certifications in professional development. In addition to her clinical experience as a critical care nurse, she has 30 years of experience as an accomplished facilitator and educator. Throughout her career Kathryn has incorporated the importance of health and wellness into her training interactions and considers it to be a person’s most precious asset.

She has incorporated contemporary neuroscience discoveries into her work teaching techniques to increase self-awareness, self-regulation and the importance of self-care. One self-care technique she encourages individuals to develop is a daily journaling practice as a way of reflecting on events in life.

The design of Your Write To Resilience (YWTR) came out of Kathryn’s deeper study of the neuroscience supporting journaling, or expressive writing. Through her investigation of the literature, she came across research by Dr. James Pennebaker. Dr. Pennebaker designed a study that uncovered the potential health benefits of writing about emotional challenges. Since that time, additional studies have shown that writing about oneself and personal experiences can have a variety of positive physical and psychological benefits.

In addition to expressive writing, Kathryn shares a variety of wellness resources. This includes resources to enhance the quality of a person’s body, mind, and spirit. After each class she distributes written materials, or links to websites, that provide content related to the theme of the class. Participants are offered activities to explore to enhance their wellbeing.

A native San Franciscan, Kathryn teaches YWTR for the Olli Foundation at SFSU and in the communities of Napa and Yountville and leads a monthly writing salon in San Francisco. She is a published poet, enjoys spending time writing, taking photographs, cooking for family and friends and traveling with her husband.

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