Jacob Hess
Jacob Hess, Ph.D. During his graduate program at the University of Illinois, Jacob’s helped develop and co-facilitate a liberal-conservative dialogue course for undergraduates, the first of its kind in the nation. With Dr. Phil Neisser (State University of New York, Potsdam), later Jacob co-authored a book on liberal-conservative dialogue entitled, “You’re Not as Crazy as I Thought (But You’re Still Wrong) Conversations between a Devoted Conservative and a Die-Hard Liberal” – featured on NPR’s This American Life. His second book was a discourse analysis of the conversation about romance in the United States: “Once upon a time, he wasn’t feeling it anymore.” Jacob is a longtime member of the National Coalition of Dialogue and Deliberation, a current partner with Living Room Conversations and the regional coordinator of the new Village Square chapter in Utah. Jacob blogs at Mindfully Mormon and Flirting with Curiosity – the latter dedicated towards a more thoughtful conversation between religious conservatives and the gay community.
Jacob has authored 13 peer-reviewed articles on competing narratives of the brain, “recovery,” and “what works” in mental health treatment. He currently teaches Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and co-founded with Thomas McConkie the non-profit, All of Life (www.allofl ife.org) – which offers Mindweather 101, a free mindfulness-based online class for those facing serious mental and emotional challenges. Jacob is married to Monique Moore, with three little boys who make sure their daddy smiles at least 9 times a day.