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Think of this as your personal calling card, the place where people can get a sense of who you are through the current inquiry, work and communities you’re involved in. Whether it’s for meeting people from other collectives or establishing your own digital landing page for your work, this is a glimpse of you.

Amy J.

Amy J.

Costa Rica

I am a former teacher that still loves interacting with students of all ages. I love exercise and talking to people. My goals are to add value to my communities, enjoy nature, to travel and learn.

I am a former teacher that still loves interacting with students of all ages. I love exercise and talking to people. My goals are to add value to my communities, enjoy nature, to travel and learn.

About Me
Highlights Interests Strengths Community
Work Collectives Activity

Small Successes!

At the end of the day yesterday, the group was successful. Everyone understood what we were doing when we started cooking because of reading through the recipe and breaking it down.

Each of the boys participated in the process so they felt a sense of accomplishment. They learned about a business tool that they can use in the future.

It took us a little while to plan, make dinner and eat together, but it was worth the extra effort to be prepared for the task. The food was great and everyone had a great meal.

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Opportunity Cost

Opportunity Cost is an economic tool that helps with decision making.
The Power of Your Choices
Have you ever thought about what you give up when you make a decision? That’s what economists call opportunity cost. It's a way to understand that every choice comes with a trade-off. In simple terms, opportunity cost is the value of the next best alternative you didn’t choose.
A Quick Example
Let’s say you decide to binge-watch Netflix tonight instead of doing your homework. The opportunity cost? It’s the completed homework — and possibly the good grade or free time tomorrow that you gave up. It doesn’t mean that watching Netflix was the wrong choice. It just means you gave something up in order to make that choice — and it's important to be aware of what that was.
Why It Matters
Many of the decisions you make every day — how you spend your time, money, or energy — are automatic. You just do what feels right in the moment. But what if you paused and thought about the cost of your decisions? Not in money, but in missed opportunities — things you could have done instead that might bring you closer to your goals? That pause is powerful. It builds awareness. And awareness builds better habits.
To do: The Decision Journal
This week, I challenge you to track your choices — just for five days. This isn’t about making the “right” or “wrong” decision. It’s about learning to pause and evaluate/analyze. Here’s how it works:
Step-by-Step: Daily Decision Practice
Each day after school, when you're deciding what to do next:
  1. Pause.
  2. Write down your top 2 choices.
    • Example: Do homework vs. Hang out with friends
  3. List the benefits of each option.
    • What do you gain from each?
  4. Pick the one you’re going to do.
    • Circle it on your paper.
  5. Now look at the one you didn’t choose.
    • What are the benefits you’re giving up? Are you okay with that trade-off?
  6. Reflect.
    • Look back at what you chose. Were the benefits worth it?
You can use a notebook, a notes app, or print out or use this simple template. What matters is doing the thinking.
Why This Matters to You
Let’s say school was tough today — you’re mentally drained. You choose to relax and hang out with friends instead of jumping straight into homework. That’s valid! Social time is important, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need. But imagine doing that every day. This journal helps you see the bigger picture — patterns in your choices. Are you consistently giving up your long-term goals (like better grades or getting into a college you want) for short-term relief or fun? This isn’t about guilt. It’s about balance — and knowing when and why you make the decisions you do.
Final Thought
Opportunity cost isn’t just an economics concept — it’s a life skill. Taking the time to pause and reflect can help you make smarter, more intentional decisions. Over time, this awareness can build better habits, more confidence in your choices, and a stronger connection to your goals. So, post your decision journals or your reflections to this path to show your analysis! What did you learn using this simple economic tool?
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Guatemala trip reflections

It was just a couple of weeks ago that we went to Guatemala and spent some time at the Meso school with our friends from Utah and The Wonderment. There were many things that stood out for me about this trip and I wanted to write them down before I forgot their importance.
  1. I love traveling with friends and exploring new areas. Guatemala was a new country for me and going there with Cloe and Mileidy at the beginning of the trip felt easy. I say easy because I have traveled with them before, I feel comfortable with them and I trust them in new situations. They make me think because they have great insights into other people and experiences. It was also fitting to have Cassia, Matt and Amy along with their families join the trip the next day. A few times in my life when I am fully out of my comfort zone have been with the Wonderment crew. The amount of support, trust and ease I felt to travel with this many people is something that I am grateful for.
  2. I love schools - the energy and the excitement from the energy of the kids is infectious. Thinking about how to motivate students with projects and set up the structure with the teachers is a fun puzzle. It made the Project Wonder idea real for a moment. I want to figure out how to capture that and move it out to the world.
  3. The volcano hike was really hard. Actually, the hike was not hard, the evening and night were hard. I am not sure how I feel about my reaction to the sleeping and bathroom quarters. I think that it is always good to experience something like that so that it puts our life into perspective. It is also interesting to do something like that with a group so that you see the necessity of having people around you that are supportive and get you through hard things.
More than anything, relationships are key to life. I am grateful for everyone that I interacted with on the trip and will continue to think about the different elements of the trip that impacted discussions and decisions in the upcoming weeks. Let me know what you took away from this experience!
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Business journeys with a small dose of health

I would like to follow a process of finding the right fit activities for right now. My old right fit was being a teacher. There is a picture of me and my class on a very cool field trip to Atlanta and showing some of the great connections that we made there. I am moving on from that job where I had a ton of connections and now am working to branch out and create something new. This is showing what it is like to start a new venture. This week, the new ventures are opening a new store in our area and the different aspects of how to do that. The other new venture is starting Project Wonder and opening that up to the world to take part in.  Another would be working on staying healthy and enjoying the outdoors and exercise communities here in Guanacaste Costa Rica. So all of those things are at the forefront of my mind right now and I would like to think about the process of going through some business journeys along with a small part of creating balance and health in a busy life.
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Reflection about strengths from Amy

The prompt was to think about how my strengths are relevant today and what I can use them for in the future.

It gives you the confidence to stand up for what you believe in.

My strength of creativity has me always looking for interesting and fun ways to do things. This has led me to be creative in jobs that I have had in the past, I have created new structures of new ways of doing things and have really enjoyed doing that. This strength of creativity and the understanding of people around me really helps to make my surroundings enjoyable. 

 

I would like to think that I believe in doing things that others will benefit from and it is interesting to make the world a better place. These are the things that propel me to continue to create and revise and communicate with others. To be creative, it is also important to hear how the process works for others and to adapt to their feedback. This needs to be something that I keep in mind as well! 

It supports your understanding of your motivation to do things.

Right now it is important to know my strengths because I am trying to start a new business that might be my work for many years to come. I have an idea in my head and I get pretty excited about it when I think about the outcome of the project for me and for students that will be involved in the upcoming years. My strengths of creativity help me envision the outcome and give me lots of ideas to work with while I am moving forward with the project. Because I have good social intelligence, I am always looking for people to work with and I also am able to talk to so many people about the idea and get some input and suggestions along the way. That motivates me.

When I look at these strengths, I also realize that I can implement this project. However, I also realize that those are not enough to manage the daily output and need input to implement the details. 

Some of this I am learning on a daily basis. What is the motivation behind getting things done? It is not money that is the motivating factor, but it is developing something that I am proud of and something that will help students succeed in the world that we are living in today. Because of that, I need to make sure that I put the effort in to create something of value that students will be engaged with throughout the process. 

 

That could be where my strength of zest comes in. I have a lot of energy and need to create good structure to make sure that the time that I have is spent well. 

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