Smart Talks. Cold Drinks.
Presenting THINK & DRINK – where the curious gather. This ongoing lecture series delivers a wide array of topics that generate fresh perspectives, ideas, and discussion. These community-driven events are powered by a collaboration between UMKC, Linda Hall Library, The Third Place Historian, and Casual Animal Brewing Company.
Your RSVP is appreciated to help us preset the room and accommodate as many seats as possible for interested attendees. You will also receive at least 1 reminder email about the event when you RSVP.
January 15:
Are you Wishing or Are you Hoping? Knowing the difference can be life-changing.
speaker:
Michael S. Ternes, PhD; Assistant Professor; University of Missouri-Kansas City
This lecture invites a rethinking of hope—not as wishful thinking, but as an active, learnable practice shaped by how we pursue goals across a lifetime. Drawing connections between hope, purpose, and everyday meaning, it explores how hope fuels resilience, deepens engagement, and contributes to a life worth living.
By understanding what hope truly is and why it matters, the focus shifts to how each of us can cultivate it in practical, tangible ways. The core message is simple and empowering: the future does not have to mirror the present—and we have more power than we think to shape what comes next.
speaker bio:
Michael is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Counseling. He earned his master's and doctoral degrees in counseling psychology from the University of Kansas. As a psychologist, he is training psychological assessment and therapy services with a specialty in trauma treatment. His clinical work makes use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - centered in collaborating with people to invest in action that moves them toward a life worth living. At UMKC, he instructs courses on beginning and advanced therapeutic skills, supervision of clinical work, and multicultural counseling. His research focuses on characteristics, like hope, that facilitate the pursuit of goals across education, career, and health and cultivate well-being. In the Spring of 2025, Michael was awarded the Provost's Award for Early Career Excellence in Teaching, the highest teaching honor available at UMKC prior to receiving tenure.
