doreen dodgen-magee, psy.d., Lake Oswego, OR (2025)

07/13/2025

Things I love/cherish about getting to speak at Moyallon Quaker Camp in Ireland.

1) No phones. Truly. Only in our rooms (where we rarely want to be). I feel more calm and present than I have in a very long time.

2) Silence (often 30 minutes long) peppered throughout the day and all gatherings.

3) Beautiful, diverse (in being and thought) people who inspire me and accept me for who I am.

4) Those same beautiful people to learn from and fall (deeply) in love with. (These people!!!!!!!! My heart!)

5) Bedtimes with no streaming on my lap top. Just me and my solar lantern and twinkle lights, writing notes to folks to offer up the next day.

6) Reminders that my way of life is not THE way of life. Traveling does this for me and I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity.

7) The folks who are here who I met 9 years ago when I was the speaker who remember me and who (confoundingly) love me. My heart is so knit to theirs (Oliver, Alex, Lydia, & Mark…YOU! Just, YOU!)

Headed off to meeting for worship where we’ll sit, for an hour, in silence, listening for God, for Love. This just does not happen in my life at home.

I feel beyond fortunate.a

07/06/2025

Once, in an airport, someone approached me, saying, “I ready your book and we are the same! I HATE TECHNOLOGY!!”

I stared at her blankly, baffled at how she could read what I’d written and come to the conclusion that I hated technology. It just wasn’t my message at all.

As I watch the tide of those who claim to follow Jesus twist his messages to support actions that hurt those that he privileged with his energy, care, and subversive teachings, I feel that same baffled mix of rage and sorrow.

Because I know how much our algorithms determine what we see and, therefore, know, I hope that you might see and share some things here that others in your followership might not otherwise see.

There is nothing beautiful about taking resources from the “least of these.” *

With love I ask of you: Please check your bias, your sources, and your privilege. This is not a time for passive scrolling. It’s a time for seeking a deeper, more complex, understanding and doing what we can to resist tyranny.

* Matthew 25:40 “The King [God] will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these [the poor, young, old, hungry, imprisoned] my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me.”

07/03/2025

Every vacation would benefit from some boredom!!

Since every day life is full of constant demands, time off should include a bit of time where we do what the Dutch call “Niksen.”

Translated as “to do nothing deliciously,” a consistent Niksen practice offers us massive benefits.

Some of these are:

🎨 increased creativity.

🥹 better emotional range & regulation skills.

🧘🏼‍♀️ greater calm.

👩🏽‍🤝‍👨🏾 enhanced relationships.

🥳 more likelihood of experiencing fun.

So…whether you’re at a warm beach in your bathing suit or, like me, at the Oregon coast in a sweatshirt…see wherever you are as a great place to be bored!

I promise you, all the discomfort will fade away as you practice and you’ll soon see and feel some massive benefits!

Signed with love by,
doreen, AKA the boredom evangelist!

06/27/2025

The Marriage Equality Act passed, in 2015, just a month before I officiated my first wedding. A & L (photo 3) were going to go through with it even without it but having it actually in place was thrilling.

Just days before the wedding, my faith community split over the issue of human sexuality. My family & I, along with many others, were tossed out because we believe that q***r people are beloved…worthy of the same rights, protections, & privileges that straight folks have.

As pride month wraps up, I am grateful to the couples that have offered me the great gift of standing with them as they realize their wish and right to marry.

At this moment in history, I commit to doing everything I can to make sure that my q***r family and friends have access to what they need (and deserve) to thrive. That means health care, mental health support, and access to all relational rights (including that of legal marriage).

Today that looks like calling my reps and senators about the closing down of the LGBTQ+ su***de hotline as well as promoting a play about q***r love and offering practical support to a few loved ones. Tomorrow it will look like staying informed so that I understand what calls to action are mine to take.

Thank you Annie & Lindsey, Joseph & Charlie, and Taylor & Rachel for inviting me to the front row of your weddings and for letting me live life alongside of you.

I included the last two photos because it seems like, mostly, tall q***r folks ask me to marry them. The last photo, of me barely peeking out over the shoulders of Taylor and Rachel, just might be my favorite photo of myself.

Q***r people have always existed and always shone bright! We must not allow their light to be dimmed!

***rlove

06/26/2025

This is how I felt about getting to see 's adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest last night at Portland Center Stage!

As I got out of my seat for the standing ovation at the end, I looked just as thrilled only I had tears running down my face.

My husband walked me to my car and I couldn't articulate what was going on because the happy, complicated tears wouldn't stop.

Here's the truth. Kamilah just did the thing! She adapted a beloved play by a major playwright, giving a gift to the audiences that saw it, the actors that brought it to life, and, even, to Oscar Wilde himself.

Only she could do this! She had the vision, believed in herself, invited others to do the same, and then it all came to be. And...it was/is INCREDIBLE!

Over the course of my life, I've had some pretty intense caregiving seasons that have interrupted my work toward my own callings, goals, and dreams. This is one of those seasons.

When I'm in these spaces, it's easy to lose heart and imagine that I'll never get to do what only I am made to do.

I share this because I wonder if you can relate.

Last night's magic filled me up! If Kamilah inspires me to remember that there is season for everything. A season for seeing my work through and a season for radically celebrating someone else's big, bold achievement.

Wherever you are in your journey...don't lose heart.

The next season is coming and I'm cheering you toward it!

If you're in Portland, OR you still have a few chances to see Kamilah's adaptation & .andrew.jones amazing performance in it! Don't miss your chance!

06/23/2025

This beautiful soul, front & center (in the yellow hoodie), is Natalie.

Natalie is the mother of beloved .w & has inspired & taught me since I met her three years ago.

Natalie is like a beam of light or a flickering flame. Darkness is dispelled in her presence simply by her just being there.

She brings (literal & figurative) flowers, joy, & the most intense goodwill imaginable wherever she goes.

Sadly, of late, she’s spent far too many hours in chemo & the surgery theater & hospitals & drs appointments.

Today, her beloved community (of likeminded badass souls) offered a healing sound journey as a fund raiser to support Natalie’s family in this devastating time.

The place literally buzzed with love.

Even in her dark night of the soul, Natalie spreads love, kindness, generosity, & grace.

To know her is to be invited into a warm hug & unconditional love.

For that reason, I want you to know her. I dare you to gaze into her eyes (or the eyes of her mother…with purple hair in the last photo) & not feel her spirit.

I’m sharing Natalie’s go fund me in my Linkt.ree bio in case you feel led to add $5 or $50 (or whatever you feel led to offer). This is a small way we can return some of Natalie’s light to her.

Natalie, you are held in this impossible time. Natalie’s community…you inspire me more than I can say. Thank you for including me.

💪 ❤️

06/12/2025

I never got to meet Drew Lineman in person but I’ve met him a million times in the eyes, hearts, & hugs from these dear friends of his.

He started the GSA at his college & created a deep & wide community…inviting everyone in who needed care & affirmation.

My dear friend Sara & her BFF Drew were a powerful force…making sure that every q***r beloved one had a family!

Drew died horrifically at the Pulse Nightclub…what should have been a safe space for his huge chosen family to connect & play! Today is the day we honor him, as well as the 49 others, shot and killed that night at Pulse as well as the hundreds of others wounded & traumatized.

In honor of Drew, the others impacted, & pride month…please consider hopping over to , the non profit that founded in Drew’s honor & that so many other of Drew’s friends serve on the board of) to help fund scholarships for q***r youth.

Or, if you need an amazing GSA curriculum, hit them up. Their’s is the best!

If Drew was half the friend that these folks all have been to me, I’m not sure I could handle the love that must have buzzed around him!

To everyone tagged (or not) in these photos…thank you for the home you have given me in your hearts & spaces!! I am undeserving of the love & family you bring to me & I am eternally grateful! I SO LOVE YOU!

***rscholars

06/11/2025

A little run down from yesterday:

Sitting in a healing circle at in Chicago & catching eyes with a sister who I’m twinning (accidentally) with.

Picking collards from the PBMR farm with Sr. Carolyn for me to drop off at my beloved friend Ethel’s home.

Cuddling with Tawanda, watching the video of her youngest (who was only 9 when I met them) graduate from high school. His oldest brother was lost to gun violence, his middle brother sits in prison for another year waiting for a trial.

Hugging Eric who was arrested at 15 and tried as an adult. Thank God for criminal justice reform that allowed him a much justified release after 27.5 years in prison. He’s now on staff at PBMR.

Ordering Trenesha’s (also on staff here) book after she offered to give me a copy. I want to be an “official purchaser” so I can review & share. Her story of how prison shaped her will teach me things…I just know it will!

Spotting a photo of Aldena, whose son’s life was taken too soon, and me in the hallway at PBMR. I have the same photo on my refrigerator.

Visiting each of the special locations/buildings that Sr. Donna had a hand in creating, procuring, &/or beautifying & bearing witness to all the stories.

Sitting with Sister Donna (who has actively loved and supported each of these beloveds along with their entire families) at the Front Porch…a building that she used to collect expired cereal from when it was a convenience and liquor store to offer the kids at the center. When it was abandoned, she dreamed it would be a gathering and healing space and has made sure it has become one.

Witnessing every person who walked by her be loved on & celebrated by Sister Donna. None of them just walk on by. They all linger.

May we all learn from this person!

I have far more in me to share about how this place & its people have shaped & taught me but, for now…please gaze at these beloveds. Send them love & care. They are more important, & have faced more challenges & come out strong than I can even imagine.

These are my role models!

❤️

06/08/2025

There’s a good chance that half my literal heart resides permanently at in the Back of the Yards, Chicago.

I can’t describe what happens in this profoundly grounded, holy, complicated, beautiful, authentic place simply because language is too limited to do so.

In the coming days I hope to convey some of what I have learned from Sister Donna and this place she has called home because we all have so much to learn from her and everyone who belongs at (which is, actually, everyone).

I feel like the most fortunate person in the world to be known by these beloveds & am grateful to be here as Sister Donna closes this chapter of her work and ministry.

06/07/2025

It’s weekend, the time of year where we raise awareness of the reality of gun related tragedies in America.

I wear orange to honor the lives of my sister in law and nieces (pictured in the button I’m wearing…thank you for this beautiful image of them), the friends and family taken from my beloved siblings, as well as the 125 lives taken, EACH DAY, by gun, in America.

The tragedies don’t happen because “people are in the wrong place at the wrong time.” My sister in law and nieces were at their mother’s/grandmother’s home when they were killed. Gun violence is so prevalent because of easy access to guns.

If you’re ready to join the huge majority of Americans who are ready to stop this public health crisis, please text HONOR to 6-4433.

Please say my family member’s names and consider taking 125 seconds of silence to honor all those families who will be impacted by gun related death today.

Laura, Sarah, Rachel, & April…I miss you today & every day.

05/27/2025

🌟 Employee Engagement for Today’s Professionals 🌟

Hello friends & LinkedIn community! I'm excited to share my new talks & workshops that can be game-changers for supporting employees and today’s professionals.

🎤✨ As your next event’s speaker, I’ll bring a psychologist's experience & expertise, an award winning author’s research & storytelling, a seasoned keynote speaker’s audience engagement, and the care & understanding of a busy mom navigating today’s ever-changing world.

🚀 A few topics I love speaking on:

• Balancing Life & Technology in a Digital World: Proven tips and tools to inspire and support participants' busy lifestyles and mental health in today’s new digital era. Perfect for teams or conference audiences.

•Welcome to the Boredom Party: Let’s reclaim our focus and well-being by embracing the power of intentional rest and boredom. This talk helps audiences breathe life into their creativity, and joy through the power of "doing nothing deliciously". A wonderful addition to large conferences and events.

• Community & Connection / Reclaiming Joy & Meaningful Relationships: Rediscover what truly meaningful connection feels like. Leave this workshop feeling more grounded, connected, and ready to embrace a more joyful and fulfilling life. Great for Employee Resource Groups.

• Finding Your Own Well-Being as a Parent: Practical strategies for parents to navigate challenging conversations, address root causes of discontent, and build a foundation of mental wellness for their families and themselves.

📣 Open for conferences, workshops, webinars, & more. For client testimonials and more details, feel free to reach out. I have a brand new press kit I'd love to send your way.

Ready to deliver a meaningful experience that helps rejuvenate and inspire people to do their best work and also be their best selves? Me too! Send me a message and let’s build together!

-doreen

05/23/2025

In the words of Mr. Rogers: 143!

He used this number as shorthand for:

I LOVE YOU. (1 letter, 4 letters, 3 letters used to express, perhaps, the most important message.

Today is the 143rd day of the year, the day when those of us who love Mr. Rogers, and endeavor to keep his work alive, spread unconditional love wherever we go.

Please join the effort.

Start by looking in the mirror long enough to quiet the critical voices and identify one tiny (or huge) thing to love about you. Then tell your self that you love yourself.

Mean it and keep doing this throughout the day.

Loving others is easy when this is firmly in place.

Here's a start: 143 from Mr. Rogers and me.

doreen dodgen-magee, psy.d.

07/13/2025

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