Nantucket Project Brings Its 'Heart' to 'Wick

 

“Only the Size of Your Heart Matters,” a Brunswick Trust symposium directed by The Nantucket Project, came to Baker Theater and Upper School breakout rooms on Thursday, November 9.

 

Led by co-founders Tom Scott (who also created Nantucket Nectars and the HBO television series “The Neistat Brothers”) and Kate Brosnan, The Nantucket Project (TNP) brings live events, short documentary films, and meaningful storytelling to audiences hungry to know what matters most in this noisy and messy world.

 

Each fall, TNP gathers 500 visionaries and seekers on Nantucket to discuss the boldest and most thought-provoking ideas of our time.

 

Scott began Thursday’s character and leadership symposium with words of advice for Brunswick Upper School students based on his experiences as a 24-year-old entrepreneur, television series creator and producer, and co-founder of TNP.

 

“There is a very simple message in everything I’ve done,” Scott said. “You’ve launched a rocket and then you build a rocket.

 

“When you’re headed into new territory, you will discover as you go. And you need the courage and the faith to believe that’s going to happen.

 

“In today’s world, you must prioritize what matters most,” he said. “You need to package those things, share and talk about them, and learn.”

 

R. P. Eddy, whose multi-decade career in national security includes serving as Director at the White House National Security Council, spoke to the audience of students and faculty about his bestselling book, Warnings: Finding Cassandras to Stop Catastrophes, co-authored with Richard A. Clarke.

 

In Greek mythology, Cassandra foresaw calamities, but was cursed by the gods to be ignored. Modern-day Cassandras clearly predicted the disasters of Katrina, Fukushima, the Great Recession, the rise of ISIS, and many more. Like the mythological Cassandra, they were ignored.

 

Eddy encouraged all to have the courage to give voice to those trying to warn us.

 

“Your motto — Courage, Honor, Truth — will lead you to think differently and see things others don’t see,” Eddy said. “You have the ability to understand and find the people out there who are warning us of these dangers.

 

“If any group is poised and prepared to lead the country and the world into a better future, it’s you. You’ve been given all the tools.”

 

Eddy, Brunswick parent of Reed ’24 and Tucker ’27, is the CEO of Ergo, one of the world's leading intelligence firms.

 

Navy SEAL Joe Femenia, currently a managing director at Jeffries, LLC, concluded the speaking portion of the symposium.

 

Femenia, Brunswick parent of Gus ’29 and James ’30, graduated from the Naval Academy in 1998 and served in the Navy until July 2005, with tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He earned his MBA from Columbia University.

 

He spoke about the lessons he learned during his SEAL experience — and about decorated SEAL Tommy Valentine. Valentine, whom Femenia never met, died in a skydiving accident in 2008.

 

“He keeps me motivated,” Femenia said. “He lived life based on two sayings: ‘All in, all the time’ and ‘If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.’

 

“I think about him every time I have difficulty in my life.”

 

Faculty then led breakout groups for all Upper School students, a sampling including “The Courage to Act — Citizenship,” “Rise to the Moment,” “Bystanders and Heroes,” and “Change a Tire / Build a Fire.”

 

The symposium concluded with a TNP Ideafilm, a short, thought-provoking distillation about the theme of acceptance.

 

“We have so much to discuss and think about after today’s events — whether it was something shared with the larger group, or something someone else experienced that you didn’t,” said Kate Duennebier, coordinator of the Brunswick Trust.

 

“Conversation is so important.”