THROUGH UNKNOWN DOORS highlights the lifelong journey of Dr. Linda J. Stillman.
The intent was to highlight her numerous inter-cultural/global adventures and anecdotes, as experiential episodes, both challenging and rewarding. The key themes emphasize:
Culture & Communication Matter
Life Happens While Making Plans
New York Minute Decisions
Zero Tolerance Towards Violence.
As she discovered her multi-layered destiny through constant opportunities and change, she studied to obtain degrees that would complement her experiences to fulfill emerging passions. Her journey revolved around entering unknown doors that resulted in successes and missteps down unusual paths crisscrosses the immortal poem The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. The memoirs also illuminate influential people in her life, focusing on their productive and positive impact.
As she traversed through frequent unknown doors, the myriad of eclectic experiences expanded her horizons far beyond home state New Hampshire. She engaged with vivid cultures and various communities when living amidst Arabic, Communist, Nordic, European, Asian societies, plus unique Manhattan — before her recent return to reside in New England after half a century.
Dr. Linda J. Stillman is a global mentor and founder/chair of the Young Global Leadership Foundation (YGLF.org) with UN NGO ECOSOC status since 2018. YGLF adheres to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She guides young adult leaders, from refugees to royals, with their ambitious academic~ professional ~ UN civic engagement ~ personal challenges.
Professionally, Dr. Linda has served as a culture & communication educator, professional development expert, writer and speaker. For decades, she also contributed to intercultural/diplomatic relations in Manhattan, Morocco, former Yugoslavia, Iceland, Germany, and China. She was president of the American/ International Women’s Association, Rabat, president of the American Women’s Club, Belgrade, creator/chair of the International Women’s Association, Reykjavik, and vice president of the International Women’s Association, Bonn. In New York, she was president and UN representative of Soroptimist International NYC and much more.
Educationally, Dr. Linda acquired her BS in Communication Arts, Cornell University; learned German at the Goethe Institute; completed her Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), highest distinction, Webster University; and earned her international PhD in philosophy, honors, from the University of Bonn.
Personally, Dr. Linda passionately shares her Chez L&P (Love & Peace) with family, friends and colleagues to promote peaceful, productive and positive inter-generational relations in the 21st Century.
Leslie Lemons –
Pour a glass of wine, preferably German, settle into a comfy chair and let Dr. Linda take you on a journey through unknown doors into her remarkable diplomatic life.Her life was filled with adventure and exposure to a wide range of cultures and lifestyles that few of us are privileged to experience. The lessons learned in her first foray into the diplomatic circles in Morocco, followed by Serbia, Iceland and Germany would have been enough for any lifetime but in this extraordinary woman’s world, it was just the beginning. She has given us her view of life as a young woman blooming into a seasoned global citizen that led to greater heights of learning and engagement with young people. In her vision of creating the Young Global Leadership Foundation (YGLF) it gave her unprecedented entry to the United Nations and ultimately a role as a mentor to those seeking a career in global diplomacy. Her mentorship assignments took her to Russia, China and beyond in facilitating the development of young, future leaders in a time of increasingly challenging global interactions. She is vulnerable in her telling of the story and has wisely shared that it is the long game we are all working on as a global community. As she states, Learn from the Past ~ Live in the Present ~ Look to the Future. Her story guides us through the lessons she’s learned, the importance of counting each moment as precious and most importantly to never give up hope. Her life can be summarized beautifully by Margaret Mead’s famous quote, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.”