The Sophia Institute is proud to bring you a very special event with
Reba Parker
The Peaceability Mindset: Practical Peace the Prerequisite for Optimal Living and Personal Wellbeingness
September 23, 2025
6:00 – 7:30 PM ET
Join us IN PERSON. If you can’t make it live, don’t worry, we’ll send you a recording of the sessions to enjoy at your convenience.
CEUs are available by filling out this form.
In this honest and deeply engaging presentation, Reba J. Parker, educator, author, and creator of the Peaceability Mindset, invites us to step into a bold reimagining of peace—not as a passive ideal, but as an active, daily practice that transforms the way we live, lead, and love.
Drawing from decades of teaching, community leadership, and real-world problem-solving, Reba dismantles the myth that peace is something only achievable in the absence of conflict. Instead, she reveals how peaceability—the art and skill of applying peace in real time—can be learned, strengthened, and lived out in the middle of challenges, disagreements, and uncertainty.
Through personal stories, practical examples, and moments of audience reflection, Reba shows that peaceability isn’t “soft” or “idealistic”—it’s actionable, courageous, and deeply relevant in a world that often feels fractured and reactive. With warmth, humor, and a touch of moxie, she shares the 3 simple, yet transformative ingredients to peace: a literal roadmap for personal and social change.
Peaceability, she explains, is both a muscle and a mindset. It grows with use, it changes the way we move through the world, and it opens us to a deeper sense of meaning and connection. It is active, relational, and rooted in personal responsibility.
This presentation speaks to anyone who wants more than fleeting calm—those who seek a life anchored in clarity, courage, and compassion. Whether you are navigating workplace tensions, family challenges, or the broader stresses of today’s world, this talk will equip you with practices that transform your inner state and ripple outward into your relationships and communities.
As more of us commit to living peaceably—not only when it’s easy, but especially when it’s hard—Reba invites us to imagine the possibility: What if peace wasn’t just a wish for the future, but a skill we practiced every single day? What if, instead of waiting for the world to change, we became the ones to change it?
This way of being — this deliberate cultivation of peace in action — is both a challenge and a gift. And it’s one that Reba believes is urgently needed in a world saturated with division and distraction. From moments of unexpected grace during public protests, to intimate breakthroughs in classroom discussions, to everyday encounters in her own neighborhood, Reba shares how peaceability continually reveals itself as a path back to empathy, presence, and possibility.
This 1-hour session includes a 45-minute interactive talk, guided peaceability skill exercise, and time for dialogue and questions. Together, we’ll explore how peaceability can move from an inspiring idea into a daily, embodied reality—and how you can start living it today.
Meet Reba Parker:
Reba Parker is a sociology professor, peace advocate, and community organizer with over 25 years of teaching experience at the College of Charleston and The Citadel. She has taught her signature Sociology of Peace course more than 100 times, giving students and cadets practical tools to turn peace into action. Together, she and her students planted over 25 peace poles in Charleston, S.C.
Co-Founder of Charleston Peace One Day (2008-2012), Reba led citywide festivals and initiatives in schools, faith communities, businesses, and neighborhoods. Her work has earned the College of Charleston Inaugural Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Teaching Award, Charleston’s Charlie Magazine “Most Progressive” Award, and certifications in peacebuilding from Eastern Mennonite University and the University of Notre Dame.
Author of The Peaceability Mindset and two digital textbooks—Sociology of Peace and Restorative Justice—she coined the term peaceability—the “ability” to do peace—offering doable skills for wellbeingness and social change. She is the mother of three, and now lives in Portland, Oregon, with her wife, son and two dogs. In her free time, she tends to her vineyard, enjoying the PNW outdoors, and participating in her weekly writer’s group.
