Meet an innoFaither: Eunice Lin Nichols

Meet Eunice Lin Nichols, Co-CEO of CoGenerate, where as part of an intergenerational leadership team, she champions and supports the coming together of generations to co-create a better world. But it’s more than just a job for Eunice, who lives into the power and potential of intergenerational engagement in all aspects of her life, including her spiritual practice and even when delighting in her personal passion for music. As innoFaith has partnered with Eunice and CoGenerate, we’ve witnessed how her deep curiosity and authenticity are gifts to her personal and professional communities.

What faith(s), if any, do you practice? How does your tradition and/or spiritual practice inspire or influence you as an innovator?

Spiritually, I'm a hybrid of the Chinese heritage church, Baptist tradition, and Presbyterian life of the mind. My experiences growing up in an English/Chinese-language immigrant church immersed me in intergenerational spiritual life, deepened my fascination and comfort with the “in between,” and honed my identity as an integrator of community. Over the last decade, as I've watched the mass exodus of young people (including my sons) from church, I've become obsessed with exploring new expressions of faith and spiritual practice that feel relevant to the next generation - and our times. These days, I am finding great joy and hope in helping religious institutions bring young people in as authentic co-creators of spiritual and community life. In my personal life, I’m part of an intergenerational team building a scrappy, neighborhood start-up church anchored in those values. We just celebrated our 1-year anniversary!

What are you currently working on? 

I co-lead CoGenerate, a national nonprofit that brings older and younger generations together to bridge divides, solve problems, and create a better future together. Currently, I am working on building a portfolio of “cogenerational” solutions that have the potential collectively to change our social norm from generations apart to generations together.

Last fall, YouGov worked with us to conduct a national survey of 1,500 adults in the U.S. about their religious/spiritual communities, their interaction with older and younger people, and their views on building connections across different age groups. The findings revealed considerable age segregation in people’s lives and a strong appetite for intergenerational connection and collaboration to counter it. We also identified challenges and opportunities for harnessing cogeneration to support spiritual growth and transform religious life. You can listen to the report highlights in this 30-minute webinar co-hosted with innoFaith!

That report kicked off a year-long conversation with more than 40 religious leaders, practitioners, innovators, and influencers who shared unvarnished reflections on the real work–and real urgency–of intergenerational connection. We’re gathering their insights in a report that will equip faith leaders to help generations join forces to solve shared problems, combat isolation and polarization, and strengthen congregations. Be on the lookout for the release of that report later this fall.

What can we find you doing when you’re not working? 

I love music. I grew up playing classical violin but have always suspected there’s a thwarted bluegrass fiddler somewhere deep down inside me. This summer, I took my 17-year-old son, Tyler, to Alaska to volunteer at an intergenerational, old-time/bluegrass music camp run by my 77-year old friend, Belle. It’s the camp where Tyler first learned to play the double bass ten years ago and where I took my first fiddle lesson. This time, Tyler returned as a camp counselor, and I helped out wherever needed, from wiping down desks in classrooms to playing fiddle with the old-time band during the morning square dance.

But my favorite memory from the week was watching Belle preside over “Bluegrass Sunday” at her 30-person Episcopal church (yes, she’s also a pastor!) with a white robe and a fiddle. People brought guitars, banjos, fiddles, a cello, double bass, and even some ukeleles. They circled up their chairs and made music together, interrupted only by Belle’s announcement of “a brief message from our sponsor” – a short Bible reading and sermon. At one point, two of Belle’s pet turtles were sighted meandering down the aisle, brought by granddaughters who couldn’t bear to leave them home alone. Without skipping a beat, the band shifted seamlessly into a rendition of “All God’s Creatures.”

Bluegrass Sunday was a reminder that what I love most is participating in spaces where people are invited to bring whatever gifts they have to the table, where room is made for everyone – even turtles! – to belong, and where everybody has fun. I want more of that in my life.

What is piquing your curiosity these days?

I’m thinking a lot about aging and what really matters in life. Bear with me as I try to explain. Belle’s best friend, Frances, owned a piano and used to host jam sessions at her house for young musicians, including Belle’s son, Mike. Over time, that piano became a symbol of the extended family that had formed over music. When Frances died and the house was put on the market, it was clear to all of the musicians that there were only two options: “Move the piano, or buy the house.” Mike bought the house. To this day, he and his friends continue to meet around the piano for conversation and music – and to keep Frances’ quirky old-time tunes in rotation because “she would want it that way.”

So much of my professional work is about institutional transformation and “scaling innovation.” But I’m struck by the fact that I could work my whole life on “scale” and never have the kind of impact Frances had on those younger musicians. Who are the real people in my life who will say “move the piano or buy the house” when I die? As I get older, I’m committed to asking better questions and shifting my understanding of what really matters.

What is something you’d like help on? 

Is there someone in your network who’s bringing generations together to solve community challenges? If so, I’d love to hear about it. Also, please sign up for our mailing list so you’ll be notified when our report on cogeneration in spiritual communities comes out this fall. We hope you’ll engage in it, share it with others, and let us know if it sparks new ways of thinking about your spiritual life or religious communities.

What is something you can offer others in the innoFaith network?

We have a number of practical resources that can help organizations and communities bring older and younger people together for spiritual and civic renewal. Our guide on What Young Leaders Want (and Don’t Want) from Older Allies is essential reading for older generations, and the bookend guide on What Older Leaders Want (and Don’t Want) from Younger Allies is equally important reading for younger generations. We have other helpful resources, tools, and conversation guides here as well.

Eunice lives in San Mateo, CA. You can find her on LinkedIn or at cogenerate.org or faith@cogenerate.org.