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The Traumatized Doctor's Diary
Stories of Saving Oneself and the World
The Traumatized Doctor's Diary serves up delightfully illustrated essays that blend warmth, wit, and wisdom. Dominic Cappello’s charming approach offers a refreshing perspective on navigating the labyrinth of Washington, DC's political chaos.
In this unconventional autobiography, Dominic Cappello, a change agent and innovator, offers readers an intimate glimpse into his journey from a traumatized child to a visionary consultant tackling society's most pressing challenges.
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EXPLORE DR. DOM’S WORLD
As you scroll with a cup of joe, you’ll discover links to press, our store, an overview of chapters, podcasts, conversation starters with AI, the author’s bio, the blog, links to book, book series overview, and contact information.
JUST THE BEGINNING
The Dr. Dom Diary Book Series
READERS ARE LEADERS
Author and change agent Dominic Cappello has crafted this series to guide individuals through a world marked by manufactured crises and apathy. Drawing from his personal experiences growing up in a traumatized family, working in state government, and pursuing a doctorate in education, Cappello offers a roadmap for communities to navigate towards a better future.Launching in 2025, the ten-book series includes:
- The Traumatized Doctor's Diary
- The Traumatized American's Diary
- The Traumatized Governor's Diary
- The Traumatized AI Adventurer's Diary
- The Traumatized Mayor's Diary
- The Traumatized Family's Diary
- The Traumatized Student's Diary
- The Traumatized Child Welfare Worker's Diary
- The Traumatized Gringo's Diary
- The Traumatized Soul Seeker's DiaryThis series provides valuable insights and action steps for every community seeking positive change amid the clutter and chaos. Check back on this site for updates on publication dates.
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Journey into The Traumatized Doctor’s Diary—a powerful narrative that unravels raw truths, challenges perceptions, and inspires resilience. This isn’t just a story; it’s a movement. Each chapter reveals the complexities of purity, clarity, and purpose.Carry the narrative with you. Our exclusive apparel and merchandise capture the essence of the book, allowing you to express its impactful message in your daily life.
sample chapter
Chapter 6: When Oprah Calls
EVERYTHING WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE
This chapter delves into a pivotal moment in Dominic Cappello's career: his appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. As co-author of "Ten Talks Parents Must Have with Their Children About Sex and Character" with Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Cappello found himself thrust into the national spotlight, facing millions of viewers and the iconic Oprah Winfrey herself.
The chapter vividly describes the surreal experience of being on set, with 300 studio audience members and multiple cameras focused on him. Cappello reflects on the nervous energy and the producer's prophetic words: "Everything's about to change." Indeed, the Oprah effect was transformative. The book became a New York Times bestseller, and Cappello suddenly found himself in high demand as an instructional designer and trainer addressing various public health, safety, and education challenges.
sample chapter
Chapter Nine: GovDom.Com
IN MY FANTASY RUN FOR GOVERNOR, WE FIX EVERYTHING
In crafting my book, I recognized the critical need to address society's most pressing issues, leading to the inclusion of the "GovDom.com" chapter. This section is dedicated to presenting actionable solutions that governors can implement immediately, without waiting for federal intervention.
"GovDom.com" stands as a beacon of hope amidst the perceived chaos strategies being thrown at us from Washington DC, offering a roadmap for state-level governance that can lead to tangible improvements in resident’s lives. The state departments of health, education, transportation, housing, agriculture, and early childhood learning await the call of “can do” gov dom.
Discover more insights from our AI speakers' book discussion
INSIGHTS ON CHAPTERS BY AI HOSTS
Podcasts: A Deep Dive into Dom’s Journey
AI HOSTS “ABEL” AND “IRIS” DISCUSS THE WORLD OF DOM
Welcome to a unique exploration of "The Traumatized Doctor's Diary" by Dominic Cappello. In this section, you'll encounter our AI-generated hosts, Abel and Iris, as they engage in lively discussions about each chapter of the book.
As you listen to their discussions, remember that like their human counterparts, these AI hosts have a penchant for storytelling. Their conversations offer a fresh perspective on the book's themes, but always take their personal stories and references with a grain of salt.
Prepare for an entertaining and thought-provoking journey through "The Traumatized Doctor's Diary," guided by the charming and sometimes mischievous voices of Abel and Iris.
YOU HAVE QUESTIONS
Conversation Starters for the AI Age
YOU AND AI HAVE LOTS TO DISCUSS ABOUT THE BOOK’S IDEAS
We invite you to explore the core challenges presented in each chapter of the book using the power of artificial intelligence. Use these prompts with any AI assistant to explore solutions to the book's core challenges presented in the first four chapters.Chapter 1: The Bear In The Woods
"How might AI help identify protective factors that could mitigate Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in underserved communities, and what ethical considerations would this require?"Chapter 2: School Expands My World
"Could generative AI create personalized trauma-informed tutoring systems for schools lacking behavioral health resources, and what potential limitations might exist?"Chapter 3: Adulthood Thrust
"What AI-driven support systems could help parentless teens transition to adulthood, balancing independence with necessary guidance?"Chapter 4: World Dom-Ination
"How might AI career-path predictors help resilient but under-resourced youth identify unconventional success routes in an automated economy?"
the "Dr" is coming soon
Dominic Cappello
Systems Change Innovator and Proponent of AI-Enhanced Learning and Problem-Solving
Dominic Cappello designs AI-enhanced learning systems that drive systemic change through human collaboration. A New York Times bestselling author and visionary consultant featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, he tackles public health, safety, and education challenges by blending technology with human ingenuity. As a systems change expert and doctoral candidate, his work strengthens institutions, equips individuals to navigate complex systems, and fosters sustainable solutions for an increasingly disrupted world.
Discover more insights from our AI speakers' book discussion
DOMINIC CAPPELLO BLOG
AI's Altruistic Potential vs. Human Structural Oppression
HUMAN APATHY IS THE PROBLEM
It's not the AI overlords we should fear; it's our human leaders who are perpetuating a fragmented and class-based society, leaving countless children, students, and families in the dust.As we consider the rise of AI, it's crucial to recognize that human systems, such as governments and corporations, perpetuate classism, racism, sexism, and ageism. These ideologies maintain systemic barriers that affects access to essential services like healthcare, housing, transportation, and education—known as the social determinants of health (SDOH). Despite their importance, neither the U.S. federal nor state governments are legally obligated to ensure these services, leading to significant disparities in access, particularly for low-income households.While AI can identify service barriers and how to fix them, it requires human-run governments to implement strategies to ensure the services that lead to a high quality of life, preventing our most costly public health, safety, education, and social justice challenges. To address inequities and injustices, five key components must be addressed:1. State Governance: Governors oversee state agencies responsible for public health, education, housing, and transportation. AI can assist state leaders in developing strategic plans to enhance service access while addressing workforce disruptions, changes in learning, and societal impacts as they transition into the age of AI.2. Legislative Action: State lawmakers can pass bills promoting service access, but often fail to implement systemic changes, such as funding school-based health care and family resource centers in all public schools. AI can assist lawmakers in developing evidence-informed strategies for system-wide service delivery.3. Workforce Development: Addressing workforce shortages in essential sectors like healthcare and education requires regional plans to grow the workforce. AI can aid the State Office of Economic Development in crafting strategies to address these shortages across each region.4. Adapting to AI: States need plans to address significant job displacement caused by AI and robotics. AI can help the state's workforce development agency create jobs that AI cannot replace, while also assisting the state's public education department in aligning curriculum and instruction with the emerging needs of the AI era.5. Centralized Coordination: A central team is necessary to ensure the implementation of these components across state infrastructure. A visionary governor can establish a new State Agency for AI and Future Development (SAAF) to coordinate the state's complex, multi-sector work as it transitions into the AI era.As AI transforms society, replacing jobs across all sectors from knowledge and entertainment to industry, retail, and fast food, visionary leadership from governors can support policies addressing massive layoffs, or they can maintain oppressive systems that abandon displaced workers and their families. Human ingenuity and AI-driven solutions can enhance governance, but our future is not predetermined. As we enter the transformative age of AI, what role will you play in shaping our society's future?
DOMINIC CAPPELLO BLOG
How AI is Transforming How Humans Learn
Everything is changing in the realm of education and training
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing how we educate, inform, and train, fundamentally reshaping the fields of instructional design and training facilitation. While some principles remain timeless—like communication theorist Harold Lasswell's classic framework for designing learning experiences—AI introduces profound opportunities and challenges that demand a fresh approach.
Lasswell’s framework, encapsulated in a single yet powerful question, remains a cornerstone of instructional design: Who says what, to whom, through which medium or process, for what reason, with what results? These components, now expanded to include feedback loops and cultural context, guide curriculum developers, instructional designers, and media producers in creating effective learning experiences. However, the integration of AI into education changes how we answer these questions.
Today, training participants—whether in classrooms, corporate training, government in-services, or community workshops—often have AI platforms at their fingertips via smartphones. This unprecedented access to a global repository of information transforms the traditional learning dynamic. Learners are no longer passive recipients of information; they actively engage with AI tools to explore, question, and deepen their understanding in real time.
This shift requires us to rethink how we educate both the public and professionals. The opportunity is profound: to design collaborative, co-learning experiences super-powered by AI. Facilitators and instructional designers can now create environments where participants not only receive information but also interact with AI to enhance their learning journey. This approach fosters deeper engagement, critical thinking, and a shared exploration of knowledge.
We are entering a brave new world of education—one where human creativity and AI work hand-in-hand to transform how we learn. By embracing these changes, we can design learning experiences that are not only more effective but also more collaborative and empowering for all participants.
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Photo caption: The AI-generated image illustrates how today's training participants can engage with vast amounts of information in real time. As they collaborate around the table, the floating graphics represent the wealth of data and insights at their fingertips. This shift necessitates instructional design strategies that not only motivate, inform, and educate but also foster collaborative co-learning and instant access to relevant content provided by AI platforms.
*KEYWORDS: Harold Lasswell, communication theory, instructional design, AI-enhanced learning, collaborative learning, co-learning, real-time information access, adaptive learning systems, transformational learning, community engagement, human-AI interaction, personalized learning experiences, critical thinking, global repository of knowledge, feedback loops, cultural context, training facilitation
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Armed with pen, journal, and storyboarding software, Cappello divides his time between his studio/home base in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the digital nomad co-creating space in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, crafting narratives and solutions for a better tomorrow.
Dom’s AI pal Perplexity knows him well. Try searching “Dominic Cappello” to learn more about his groundbreaking work.
KEYWORDS: Dominic Cappello, co-creating, Santa Fe studio, Puerto Vallarta digital nomad, storyteller, solution architect, author, illustrator, Perplexity AI, The Blue Shrimp PV, Joe's Tequila Bar and Bistro Santa Fe, journal enthusiast, storyboard wizard, narrative craftsman, AI whisperer, tomorrow's visionaryPhoto caption: The AI-generated image, presented as an oil painting, illustrates how learning and work environments can change in the AI age, blending creativity and technologyCredits: Don Usner (bio pic); Contents © Dominic Cappello All Rights Reserved