FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday Morning Café Presents Resilience & Creativity: Featuring Music Innovator Royce Martin and Dr. Tom Wagner
An evening of live music, reflection, and meaningful conversation in a divided world
ST. LOUIS, MO — Sunday Morning Café (SMC) will host Resilience & Creativity: A Live Concert and Interview with Royce Martin and Dr. Tom Wagner on Sunday, August 2, 2026.
The event invites adults of all ages to step away from the noise of modern life for an evening of live music, storytelling, reflection, and authentic connection.
The evening features Royce Martin, a New York Times-praised, Berklee-trained pianist, composer, and creator of “Swagtime,” whose work has been featured on MAX and Hulu. In conversation with Dr. Tom Wagner, Martin will explore how creativity, vulnerability, and shared experiences help people navigate uncertainty, rediscover meaning, and build resilience together.
Founded by Dr. Wagner, SMC is a growing movement created in response to the loneliness, overstimulation, and disconnection many adults experience today. Through what “mini retreats,” SMC blends music, guided conversation, storytelling, and research-informed reflection to create spaces where people can reconnect with themselves, one another, and what matters most. Its guiding philosophy: What is deepest within us is most universal between us.
SMC attendee Dr. Tim Bono, author of Happiness 201: Simple Secrets to Smart Living and Wellbeing and a popular “Science of Happiness” professor at Washington University in St. Louis, described the experience this way:
“Our brains are on overdrive by the demands of our daily lives, text messages, emails, and alerts. What makes Sunday Morning Café events wonderful is that they provide an opportunity to unplug from all of that and reflect meaningfully on what is actually important and what brings us a sense of purpose and fulfillment. You can look forward to an afternoon of reflection, music, laughter, and connection.”
“People are hungry for spaces where they can slow down, reflect, and experience authentic connection,” said Dr. Wagner. “Sunday Morning Café exists to remind us that even in a fractured culture, belonging and resilience are still possible when we gather honestly and intentionally.”
What began as an experiment, creating space for adults to slow down, reflect, and connect more honestly with one another, has evolved into a growing community across the St. Louis region and beyond. Through live events, podcasts, essays, online resources, speaking engagements, and workshops, SMC is creating experiences that help people cultivate resilience, deeper relationships, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Event Details
What: Resilience & Creativity: A Live Concert and Interview with Royce Martin and Dr. Tom Wagner*
When: Sunday, August 2, 2026
Time: 3:00 – 6:00 PM CST
Where: Eden Theological Seminary
Tickets: Available now at TomWagnerSpeaker.com/events
About Sunday Morning Café
Founded by Dr. Tom Wagner, Sunday Morning Café helps adults cultivate resilience, reflection, and belonging through live events, essays, podcasts, online resources, and speaking and workshops that blend music, storytelling, and meaningful conversation. To learn more about the SMC movement, coming events or to offer support visit www.SundayMorningCafe.com