A Year of Listening
It’s the last episode of 2019 and Colleen is sharing what she learned this year from listening to all her guests. This year provided so much food for thought as she listened and learned from a variety of people. Find out what were the most popular episodes and which ones have stuck with Colleen long after the microphone was turned off.
info_outline Episode 80: The Upsides and Pitfalls of the Enneagram with Jenn Batchelor and Anna JordanA Year of Listening
In this episode we talk Enneagram, or rather the pros and cons of this ancient self-knowledge tool. Colleen chats with two friends, Jenn Batchelor and Anna Jordan, about why they love the Enneagram, how its current popularity has effected its use, and what can be problematic about the Enneagram. Whether you’ve been doing a deep dive into the Enneagram for months, or you’ve just started wondering what the heck it is, this conversation will help you to understand the highest and best uses of the Ennea
info_outline Episode 79: A Conversation About the Role of Government with Mike LindbergA Year of Listening
This week Colleen sits down with her long time friend, Mike Lindberg, to discuss the role of government. Mike and Colleen think differently about a lot and over time they’ve come to realize their differences of opinion may root in what they each believe about the truest and best role of government. So they hashed it out, dialoguing about government overreach, who to trust to solve problems and provide aid, and whether the government or the private sector would be more effective.
info_outline Episode 78: A Conversation about "Mismatching" Students to Listen Across DividesA Year of Listening
Mismatch is helping teachers connect their students with classrooms across the country and giving students opportunities for discourse about the polarizing issues. On this episode Colleen learns about Mismatch technology with its founder Kristin Hansen and then speaks with educator Kent Lenci about his experience using the technology in the classroom. Kent and Colleen discuss his students' experience and how he helps students foster skills to work with people who think differently than themselves.
info_outline Episode 77: Transracial Adoption and Parenting with Anna JordanA Year of Listening
This week’s discussion is about transracial adoption and parenting. Guest Anna Jordan is a writer and educator as well as a mom to three, including a son who came to her family through adoption. Anna and Colleen discuss Anna’s family’s story, the unique challenges that face transracial families, and how the conversation around transracial adoption has changed in the last 30 or so years. They also delve into adoption ethics and what family’s need to consider before diving into transracial adopt
info_outline Episode 76: From Listening to Working Together with Graham Bodie and Pearce GodwinA Year of Listening
Today we have two special guests. Graham Bodie and Pearce Godwin are two colleagues who are using their incredible experience helping people to listen across divides for heal our country. In this episode we discuss how people can move from listening to understand towards working together for change. This is a conversation about how we have productive conversations, what compromise is and isn’t and the roles both good conversation and activism play in any social movement.
info_outline Episode 75: A Conversation about the "Love Anyway" FilmA Year of Listening
This week’s episode features a discussion with guest Charity McClure about the new film, "Love Anyway", about the organization Preemptive Love. Jeremy and Jessica started Preemptive Love Coalition during the middle of the Iraq War in in 2008. Over the past decade they have been a non-profit on the front lines, providing relief and serving and working for peace in conflict rich areas of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, Palestine and Israel, Korea and at the Mexico/U.S. border.
info_outline Episode 74: A Conversation about Outrage Culture with Tommy PowellA Year of Listening
This week’s episode is a little different. Over the next few months we will be hosting a series of dialogues with friends and listeners around topics of disagreement. In an effort to practice what we preach about engaging polarizing topics with compassion, civility and nuance, we’re going to be doing just that. This week I sat down with my husband Tommy to discuss the idea of “outrage culture.”
info_outline Episode 73: Polyamory with the Triad FamilyA Year of Listening
This week we the Triad family is here to discuss polyamory and their family. Katie, Luis and Raquel are a polyamorous family From Baltimore, Maryland. We discuss the backlash they received for their choice to pursue this lifestyle, what challenges do they face and why they choose each other despite those challenges. You may not agree with their unconventional family dynamic but it’s worth listening if only to challenge pre-conceived notions and judgements.
info_outline Episode 72: Listening Across Differences with Tracy HollisterA Year of Listening
To celebrate International Day of Listening we have a special episode today with Tracy Hollister about listening across differences. Tracy and I chat about her work with Living Room Conversations, the relationships she has developed across political and cultural divides, and why listening to people with whom we disagree requires great courage.
info_outlineWe’re back!!! This week's episodes includes a conversation with an old friend. Lyra Repplinger and Colleen discuss a few things that they’ve changed their opinions on over the years. You may remember Lyra from episode 39, a recap episode. This time Lyra and Colleen take turns sharing a few of the big and small things they’ve changed their minds about. We don’t give ourselves a lot of freedom in our culture to change our mind about things. It feels like a betrayal of our ideals or values sometimes to admit that maybe we’ve come to think differently about things. And in our social media culture where it is painfully easy to pull up anything we ever said publicly about something 10 years ago, it becomes even harder to be able to say, I thought that, but now I think this. So this will be the first of hopefully a number of conversations, with a number of people who will be willing to share a few things they changed their minds about and how they managed to do that.
Connect with Lyra! Come find her over on Instagram!
Have you heard about the listener survey?? For the month of July we are begging, pleading and even bribing you all to take a moment to fill out our listener survey. Your answers to these questions will be so helpful to me as we begin to think about what is next for A Year of Listening. To express her gratitude Colleen will be drawing one responder at random to win an Amazon gift card on August 1. Find the survey here.