Practicing Connection

Send us Fan Mail Being bounced from one organization to another is exhausting. Today's practice helps make the path between us hold together.  Many of us in service, community, and support roles have faced this moment. Someone brings us a need, and we want to help, but we know we can't meet every part of it alone. In this episode, Erin and Jessica explore a practice inspired by mutually...

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re answering listener questions about personal growth, listening, and building trust with collaborators. You can send us your questions at practicingconnection@oneop.org, we love to hear from you!  Links and resources from this episode: Practicing Connection episode: End of Day Reflection Practicing Connection series on Trust and Collaboration Practicing Connection episod...

Send us Fan Mail Long-term projects can feel like nothing's moving - until you know where to look. This episode is about training your eye to spot the small shifts that mean things are working.  It's easy to lose steam on a long-term project when progress feels invisible. In this episode, Jessica and Erin talk about why momentum is often hard to see in the moment - and why noticing it ma...

Send us Fan Mail It's easy to talk about 'the system' like it's something happening to us. But what if you're already standing inside it - and holding one of the levers? We often talk about "the system" as something distant - a force acting on us rather than something we're part of. In this episode, Erin and Jessica offer a practice for stepping onto the bal...

Send us Fan Mail Whether you're planning a single meeting or inviting people into a long-term community change effort, the invitation is where it succeeds or fails. Here are five principles to get it right. Invitations aren't just logistics - they're where a gathering succeeds or falls apart before it even starts.  In this episode, Jessica and Erin dig into why a well-crafted invita...

Send us Fan Mail What does collective impact work actually look like?  In this interview episode, we hear from a statewide “backbone” organization and a local coalition working in tandem to make changes on early childhood education and child care access.  We dig into how it works on the ground, what it takes to sustain it over time, and what other communities might learn from it. Today’s guests ar...

Send us Fan Mail How do you get to the important conversations faster? Sometimes getting to know a new collaborator can take more time that you have to spare. In this episode Erin and Jessica discuss how a cheat sheet can jumpstart the conversations that build understanding.  Then Erin walks you through how to write your own.  Links and resources from this episode: Create Your Own Cheat Sheet hand...

Send us Fan Mail What if the person frustrating you isn't missing a strength - just misusing one?  In this episode of Practicing Connection, Jessica and Erin walk through a practical, evidence-based way to find the strength that's showing up in the wrong dose, instead of landing on judgment. Drawing on positive psychology researcher Ryan Niemiec's concept of the "golden mean,&q...

Send us Fan Mail What do you do after you listen to understand someone else? It can be a real challenge to figure out how to collaborate with someone who only complains. Listening to understand is a great first step, but what do you do next? How do you move the conversation forwards?  Join us for this episode of Practicing Connection, where Erin and Jessica dive into a new way to respond when face...

Send us Fan Mail Many professionals want to help military families. Few understand the invisible barriers they're navigating. When service members and military families transition to civilian life, they're often told to expect "culture shock." But according to counselor and researcher Dr. Seth Hayden, that phrase doesn't fully capture what's actually happening. In thi...

Send us Fan Mail In this conversation with Tom Mosgaller, we unpack a flexible Change Framework designed for communities of any size or location. Tom explains why relationships and taking action together are central, and how aligning desire, vision, power, and action can help us all overcome resistance and move toward a brighter future. Tom Mosgaller is an experienced community builder, teacher, a...

Send us Fan Mail When child care is hard to find and harder to afford, some communities aren't waiting for a fix.  Kristin Forde Hurckes of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension Center for Cooperative explains how cooperative models are helping - and where they hit their limits.  Kristin Forde Hurckes is part of the team of Cooperative Development Specialists at the UW Center who supp...

Send us Fan Mail Many military families don't live near a large installation.  Jennifer Holliday, Alabama's first Military Family Liaison shares what it takes to coordinate support for geographically dispersed families and what any service provider can do to build that connective tissue in their own community. Jennifer Holliday serves as the first Military Family Liaison for the State of...

Send us Fan Mail Belonging isn’t just a warm feeling - it’s something people build together over time.  In this episode, we’re talking about how communities learn to do that in ways that are genuinely caring, how they keep it going, and what that means for people who have to rebuild their sense of community again and again, including many military-connected families. Jessica and Erin talk with Jul...

Send us Fan Mail Community engagement, co-creation and collaboration depend on meaningful conversations.  Asking the right question is the most effective way of expanding a conversation, keeping it engaging and making it meaningful. In this replay episode from 2024, Jessica and Bob share a practice to help us engage people in the meaningful conversations we need to have, in order to plan and do ou...

Send us Fan Mail Getting to a shared purpose as a group often requires digging a little deeper than usual.   In this replay episode from 2024, Jessica and Bob talked about the "chaordic stepping stones," a helpful tool for going below the surface with a group, and share four questions that can help groups work toward a clear statement of purpose together. Links and resources from this ep...

Send us Fan Mail How does a small North Carolina city become a national example of collaboration between military and community?  Mayor Will Lewis says it starts with relationships - and a willingness to show up for one another. In this replay episode from early 2026, Jessica talks with Havelock, North Carolina Mayor Will Lewis about what it looks like when a city and an installation grow together...

Send us Fan Mail What is the value of using a systems lens in community work? In today’s archive episode, we are hearing from Bob and Jessica about solving issues in your community on a systems level, not just on a focused project level.   It’s easy to get caught up in a silo, or to talk past each other. While hyperfocusing on one event or initiative in your community can have great results, it ca...

Send us Fan Mail We talk a lot on this podcast about the importance of collaborating with others in your community.   But if you are finding yourself overwhelmed or with limited capacity, this framework and practice are a great way to get started. You don’t have to make everything happen yourself!  Today we are diving into an episode about leveraging community assets as part of our From the Archiv...

Send us Fan Mail Do icebreakers always make things awkward? Have you ever had to do an icebreaker that made you cringe? What if your icebreakers actually helped your team do better work?  In this episode Erin and Jessica discuss why icebreakers sometimes suck the energy out of the room and share real world examples of what it is like when they actually work.  Then Erin shares a practice on how to...

Send us Fan Mail How do you build community connections that actually work? Have you ever gotten stuck as you try to build community partnerships?  In this month’s Listener Q&A, Erin and Jessica answer questions about classic partnership problems:  What do you do if you can’t find time to build connections during work time How do you navigate miscommunication years into a partnership?  If I ca...

Send us Fan Mail Do you see yourself as a generous collaborator? Have you ever been generous with a collaborator, only to leave disappointed?  This week's practice is all about unpacking generosity. Making time for generosity can build trust, which is a key ingredient to collaborative relationships.  In this episode from the archives, Bob and Jessica discuss what generosity can do for you in...

Send us Fan Mail Most of us don’t ignore input - we just ask for it too late. And by then, the decisions are already made. What if the biggest issue with community engagement isn’t whether you do it - but when and how? In this episode, Jessica and Erin explore a simple but powerful two-part practice that can transform how collaborative work unfolds: engaging with people before decisions are made,...

Send us Fan Mail Empathy mapping is a simple tool for helping you imagine someone else and their experience. In this From the Archive episode, Bob and Jessica explore a powerful tool designed to deepen your connection with others—empathy mapping.  Whether you're working with military families, service members, or anyone navigating life's challenges, this practice can help you step into t...

Send us Fan Mail When military kids move, their whole world shifts—schools, friends, routines, and support systems.  In this episode of Practicing Connection, school liaison Karen Watkins-Diouf and 4-H educator Jeremiah Johnson share how they work together across military and civilian systems to make sure those kids don’t fall through the cracks. Military-connected kids move more often than most o...