Practicing Connection

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...

Send us Fan Mail Most of us don’t mean to work in silos - but our calendars and inboxes quietly build them for us.  In this episode, Jessica and Erin guide you through a five-minute exercise to map your work relationships, notice who’s missing, and take one small step outside your silo this month. We get busy, go to the people we already know, and stay in our lanes. In this episode of Practicing C...

Send us Fan Mail This month’s listener Q&A gives us three juicy areas to cover: struggling with frequent task switching, dealing with burnout and unachievable workloads (and the expectations associated with this), and how our practices integrate with personal reflections. Erin and Jessica respond to your questions with insight, experience and resources, to give you some great, actionable steps...

Send us Fan Mail You've walked into a meeting and felt it immediately - something's off. The energy is flat, or there's a tension nobody's naming.  What do you do with that?  In this practicast, we share a simple, repeatable practice for reading the emotional temperature of any room. Reading the Room is a short practice in social awareness — one of the core skills of emotional...

Send us Fan Mail What if the key to resilience is practicing together? This episode fom the Practicing Connection archives features a conversation about burnout and resilience with guests Dr. Charles (Chip) Benight and Nicole Weis from the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs.  Their research on human resilience paves the way for therapies that...

Send us Fan Mail What if the key to getting more done is doing less focusing?  In this episode, Erin introduces the concept of unfocusing - not slacking off, but intentionally giving your brain a chance to rest and recharge.  Drawing from Dr. Srini Pillay's book Tinker, Dabble, Doodle, Try , we explore why hyperfocusing leads to burnout, mental rigidity, and even impaired decision-making.  Th...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever asked, “So what do I do with this?” after listening to a Practicing Connection episode?  Put the pieces together with us on our first Q&A episode!  Join Erin and Jessica as we answer listener questions on how to start actually doing practices, including must-listen episodes and what practices you can combine. We share some of our favorite episodes and practices,...

Send us Fan Mail You're frustrated with someone you’re collaborating with, but you can't quite explain why.  Chances are, the problem isn't their performance - it's the unspoken expectations neither of you knew the other had. Most of us walk into collaborative relationships with an unwritten rulebook, and then feel quietly frustrated when others don't follow it.  The probl...

Send us Fan Mail A good pep talk isn’t just about saying “you got this.”  When done right, it can reignite purpose, build trust, and help others find strength when things get tough. Everyone needs encouragement - but great encouragement does more than make people feel good. It helps them believe in their ability to meet challenges, connect to purpose, and keep going when things get difficult. In t...

Send us Fan Mail Collaboration takes more than skills and schedules—it takes the courage to step outside your comfort zone with other people. Bravery isn’t just about big, dramatic moments—it also shows up in everyday choices, like meeting someone new, stepping into an unfamiliar space, or staying curious when you feel uncomfortable. In this episode, Jessica and Erin explore how to build everyday...

Send us Fan Mail What if the strongest person in the room is the one willing to say, “I don’t know yet - what am I missing?”  In this episode, we practice exactly that. In this week's episode, Erin and Jessica discuss intellectual humility - the willingness to recognize that what you think might be wrong, and to make real space for other people to be right.  Together, they explore how this sh...

Send us Fan Mail Resilience at work isn’t only about how much each of us can handle. It’s also about how our systems anticipate challenges, respond to them, and make space to recover and learn.  What changes when we start asking, “How resilient is our organization?” instead of only, “How resilient am I?” Resilience is often framed as an individual trait, but it’s also a property of our organizatio...

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 episode, Jessica Beckendorf talks with Havelock, North Carolina Mayor Will Lewis about what it looks like when a city and an installation grow together.  As presid...

Send us Fan Mail It’s easy to collaborate when everyone agrees. The real test of teamwork is what happens when we don’t. In this episode of Practicing Connection, Jessica and Erin explore how to stay grounded and connected when collaboration gets tough. Erin shares a reflective practice that helps you rethink how you see the person on the “other side” of disagreement, using social intelligence ski...

Send us Fan Mail Are you really collaborating - or just coordinating?  This episode offers a short reflection to help you notice where you are on the spectrum and make one small shift toward true collaboration. In this episode of Practicing Connection, Erin and Jessica use “blue box thinking” as a backdrop to explore the spectrum of ways we work together - competition, cooperation, coordination, a...

Send us Fan Mail Negative feedback can feel like a punch in the gut - but what if you could shift your mindset to see it as useful data instead of personal failure? Most of us cringe when we hear “I have some feedback for you.” But learning to receive feedback well is one of the most powerful skills you can build for collaboration and growth. In this episode of Practicing Connection, Jessica and E...

Send us Fan Mail Change is part of every journey - even the ones we love most.  In this episode, Jessica Beckendorf welcomes new co-host Erin Carlson Rivera, and shares parting reflections from longtime co-host Coral Owen. Together, they explore how slowing down, creating space, and staying curious can help us stay connected through seasons of change. Change is both inevitable and deeply human - a...

Send us Fan Mail Are you tired of leaving conferences or trainings feeling overloaded - like you missed what mattered most?  This was one of our most popular episodes of 2025, and it's as relevant as ever as we dig into the new year, with more conferences and events on the horizon. Coral and Jessica reveal a simple, powerful practice that can turn every professional development opportunity in...