Practicing Connection

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...

Send us Fan Mail Do you ever struggle to stick to your goals? Discover the WOOP method, a powerful tool that uses obstacles as stepping stones to success. In this replay episode, one of our most popular from 2025, discover WOOP: a science-backed goal-setting practice that helps you overcome obstacles and achieve your goals.  Learn how to apply this simple yet powerful tool to transform your habits...

Send us Fan Mail Before you set new goals for 2026, take a pause.  This episode guides you through a gentle two‑part reset - honoring what you’re completing and choosing one honest intention for how you want to move through the year, without pressure or over‑planning. The new year often comes with pressure to have a clear plan, big goals, and a “new you.” In this episode of Practicing Connection,...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re exhausted but time off hasn’t really helped, the problem might not be how much you rest, but what kind of rest you’re getting.  This episode explores four different kinds of rest - physical, mental, emotional, and creative - and offers simple ways to notice what you actually need right now. “Get more rest” is common advice, but it can feel discouraging when sleep or a da...

Send us Fan Mail Before rushing into big resolutions, what if you paused to ask: "What needs to stop, what deserves to stay, and what small experiment could actually support the life and work I want?"  In this reflections episode, Coral and Jessica get honest about boundaries, comparison, joy, and work rhythms - and invite you to do the same, in three simple prompts. In this special refl...

Send us Fan Mail Leading in uncertainty is not about having all the answers; it’s about how you show up when you don’t.  In this episode, explore two simple practices that help you anchor in what matters and keep moving, even when the path ahead is anything but clear. Ambiguity is not just a strategy or org‑chart issue; it is a human constant in modern work. In this conversation, Jessica and Coral...

Send us Fan Mail Feeling between versions of yourself - no longer who you were, not yet who you’re becoming?  In this episode, learn two simple practices to release what no longer fits and take aligned, micro‑actions that move you forward with clarity and steadiness.  Professionals who navigate this “liminal” space well build resilience and better decisions during change. Identity shifts don’t hap...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Practicing Connection, Coral and Jessica explore empathetic listening: what it is, why it matters, and how a few simple shifts in how you listen can deepen your relationships and improve how you work with others. This practicast explores empathetic listening as a practical communication skill. We compare empathetic listening with familiar active listening techni...

Send us Fan Mail Ever find yourself juggling tough projects or caring for others while your own energy dips? In this episode, discover three practical gratitude habits you can use to find steadiness and clarity - no matter what your day brings. This week on Practicing Connection , Jessica and Coral move past “feel-good” gratitude to share three real-world practices for professionals dealing with h...