Porch Talk - A Peace from the Porch Project

We're too disconnected by social media and editorialized news cycles. We simply don't spend enough time connecting in real time. The press of flesh that is a handshake. A shared game of washers or dominoes. The joy of watching our children play together. This episode is about my latest project - Little Town. Put simply, "You Belong Here."

Christy, Stacy and Elle take their discussion of being entrepreneurs to the heart of it. Basically, it can be frustrating, stressful and scary at the same time. Where do you draw the line and make yourself take time for you!? What happens when something goes completely wrong? It's all on the one and only YOU. So what is work life balance when you're slave driving yourself? Want to read abo...

We continue our conversation with Elle Roy about the realities of striking out on one's own as an entrepreneur. Women supporting women, even in conversation, is more important that it's ever been, so give it listen and share with the women you're rooting for!

Founder of Coastal Creative Consulting , Elle Roy, joins Christy and Stacy for some serious girl talk around making our own way when the job market shuts us down.

Voucher Codes are pitched as "school choice," but they don't give tax payers a choice in how property taxes will be used to educate all children. In the simplest form, voucher codes take transparency out of education and act as a tax subsidy for the wealthy since those vouchers are paid for with tax dollars designated to public schools. Join Christy Claxton and Stacy Lieder as they d...

To tariff or not to tariff. How does an average person prepare for the inevitable increase in food costs? And why is the Army pulling out of programming for girls' schools STEM programs and engineering programs for under represented people? Christy and Stacy talk about the economic crisis in store for working class people, as well as the loss of military involvement in promoting STEM to minori...

This year, women's history month is celebrating women educating and inspiring others. We call that nurture. But what about the warriors? The bra burners and protesters? Join Christy and Stacy as they compare, contrast and opine on nurturer v warrior.

A couple of older white women have some things to say about the White House's attempt to reduce Black History Month to a single day in February. American History doesn't exist without Black History. We also take a swing at the SAVE act and it's potential dangers for many of us.

The craziness is only beginning! Christy and Stacy add their commentary and color to the the good ol' USA's latest invention... DOGE. Anxiety levels are on the rise!

What in the world is happening to our world as we know it here in the USA?? We can't keep up, but we DO have things to say about the massive shift in the government and corporate landscape. The gloves are off, y'all.

I'm posting this episode on a very important day. MLK Day is the light, but the inauguration is the darkness for many of us who fall into minority populations. Stacy Lieder and Christy Claxton discuss the ongoing challenges that women and minorities face in the workplace on the eve of Zuckerberg's call for more masculinity in business. It is appropriate that this episode was hosted by Book...

Hell, yes we are. Women have been managing the world from the kitchen to the boardroom for a long time. We're expected to multitask, and we do it really well. Add in the feminine tendency towards compassion and reason, and the question slams into the conversation. Why are there not MORE women running businesses?

Here's an episode well worth your time whether you're a working parent or not. Chelsea White spends some time on the porch discussing her journey as a Product Manager at a large corporation while raising a neurodivergent son. Working mom a special needs child is nothing short of supermom, so grab a drink and join us!

Brian Thompson is gunned down in the middle of New York, and his murder is an overnight folk hero. Christy and Stacy discuss the current sentiment towards big corporations and their leaders and how a young man of wealth an privilege took up a working class cause that seems to be sparking a movement that could turn ugly fast.

It's our Thanksgiving episode, and we're talking about family and caregiving. How do you balance work and caregiving? How can leaders support that? We'll also take a stab at return to work and why we think it's a bad idea to force people back into the office.

Is it a good idea for people to bring their authentic selves to work? We think so - as long as workers understand what their responsibilities are. But hiding away isn't healthy for anyone, and it's going to hurt productivity. A little authenticity and vulnerability in the workplace is as important as well maintained systems and offices. Think of permission to let people be authentic as building tr...

How do you start the conversation with someone who voted differently than you? And will the same approach work in the workplace as you seek to communicate across departmental silos? Here's a great episode for HR professionals. We encourage you to get down in the trenches and learn about preventable divisions that can hurt company goals.

Stacy and Christy discuss the importance of giving people room to fail in order to excel. We also weigh in on the election and how the Democrats may have failed at a core principle of great leadership. Listening. Did the Democrats fail to hear the Hispanic working class? Can we really promote identity politics when people are drowning in an uncertain economy?

This is the episode you've been waiting for and didn't know it. Longtime friends, musical partners and community leaders talk about a new brand of leadership from the perspective of layoffs and imposter syndrome and ultimately a place of compassion. This is episode 1 of many conversations between Christy Claxton and Stacy Lieder. Christy's book "Leadership Challenged - A Middle Manager Memoir" is...

We're in a dangerous time as the election barrels towards a climatic end. Tense exchanges seem to be inevitable. So how do you navigate them? Especially when you disagree with what you're hearing.

Here's a brief excerpt from "Leadership Challenged - A Middle Manager Memoir" where I describe the beginning of the Peace from the Porch Project. This episode includes the anchor song from "Peace from the Porch Vol 1". Affirmation - written by Stacy Lieder and performed by the original Bear Creek Ensemble.

A reading from "Leadership Challenged - A Middle Management Memoir." Here's an excerpt where I share an encounter with an elderly hospice patient in a small town. This encounter taught me how to listen and how to use compassion as a premise for stepping up to lead.

If the world continues to become more siloed, how will we survive? Economically, the math isn't adding up, so we're going to need our community, and that community includes immigrants and people should get to know and understand.

Why will some people freely accept claims that are obviously untrue? I think the Trump campaign is testing the gullibility of its base, and that is as dangerous as Germany, pre-WWll.

Storytellers talk too much. I'm a storyteller. But I also love to hear other people's stories. Here's a ramble about the direction I want to take those stories. Older women and marginalized communities! Listen in!