Stories Lived. Stories Told.

How can we better support veterans and make space to hear their stories? What are the stories we have around war and those who serve? How do these stories keep us isolated and disconnected? How do we overcome the impulse to “look away” from painful realities and instead create opportunities for connection to our own (and others’ humanity)? ... Terry Strauss is a producer, writer, director. Her doc...

How can we build awareness of ourselves, others, and all the stories we all have? How can we rewire our ways of thinking and being to better celebrate the ways we show up? What does it look like to empower ourselves in our storytelling? ... Beth Fisher-Yoshida⁠ (PhD, CCS) is a facilitator, educator, and executive coach. She is President and CEO of Fisher Yoshida International, LLC. Beth is Profess...

What do you negotiate in your life? What is your relationship to belonging? What is your identity? How do these things affect the way you show up in the world? What is something new you can try to better advocate for yourself or negotiate with others? ... Beth Fisher-Yoshida (PhD, CCS) is a facilitator, educator, and executive coach. She is President and CEO of Fisher Yoshida International, LLC. B...

What is the intent? What is the impact? Where do we start?  What story is being told here? What stories are not being told here? ... Diane Grimes is an associate professor of  ⁠Communication and Rhetorical Studies⁠  at Syracuse University. She works to encourage the mindful and critical interrogation of unexamined assumptions around issues of race. Liz Cooney is a queer writer, facilitator, and sp...

What does it look like to meet people where they are and at the same time ask people to move forward with you even when (especially when) it feels uncomfortable? What is your background or story of your experience with race? How can we, not only build awareness but also, generate curiosity, and experience exposure to diverse ways of being and making meaning? ... Diane Grimes is an associate profes...

How can we become more conscious of the “third culture” we create with others? What new perspective and understanding can we gain when we zoom in and zoom out in our interactions with others? What can we learn about the way we show up to ourselves in the way we show up to others? … Don Waisanen is a professor of strategic and leadership communication in the Baruch College, City University of New Y...

What in life can you “yes, and”?  How can our understanding and practice of communication evolve to match the other advancements we have made as a community? What does it look like to use improv in our everyday lives (which is not the same as “winging it”)? … Don Waisanen is a professor of strategic and leadership communication in the Baruch College, City University of New York Marxe School of Pub...

How do we lean into the mess of progress? How do our actions and stories communicate our values? … Kaya Hill graduated from Ball State University in 2022 with a Bachelor’s in Communication Studies and two minors in history and African American studies. Since then, Kaya moved to Florida to work in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and continue studying various aspects of African-American History and...

Why? … Kaya Hill graduated from Ball State University in 2022 with a Bachelor’s in Communication Studies and two minors in history and African American studies. Since then, Kaya moved to Florida to work in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and continue studying various aspects of African-American History and Critical Race Theory. Kaya shares her story, including the impact of finding “more” in her...

What is keeping us from really getting to know people? How can empathy save us? … Steven Fuller is a Communication professor at the University of Cincinnati. He hosts the  ⁠Communication Junkie⁠  podcast, wrote  ⁠The Church Experiment⁠ , and co-created  ⁠Good vs Gooder⁠ . But, most importantly, he's spent the past three years assembling over 100,000 pieces of LEGO. Listen to Part One of this...

Why do people do what they do? How can better communication practices help you in your work life? In your personal relationships? How can you help make your community one where people feel empowered to share their stories? … Steven Fuller is a Communication professor at the University of Cincinnati. He hosts the  Communication Junkie  podcast, wrote  The Church Experiment , and co-created  Good vs...

What are you still thinking about from our conversation with Zev Burton ? What are you still thinking about from our conversation with Paul Porter ? … Dr. Ilene Wasserman is the Founder and President of ⁠ICW Consulting⁠ . Ilene is on the Board of Stewards for the CMM Institute for Personal and Social Evolution. She has been on the cutting edge of practice and research in strength-based methodologi...

What does it mean to live in a body? What is keeping you from reclaiming your full humanity? How can we embrace the experience of having a body in a way that empowers us as we age and our bodies change? ... Rebekah Taussig is a Kansas City writer, educator, and parent. Bolstered by academic knowledge and personal experience, she strives to tell stories that enhance and complicate the way we think...

What is your current understanding of disability? How do you relate to those who are disabled? How can we move away from the medical model and closer to the social model when it comes to understanding disability? How can we continue to show up and be curious about conversations surrounding disability, language, and accessibility even when we mess up or feel discouraged? ... Rebekah Taussig is a Ka...

What does it mean to you to see yourself represented in stories? How can we find the courage to tell our stories, knowing that it matters for us to tell them? What is the story that you want to tell about yourself? How is it different from the story the world is telling you? ... Rebekah Taussig is a Kansas City writer, educator, and parent. Bolstered by academic knowledge and personal experience,...

Please be aware this conversation contains references to sexual assault and gender-based violence.  … How can you practice approaching defensiveness with curiosity in yourself and others? How can we begin to embrace our full humanity by allowing ourselves to engage in all ways of being, not just the ones that were assigned to us based on our sex? What is a small thing you can do this week to creat...

Please be aware this conversation contains references to sexual assault and gender-based violence.  … What ideas about gender have you learned from your culture, peers, and family?  How can you find ways to call people in instead of calling them out?  … Burton Patterson is a social worker by trade with experience in the fields of  Harm Reduction  and  Mental Health and Addiction ,  Sexual Violence...

Whether or not we consider ourselves "creative" or "leaders," how can we still find ways to create and lead? How do we make decisions? How can we let go of thinking we could possibly know which decision is 'right' before making the decision? What does it look like to "communicate for communication's own sake"? ... Mike is the Director of Leadership Deve...

How do we, as a community of individuals with individual experiences, thoughts, and feelings, come together to create shared meaning? How has our understanding of communication evolved to more accurately encompass the complexities and nuances of human relationships? How do we fool ourselves into believing "the illusion of stability"? And how can we learn to embrace mystery instead? ... M...

How can we use our individual relationships to make a difference in our larger social worlds? How can we promote healing and growth in our relationships? How can we learn to be agile and lead with emergence in our lives? ... Listen to Part One with Ilene and Jeff here . ... Dr. Ilene Wasserman is the Founder and President of ⁠ICW Consulting⁠ . Ilene is on the Board of Stewards for the CMM Institut...

How do we create spaces where people feel, not just safe enough but also, brave enough to share their most vulnerable stories and selves? How can we learn to manage the tension that arises when we start having new and challenging conversations? ... Dr. Ilene Wasserman is the Founder and President of ICW Consulting . Ilene is on the Board of Stewards for the CMM Institute for Personal and Social Ev...

How can we be asking ourselves, "Is this a world in which I want to be living?" What do we do when the answer is "no"? ... Karen A. Foss⁠⁠  is Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Communication at the University of New Mexico. Her work expands the boundaries of communication to incorporate and legitimatize feminist perspectives. She is the author of   ⁠⁠ COLOR Up to Create the Life Y...

How can we communicate in a way that acts as an invitation for others? ... Karen A. Foss⁠  is Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Communication at the University of New Mexico. Her work expands the boundaries of communication to incorporate and legitimatize feminist perspectives. She is the author of   ⁠ COLOR Up to Create the Life You Want to Live ⁠ . ⁠Sonja K. Foss⁠  is Professor Emeritx of Communica...

How can we better include the experiences of women in our understanding of communication? ... Karen A. Foss is Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Communication at the University of New Mexico. Her work expands the boundaries of communication to incorporate and legitimatize feminist perspectives. She is the author of COLOR Up to Create the Life You Want to Live . Sonja K. Foss is Professor Emeritx of C...

What are you still thinking about from our conversation with Stephanie Higgs ? What questions do you still have after our conversation with Chris Wells and Emma Nicholson ? ... Today, Abbie is joined by Sergej van Middendorp, a member of the CMM Institute's Board of Stewards, to reflect on the conversations Abbie previously had with Stephanie Higgs ( Part 1 & Part 2 ) and Chris Wells and...