Co-creating Peace - SoundSage

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Trauma is a part of life, as the world we’re living in continually shows us. Yet we don’t have to carry that trauma throughout our life.

Welcome to “EmotionAid® – 5 Steps to Reduce Trauma and Deactivate High Emotion”, Episode #139 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Join me for this enlightening episode as I welcome back Jeffrey Goldstein to discuss the transformative power of EmotionAid®, a set of five practical tools created by the International Trauma Healing Institute in Israel to help manage and de-escalate emotional responses during times of trauma, conflict or high stress. Jeffrey explains how these tools work to dissipate residual adrenaline, re-center and re-orient ourselves, release the trauma from our body, and find wisdom and strength through the experience. By regulating the nervous system and our psychological responses with these techniques, we can release the residues of the trauma response and transform that energy into creative and positive outcomes, promoting well-being and peace within ourselves and in our interactions with others.

Highlights of our conversation include:

Recognizing & honoring our trauma responses for what they are
The importance of discovering where our trauma(s) reside in our body and how to release them
The 5 steps of EmotionAid®
The extraordinary value of utilizing the 5th step of EmotionAid® (Resourcing) to fill the spaces that remain when we’ve released the residues of our trauma(s)
Understanding that growth and positive outcomes can result from consciously working through our trauma

Jeffrey Goldstein SEP lives in Yefe Nof, Jerusalem, Israel. His professional focus is Body Oriented Trauma Therapy with a Spiritual Approach. Modalities are Attunement, Somatic Experiencing®, and EmotionAid®. He offers private sessions, classes, & trainings in Israel, Switzerland, USA, and online. He's a Dedicated Spiritual Peace activist with a strong desire to spread inner peace. He conducts Peace Vigils 2x/week since Oct. 7, 2024.

Website: JeffGoldsteinAttuner.com
Ph./WhatsApp +972-52-655-7195
E-mail: JeffGoldsteinAttuner@gmail.com
Books: Energy Ball For Peace Ceremony: Personal Health and Global Blessing; Energy Ball: For Health and Spiritual Growth

Upcoming Zoom offerings:

Join Peace Vigils: Sun.: 20:15 UTC/GMT; Wed.: 17:00 UTC/GMT
Safe~Peace Zoom gatherings Sundays: 19:00 UTC/GMT request link: JeffGoldsteinAttuner@gmail.com

Share your thoughts, reactions, feedback & ideas with me. I'd love to hear from you!

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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In Episodes #20, #76 & #77, I had some great conversations with guests about boundaries. Today’s guests, Jan & Jillian Yuhas, twin sisters who are both psychologists and mediators, have a unique take on working with boundaries that emerged from their 20 years of experience in interpersonal psychology and mediation.

Welcome to “Boundary Badass: A Powerful Method for Elevating Your Value and Relationships” Episode #138 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Highlights of our conversation include:

Using “I”- statements to talk about our boundaries and our values
The importance of exploring shared values to help us find common ground
Using open-ended questions as “discovery” questions to help us respond to a triggering statement from a heart-centered, non-reactive place.
Moving from “me” to “we” to inspire collaboration and help elevate relationships

Jan Yuhas, M.A., MFT, and Jillian Yuhas, M.A., MFT, are Relationship Experts, Boundary, and Conflict Resolution Consultants, and the authors behind 'Boundary Badass: A Powerful Method For Elevating Your Value and Relationships.' Jan and Jillian are dedicated to helping value-driven entrepreneurs and companies cultivate mutually beneficial relationships, facilitate respectful conflict resolution, and empower others to master the art of setting personal and professional boundaries. With over two decades of experience in interpersonal psychology and mediation, the sisterly duo specializes in unlocking others’ inherent value, amplifying their personal development and professional performance, and guiding them toward relationship growth. To learn more about Jan & Jillian Yuhas, and the wonderful resources they have to offer, visit: janandjillian.com. To learn more about their book, “Boundary Badass”, visit: boundarybadass.com.

To learn more about values, tune in to Episode #27. To hear more about negotiation, you can listen to Episode #4, boundaries in Episodes #20, #76 & #77, I messages Episode #10 & open-ended/“discovery” questions, Episode #6.

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Beginning June 8th, you’ll hear new episodes of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation, where we bring you insights and wisdoms from experts in mindfulness and peacemaking from around the world. Meanwhile, I hope you'll listen to past episodes of this podcast, harvest the insights and wisdoms you will find there, and continue to share Co Creating Peace with others.

Here are a few examples of the many episodes you might want to listen to:

Episode #29 – “The Power of the Positive”This episode builds upon what I discussed in Episode #14 on re-framing our perspective. The Power of the Positive is about focusing on the things that are positive in life, in people, in situations – even in the presence of the aspects we see as detrimental or undesirable in those same things. We can use The Power of the Positive to help us co-create peace.
Episode #30 – “We See What We Believe” In this episode, I share my thoughts on an interesting psychological phenomenon known as “confirmation bias”. I also share a letter with you from someone who wrote to me about how she used Appreciative Inquiry, which I talk about in Episode #29.
“Episode #97 – How to Move Beyond Blame, Live Your Highest Purpose and Become an Unstoppable Force for Good” Dr. Fleet Maull joins me to talk about Radical Responsibility, and how practicing it can empower us to better co-create peace with others. Highlights of our conversation were:

– The value of mindfulness & emotional intelligence to help us to co-create peace
– Radical Responsibility
– The Drama Triangle and its relationship to conflict
– The power of dialogue

Episode #100 – “From Drama Triangle to Circle of Empowerment” Susan Partnow shares insights on the drama triangle and how to transform it into a circle of empowerment. Highlights of our conversation include:

– The 3 roles in the drama triangle and how they interact
– How to move from the drama triangle into the circle of empowerment
– How to invite others to join us in moving from the drama triangle into the circle of empowerment.

Tune in the weekend of June 8th for a new episode of Co-creating Peace! All episodes of Co-creating Peace can be found wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts and at: https://bridgesofpeace.com/podcast-co-creating-peace.

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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This is a great time to catch up on past episodes of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation, where we bring you insights and wisdoms from experts in mindfulness and peacemaking from around the world.

While I am taking a break from broadcasting new episodes of Co-creating Peace during April and May, I hope you will listen to past episodes of this podcast, harvest the insights and wisdoms you will find there, and continue to share Co-creating Peace with others.

Here are a few examples of the many episodes you might want to listen to:

Episode #10 – “The ‘I’s Have It” This episode is about using “I-messages” to help you deliver information in a way that feels safe for others to hear by self-referencing when voicing our opinions or experiences, and avoiding “You-messages” which feel accusatory, such as “You make me so...!” or “You always....”. I’ll also read letters that I received from a couple of listeners and share with you the advice that I gave them, which directly relates to this topic.
Episode #13 – “Conflict Is an Opportunity” How often have you thought of conflict as an opportunity? Most people don’t see conflict that way at all! In this episode, I’ll tell why you will find it helpful to seek and find the positive opportunity in every conflict in your life.
Episode #14 – “If You Change the Way You Look at Things, the Things You Look at Change” This episode is part 1 of a 2-part series on re-framing. I will tell you about what I consider to be one of the most powerful tools I know for both peacemaking and psychological well-being: re-framing your perspective.
Episode #15 – “How You Say It Affects How They See It” This episode is part 2 of a 2-part series on re-framing. In Episode #14, I told you about what I consider to be one of the most powerful tools I know for both peacemaking and psychological well-being: re-framing your perspective. In this episode, you’ll learn how to use re-framing in your communication to help you more skillfully navigate challenging communication and difficult conversations.

Tune in the weekend of June 8th for a new episode of Co Creating Peace!

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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This is a great time to catch up on past episodes of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation, where we bring you insights and wisdoms from experts in mindfulness and peacemaking from around the world.

While I am taking a break from broadcasting new episodes of Co-creating Peace during April and May, I hope you will listen to past episodes of this podcast, harvest the insights and wisdoms you will find there, and continue to share Co Creating Peace with others.

Here are a few examples of the many episodes you might want to listen to:

Episode #6 – “I See You” on how to meaningfully acknowledge other people, their experiences and their perspectives
Episode #7 – “What’s Your Style” which explores the different styles with which we approach conflict, and which is most likely to get your needs met
Episode # 8 – “Don’t Believe Everything You Think” discusses our filters and assumptions, and the role they play in creating and fostering conflict. You will also learn about The Iroquois Rule of Six. In Episode #58, "Here Comes the Judge", I discuss more about this topic with Michael Lightweaver.
Episode #11 – “Speak Their Language” brings to light the modalities with which each of us processes and communicates information, how that affects misunderstanding & conflict, and how mindfully communicating using another persons modality can build rapport

Tune in the weekend of June 8th for a new episode of Co Creating Peace!

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation, where we bring you insights and wisdoms from experts in mindfulness and peacemaking from around the world.

I will be taking a break from broadcasting new episodes of Co-creating Peace during April and May as I relocate my home and my sound studio. During that time, I hope you will listen to past episodes of this podcast, harvest the insights and wisdoms you will find there, and continue to share Co Creating Peace with others.

Here are a few examples of the many episodes you might want to listen to:

Episode #2 is all about the structure of Conscious Communication
Episode #3 provides insights into the Actions Iceberg, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs/Universal needs, in detail & with examples,
Episode #4 teaches you about Needs-based negotiation
Episode #5 tells you all about The Chain of Conflict and how to break it.

Tune in the weekend of June 8th for a new episode of Co Creating Peace!

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to “Energy Ball for Peace Ceremony".

In this episode, Jeffrey Goldstein and I embark on an intriguing exploration of how each of us can harness the natural energy within us to foster peace and healing for ourselves and others. Jeffrey guides us through forming an energy ball, a technique using the healing energy within each of us.

Join us as Jeffrey describes the transformative peace ceremonies he has been using and teaching in Israel and Palestine for many years. Energy ball ceremonies harness the power of collective intention and the positive ripple effect that can create. Using this powerful tool, we can all contribute to a more united and peaceful world.

Jeffrey's vision of global harmony through individual and group energy work provides a beacon of hope in a world often divided. I invite you to listen deeply, and you may discover new ways to channel your inner energy towards co-creating a more peaceful existence for all.

Highlights include:

The healing energy within us all
How to form and utilize an Energy Ball
Exploring Energy Healing Techniques
Transforming Energy for Positive Change

Jeffrey Goldstein SEP lives in Yefe Nof, Jerusalem, Israel. His professional focus is Body Oriented Trauma Therapy with a Spiritual Approach. Modalities are Attunement, Somatic Experiencing®, and EmotionAid®. He offers private sessions, classes, & trainings in Israel, Switzerland, USA, and online. He's a Dedicated Spiritual Peace activist with a strong desire to spread inner peace. He conducts Peace Vigils 2x/week since Oct. 7, 2024.

Website: JeffGoldsteinAttuner.com
Ph./WhatsApp +972-52-655-7195
E-mail: JeffGoldsteinAttuner@gmail.com
Books: Energy Ball For Peace Ceremony: Personal Health and Global Blessing; Energy Ball: For Health and Spiritual Growth

Upcoming Zoom offerings:

Attunement Class Level 1:Nervous & Endocrine Systems
- 4/1/24: 17:00 UTC/GMT
- 4/2/24: 09:00 UTC/GMT
Spiritual Resilience April 11: UTC/GMT
Join Peace Vigils: Sun.: 20:15 UTC/GMT; Wed.: 17:00 UTC/GMT
Safe~Peace Zoom gatherings Sundays: 19:00 UTC/GMT request link: JeffGoldsteinAttuner@gmail.com

IMPORTANT NOTE: I'll be taking a break from broadcasting new episodes of Co-creating Peace in April and May, as I renovate my sound studio. During that time, I hope you'll listen to past episodes of this podcast, harvest the insights and wisdoms you will find there, and continue to share Co-creating Peace with others. New episodes of Co-creating Peace resume the weekend of June 8th!

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to "From Conflict to Collaboration: The Art of Mediation”, Episode #136

Have you ever felt trapped in a web of conflict, unsure of how to untangle the emotional threads of anger, fear, and confusion? This week, we're joined by mediator Michael Fraidenburg, co-author with fellow mediator Terry Teale, of the recently published book, “The Art of Mediation” to explore the transformative journey mediation offers in guiding individuals from impasse to insight. We discuss some of the emotional complexities of conflict, and the critical role of the mediator in fostering a safe space for genuine dialogue.

Mike and I explore the subtleties of facilitative mediation, a process that hands the reins back to the conflicting parties, allowing them to steer towards their own resolutions while maintaining autonomy. Our discussion explores the mediator's dual role – resolving the present dispute while equipping individuals with the psychological tools and practical know-how to approach resolving future conflicts together without the need for professional support.

You’ll leave this episode equipped with Mike's three golden questions, your new go-to toolkit for reshaping perspectives and promoting flexibility in the face of disagreement. These questions aren't just for the mediation table; they're practical approaches that can be woven into the fabric of your daily personal interactions.

Join us for an episode that not only provides powerful, yet easy to use tools for mediation, but also for fostering collaborative relationships in our daily lives.

Must-hear highlights include:

Conflict is a natural, normal part of life, and can actually be an opportunity. It’s how we approach conflict that determines if the impact is constructive or destructive.
The ways in which mediation empowers people to find their own solutions
The 3 golden questions that will help you move forward
The transformative power of the "yes, and" rule and the "good enough" standard

Michael Fraidenburg, the principal of The Cooperation Company, is a Certified Mediator recognized by the Washington Mediation Association. He teaches conflict resolution for the Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County, WA and the Northwest Environmental Training Center, contributing to the skill development of professionals. His expertise includes working with prominent organizations, like the US Bureau of Land Management, the State of Washington, the City of Seattle, and the Puget Sound Partnership

Michael’s co-author, Terry Teale, the principal of Heart of the Matter Mediation Services, is a certified mediator, collaborative negotiations specialist, and the past Board President of the Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County, WA.

Here’s where to go to learn more:

Website:

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to “Don’t Believe Everything You Think”, Episode #135 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

If you listen to “Co-creating Peace” on a regular basis, you’ve probably recognized that many of the recent episodes have been related to ways that each of us can bridge the divides that exist between individuals, groups, and countries. Clearly, it is essential to our survival as a specie that we learn to co-habitate this planet in peace, which can only happen if we learn to collaborate with one another for the mutual benefit of all. Competition for territory, resources, and power has brought us nothing but death and destruction, time and again.

As I look at the world around us, I can’t help but notice that the ever-expanding divides we are experiencing are being fueled by rhetoric, assumptions, judgements, and bias, all of which are triggering escalations of hatred and violence.

How do we transcend this? There are many answers to this question. One is: don’t believe everything you think.

Join me as we explore the intricate workings of our minds and the ways in which our unconscious filters shape conflicts and communication. Listen in as I discuss the primal brain's lightning-fast judgments and associations that often go unnoticed, influencing our reactions and potentially escalating conflicts. I discuss how important it is to critically evaluate our automatic thoughts to ensure they align with reality and the current situation. We also delve into the transformative Iroquois Rule of Six, a tool that offers a multifaceted understanding of different perspectives, which is invaluable in transforming conflict into collaboration.

We’ll address the common trap of 'if-then' thinking and the critical role of questioning our personal filters and assumptions, and the importance of curiosity over conclusions.

Highlights you won’t want to miss:

the influence of unconscious filters and biases on communication and conflict
the primal brain's role in instant judgments and how these can subconsciously affect how we relate to others
the importance of mindfulness to bring unconscious thoughts to the forefront for critical evaluation
the Iroquois Rule of Six as a method to consider multiple perspectives in conflict situations
the dangers of 'if-then' thinking

I hope it helps you on your path to co-creating peace in your life. If each of us strives to co-create peace in our own world, we can build a strong foundation for co-creating peace across the globe.

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to “Lessons on the Road to Peace”, Episode #134 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation, where we bring you insights and wisdoms from experts in mindfulness and peacemaking from around the world.

As the world wrestles with chasms of division, John Noltner and his wife Karen, set out to traverse the American heartlands, a journey that would span 93,000 miles and countless narratives. Their quest, part of his project "A Peace of my Mind", and captured in John's book "Lessons on the Road to Peace," is an exploration of the threads that bind us in our shared humanity. In our conversation, John unveils the mosaic of America's story, emphasizing the power of empathy and understanding in transcending differences.

John also discusses the importance of deep listening, challenging our own expectations, and staying engaged in difficult conversations. He shares insights on building trust, finding common ground, and the power of modeling empathy and respect. He talks about his experiences traveling across the country, meeting people from different backgrounds, and seeking out stories that challenge divisive narratives, with the goal of helping us all to rediscover what connects us as human beings, and promoting understanding and empathy.

Key takeaways you won’t want to miss include:

everything is more complicated than it appears in a headline;
exploring shared humanity can help to bridge divides;
if you sit down and you talk to somebody, hear their stories, and understand some of their experiences, it becomes infinitely more difficult to vilify or demonize or hate that person
listen deeply, challenge your own expectations, and keep showing up.
“When we are engaged in conversation, when we are staying connected, when we're staying involved and in relationship, there's some hope that we can move through whatever tension and conflict and difficulty we encounter. But when we walk away from the table, that hope walks away with us.”

A gifted storyteller, John Noltner has worked on four continents, gathering stories of human courage, grace, and resilience. He has produced projects for national magazines, Fortune 500 companies, and non-profit organizations. A Peace of My Mind reflects his belief that art and storytelling can help individuals, organizations and communities articulate their deepest values and encourage action toward building social capital and community connections.

John hopes that “Lessons on the Road to Peace” can serve as a model for how to encounter differences, how to challenge our expectations and how to see the common humanity that is all around us. This book is intended to encourage and inspire the peacemakers of the world

To learn more about John’s project “A Peace of My Mind”, and to get his book, “Lessons on the Road to Peace”, visit: apeaceofmymind.net or apomm.net

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to "Unlocking Harmony, Compassion, Balance, and Growth in a Divided World", Episode #133 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation, where we bring you insights and wisdoms from experts in mindfulness and peacemaking from around the world.

In this episode, my guest, Constantin Morun and I discuss how to transform your internal monologue into a powerful tool for positive change. We delve into the art of self-forgiveness and understanding, showcasing that the path to bridging societal divides lies within our own hearts. Our conversation sheds light on the significant impact of nurturing self-compassion, as it not only aids in achieving personal peace, but also equips us with the empathy needed to foster harmony in our interactions with others.

Constantin Morun is a passionate advocate of personal growth, self-discovery, and professional development with over 15 years of experience. Through his journey from a fear-ridden man hiding his authentic self to embracing vulnerability and authenticity, Constantin demonstrates that self-discovery can unlock the keys to personal and professional success. As a Holistic Life Empowerment Mentor & Coach, he inspires and empowers individuals on their unique journeys towards growth and self-discovery through both his professional and personal life, as well as his podcast, Unleash Thyself. Integrating his passion for technology, spirituality, and mentorship, Constantin helps individuals unlock their full potential, fostering a positive impact on the world around them. His mission centers on personal growth, spirituality, and self-discovery, dedicated to uplifting and empowering every member of the audience with his humble and sincere insights.

Highlights you won't want to miss:

A holistic approach to self-awareness, which can lead to more conscious and effective communication
A myriad of opportunities can come from developing a growth mindset
The four facets of a fixed mindset and how to overcome them
Tools for facing and embracing challenges

Learn more about Constantin Morun and the fine work that he is doing by going to: https://linktr.ee/unleashthyself

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to “The Graceful Confrontation Guide to Empowered Communication”, Episode #132 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation, where we bring you insights and wisdom from experts in mindfulness and peacemaking from around the world.

Today, Rebecca Whitman, bestselling author of 3 books on business mindset, an award-winning coach, and the host of the Balanced, Beautiful & Abundant podcast, joins me to talk about the importance of effective communication in relationships and in personal growth. We’ll explore the challenges of non-responsive communication and the fear of confrontation that often leads to ghosting. One of the things that Rebecca emphasizes is the need for positive confrontation, direct communication, and setting boundaries, which can actually prevent conflicts.

Key Takeaways:

Non-responsive communication often stems from a fear of confrontation and a lack of direct communication skills.
Positive confrontation involves direct communication that is loving, respectful, and focused on resolution.
Setting boundaries and expressing them clearly can prevent conflicts and misunderstandings.
Conflict resolution skills are essential for maintaining healthy relationships and preventing unnecessary conflicts.
The JADE acronym (justify, argue, defend, explain) reminds us to avoid behaviors such as these, which compromise our personal power and integrity in communication.
Feedback is a gift that can help us grow and improve, and it is important to differentiate between feedback and judgment.

To easily connect with Rebecca, learn about her upcoming events and other resources she has to offer, use click here: https://linktr.ee/rebeccaewhitman. Additional resources and information can be found on her website: rebeccaelizabethwhitman.com

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to “Empathy is Needed When Things Get Heated”, Episode #131 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

I have a great story to share with you, told by the three men who lived it, about how an unattended fire that could have been a catastrophe at multiple levels, instead became a powerful wisdom opportunity and a relationship-strengthening experience.

Highlights you won’t want to miss:

how – with the right perspective and approach – a stronger, deeper relationship can literally emerge from a fire like a phoenix reborn;
a powerful way to rebuild trust;
the ways in which a relationship can be strengthened when we go through a difficult experience together;
how empathy and acknowledgement can heal the one who gives them as well as the one who receives them.

Joining me to tell you this story are the 3 men who were involved in the incident, Edwin Rutsch, Zak Wear, and Daniel Hirtz.

Zak Wear and Daniel Hirtz are active members of the Empathy Movement who were at the Empathy Center for the Empathy Facilitator training.

You may remember Edwin Rutsch from Episode #103, when he shared some truly inspiring information about the Empathy Movement with us. Edwin's the founding director of the Center for Building a Culture of Empathy. The center’s website, cultureofempathy.com, is a comprehensive portal for empathy-related material.

There’s an in-person Empathy Circle Facilitator Training happening at the Empathy Center in Santa Barbara CA Jan. 27-28, 2024, and online trainings every couple of months. To learn more about the Empathy Circle Facilitator Training and to register go to: www.bestempathytraining.com

See the Empathy Summits schedule and register at: www.empathysummit.com. The next one is a multi-Saturday one beginning January 6th.

Learn about the Center for Building a Culture of Empathy at cultureofempathy.com. Online empathy circles happen every week. Visit www.empathycircle.com/schedule to find the best one for you.

The next episode of Co-creating Peace airs the weekend of January 13, 2024.

Tuesday, Jan. 16th, my flagship 34-hour professional development course “Facilitating with Finesse in Today’s World” begins, hosted live online by University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management.

Are you looking for new skills to support your success as a leader and increase your potential to reach new heights in your career? Do you wish the meetings you lead or participate in could be more focused, efficient, collaborative, and productive? Are you eager to start the new year with new tools to help you manage group processes? Then this is the opportunity for you!

Learn more about the “Facilitating with Finesse in Today’s World”, live online program by visiting my website Bridgesofpeace.c

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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With the holidays coming up, we often have high emotion, covering a wide range from love and joy, to anger & frustration, celebration of blessings and grieving for lost ones, old family wounds & grudges, and political tensions – you name it! I want to provide you with as many tools and understandings as possible to bring peace and harmony to your holidays... and to your life.

Welcome to Part 2 of “Holding the Calm”, Episode #130 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In the last episode of this podcast – Episode #129, “Holding the Calm”, Part 1 – you heard the first half of a very interesting conversation I had with mediator and author of “Holding the Calm: The Secret to Resolving Conflict and Defusing Tension”, Hesha Abrams, who shared with us several practical and effective tools to diffuse tension and resolve conflicts in a wide variety of contexts.

Among the many wonderful things Hesha shared with us in Part 1 are:

Conflict is like spaghetti sauce.
Self-interest, including political self-interest, often interferes with conflict resolution.
Validation is the WD-40 of the universe, but what if you don’t have any to give?
People can be like crabs in buckets.

Today, Hesha shares some great information about how tackling smaller issues can evolve into solving bigger problems. Highlights include:

the vital importance of teaching children conscious communication and conflict transformation skills beginning in early childhood, and mindfully modelling those behaviors for them in every moment,
the subtle power dynamics often at play in negotiations,
the game-changing impact of unexpected moves in any conversation
mediators are like midwives helping to birth the resolution to the conflict.

Hesha Abrams is the founder of Hesha Abrams Mediation and is an internationally renowned mediator who has successfully resolved thousands of cases over the past thirty years, from simple car accidents to multibillion-dollar disputes involving titans of industry. Hesha Abrams is a master at turning high conflict into amicable resolutions and resolving delicate matters with diplomacy and skill. She is renowned for her success in resolving complicated and high-stakes disputes from corporate disagreements to political conflicts. Her strategic ability to remain cool-headed and balanced in complex situations leads to successful outcomes making her a leading name in her field, and an invaluable resource in any dispute resolution process.

You can find “Holding the Calm: The Secret to Resolving Conflict and Defusing Tension”, and learn more about Hesha and her work by visiting:www.holdingthecalm.com

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
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Ever find yourself feeling stuck in an increasingly tense situation, perhaps with someone you find difficult to deal with, unable to find a resolution, and unsure of how to diffuse the growing tension?

Welcome to Part 1 of “Holding the Calm”, Episode #129 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

As a follow-on to the last episode of this podcast – Episode #128, “Navigating Family Tensions”, I want to continue the theme of how to navigate tensions, regardless of who it is with, and what better time to do it than now, as we enter the holiday season, which brings with it the wide variety of emotional dynamics that seem inevitable at this time of year.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear the first of a 2-part dynamic and enlightening conversation I had with mediator and author, Hesha Abrams, who gives us several practical and effective tools to diffuse tension and resolve conflicts in a wide variety of contexts. She shares the intriguing concept of motivational rationalization; how humans perceive and process information, how scarcity mentality can affect our decision-making, and how we can use all this information to have more peaceful, productive interactions with others.

Don’t miss these highlights:

Conflict is like spaghetti sauce.
Self-interest, including political self-interest, often interferes with conflict resolution.
Validation is the WD-40 of the universe, but what if you don’t have any to give?
People can be like crabs in buckets.

Hesha Abrams is the founder of Hesha Abrams Mediation and is an internationally renowned mediator who has successfully resolved thousands of cases over the past thirty years, from simple car accidents to multibillion-dollar disputes involving titans of industry. Hesha Abrams is a master at turning high conflict into amicable resolutions and resolving delicate matters with diplomacy and skill. She is renowned for her success in resolving complicated and high-stakes disputes from corporate disagreements to political conflicts. Her strategic ability to remain cool-headed and balanced in complex situations leads to successful outcomes making her a leading name in her field, and an invaluable resource in any dispute resolution process.

Join us for part 2 of my conversation with Hesha, airing on Sunday Dec. 10th. when Hesha provides some great insights about:

areas of the brain that get triggered when we’re upset and how to work with that,
the subtle power dynamics often at play in negotiations,
the game-changing impact of unexpected moves in any conversation.

In the meantime, check out Hesha’s book, “Holding the Calm: The Secret to Resolving Conflict and Defusing Tension”, which contains all these insights and tools and a whole bunch more at: https://www.holdingthecalm.com. It might just be the perfect stocking stuffer for your entire family!

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
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Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Picture this: You're at your family's holiday gathering, and suddenly a heated argument breaks out. The festive atmosphere quickly turns tense, and you find yourself wishing you had a mediator on speed dial. For a wide variety of reasons, holiday family gatherings can sometimes feel like ground zero for conflict.

Welcome to “Navigating Family Tensions: Lessons from Mediation”, Episode #128 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Joining me today is my good friend and colleague, David Levin, a long-time mediator, to share some insightful tips on navigating those tricky family conflicts that can often arise during the holidays. David offers gems of wisdom and lessons learned from mediation, advising us to tread lightly and avoid direct intervention, while stressing the impact of individual, meaningful interactions, and nurturing our relationships to create a peaceful dynamic where we can.

Highlights you won’t want to miss include:

Don’t mediate your family
What you see & what you cannot see when you look at others
How to navigate family tension
Listening to connect
What mediators have learned

David has provided us with brief synopsis of the insights he shared in our conversation, which includes a diagram of the communication tool called “looping”, that he described to us: “Navigating Family Tensions: Lessons from Mediation” Handout

Here are just a few of the past episodes of this podcast which describe other tools you may find useful when navigating family conflict:

Episode #3 – “When the Need Arises”
Episode #5 – “Breaking the Chain of Conflict”
Episode #18 – “Re-humanizing One Another”
Episode #43 – “Using Nonviolent Communication® to Speak Your Truth”, Part 1
Episode #44 – “Using NVC® to Speak Your Truth”, Part 2

David Levin graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law, in 1977 and has been a trained mediator since 1987. David began his legal career as a civil litigator and a general practitioner, later becoming a Board Recognized Specialist in Family Law and establishing a general private mediation practice. He is currently practicing mediation, providing mediation training and education, and serving as a resource for alternative dispute resolution programs. To connect with David or learn more about his work, email him at: davidlevin@mindspring.com

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
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What does one do to co-create peace in times like these? Are we powerless to alter the direction and momentum in which humanity seems to be propelling itself helter-skelter into the abyss of mutual destruction? Are we destined to drown in the tsunami of hatred that threatens to wash away all that is good and beautiful in the world?

Or, could we somehow, some way, transcend the tsunami of hatred, help others to do the same, and alter the dark & terrifying path we are heading down?

Welcome to “Transcending the Tsunami of Hatred”, Episode #127 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

What if I told you that you, yes YOU, could be the single spark that ignites a global movement towards peace? Imagine a world where each individual can counteract the tide of hatred and violence, simply by embracing kindness, compassion, and collaboration. This episode of Co-Creating Peace is all about empowering you to make that profound impact. I’ll share practical strategies for resisting hatred and fostering peace, even when it feels like an uphill battle.

Highlights include specific ways you can implement these four techniques to help you transcend hatred:

Live mindfully
Transcend judgement
Act in the opposite of that which you do not condone
Show up with kindness, compassion and collaboration.

Join me on a journey toward co-creating a more peaceful world, one person, one deep connection at a time.

You can hear additional information on mindfulness in my conversation with mindfulness expert and teacher, Andrew Safer in Episodes #71 & #72. Learn about my living mindfully learning retreat here.

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
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If ever there were a need for empathy, it is now. Listening to the news about what’s going on around the world, it feels as though humanity is fragmenting right before our eyes. Empathy is the glue that holds humanity together. Empathy reminds us to nurture life through connecting with one another in kindness and compassion. Empathy is one of the most powerful tools we have to transform conflict into harmony.

Welcome to "Scaling the Empathy Wall”, Episode #126 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

On Nov. 4th, I will host the 3rd in a series of Empathy Summits produced by the Center for Building a Culture of Empathy. Please join me for this free online Empathy Summit – "Why is Empathy Essential in Conflict Resolution?" We’ll hear from 5 international conflict resolution experts, then participate in Empathy Circles dialogues with other summit participants. To learn more and to register, visit https://www.empathysummit.com

Denise Blanc, joins me to talk about how curiosity and inquiry can help us to scale that invisible, but oh-so-daunting wall that seems to divide us from the people around us so that we can discover and remember the beauty of our shared humanity. Together we explore how we can find the commonalities that are the foundation for empathy by starting conversations with clear intentions, asking questions that take us beneath the superficial, and acknowledging others to help them to feel seen and appreciated.

Gems you’ll want to harvest:

Connecting well with others begins with intention & curiosity
Finding what we share in common helps build a foundation for empathy
Acknowledging and asking open questions helps find our commonalities
The wisdom that comes from initiating a “pattern interrupt”
“Interrogating” your biases can help you reality-test and transcend them

Denise Blanc, MA, EQCC, ACC is a communication expert, Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach, Facilitator, and Mediator. She coaches, teaches, and writes at the intersection of Emotional Intelligence, Conflict Transformation, and Mindfulness.

Denise is the founder and CEO of River Logic Partners, a leadership coaching and consulting firm.

She is the author of RiverLogic: Tools to Transform Resistance and Create Flow in all of our Relationships described as “a deeply insightful guide to living in the presence of conflict - fluidly, with equanimity, caring and skill.” Denise’s commitment is to inspire candor, courage, and compassionate communication in creating a more caring world.

You can learn more about Denise Blanc and her book “RiverLogic: Tools to Transform Resistance and Create Flow in all of our Relationships” by visiting www.riverlogictools.com

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
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Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Imagine a world where a simple circle can create a profound sense of belonging, shift confrontational conversations to collaborative explorations, and emphasize connection and inclusion. That world exists today in Peace Circles. Because of the work of Black Women for Positive Change, and other groups such as the Listen First Coalition, Braver Angels and Living Room Conversations, dialogue circles are happening across our nation and around the world.

Enjoy “Co-creating Peace in Circles”, Episode #125 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Today, I’m visiting with Renata Valree and Kim Best from Black Women for Positive Change to talk about Peace Circles – an initiative focused on youth to give them opportunities to come together in a safe environment to share their experiences and feelings about this troubled world they’ve inherited.

Highlights you won‘t want to miss include:

Confidentiality and non-judgmentalism promote safety when we speak about what’s important to us
More than ever, today’s Youth need empowerment
A primary responsibility of every adult is to teach children how to be by modeling that for them

Renata Valree is an Assoc. Professor at CA State University Dominguez Hills where she teaches in the Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peace-building graduate studies program. Renata has a Masters in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. She serves as E.D. of the Peace in Education Community Mediation Center, is a member of the leadership team for the Assoc. for Conflict Resolution, and is the former Dir. of the Office of the LA City Attorney's Dispute Resolution Program.

Kimberly Best, RN, MA, is a Civil Mediator, Family Mediator & owner of Best Conflict Solutions, LLC, specializing in mediation and conflict resolution. She is President/Chair of the TN Assoc. of Professional Mediators and a volunteer Senior Mediator with the LA City Attorney’s office Community Police Unification Program. Kim is also a facilitator, restorative practices practitioner, trainer in dispute resolution processes, and a member of Mediators Beyond Borders, Int. Kim is committed to advancing dispute resolution practices for improving communication and finding optimal solutions for all parties.

Join the 12th annual Month of Non-Violence initiative during October. Visit blackwomenforpositivechange.org and click the Month of Non-violence tab to learn more and be a part of this wonderful experience! Sign-Up: https://monthofnonviolence.org/2023-month-of-non-violence-sign-up/

Contact Renata Valree at: rvalree@csudh.edu
Contact Kim Best at: Kim@bestconflictsolutions.com

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching
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Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Among the most vulnerable times in a person’s life are those times when they are ill or injured and have to put their well-being – sometimes their very life – into the hands of healthcare professionals. We feel scared, vulnerable, alone, even when surrounded by loved ones. In many ways it is a very solitary, often terrifying journey. More than anything in the world, we need to feel nurtured, safe, and truly cared about.

Melanie Sears, a retired nurse who has been a student, practitioner, and teacher of Non-violent Communication for over 30 years joins me again for an inspiring conversation about ways that we all can bring empathy into our conversations about mental and physical health issues with the persons who are facing them. You’ll recall that in Episode #123, I had a great conversation with Melanie about the companion workbook to “Humanizing Healthcare”, “Choose Your Words”.

I know you’ll enjoy “Humanizing Healthcare”, Episode #124 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Guided by NVC principles, Melanie has crafted a new approach that replaces 'power over' with 'power with', fostering connections and nurturing a space of empathy. Through this enlightening conversation, we unravel how we can all contribute to shaping a healthier system of care.

But the journey doesn't end here. Melanie guides us into the world of empathy - a critical, yet often overlooked, aspect of communication. We talk about the therapeutic power of understanding others' feelings and needs.

Highlights you won’t want to miss include:

From domination to partnership
How Nonviolent Communication transformed a high-risk psychiatric unit
The importance of demonstrating empathy without diverting attention to yourself
Using empathy to support people through physical & emotional crises

Melanie works with couples and individuals as a coach and empath. Contact Melanie at: awakegiraffe@gmail.com. You can learn more about Melanie and her work at: https://dnadialogues.com. Find her books at: https://www.nonviolentcommunication[.]com/shop/or on Amazon.

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Enjoy “Choose Your Words”, Episode #123 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In Episode #122, I spoke with Terre Short, author of “The Words We Choose” Your Guide to How and Why Words Matter. To continue the theme of speaking mindfully, I am joined today by Melanie Sears, a retired nurse who has been a student, practitioner, and teacher of Non-violent Communication for over 30 years, who will share wisdom about choosing our words from the perspective of Nonviolent Communication (NVC).

Highlights you won’t want to miss include:

Nonviolent communication and understanding feelings
The relationship between our feelings and our needs
Who is responsible for the feelings people experience
Speaking without judgement
The value of giving yourself empathy

Melanie Sears has been a student of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) for more than thirty years. She has written three books based on NVC principles. Humanizing Health Care, followed by a workbook, Choose Your Words in two versions: one geared toward professionals who work in health care and the other one geared to caregivers and family members caring for someone with a psychiatric disorder. Humanizing Health Care is translated into German and Korean.

Choose Your Words was written as a companion workbook for Humanizing Health Care, it is also a wonderful stand-alone workbook that anyone can learn and benefit from. I want to share it with you before Humanizing Health Care because it is a great follow-up to Episode #122 in providing tools for mindful, conscious communication. Next time, in Episode #124, Melanie & I will talk about Humanizing Health Care.

Melanie works with couples and individuals as a coach and empath. Contact Melanie at: nvcmelanie@gmail.com. You can learn more about Melanie and her work at: https://dnadialogues.com. Find her books at: https://www.nonviolentcommunication.com/shop/ or on Amazon.

Melanie will join us again the weekend of September 9 to tell us about the companion book to Choose Your Words: Humanizing Health Care.

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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2Have you ever noticed how much chatter is going on in your head? You know what I mean – that internal narrative I spoke about in Episode #8: “Don’t Believe Everything You Think”. Sometimes that internal narrative, which today’s guest calls our “personal podcast”, can lead us down a detrimental road, one that causes us pain, upset, and conflict, and which can have that same effect on the people in our life.

Join me for “Peace is an Inside Job”, Episode #123 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Author, teacher and coach, Terre Short, joins me today with some great insights into how we can better co-create peace in our lives by recognizing when our thoughts are going down what she calls “the yellow brick road” of negative thinking, and then pivot our thinking in a more constructive, non-violent direction, creating more peaceful outcomes, both internally & externally.

Terre provides insights about the importance of evaluating our values and intentions, and why our personal narrative heavily influences our interactions with the world.

Highlights you won’t want to miss include:

The importance of being mindful of our internal dialogue and how it influences our experiences,
We can develop the ability to recognize when our thoughts are heading in a detrimental direction & pivot our thought processes to a more constructive path;
Being mindful of our word choices, both internally & externally affects what we experience, both internally & externally;
Terre offers Co-creating Peace listeners their choice of great incentives to attend her upcoming Sept. retreat!

Terre Short, MBA, is an author, speaker, coach and creator of Thriving Leader Collaborative. She believes that truly authentic leadership is achieved when we embrace our inner wisdom to overcome business challenges. As a NeuroMindfulness Practitioner, Terre lives at the intersection of wellbeing and leadership and has spent the last decade advising high performing Fortune 500 leaders on how to explore intuitive pathways to success. Terre is the author of The Words We Choose: Your Guide to How and Why Words Matter.

Contact Terre at: Terre@thrivingLC.com
Learn more about Terre & her work (and register for her upcoming September retreat) at: www.ThrivingLeaderCollaborative.com

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Even before the COVID-19 pandemic gave us our first experience of health-related lock-downs in the US in current times, isolation and loneliness have been a growing problem for many people. It's gotten to the point that the U.S. surgeon general published an advisory outlining his concerns about the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country earlier this year. Disconnection fundamentally affects our mental, physical & societal health.

Fortunately, Coach Lee Hopkins is working diligently to help others create new relationships to bring joy and connection into their lives.

Coach Lee Hopkins has been a guest on this podcast a few times in the past. He joined us in Episode #77 when he told us about a very powerful boundaries framework that he has created, which he calls 3N Boundaries. Then in Episodes #80 & #81 Coach Lee shared some important insights & tools to help us understand more about our grudges & how to constructively work with them. Coach Lee joins us again today to share some great insights & tools about ways that we can build strong, mutually beneficial connections with others.

Welcome to “Building Meaningful Connections in an Era of Loneliness”, Episode #121 of Co-creating Peace.

Some highlights are:

The Importance of sharing your truth
Mindful sharing and contextual TMI
How to initiate making meaningful connections when others seem reserved
The J.I.S.T. storytelling method as a way to begin to create a meaningful connection with someone

Make sure you go to the Patterns of Possibility website & register for the Annual Social Connections Summit (Aug. 5 & 6) by clicking on the Annual Summit 2023 link.
When you click on the “For Individuals” link on the homepage, in addition to the other great information there, you will find a Free Resources link with some really great free tools to help you build stronger connections with yourself, as well as others. The “For Organizations” link on the home page takes you to some excellent information & tools which can be tailored to almost any group, even an informal one.

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Have you ever considered how your subconscious beliefs might be affecting your relationships and communication? In this episode, Judy Kane, founder of Aligned Consciousness, and I delve into the ways our subconscious beliefs shape our communication and boundaries, and how being aware of them can help us make more equitable decisions and prioritize our own goals.

We also discuss how our compliance with other people's expectations may stem from our underlying beliefs and cause potential conflicts in our relationships. We look at how these hidden beliefs can conflict with our conscious goals and shape our reality. Recognizing these beliefs can greatly benefit our interactions with others and lead to healthier connections. Judy will also share some valuable insights on aligning your conscious and subconscious beliefs to foster healthier, more fulfilling relationships.

Welcome to “Journey to Deeper Connections: Aligning Conscious & Subconscious Beliefs”, Episode #120 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Highlights you won’t want to miss include:

Some of the possible origins of our beliefs – both conscious and unconscious
How our beliefs affect how we connect with others
The relationship between beliefs and boundaries
3 things you can do to increase awareness of your subconscious beliefs and change how they affect your life
Ways we can begin to align our conscious and subconscious beliefs

Judy Kane, founder of Aligned Consciousness, helps people identify and transform subconscious beliefs that keep them repeating ineffective, stressful patterns. Her clients experience changes which allow them to achieve their goals —with ease and comfort. She is the author of Your4Truths: How Beliefs Impact Your Life. Judy also hosts workshops and presents in group sessions, conferences, and podcasts.

To learn more about Judy Kane and aligning your consciousness, visit her website at: alignedconsciousness.com, where you can also find her book, Your4Truths – How Beliefs Impact Your Life. You can also find Judy on LinkedIn and Facebook

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Despite our best intentions and efforts, marriage doesn’t always work out exactly the way we planned; sometimes it doesn’t work out at all! Both marriage and its dissolution can be filled with rancor and conflict, or they can be opportunities for collaboration and growth; sometimes all the above.

Whether it’s a marriage in progress or one that is ending, people can make a conscious choice about how they want to approach conflict and its resolution. Mediation can be an integral ingredient in a constructive outcome that builds or restructures a relationship, rather than destroying it.

Welcome to “The Accidental Marriage – Re-Framing Divorce”, Episode #119 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Today, I’m speaking with Debra Oliver, a mediator with over 30 years of experience, as we explore the concept of an 'accidental marriage’ – the complexities of attraction that can lead to subconscious and assumed agreements which may cause issues later in the relationship. We’ll also discuss important details negotiated in a divorce mediation that divorcing parents often overlook, such as parenting styles, long-term finances, and the legal rights of each parent.

Highlights of our conversation include:

How unspoken expectations and implied agreements can lead to conflict in relationships
How positive divorce experiences can be possible
The importance of trained divorce mediators
How collaborative divorce & co-parenting can benefit children
Ethics & limitations of divorce mediators

Debra Oliver, founder of Common Ground Mediation Services, has been a mediator and trainer since 1989. She has served over ten thousand clients and trainees in the US, Nepal and Russia. She serves a variety of businesses, non-profits, and state agencies, as well as specializing in Restorative Justice, Family Dynamics, and Divorce. Debra has worked with law enforcement agencies and municipalities, providing training and community dialogue services. Debra was also a founding partner , along with myself and 3 others, in Community Dialogue Network, LLC, an organization that provided community-wide dialogues on public perspectives, especially in response to community crises.

To learn more about Debra Oliver and her work, visit her website: www.commonground-adr.org

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to Part 2 of “Overcoming Division Through Curiosity, Compassion & Courage”, Episode #118 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication & conflict transformation.

In Episode # 117, which aired May 28, Tom Fishman, CEO of Starts with Us shared some insights and tools for bridging divides, including how each of us can affect positive change and influence social norms simply by how we show up each and every day. He also discussed new ways of building towards common goals with online technologies. If you haven’t yet heard that episode, I encourage you to give it a listen.

This week, I continue my conversation with Tom. Highlights you won’t want to miss include:

Seeking diverse perspectives in critical thinking
The importance of intentionality
The relationship between behavior and values
Balancing media consumption and coverage
Starts With Us’ exciting plans for program expansion

Tom Fishman, CEO of Starts with Us is wired to be in “build mode” and much prefers answering the “why?” and “how?” vs. “what?” He’s at SWU because he believes media and technology can be harnessed for good. Alongside so many of us, he is eager to give a home, a voice, and real momentum to all of the people who believe it’s time to end the culture wars and make curiosity, compassion, and courage the dominant values in our society. In his words, “If no one builds it, it won’t happen.”

Other organizations Tom mentioned in Part 1 that you may want to learn more about are:

Braver Angels
Bridge USA
All Sides Media

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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In Episode # 112, which aired in mid-March, I introduced you to Starts With Us by inviting you to participate in their Finding the Way Out Challenge. I'm delighted to welcome Tom Fishman, CEO of Starts with Us to the show to tell us more about Starts with Us, and the wonderful work this organization is doing. Tom will also share some insights and tools for bridging divides.

Welcome to “Overcoming Division Through Curiosity, Compassion & Courage”.

Highlights you won’t want to miss include:

Hyper-partisan politicians are covered in the news 4x more than less partisan politicians.
How each of us can affect positive change and influence social norms simply by how we show up each and every day.
New ways of building towards common goals with online technologies
How much greater perceived division seems vs what reality is

Tom Fishman, CEO of Starts with Us majored in physics in college, and brings from that world a unique ability to break down complex problems into simple units. In terms of leadership style, he is a big believer in emotional honesty (in addition to intellectual honesty, of course). Like so many, he left the for-profit world for social impact (Starts with Us) during the pandemic, and can speak to what this shift has taught him, both personally and professionally.

He is wired to be in “build mode” and much prefers answering the “why?” and “how?” vs. “what?” He’s at SWU because he believes media and technology can be harnessed for good. Alongside so many of us, he is eager to give a home, a voice, and real momentum to all of the people who believe it’s time to end the culture wars and make curiosity, compassion, and courage the dominant values in our society. In his words, “If no one builds it, it won’t happen.”

Join me again the weekend of June 10th when Tom and I will continue our conversation and delve into the ways collaboration, multi-partisan alliances, and seeking out different perspectives can overcome division and create lasting change. Learn how to model the three C's in digital spaces and conversations, and how to influence the media to focus on solutions-oriented leaders. Together, we'll explore the tools available to empower you to take action in your homes, schools, churches, and communities, and how your individual intentionality can lead to a more balanced media landscape, ultimately creating a brighter future for all. Don't miss this inspiring conversation about bridging divides and the potential of Starts with Us.

Other organizations Tom mentioned that you may want to learn more about are:

Braver Angels
Bridge USA
All Sides Media

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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I’ve spoken often on this show about how if we want to truly be heard, we have to help others feel safe hearing us. Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Stephan Wiedner, a psychological safety expert. Stephan brings us deeper insights into the importance of psychological safety and the myriad of ways it can be used to foster peace and mutual understanding.

Welcome to "Psychological Safety, Peace & Human Understanding", Episode #116 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Highlights you won’t want to miss include:

Psychological Safety and its importance in team dynamics
Tools for fostering Psychological Safety (curiosity, open-ended questions, active listening)
Challenges in maintaining Psychological Safety
Empathy and self-referencing messages in creating Psychological Safety

Stephan Wiedner is a psychological safety expert whose career has focused on developing sustainable high-performance leaders, teams, and organizations. His passion for unleashing the collective potential of people has led him to co-found Noomii.com, the web’s largest network of independent life coaches, Skillsetter.com, the deliberate practice platform for interpersonal skills, and Zarango.com, the psychological safety training experts. Stephan’s writing has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and other popular publications.

Follow Stephan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swiedner/

Learn more about Stephan’s work with Psychological Safety at www.Zarango.com.

To receive a free psychological safety evaluation of your team, go to: www.Zarango.com/freepsi.

Check out Stephan’s other projects:

Noomii.com – The Web's Largest Network of Professional Coaches, and
Skillsetter.com, the deliberate practice platform for interpersonal skills.

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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For centuries wise people have reminded us – or at least, tried to remind us – that it is much easier to co-create peace with others if we have peace within ourselves. One such person is my guest today, Jennifer Boyatt.

Welcome to “From Peace Within Comes Peace With Others”, Episode #115 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast about conscious communication & conflict transformation.

Jennifer Boyatt is a creative, a healer, a visionary, and a peacemaker. She is the founder and director of the High Desert Center for Peace in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She hosts the interview event, A Conversation with Leading Peacemakers, which you can enjoy on YouTube. Jennifer writes, creates, and shares programs, writings, and videos that she hopes will bless the lives of others and help them to heal and to receive insight about living earth life with peace. Learn more about Jennifer and the wonderful work she is doing at: highdesertpeacecenter.org.

Highlights of our conversation include:

Peace is something that happens in your body.
The importance of self-authority when determining what role peace will have in your life.
Peace is holistic. Inner peace & interpersonal peace are inextricably intertwined.
How seeing every single person you meet as someone of worth and value to you promotes more peaceful interactions

As a reminder, Co-creating Peace now airs on the 2nd and 4th weekend of each month. I hope you’ll join me on May 13 for Episode #116 – “Psychological Safety, Peace, and Human Understanding” when I’ll be joined by Stephan Wiedner, a psychological safety expert. As important as psychological safety is to supporting our ability to co-create peace with others, you won’t want to miss this dynamic conversation and the wisdom Stephan will share!

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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In an era rife with judgement, bias and objectification, how do we reduce the harms of toxic polarization? How do we re-humanize one another? We set aside our beliefs about each other, we sit down together, and we connect through dialogue – one Being to another. We listen to learn & understand.

Welcome to “Listen First at the National Week of Conversation”, Episode #114 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication & conflict transformation.

Graham Bodie, Chief Listening Officer at Listen First, one of the go-to resource organizations for people who want to develop their listening skills and participate in peaceful dialogue joins me to tell us more about that. In addition to sharing a couple of great stories about how participating in dialogue has fundamentally changed how people interrelate, he will tell us about Listen First and the National Week of Conversation, which is coming up April 17th thru 23rd, and how we can all participate.

Highlights of our conversation include:

How dialogue & listening helped heal a community
Where to find a vast library of free resources you can utilize to help you bring peaceful conversation, even about sensitive topics, into your life and your community
What you can do to bring peaceful dialogue into your life and community, and even host your own conversation event during the National Week of Conversation.

Graham Bodie, Ph.D, is a scholar, educator and consultant. In each role, he attempts to bring attention to one fundamentally important, yet undervalued skill – listening.
Dr. Bodie is an internationally recognized expert on listening and has published over 90 monographs, book chapters, and encyclopedia entries, along with three edited books. Dr. Bodie’s work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today, and on National Public Radio.

Don’t forget to register today for the National Week of Conversation at: conversation.us. You can participate as much or as little as you wish, and in many ways, both in person and online.

Sign the Listen First Pledge at: www.listenfirstproject.org/pledge

Get additional listening resources at:

findingthewayout.startswith.us
listenfirstproject.org
greatergood.berkeley.edu
livingroomconversations.org
www.compassionatelistening.org

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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How do we find our way back to recognizing, to remembering our shared humanity? It will take the efforts of many. It will take courage. It will take faith. It will take many approaches from many directions. You’ll find many of those approaches in episodes of Co-creating Peace, including this one. I know you will enjoy “Ubuntu Works”, Episode #113.

Joining me again is Eric Sirotkin, my guest in Episode #99 “The Lawyer as Peacemaker”, & Episode #108 “Truth & Reconciliation – a Path to Forgiveness”. With him is Raphael Masesa from Capetown South Africa. Together, they bring us understandings about a way of seeing and a way of being, known as ubuntu.

Highlights of our conversation include:

Defining ubuntu
Understanding how ubuntu manifests itself in everyday life
Learning how ubuntu relates to indigenous law and peacemaking
How active listening, dialogue (Episodes #93 & #94), Compassionate Listening (Episodes #95 & #96), and other ways of practicing deep listening and empathy can help build ubuntu in our lives.

Eric Sirotkin mixes his experience as a lawyer, film producer, author and peacemaker, to contribute to the movement from the age of separation toward the era of ubuntu. Eric contributed to the dialogue on the new Constitution in South Africa, was a UN-sponsored election observer at President Mandela’s election, and coordinated an International Monitoring Project of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It was through this experience that he learned about the wisdom of ubuntu and has integrated it into his work in North and South Korea and all areas of his life. Eric is the founder of The Ubuntuworks Project, whichcollaborates with organizations and individuals on research and strategies to move us locally and globally toward an era of ubuntu. To learn more about UbuntuWorks Project, visit: ubuntuworks.org. Donate to the UbuntuWorks Project here.

Raphael Chisubo Masesa has been teaching Indigenous law and Integrative law, among others at the University of the Western Cape and the IIE Varsity College for more than 15 years. He is a Board member of UbuntuWorks Project. Learn more about Raphael Chisubo Masesa at: linkedin.com/in/chisubo

Special note: Beginning in April, Co-creating Peace will go to a twice-monthly schedule, airing on the 2nd and 4th weekends of each month. There are some exciting episodes coming up, rich with new guests, tools and understandings to help you co-create peace! I hope you will join me on the 2nd and 4th weekend of every month.

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to “Speaking of Listening.....”, Episode #112 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication & conflict transformation.

The last couple of episodes of this podcast have been about listening. I’m continuing that in this episode as a lead-up to two important and related upcoming events:

• Finding the Way Out Challenge is an invitation to look deeply but kindly within yourself by completing a 4-week Challenge of daily five-minute tasks, and to work with others to fight the toxic division that’s tearing our country apart. (IMPORTANT: Register at https://findingthewayout.startswith.us by March 20 to fully participate) This is the perfect opportunity to prepare you to join thousands of Americans during the National Week of Conversation in April. Learn more & register at: https://findingthewayout.startswith.us.

• National Week of Conversation – April 17-23, 2023 – To learn more about this annual event and how you can participate, visit: https://conversation.us

There is an unmet need that many of us experience. You’ve heard me speak about it before. It is the need to feel heard, to be acknowledged for who we are and how we perceive the world – without being judged or condemned simply because we are who we are and believe what we believe. In the world we live in today with all the uncertainty, fear and conflict, it’s getting more and more difficult to get that need met.

Fortunately, there are organizations out there who are dedicated to helping people learn to hear one another without judgement and condemnation. One of those – Living Room Conversations is an organization that helps people to have safe, peaceful, comfortable conversations about the kinds of issues that we find disagreement about, that we feel a great deal of passion about.

This week, I’m replaying Episode #89 – “Living Room Conversations: Connecting Across Divides” my interview with Annie Caplan from Living Room Conversations to remind you of the insights and tools she shared with us to help you get ready for the Finding the Way Out Challenge & the National Week of Conversation.

Highlights of our conversation include:

dialogue ≠ debate
understanding doesn’t require agreement
the value of listening to learn & understand
how suspending judgement can help us gain new insights

You can access all the Living Room Conversations resources here: https://livingroomconversations.org/and access their Conversation Agreementsat: https://livingroomconversations.org/conversation_agreements

Contact Annie Caplan directly at: annie@livingroomconversations.org

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to “The Power of the Pause" (Episode #79 Redux), Episode #111 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Last week, in Episode #110, “Mindful Spacious Listening”, Alan Carroll & I talked about creating the space in a conversation for another person to fully share what they want us to hear, and creating the space within our awareness to deeply hear them. During our conversation, I was reminded of an earlier episode of this podcast from July of last year, which was titled “The Power of the Pause”, and included a conversation I had with Howard Falco, a listener on Wisdom App. I decided to revive that episode as a sequel to last week’s because the information builds so well on the conversation Alan and I had. I hope this helps reinforce in your mind the immeasurable value of creating space for deeper understanding in your conversations with others.

Highlights include:

Creating and harvesting space between stimulus and response as a portal for our wisdom
How implementing the Iroquois Rule of 6 from the perspective of the Neutral Observer within us creates greater opportunity to wiser responses
What's most important is not who you were, but who do you want to be now?
Recognizing that we can use the Power of the Pause to consciously decide who we want to be

To learn more about Howard Falco, my guest on Wisdom App, visit his website: www.howardfalco.com.

Visit: Wisdom App, to download the app to your Apple or Android device.

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Are the words in your head crowding out the messages others are trying to get across to you? Is thinking about what you’re going to say in response blocking what they need you to know from getting through to you? Do your judgements get in the way of deeply hearing another person? Have you noticed that you often misunderstand what a person is trying to tell you, resulting in hurt feelings or conflict?

There is a remedy for this: Mindful Spacious Listening.

Last week, Alan Carroll, an educational psychologist specializing in trans-personal psychology, joined me to talk about Mindful Spacious Speaking, which is enhanced by Mindful Spacious Listening. This week, Alan helps us to have more of the Mindful Spacious communication picture, by sharing some of the tools & wisdoms of Mindful Spacious Listening.

Enjoy “Mindful Spacious Listening”, Episode #110.

Highlights of our conversation include:

Recognizing that deep listening is a gift that requires sacrifice by foregoing our response to reflect what we heard instead
The power of creating a safe space for what the person is saying to exist without judgement
How important it is to clear our head of our thoughts to allow the space for mindful spacious listening.

Other episodes of Co-creating Peace about different kinds of listening are:

“I See You” – Episode #6
“Hear Them” – Episode #9
“The Power of the Pause”, Episode #79
“Acknowledge, Reflect, Be Curious”, Episode #86
“The Heart is our Compass: Compassionate Listening in Polarized Times” Part 1, Episode #95 & Part 2, Episode #96
“Working with Our Empathic Abilities”, Episode #106

To learn more about Mindful Spacious communication, Alan Carroll, and his work, visit: acamindfulyou.com.

Alan's social media links:

Business: https://www.facebook.com/AlanCarrolltrains
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aca-mindful-you/
Web Site: www.acamindfulyou.com

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Have you ever felt bombarded by words – perhaps the words someone is speaking to you, or the words in your head crowding each other to be spoken? Words spoken to quickly are often absent of mindfulness and the wisdom that comes with that, and may not allow the listener the opportunity to fully absorb the message the words are intended to convey. The depth and potential of understanding can be diminished when words are delivered in an onslaught.

There is a remedy for this. The remedy is two-fold, consisting of Mindful Spacious Speaking and Mindful Spacious Listening.

Joining me to tell us about these practices is Alan Carroll, an educational psychologist specializing in trans-personal psychology, and founder of Alan Carroll & Associates.

Enjoy “Mindful Spacious Speaking”, Episode #109 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Some of the highlights of our conversation include:

Defining Mindful Spacious Speaking
The benefits of creating space in our communication
Deepak Chopra’s S-T-O-P technique: Stop, Take three deep breaths, Observe your breath & your body, and Proceed with awareness and compassion.
The 3 “legs” of the articulation “stool”: clarity, impact & fluidity

Alan Carroll is an Educational Psychologist who specializes in Trans-personal Psychology. He founded Alan Carroll & Associates 30 years ago and has dedicated his life in search of mindfulness tools that can be used by everyone (young and old) to transform their ability to speak at a professional level, reduce the psychological suffering caused by the mis-identification with our ego, and reconnect to the vast transcendent dimension of consciousness that lies just on the other side of the thoughts we think and in between the words we speak. Alan is a successful public speaker, trainer, coach & corporate consultant. He and his team have delivered the Mindfulness in Action workshops in over 50 countries since 1983.

Join us again next week, when Alan and I will discuss Mindful Spacious Listening, a practice to deepen understanding and enrich relationships of all kinds, personal, professional, and even those that last for just a moment in time.

To learn more about Mindful Spacious Speaking, Alan Carroll, and his work, visit: acamindfulyou.com.

Alan's social media links:

Personal: https://www.facebook.com/alan.carroll.7359
Business: https://www.facebook.com/AlanCarrolltrains
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aca-mindful-you/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/mindfulnesseminar?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Web Site: www.acamindfulyou.com

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Conflict comes in many shapes and sizes. Peacemakers must constantly look for creative approaches to resolving and transforming conflict. These approaches and their methods must be adapted to the context and nature of the conflict as well as to the people involved and, often, the culture of those people.

Is it possible to resolve or transform conflict, and find healing and restoration when the conflict involves large groups of people, such as communities, tribes, armies, or even nations, and where travesties have been committed against people, many of them innocent civilians and children?

Please enjoy “Truth & Reconciliation”, Episode #108 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

There are many good people out there in the world, using wise and powerful methods to do just that. One of those methods is called the Truth and Reconciliation Process. Eric Sirotkin, an attorney and mediator in Santa Fe, NM and my guest for Episode #99 of this podcast, joins me again to give us some insights into the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, the powerful work they have done, and how much more there is yet to do.

Conversation highlights:

• The work of Truth and Reconciliation Commissions around the world and within the United States

• The role of forgiveness, accountability and making right (Amnesty Process, Human Rights Commission, and Reparations)

• Eric’s experiences in South Africa and later in Korea with the TRC processes

• The importance of understanding that Truth & Reconciliation is a long-term process that must continue over time, even when government leaders change.

• Forgiveness doesn’t mean we have to, or even should, forget.

Eric Sirotkin’s work around the world, including with Archbishop Tutu, Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, and restorative justice processes has led him on a mission to reframe the law by retraining lawyers on Creative Tools to expand their skillset and humanize their profession. He teaches techniques to survive and thrive in the us vs them world of law, helping lawyers gain an understanding of the nature of human relationships.

To learn more about Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, visit these websites:

• Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission, South Africa
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Republic of Korea
• EricSirtokin.com

Please support Co-creating Peace by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace. Thank you!

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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A common cause of conflict between adult siblings and their parents is how the parents’ assets are, or will be, distributed. In this era of aging baby boomers, many of whom are making their end-of-life arrangements, this issue seems to be coming up even more frequently. Some parents choose to distribute some of their assets before they die, which can get mixed reactions from their children.

This isn’t as straightforward as some people imagine it to be. The concerns and upset aren’t always exclusively about the tangible assets. Complex emotional issues, sometimes going back to childhood experiences, often play into the dynamic as well. Because of that complexity, there isn’t a formulated path to peace in these situations. The best approach may be different for every family, possibly even for every child in that family. That said, there are tools such as Emotional Intelligence, Conscious Communication, and even negotiation which will be useful regardless of the individual situation.

I hope you enjoy “Inheriting Resentment”, Episode #107 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Today’s episode is a communication coaching session with a long-time fan of this podcast who wants some guidance on how to help her family work through conflict around her mother’s distribution of her assets.

Highlights of our conversation include:

Applying Conscious Communication
Broadening our goal for the outcome of a conversation to allow for greater possibilities
Listening to understand, rather than to gain ammunition to convince
Helpful ways to reflect what you hear

I hope that hearing this conversation with Sarah will be helpful to you. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to explore the possibility of receiving some communication coaching. If you would like to receive 1 or 2 free 30-minute communication coaching sessions, I invite you to come on the show for your communication coaching session, as Sarah did. This will be of benefit to our listeners, as well as to you, because many people share the same challenges as you do and can benefit from our conversation. You are welcome to change your name and the names of those involved to preserve your privacy.

Email me at oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to learn more.
Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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People have a wide range of sensitivities. Some have very little sensitivity to what’s going on around them or within others. Some people have such a high level of sensitivity to the experiences of others that they have a hard time differentiating other peoples’ internal experiences from their own.

Jennifer Moore, author of Empathic Mastery joins us to share some insights into that experience, and how it can affect our relationships with others and our approach to conflict.

I know you will enjoy “Working with Our Empathic Abilities”, Episode #106 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Highlights of our conversation include:

The difference between having empathy and being empathic
The importance of empaths having multiple types of boundaries
Some of the ways that highly sensitive and empathic people can support their psychological and energetic wellbeing.
How EFT can help us in working with our emotions and those we are picking up from others (more info on EFT in Episode #70 of this podcast)

Jennifer Moore is author of Amazon Bestseller Empathic Mastery, Founder and Headmistress of the Empathic Mastery Academy & Fairy Godmother Apprenticeship Program and Host of the Empathic Mastery Show Podcast. She's a Master Trainer for EFT International and a mentor and healer for other highly sensitive empathic women. Learn more about Jennifer and her work at empathicmastery.com. To learn more about her book, Empathic Mastery, go to: empathicmasterybook.com, or to listen to her podcast, the Empathic Mastery Show, head on over to empathicmasteryshow.com, which is all about the different ways that being highly sensitive and empathic impacts all aspects of our life, with tools and solutions to help empaths live a life of joy, delight, and thriving.

Jennifer has a Level 1 & 2 Professional EFT Training starting on Saturday, March 18th. This one time per year 11-week program can also serve as the first step towards certification through EFT International. For those who wish to become certified through EFT International, Jennifer also offers 1 on 1 mentoring to help you through the certification process. For more information about the training, visit: eftinstruction.com.

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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“Secrets to Sustainable Relationships, Part 2 – Living Relationally”, Episode #105 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. I’m Kathleen Oweegon.

Last week, in Episode #104 Nancy Pickard, a Master Integrative Life Coach, and I discussed the importance of setting healthy boundaries to help our relationships be sustainable. In a continuation of that conversation, Nancy & I explore how living relationally can support the sustainability of a relationship.

Highlights of our conversation include:

What living relationally is
Holding ourself and others in warm regard
What to do when we get triggered
How to approach conversation in times of upset

Splitting her time between Aspen, Colorado and Marin, California, Nancy is a certified Master Integrative Life Coach with a myriad of coaching certifications specializing in shadow work: Setting Healthy Boundaries, Healing your Heart, Bigger, Better, Braver, Parenting, Reinvention and Worthy to name many of them.

She is the author of the international best-selling book, Bigger Better Braver: Conquer your fears, Embrace your courage, Transform your life. She offers a digital course and an online- zoom group coaching course featuring her book. Coaching others to step out of fear and into bigger versions of themselves is her passion.

To learn more about Nancy and her work, and to order her book, visit: nancypickardlifecoach.com. Contact Nancy at: Nancy@NancyPickardLifeCoach.com

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Nancy Pickard, a Master Integrative Life Coach, joins me to talk about the importance of setting healthy boundaries to help us to have relationships that are sustainable.

I hope you will enjoy “Secrets to Sustainable Relationships Part 1: The Benefits of Boundaries”, Episode #104 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Highlights of our conversation include:

The benefit of boundaries in all types of relationships
The importance of teaching boundaries to children
Ways to articulate your boundaries
How to reinforce cooperation with your boundaries

Splitting her time between Aspen, Colorado and Marin, California, Nancy is a certified Master Integrative Life Coach with a myriad of coaching certifications specializing in shadow work: Setting Healthy Boundaries, Healing your Heart, Bigger, Better, Braver, Parenting, Reinvention and Worthy to name many of them.

She is the author of the international best-selling book, Bigger Better Braver: Conquer your fears, Embrace your courage, Transform your life. She offers a digital course and an online- zoom group coaching course featuring her book. Coaching others to step out of fear and into bigger versions of themselves is her passion.
Contact Nancy at: Nancy@NancyPickardLifeCoach.com and visit her website NancyPickardLifeCoach.com

To hear more concepts and tools for working with boundaries from previous Co-creating Peace guests, listen to Episodes #20, #76, & #77. For additional ideas on how to prepare for an important conversation, listen to Episode #2 on Conscious Communication, Episode #10 on I-Messages, and Episode #4 on needs-based negotiation.

Join us next week for “Secrets to Sustainable Relationships Part 2 – Living Relationally”, when Nancy and I will continue our conversation, weaving in the value of living relationally as part of relationship sustainability.

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to “Empathy: The First Step to Peace”, Episode #103 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

All around us we hear about the many divides we are experiencing as a nation, and as a specie. Solutions to the issues that divide us are complex, will take time to discover and then act upon, and the division surrounding them only delays discovery of the solutions.

The good news is that the actual divides themselves, the ragged, wounded chasms of human discord are easier to heal than you might imagine – not necessarily easy, but easier than you might imagine. Healing begins when we stop the “think like me or I will hate and destroy you” approach, and instead, mindfully create a safe space in which to deeply hear one another, and to approach those conversations with openness, curiosity, and the desire to understand. In other words, seeking to give and receive empathy - something we all long for, yet rarely experience. From mutual empathy bridges of peace are built, and a myriad of possibilities are born.

We’ve talked about the power of dialogue in many past episodes of this podcast, including episodes #86, #89, #93, #94 #95 and #96.

Joining me is Edwin Rutsch, to talk about the nature of empathy, and ways we can evoke & experience empathy with others through Empathy Circles.

Highlights of our conversation include:

A definition of empathy
Empathy through deep listening
The impact of mutual listening & mutual empathy
Bringing empathy circles into school curriculum

Edwin Rutsch is founding director of the Center for Building a Culture of Empathy. The center’s website, CultureOfEmpathy.com, is the internet’s most comprehensive portal for empathy-related material. It hosts many empathy building projects and trainings.

To learn more about the Empathy Circle Facilitation Training and register go to: https://www.bestempathytraining.com New cohort starts January 21st! Registration is only $30! Extended deadline for this audience: Sat. Jan. 21st

To visit the Empathy Circle Website: http://www.empathycircle.com

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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One of our many limitations as human beings is our limited perspective. Most of the time, we only view the world from our own frame of reference. While, of course, this is natural and normal, it may not always give us a clear picture.... or the full picture. Reacting to what life presents us from that limited or even distorted perspective may not always serve us well. If we are upset, our view can become even more limited, constricted by the assumptions and judgements that may accompany our upset.

What if we could access wisdom that gave us a broader, less biased perspective, providing us with a wider range of options with which to view and respond to a person or situation?

Welcome to “A Source for Higher Wisdom”, Episode #102 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Joining me is Margaret Agard, to share how she expands her perspective by accessing higher wisdom, and how that impacts her relationships with others.

Highlights of our conversation include:

w Examples of ways that seeking wisdom higher than our own can help prevent or resolve conflict

w Discussion of the importance of being open to the different forms our higher guidance might take

w Stories about times when guidance from Margaret’s higher power helped her to see others in a whole new way

Margaret Agard is the award-winning author of the In His Footsteps memoirs, a Christian mystic, reiki healer and former executive in the high-tech industry. She is also a wife and the mother of eight grown children, step-mother to seven. Although they were never all in the house at the same time, she had many opportunities to work with conflict resolution.

You can contact Margaret by emailing her at: margaret@inhisfootsteps.com Visit her two websites: margaretagard.com, and inhisfootsteps.com

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media, and tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon[.]com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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We face many challenges in today’s world. High among them is the need for more wise, strong, conscious leaders. Many young adults around the world have that potential, but they need education, mentoring, a direction to move in, and the opportunity to implement what they learn. Yet access is limited, especially for those who live in underdeveloped and impoverished countries.

That’s where the International Institute for Global Leadership (IIGL) comes in. Their conscious leadership program is available to anyone, anywhere, at no cost. This program has changed the lives of its students, their communities, and countless others who have benefited from the leadership of its students and graduates!

Welcome to “The Path to Conscious, Co-creative Leadership”, Episode #101 of Co-creating Peace.

Joining me to talk about this great organization and its impact are IIGL Board President, Vivian Muciri (Kenya) and Executive Director, Deb Rosen.

Highlights include:

IIGL’s origin, Mission, program, and how people can get involved as students, donors, and mentors
Vivian’s journey through IIGL, its impact on her, and how the project she created for her Level 7 IIGL studies, Vision for Change Foundation, is changing lives in Kenya.
The projects and successes of some IIGL graduates:
- Felix Iziomoh, Nigeria – ICLDNG; Book: “Goal Mapping: 7 Simple Steps to Fulfilling Your Dreams”
- Lawrence Afere, Nigeria – Springboard Entrepreneurship Development Initiative
- Noeline Kirabo Mulongo, Uganda – Kyusa
- Ethelbert Obinna Umeh, Nigeria – One Million Leaders Africa (co-founder)

Learn more about IIGL, and how you can support the program and its students at global-leadership.com, or contact Deb Rosen at: iigl.globalleadership@gmail.com.

Vivian Muciri, an IIGL graduate, and the current President of the Board of Directors, is the Founder and Executive Director of Vision for Change Foundation, which works with youth who have gone through the criminal justice system to help them deter from crime and create decent avenues of livelihood. You can learn more about the Vision for Change Foundation by visiting their website: visionforchangefoundation.org

Deb Rosen has been the IIGL Executive Director since Jan. 2013. Deborah holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee in Organizational Communication with a specialty in Educational Training and Curriculum Design.

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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I'm excited to be celebrating 100 episodes of Co-creating Peace! I am so grateful to all you loyal listeners & patrons for the continued success of this podcast. Many of you have reached out to me with feedback & ideas for topics; some have requested advice, communication coaching, or other services. It’s been so great to connect with all of you! I look forward to our continued connection & to being of service through this podcast and my other work.

Welcome to "From Drama Triangle to Circle of Empowerment" Episode #100 of Co-creating Peace.

I'm delighted to have Susan Partnow join me again. While discussing Compassionate Listening in Episodes #95 & #96, Susan briefly referenced the drama triangle. Then, in Episode #97, Fleet Maull mentioned the drama triangle as well. I realized that this is a phenomenon that is so often present in conflict dynamics and so often the cause of conflict, that I need to have an episode of this podcast that focuses on the Drama Triangle so we can learn more about it and how to work constructively with our tendency to engage at that level. Susan Partnow is well-versed on the drama triangle and how to transform it into a circle of empowerment, so I invited her to return to share more of her wisdom with us.

Highlights of our conversation include:

The 3 roles in the drama triangle and how they interact (We all step into one of these roles from time to time.)
How to bring mindfulness to the role we’ve assumed in the drama triangle
How to move from the drama triangle into the circle of empowerment
How to invite others to join us in moving from the drama triangle into the circle of empowerment

Susan’s 5-session “Intro to Compassionate Listening” class, which includes working with the Drama Triangle, begins Jan. 12th. Register at compassionatelistening.org.
You can find additional information and background on the Drama Triangle at karpmandramatriangle.com.

Susan Partnow, M.A., has catalyzed social transformation and worked to heal the world ‘from the inside out’ through The Compassionate Listening Project (TCLP) for over 35 years. She is Co-founder of Conversation Cafes, Let’s Talk America, Global Citizen Journey and Seattle Restorative Justice.

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media, and tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Most people see the legal arena as a place to do battle, a place where we annihilate the person we see as our opponent. We seek an attorney to be our warrior to win the legal battle for us. What if there was another way? What if attorneys took a different approach, one where they would still be an advocate and champion the cause of their client, but without long drawn-out battle and attempts at mutual annihilation? What might be possible if attorneys shifted to a heart-centered approach to their law practice?

Welcome to “The Lawyer as Peacemaker”, Episode #99 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. Eric Sirotkin, an attorney for over 40 years, with a law practice in Santa Fe, NM, joins me to talk about creative skill-sets for the 21st century lawyer, moving the role of a lawyer from warrior to a partner for peace in the just resolution of disputes.
Highlights of our conversation include:

Recognition of how we are all connected, how the harm we do to others is harm to ourselves, and how remembering Unbutu can help us transcend the desire for retaliation
Exploring the importance of attorneys shifting to a more heart-centered, healing, (Unbutu) way of practicing law and how they can begin to make that shift
Discussion of how mediation, restorative justice, and transitional justice empower people to find peaceful resolution, even after traumatic events
Looking at integrative and collaborative law and how they differ from standard practices of law
Some of the things that Eric learned from Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Eric Sirotkin’s work around the world, including with Archbishop Tutu, Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, and restorative justice processes has led him on a mission to reframe the law by retraining lawyers on Creative Tools to expand their skillset and humanize their profession. He teaches techniques to survive and thrive in the “us vs them” world of law, helping lawyers gain an understanding of the nature of human relationships that will give them an edge in litigation, legal counseling, and resolving conflict. He is the author of “Witness: A lawyer's journey from litigation to liberation”.

By sharing successful alternative and indigenous models he helps lawyers use such skills in their everyday practice while weaving in a new slant on legal ethics reflective of a healing profession, that repatterns what it means to provide honest advice and confront moral dilemmas within a case.

To register for one of Eric’s classes “Tools for Creative Lawyering” or learn more about The UbuntuWorks Project,visit www.ubuntuworksschool.org. To learn more about Eric and his work as an attorney, visit ericsirotkin.com.

Please support Co-creating Peace by:

Subscribing to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Sending me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching.
Sharing on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Enjoy “Change Your Thinking, Change Your Experience”, Episode #98 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

What most often gets in the way of a person’s success is their own limiting beliefs. This is true when it comes to business, self-empowerment, what we manifest in our life, and to resolving conflict. Yes, our biggest obstacle in life is our own thinking. Joining me today to talk about how we can transcend that phenomenon is Molly Mandelberg, Founder of Wild Hearts Rise Up, Creator of the Magnetic Influencers Collective, bestselling author, and host of two podcasts.

Highlights of our conversation include:

How transcending our limiting beliefs and shifting into "possibilities consciousness" expands our ability to manifest what we want to create in our life, including peace with others.
The value of daily rituals to help us to stay calm & centered under stress, including when working through conflict. Molly provides some great recommendations for some of those rituals.
How doing our personal growth work and developing our emotional intelligence will help us become better communicators. This helps us to reduce and manage our emotional triggers.
How EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) can help us to find inner peace, which is a powerful contributor to peace with others. (Episode #70 is about EFT)

After spending years mastering content creation and online marketing, Molly Mandelberg finds her bliss in bridging the worlds of heart-centered healing and transformation, with the practical business strategies of leveraging a message into a global movement. She is a certified NLP Coach, an Access Consciousness Bars Facilitator, a Transformational Leadership Coach and a full time Nomad.

Molly works with coaches, healers, and conscious leaders to broadcast their messages with ease, so they can reach more people, and make more money with less time spent. She travels the world full-time and runs her 6-figure business out of her self-converted sprinter van tiny-home. Molly loves helping her clients to systemize their work and master the magnetics of marketing, so they can experience more freedom and make an even bigger difference.

You can learn more about Molly and her work or contact her at: www.wildheartsriseup.com

You can hear more of Molly’s wisdom on her podcasts: “Reveal the Game of Life” and “Tactical Magic”. Last week, Molly interviewed me on Tactical Magic about transforming conflict. We had a great conversation! Check it out on any podcast provider, including Apple podcasts.

Please support Co-creating Peace by:

Subscribing to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Sending me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching.
Sharing on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to “How to Move Beyond Blame, Live Your Highest Purpose and Become an Unstoppable Force for Good”, Episode #97 of Co-creating Peace.

Dr. Fleet Maull joins me to talk about Radical Responsibility, and how practicing it can empower us to better co-create peace with others.

Highlights of our conversation were:

Fleet’s transformation from angry young man who spent 14 years in prison, to Roshi (Zen master/senior teacher), psychologist, author of 3 books & founder of 2 non-profits, one of which brings mindfulness, meditation, and emotional intelligence training into the criminal justice system;
The value of mindfulness & emotional intelligence to help us to co-create peace;
Radical Responsibility;
Shifting from victim mindset to the co-creative mindset & how that relates to peacemaking;
The Drama Triangle and its relationship to conflict;
The power of dialogue.

Fleet Maull, PhD is an author, meditation teacher, mindset coach, social entrepreneur and peacemaker who works at the intersection of personal and social transformation. He founded Prison Mindfulness Institute & National Prison Hospice Association while serving a 14-year mandatory-minimum federal drug sentence, 1985 to 1999.

He is a Roshi (Zen master/senior teacher) in the Zen Peacemaker Community, a senior Dharma teacher in the Shambhala-Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and leads meditation retreats worldwide. He developed Neuro-Somatic Mindfulness or NSM, a deeply embodied, neuroscience & trauma informed approach to mindfulness & awareness meditation practice that facilitates self-healing, self-regulation, and awakening.

VIsit FleetMaull.com to learn more about Dr. Maull's work, and heartmind.co to learn about his classes and summits.

Dr. Maull is the author of Radical Responsibility: How to Move Beyond Blame, Live Your Highest Purpose and Become an Unstoppable Force for Good. You can find it by going to: https://www.radicalresponsibilitybook.com & download the first chapter free.

The organization Fleet mentioned toward the end of our conversation is called Braver Angels. To learn more about Braver Angels go to braverangels.org. They are one of several organizations around the country who conduct dialogues between people with diverse perspectives and politics. Duncan Autrey & I discuss several of those organizations in Episodes # 93 & #94 of this podcast. I also provided the contact information for them in the show notes for those two episodes.

Here's how you can support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics & guests, or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges & receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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This is an early broadcast - instead of airing it on the weekend as I usually do, I wanted to air it before Thanksgiving, for those of you who may be wondering how to have non-contentious family conversations at Thanksgiving – or any other holiday for that matter, especially during times like we’re in now, where there are strong and opposing feelings and opinions nationwide about our political arena, human rights and other current national issues.

My guest Susan Partnow has some tools and ideas to share with you to help set the tone for more compassionate conversations, and to help you navigate to more peaceful waters when conversations become turbulent.

Welcome to Part 2 of “The Heart is our Compass: Compassionate Listening in Polarized Times”, Episode #96 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Last week, in Part 1, Susan Partnow told us about the origin of Compassionate Listening, its five core practices and how we can cultivate compassion.

In this episode, we discuss how to bring Compassionate Listening into your daily life and how to use Compassionate Listening practices in contentious situations, including those you may find yourself in with your family over the Thanksgiving holiday.

To learn more about Compassionate Listening and the Compassionate Listening Project, visit www.compassionatelistening.org. To contact Susan Partnow, email her at: susanpartnow@gmail.com

I hope you have a peaceful and joy-filled Thanksgiving. Please know that I am thankful for each and every one of you. Your listener-ship and your patronage mean the world to me. Thank you!

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Each of us has a yearning to be deeply heard, but few of us know how to do that for others. Fortunately, there is a beautiful process called Compassionate Listening, which anyone can easily learn to do.

Welcome to “The Heart is our Compass: Compassionate Listening in Polarized Times, Part 1”, Episode #95 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

This is the first of a 2-part interview with Susan Partnow about Compassionate Listening. Susan works closely with Leah Green, founder of The Compassionate Listening Project as the Coordinator for the Advanced Compassionate Listening Training and a mentor for those who seek certification as a Compassionate Listening facilitator.

In this episode, we talk about the origin of Compassionate Listening, its five core practices & how we can cultivate compassion.

In Part 2 we talk about how to bring Compassionate Listening into your daily life & how to use Compassionate Listening in contentious conversations, including those you may find yourself in with your family over the Thanksgiving holiday, especially amidst the discordant political climate we are in.

Susan Partnow, M.A., has catalyzed social transformation and worked to heal the world ‘from the inside out’ through The Compassionate Listening Project (TCLP) for over 35 years from Africa and India to Guatemala, Cuba to Japan. She is Co-founder of Conversation Cafes, Let’s Talk America, Global Citizen Journey and Seattle Restorative Justice, as well as a founding Board member of ACL-Global. She is the Coordinator for the Advanced Training and a mentor for those who seek certification. A former teacher and speech pathologist. mediator and Organizational Development Consultant with an M.A. from Northwestern University, Susan is the author of Everyday Speaking for All Occasions and co-contributor to Practicing the Art of Compassionate Listening. Passionately committed to inter-cultural and inter-faith understanding, peacemaking and community building, Susan deeply believes we can & must 'listen our way to wholeness' to find our essential humanity through connection, wise co-creation, and dialogue.

Join us on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, for an early broadcast of Part 2 of this conversation where Susan & I will talk about how to bring Compassionate Listening into your daily life and how to use Compassionate Listening in contentious conversations, including those you may find yourself in with your family over the Thanksgiving holiday, especially amidst the discordant political climate we are in.

To learn more about the Compassionate Listening Project visit www.compassionatelistening.org. To contact Susan Partnow, email her at: susanpartnow@gmail.com.

Please support Co-creating Peace:

Subscribe to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching.
Share on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Become a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to “Uniting Fractured Communities Through Dialogue, Part 2 – Discovering Deeper Connections With Dialogue” – Episode #94 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Recently, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Duncan for The Omni-Win Project podcast. The Omni-Win Project is a multimedia effort to raise awareness of the myriad existing and emergent opportunities we have to improve our democracy and heal our political culture.

We discussed a wide range of related topics having to do with dialogue, and exploring ways that we can see past our differences – in fact, embrace them – to nurture democracy, co-create peace, and co-create a world where different ways of being and different perspectives are embraced, celebrated, and utilized to co-create better tomorrows than our yesterdays have been.

The Omni-Win Project podcast is one hour long, so I am airing this conversation in two parts over two podcast episodes.

Last week, in Part 1, Duncan and I discussed facilitated dialogues between law enforcement and various community members, including activists. Today, in Part 2, we discuss other, more informal types of dialogue and the importance of learning another person’s truths, exploring what’s inside them, and the wisdom, insights and shared humanity that often can only be discovered when we look beneath the surface.

If you’d like to learn more about dialogue, participate in dialogue events, or host a dialogue in your home, there are many great resources for that:
Recognizing that people often connect with one another more easily over a shared meal, Make America Dinner Again is an organization that wants to bring the country back together, one dinner at a time. They provide a step-by-step guide to make hosting your own dialogue dinner easy as pie. View the guide here. They’ve also put together a “host kit”. Download host kit here. To host an online event, go to their Online Events page.

Karuna Center for Peacebuilding is an organization that works internationally, including in the United States. They bridge deep divides to transform violent conflict: to foster reconciliation, interrupt cycles of violence, and strengthen community resilience. Through long-term partnerships and collaborations with local partners in conflict-affected areas, they help people discover their shared capacity for building peace.

Their initiatives span four overlapping areas of focus:

Dialogue Across Deep Divides
Building Inclusive Governance
Healing and Reconciliation
Preventing Violent Extremism

Positive paradigm shifts happen when we expand our awareness, explore new understandings, and embrace the glorious diversity of humanity. All this can happen through dialogue. This, my friends, is your invitation to join in the conversation.

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to “Uniting Fractured Communities Through Dialogue, Part 1 – Bringing Police and Activists Together Through Dialogue” – Episode 93 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In Episode #86 of this podcast, which was titled “Acknowledge, Reflect, Be Curious”, I spoke with Duncan Autry, creator of The Omni-Win Project. The Omni-Win Project is a multimedia effort to raise awareness of the myriad existing and emergent opportunities we have to improve our democracy and heal our political culture.

Recently, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Duncan for The Omni-Win Project podcast.

We discussed a wide range of related topics having to do with dialogue, and exploring ways that we can see past our differences – in fact, embrace them – to nurture democracy, co-create peace, and co-create a world where different ways of being and different perspectives are embraced, celebrated, and utilized to co-create better tomorrows than our yesterdays have been.

The Omni-Win Project podcast is one hour long, so I will be airing this conversation in two parts over two podcast episodes.

In Part 1, Duncan and I discuss facilitated dialogues between law enforcement and various community members, including activists. Next week, in Part 2, we discuss other, more informal types of dialogue and the importance of learning another person’s deeper truths, exploring what’s inside them, and the wisdom, insights and shared humanity that often can only be discovered when we look beneath the surface.

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to “Say It Now” – Episode #92 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

We’ve all heard the saying, “Timing and delivery are everything!”, and that is especially true when it comes to communication. It is so important to be mindful of not only what we want to say, but when and how. There are some messages that should be shared sooner, rather than later. Join me today to talk about the importance of saying certain things without putting them off is Sherry Richert Belul, author of “Say It Now”.

Sherry Richert Belul, founder of Simply Celebrate, helps people find creative, intentional and impactful ways to celebrate life and to express love for family and friends. As a certified high-performance coach, Sherry supports people in living their best lives, full of joy, success, engagement, and meaningful relationships. She is the author of "Say it Now: 33 Creative Ways to Say I Love You to the Most Important People in Your Life". Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Town + Country, and The Wall Street Journal.You can find Sherry at simplycelebrate.net or on social media as @simplycelebrate. Buy "Say It Now" today on Amazon.

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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When we marry, we enter into a wide variety of new relationships. We’re usually marrying into our spouse’s family with all of their personalities, idiosyncrasies, and interpersonal dynamics. Families often have their own unique culture with all the expectations and biases that can come with that.

Welcome to “Finding My Place & My Harmony Within the Group” – Episode #91 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In this episode, I share a letter from a listener in France, seeking my advice about boundaries and communication with the very large family she married into.

Francesca’s challenges in finding a peaceful rhythm with the family she married into aren’t unique, although there are often increased complexities with a family that large.

The concepts and tools I shared with Francesca can be applied in any group dynamic, not just in family dynamics. The longer a group is together, the more likely they are to develop their own unique culture. Mindfulness, thoughtfulness, clear communication, well-clarified, well-maintained boundaries, and the willingness to adapt – at least to some degree – are the best tools one can use to find their place and their harmony within the group.

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to “How to Communicate with Your Partner in Difficult Times”, Episode #90 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

A strong lifelong partnership with someone special is something that is important to many of us. As wonderful as it is to find that special someone, that doesn’t always guarantee that the relationship will always be smooth and easy. Difficult times can arise in any relationship. What’s important is how we navigate those difficult times. Joining us today to share some insights into that is relationship expert Laura Doyle.

New York Times Bestselling Author Laura Doyle was the perfect wife...until she actually got married. When she told her husband how to be tidier, more romantic, and more ambitious, he avoided her. So she dragged him to marriage counseling and nearly divorced him.

In desperation, she asked happily married women for their secrets, and that's when she got her miracle: the man who had wooed her returned.

Laura's books have been translated into 19 languages in 30 countries and accidentally started a worldwide movement. Laura's mission is to end world divorce. She is the founder of the international relationship coach training school Laura Doyle Connect, the star of Empowered Wives on Amazon Prime, the Creator of The Ridiculously Empowered, Happy Wife program, the host of The Empowered Wife Podcast and she has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America and The View. She has helped over 15,000 women fix their relationships--even the hopeless ones without their husband's effort.

But the thing that Laura is most proud of is her gratifying 31-year marriage with her hilarious husband John, who has been dressing himself since before she was born.

To learn more about Laura and her work, visit LauraDoyle.org

Contact Kathleen Oweegon at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com to share your ideas and feedback for this show. You can receive a free 30-minute communication coaching session by being a guest on Co-creating Peace to talk about your communication challenges and receive Kathleen's suggestions on the air. Visit BridgesofPeace.com to learn more about Kathleen and her work.

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Welcome to “Living Room Conversations: Overcoming Polarization”, Episode #89 of Co-creating Peace.

There is an unmet need that many of us experience. You’ve heard me speak about it before. It is the need to feel heard, to be acknowledged for who we are and how we perceive the world. Sadly, sometimes we have great difficulty in getting that need met. That’s where Living Room Conversations comes in. Living Room Conversations is an organization that helps people to have safe, peaceful, comfortable conversations about the kinds of issues that we find disagreement about, that we feel a great deal of passion about.

Joining me today is Annie Caplan to help her to tell us about an organization called living room conversations, the resources they have to share, and how each and every one of us can have these conversations ourselves.

Annie Caplan is an educator, community organizer, and Community Engagement Partner for Living Room Conversations. She loves connecting people and witnessing what can unfold when humans come together and share their stories and experiences. Annie aims to foster inclusive and accessible environments where folks feel comfortable showing up as their most authentic selves.

To learn more about Living Room Conversations and access their vast array of dialogue resources, visit livingroomconversations.org. You can find their Conversation Agreements at: livingroomconversations.org/conversation_agreements

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Welcome to “What’s Your Story?”, Episode #88 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Each of us has a story to tell. Many of us keep our story locked inside of us, examining only some parts of it, perhaps suppressing others. Some parts of our story bring joy with their memory; other may bring sadness, even pain. Yet, every part of our story is significant and has much to teach us, and – perhaps – to teach others. The greatest benefits of our story and the empowerment that resides in our story, are most easily seen when we write our story down. However, that can feel daunting. We may question what value there will be in writing it down. We don’t know where to start. We’re afraid of what our story might reveal to us or to others. It can feel like just too big of a proposition to take on.

Fortunately, there are people out there who can help is write our story through a process called Guided Autobiography. I met such a person during an online dialogue recently, and when she told me what she did, and how writing our story can be very useful in conscious communication and conflict transformation, I knew I had to invite her as a guest to share guided autobiography with you. Joining us today is Lisa Culhane, a life coach, writer and guided autobiography instructor. Lisa will tell us all about guided autobiography and share some ways you can start implementing aspects of this process into your life starting today to help strengthen your communication with others and with yourself.

Lisa Culhane is a published author and contributor to several anthologies and blogs. Lisa’s current work is about helping others write their stories. This work is based on the premise that the stories we tell are prophetic and thus, taking the time to think about, write and share our stories - to see ourselves as storytellers and to view our lives through the lens of story - allows us to use our stories to heal, to become whole and to experience profound connection with others. In other words, writing and sharing our stories, is a way to build conscious communication with ourselves and others while resolving conflicts that run through our story line.

Lisa combines her expertise as a certified Guided Autobiography Instructor (GAB), a certified Martha Beck Life Coach and a writer to help people step back, reflect and write their stories, 2 pages at a time, using a research-based group writing process that is both profound and enjoyable.

You can learn more about Lisa Culhane and her classes at lisaculhane.com.

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In last weekend's episode of "Co-creating Peace", I had a wonderful conversation with Rabbi David H. Green, who shared some great insights into our soul's journey and how conflict can be an opportunity for soul growth.

I hope you will enjoy “Conflict and Your Soul’s Journey”, Episode #87 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Conflict plays out in our lives in many ways, and it can serve many purposes. I often speak about conflict being an opportunity for several positive things, including growth at various levels. Rabbi David Green joins me from Jerusalem to talk about the relationship between conflict and the soul's journey.

For over 30 years David Green has been teaching topics such as individuality and soul awareness. Originally from Toronto, Canada, David spent time in the Hollywood music business as a songwriter at the young age of 16. He then studied music composition and Indiana U in Bloomington. After a lot of questioning, he went to Israel to find himself and a more soulful expression of his music. He found both by learning an array of topics about spiritual growth. Years later he attended Yeshiva, a study program for Jewish philosophy and became a rabbi. He has recorded two albums and authored 2 books, titled “A Book About You” and “Pictures of Your Soul”.

Visit www.realyouproject.com to find David’s books and learn more about his work. His music can be found on your favorite streaming service.

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Welcome to “Acknowledge, Reflect, Be Curious”, Episode #86 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Joining me today is Duncan Autry, creator of The Omni-Win Project, where his goal is to facilitate the healing and evolution of our democratic systems and political culture, so that we can co-create a future that works for everyone.

In this project Duncan creates videos and essays to amplify the message that we already have the solutions to the problems we face in our culture and democracy. Duncan is the host of the Omni-Win Project Podcast where he lifts up the voices of the many people and movements that are ready to help the evolution of democracy.

Duncan is a conflict transformation facilitator and educator with nearly twenty years of experience working on conflicts of all sizes throughout the U.S. and Latin America. His life work is exploring the fractal nature of conflict, which arises from the infinite and ongoing dance between self and other.

Duncan has some great insights and ideas to share with us, along with a model for approaching difficult communications and conflict called ARC - Acknowledge, Reflect, Be Curious.

Learn more about Duncan Autrey and the Omni-Win Project at omniwinproject.com. You can find his online newsletter at omniwin.substack.com

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Welcome to “Clean Inquiry: simple questions for conversations when emotions and stakes are high”, Episode #85 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

When we are experiencing high emotion, and the outcome of the situation we’re in will have a strong and lasting impact on our life – positive or negative – is when we often have the most difficulty communicating consciously and in ways that help others feel safe and empowered to collaborate with us. Yet, that very communication could well affect the outcome. How do we approach conversation in such a tenuous situation? Joining me today to talk about that is Sharon Small, international authority on the use of clean language, and founder of the Clean Language Institute.

Sharon Small studies how we transform things from how they are too how we want them to be. Her work with Clean Language applies when problem-solving, whether for climate change, art, parenting, or personal development, or finance. Founder of the Clean Language Institute and internationally recognized trainer who inspires, Sharon has taught hundreds of professionals clean language methodologies, including Symbolic Modeling, Clean Space, Emergent Knowledge, Clean Inquiry, and Clean Language Interviewing.

For more information on Clean Language and Sharon’s work, go to: cleanlanguagetraining.com.

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Last week, Greg Wieting and I had a great conversation about transforming trauma, learning to see our lived experience with new awareness and wisdom, and using these to build stronger, healthier relationships with ourselves and others. Of course, a major component of building stronger, healthier relationships is communication. Yet, trauma can impact our ability to effectively communicate with others in several detrimental ways.

Today, Karen Robinson, a service driven social worker, therapist, and coach with 24+ years of clinical experience who specializes in trauma recovery, anxiety, and depression joins me to talk about this often-misunderstood impact of trauma. She also shares some communication tools trauma survivors can use to support their successful communication. Among them are her Communication Roadmap, and a new way to look at I-Messages, which I spoke about in Episode #10, "The 'I's Have It"

Karen Lynn Robinson is a licensed clinical social worker, and the Founder and CEO of Heal Thrive Dream, LLC. She received both her BSW and MSW from the University of Maine. Karen is a genuine, authentic, and compassionate provider.

Heal Thrive Dream is a mother-daughter company that includes a wide range of services and products for women recovering from trauma. They offer holistic therapy, coaching, courses, and a wide variety of learning and inspirational products.

Learn more about Karen Robinson and all that she has to offer trauma survivors at: karenrobinson360.com.

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Welcome to "Re-framing Our Lived Experience – Transforming Trauma", Episode #83 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Just about everyone has experienced trauma in their life. Some traumas are what might be called relatively minor, others can be horrendous, and there are many degrees of trauma in between. Each of us deals with our trauma in different ways. Some people are able to process their trauma and work it through more easily than others. Some find it easier to talk about their trauma than others do. Each person’s journey through their trauma is different. As today’s guest says: “Most of healing from trauma is an inside job.”

I’ve been wanting to do some episodes about trauma because I have seen that trauma can result from conflict, and trauma can also be the cause of conflict. I think the latter often happens because a traumatized person’s need for empathy may exceed another person’s capacity to empathize, which can cause pain and frustration for both, and because of how hard it can be to talk about our trauma, which can make it more difficult for others to understand and empathize.

Joining me today is Greg Wieting, founder of PRISMA – a framework overlaying trauma, neuroscience, and energy medicine with somatic and mindfulness-based practices, to talk about how we can transform our trauma, see our lived experience with new awareness and wisdom, and use these to build stronger, healthier relationships with ourselves and others.

Greg Wieting helps you heal the anxiety, depression, chronic pain and trauma you can't think or talk your way out of. He developed PRISMA while healing his own anxiety, depression, and chronic pain rooted in trauma. This included unraveling a severe spinal curvature and standing three inches taller today!

Over the last two decades, Greg has helped thousands heal through his one-on-one practice and has certified hundreds of healthcare professionals in his methodology. His new online course and community now make healing practical and accessible to all.

To learn more about Greg Wieting’s work, visit: www.gregwieting.com

To receive the free PRISMA workbook, go to: www.gregwieting.com/free-prisma-download.

Learn more about PRISMA at: www.prismamethod.com.

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Welcome to Part #3 of “Releasing Grudges": Letters from Listeners, Episode #82 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In the last 2 weeks, I’ve been speaking with Lee Hopkins about releasing grudges. Those two episodes have inspired more letters from listeners than any other episodes so far. In this episode, I’ll share 4 of those letters with you.

Each letter has a different story to tell about listeners' experiences with grudges and releasing them.

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Welcome to Part #2 of “Releasing Grudges,” Episode #81 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Today, Coach Lee Hopkins and I continue our conversation about grudges. Last week, we talked about what we might do to help others release their grudge against us. Now we’ll discuss how each of us might work through the grudges we have against others.

Coach Lee Hopkins (he/him/his) is a transgender man who helps people create lasting friendships. You can learn more about Lee and his work by visiting his website, patternsofpossibility.com, where you will find on the More Possibility page a free course called "Understanding Connections" and a free resource titled "10 Tips to Making Memorable Conversations" as well as many other insights, tools and resources. Just go to: patternsofpossibility.com/morepossibility

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Welcome to Part 1 of “Releasing Grudges,” Episode #80 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

A few weeks ago, in Episode 77 of this podcast, Lee and I had a great conversation about boundaries. I felt such alignment with so many of his ideas that I subscribed to his blog. A recent article in his blog was about grudges, which – of course, can be both the cause and the result of conflict.

I’ve invited Lee back to share his perspective on grudges and what we might do to help others release their grudge against us or work through the grudges we have against others.

Today, we’ll explore approaches we might take when someone has a grudge against us. Next week, in Part 2, we’ll look at what we can do about our own grudges.

Coach Lee Hopkins (he/him/his) is a transgender man who helps people create lasting friendships. After struggling with loneliness most of his life, he's tried various ways to resolve it without success. However, on his journey to make friends, he discovered that the more he learned about himself, the better he was able to connect with others.

To learn more about Lee Hopkins and his work, visit his website: https://www.patternsofpossibility.com, where you'll find on the More Possibility page a free course called "Understanding Connections" and a free resource titled "10 Tips to Making Memorable Conversations" as well as many other insights, tools and resources. Just go to: https://www.patternsofpossibility.com/morepossibility

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Welcome to Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

I am taking a little mini-vacation this weekend. I’ll have a new episode for you next week. Next week’s episode will be the first segment of a 2-part series on grudges – how to recognize that you’re holding a grudge, that someone else might be holding a grudge against you, and some positive approaches to resolving those grudges. I’ll be talking with Coach Lee Hopkins, a transformation coach who specializes in helping people learn to build meaningful, lasting relationships.

Between now and next weekend, I invite you to listen to some of the past episodes of Co-creating Peace, all of which can be easily found on your podcast provider and on the podcast page of my website: www.bridgesofpeace.com.

I look forward to being with you again next weekend.

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Welcome to “The Power of the Pause", Episode #79 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In this episode, I have a bit of a change of pace for you. Every Wednesday evening at 5:00 pacific time, I have conversations with listeners on the Wisdom App.

Last Wednesday on the Wisdom App, I spoke about the power of the pause. This topic was inspired by a quote from Victor Frankl. “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space, is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom”. I bring you into last Wednesday’s Wisdom App conversation just after I shared the quote with my listeners.

The Wisdom App is an app you can download to your device just like any other app and listen to people sharing their wisdom and their ideas. It’s somewhat like a talk radio show with many hosts all doing their show at the same time, while the listeners can pick and choose any show, past or present, whenever they want to, and join the shows that are happening in the moment to share their own wisdom. I want to introduce you all to the Wisdom App and share one of the conversations I’ve had with listeners.

To learn more about Howard Falco, the guest I spoke with in this week's episode and last week’s Wisdom App conversation, visit his website: www.howardfalco.com.

To listen and converse with the great hosts on the Wisdom App, which is produced by Social Audio Inc.,

At the Apple App store, search for “Wisdom: Meeting Great Minds”. There are actually many apps with the word Wisdom as part of their name, so the “Meeting Great Minds” portion of the title will get you to the right app!
On Google Play, you can find the Wisdom App by searching “Wisdom: Advice & Life Coach".

Please support Co-creating Peace by:

Subscribing to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Sending me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching.
Sharing on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

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Welcome to “Teaching Leaders Peaceful Coexistence”, Episode #78 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

It is becoming more and more evident today’s world that peaceful co-existence with nature and with our fellow human beings is vital to the survival of our planet and the evolution of our humanity. Fortunately, there are many people who are dedicated to peaceful co-existence, and there are many tools and resources to help us accomplish that. The University for Peace, also known as UPeace, is one of the best resources to gain the tools needed to become a peacemaker and to learn many of the skill needed to help bring about peaceful co-existence for our specie and for the planet. Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Julia Delafield from the Centre for Executive Education at UPeace.

Julia Delafield is Director of the Centre for Executive Education within the University for Peace, established by the General Assembly of the United Nations. With a dual master’s degree in International Relations and Natural Resources and Sustainable Development from American University and the University for Peace, Julia spent the first half of her career working with environmental nonprofits in Latin America and growing a steady interest in the social enterprise space. At UPEACE, she has moved on to helping to provide structured training for social entrepreneurs around the globe.
To learn more about the University for Peace and the Gross Global Happiness Summit, visit: https://upeace.org.
To learn more about the Centre for Executive Education, visit: https://centre.upeace.org

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Welcome to “Boundaries Create the Shape of You”, Episode #77 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In Episode #20 of this podcast, I spoke about the power of defining, articulating, and enforcing our boundaries as an important tool in conflict prevention. Last week, in Episode #76, "Honor Your Boundaries", I shared the story of one of my listeners and her struggles with her boundaries.

Today, I have the pleasure of having Coach Lee Hopkins join me to share a very powerful boundaries framework that he has created, which he calls 3N Boundaries.

Coach Lee Hopkins (he/him/his) is a transgender man who helps people create lasting friendships. After struggling with loneliness most of his life, he's tried various ways to resolve it— including moving across the US to find his tribe and fit in. He’s learned that the key to creating meaningful relationships is not “fitting in” or “finding your tribe”, it’s about attracting your vibe.

When you go to Lee's website, you will find on the More Possibility page a free course called "Understanding Connections" and a free resource titled "10 Tips to Making Memorable Conversations" as well as many other insights, tools and resources. Just go to: https://www.patternsofpossibility.com/morepossibility

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Welcome to “Honor Your Boundaries”, Episode #76 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Many people – myself included for a long time – allow things into their life that they really don’t want there, and find that people often take advantage of them, treat them in disrespectful and inappropriate ways, and disregard their needs. Conflict inevitably results, whether it is internal conflict within the person being treated in these ways because they don’t know how to make it stop, or because when they try to instigate a change in that dynamic they’re met with harsh resistance and drama from the other person or people in that dynamic. This happens to both men and women.

Episode #20 of this podcast was titled “Your Boundaries Create Your Reality”. In that episode, I spoke about the power of defining, articulating, and enforcing our boundaries as an important tool in conflict prevention. If, after listening to today’s episode, you are wondering if there are boundaries you need to set in your life and how to do that, you may find it useful to go back and listen to Episode #20 to get some ideas for that.

After that episode, I received several letters from listeners. One of them was a woman in California who had never heard of the concept of personal boundaries and recognized that much of the great unhappiness in her life was because, in the absence of boundaries, she let other people rule her life. Over the little more than a year since, I have heard from her several times, and today, with her permission, I’d like to share some of our exchanges with you. I think we can all see something of ourselves, or people close to us, in the situations she has experienced that involved her boundaries, or the lack thereof.

Please support Co-creating Peace by:

Subscribing to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Sending me your ideas for topics and guests or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching.
Sharing on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

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Welcome to “Let’s Restart!”, Episode 75 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. I’m Kathleen Oweegon.

One of the biggest and most frustrating obstacles to resolving conflict, or even resolving our feelings about a conflict we’ve had, is when the other person won’t participate in the effort to resolve. Joining me to offer a solution to that dilemma is Louis Bourgarel, with a method of unilateral conflict resolution that he calls “Restart”.

Louis Bourgarel is a "Relationship Mechanic" who helps managers and executives facing a high impact conflict with a key person or business partner, to rebuild a more fluid and sincere relationship.

Louis created and teaches a method named "Restart", to give new hope to anyone who is facing conflict with someone who refuses to participate in co-creating positive resolution to the conflict.

Louis has 25 years experience as a manager, a management consultant, and a conflict management consultant.

He has French-speaking and English-speaking clients around the globe.

To contact Louis for a consultation to discover possible approaches to resolving a workplace conflict in your life, visit: www.louisbourgarel.com/contact. To read his website in English, go to: translate.google.com, then enter his website address: www.louisbourgarel.com.

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Welcome to “Pivoting Toward Inner Peace”, Episode #74of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

There are times in our lives when we recognize that we aren’t thriving. Nothing seems to be in sync. We experience inner friction and outer friction, and no sense of real peace. In this episode, Sarah Kalmeta and I have a conversation about ways to move through and out of this difficult place in our life by pivoting into a new direction, one that is fulfilling, and in which we feel inner peace.

Sarah Kalmeta, aka Sarah the Pivoter, is a Success and Mindset coach that helps the insatiably curious become their own success story without saying yes to everything using personal passion clarity techniques backed by neuroscience. She is the founder of Pivot Point. To learn more about Sarah and Pivot Point, visit her website: sarahkalmeta.com

Please support Co-creating Peace by:

Subscribing to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Sending me your ideas for topics and guests, or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching.
Sharing on social media & tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

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Welcome to “Everyone is Someone Else’s ‘Other’”, Episode #73of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Lara Khouri joins me from Dubai to share her insights about being seen as “the other”, some approaches to working with that experience, and approaches to working with conflict.

Lara is a self-professed serial expat. Born in London, she grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, moved to Lebanon when she was 14 after the end of the Lebanese civil war, lived in London for a few years when she was in university, and has lived in Dubai since 2004.

Although she identifies very strongly with her Palestinian roots, home is a fluid concept for Lara who feels like she belongs everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Growing up surrounded by difference – by people from different cultures with different languages, accents, traditions – being different, not of the place she lived, and being reminded of that every day, Lara developed a deep, soul-filling understanding of what it feels like to be the "other" along with an ability that has become so second nature it's instinctive, to put herself in other people's positions and view situations from their perspective.

This understanding is what eventually forcefully pushed her to do embrace her ikigai (or reason for being) and do something very scary: quit her corporate career with blue-chip multinationals and live the life of a solopreneur on a mission to make our world a happier place. Lara consults and trains on customer experience, employee experience, and corporate culture change from a place of understanding that it is possible for everyone to be happy as long as we take the time and accept the responsibility of understanding what makes us who we are and what makes others who they are.

Among other things, Lara is:
- a founding member of the global Women in CXTM community and community leader for the Women in CXTM Arabia chapter
- a certified Co-Active® Coach
- and a mentor with Regent's University London.

Lara welcomes everyone to connect with her on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/larakhouri) and see the potential of our world through her eyes at thereisnospoon.consulting.

Please support Co-creating Peace by:

Subscribing to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Sending me your ideas for topics and guests, or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching.
Sharing on social media & Tell the world about Co-creating Peace!
Becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace

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Welcome to Part 2 of “The Practice and Practicality of Mindfulness”, Episode #72of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Last week, in Part 1, I spoke with Andrew Safer, founder of Safer Mindfulness Inc. He walked us through a brief mindfulness exercise, and shared some insights into the practice of mindfulness, and additional ways that mindfulness can benefit our lives.

Today, Andrew and I will pick up our conversation where we left off last week. At that point, we were talking how to approach our anxiety from a mindful perspective. Andrew will tell us more about the practice of mindfulness, including how we can apply mindfulness when we are experiencing difficult emotions, in times of crisis, and even as a tool for suicide prevention. He will also talk about mindful listening and describe a mindful listening exercise for which he designed a mindful listening worksheet which you can find at: safermindfulness.com/mindful-listening.

Before I continue my conversation with Andrew, I will take you through a brief mindfulness exercise that I wrote for my Conscious Leadership class, which I call “Opening the Present”. The title of this exercise was inspired by a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, which says: “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.” This exercise is designed to bring our awareness to the moment we are in, and to what we want to create in the coming moments. You will find it useful to bring mindfulness to your approach to a situation about which you are feeling tension, fear or anxiety, such as a difficult conversation or a conflict. During this exercise, there will be periods of silence. There’s nothing wrong with the recording, it’s simply for the purpose of the exercise. If you would like an audio clip or a copy of the text of this exercise, contact me via my website: bridgesofpeace.com

Andrew Safer is a mindfulness instructor and trainer, program developer, workshop facilitator, and author. Andrew began practicing mindfulness in the Zen tradition 53 years ago, and pivoted to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition after meeting the meditation master cho·gee·uhm truhng·puh (Chogyam Trungpa). From his home in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, he specializes in developing and implementing applied mindfulness programs for mental health and addictions, and for the workplace. Andrew is offering a complimentary 30-minute mindfulness instruction session to listeners of this podcast. You can harvest this opportunity by going to: safermindfulness.com/podcast-listeners.

Recently, he piloted Suicide Prevention Through Mindfulness Training with Canadian Mental Health Association—Newfoundland and Labrador. His book, Anxiety, Stress & Mindfulness: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Wellness, was published in 2018, and can be found on Amazon. You can learn more about Andrew and his work at www.safermindfulness.com.

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Welcome to Part 1 of “The Practice and Practicality of Mindfulness”, Episode #71of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

I've spoken about mindfulness and some of its many applications several times in this podcast – as a tool for conscious communication, conflict prevention, and conflict transformation.

Andrew Safer, founder of Safer Mindfulness Inc., is with me today to walk us through a brief mindfulness exercise, and share some insights into the practice of mindfulness, and additional ways that mindfulness can benefit our lives. In the conversation you are about to hear, Andrew will take us through a brief mindfulness exercise. During the exercise, there will be periods of silence. There’s nothing wrong with the recording, it’s simply for the purpose of the exercise.

Andrew Safer is a mindfulness instructor and trainer, program developer, workshop facilitator, and author. Andrew began practicing mindfulness in the Zen tradition 53 years ago, and pivoted to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition after meeting the meditation master Chogyam Trungpa. From his home in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, he specializes in developing and implementing applied mindfulness programs for mental health and addictions, and for the workplace. Recently, he piloted Suicide Prevention Through Mindfulness Training with Canadian Mental Health Association—Newfoundland and Labrador. His book, Anxiety, Stress & Mindfulness: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Wellness, was published in 2018, and can be found on Amazon.

Join me next week for Part 2 of “The Practice and Practicality of Mindfulness”, when I will lead you through a short mindfulness exercise that I wrote for my Conscious Leadership class, and Andrew will tell us more about the practice of mindfulness, including mindful listening and how we can use mindfulness practice to support us in times of crisis, and even as a tool for suicide prevention.

In the meantime, you can learn more about Andrew and his work at www.safermindfulness.com. Andrew is offering a complimentary 30-minute mindfulness instruction session to listeners of this podcast. You can harvest this opportunity by going to: safermindfulness.com/podcast-listeners. Andrew has also provided a worksheet on mindful listening, which you can find at: safermindfulness.com/mindful-listening.

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Welcome to "The Journey to Co-creating Peace Begins with Inner Peace”, Episode #70 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Joining me today to talk about the Emotional Freedom Technique, also known as EFT, is Ann Hince, author of the book: A Pathway to Insight. EFT is a simple form of self-administered therapy that can be used to treat a wide variety of physical and psychological imbalances. Ann will tell us about how she used EFT to help her recover from trauma and find inner peace. We’ll also discuss how inner peace leads to peace with others.

When Ann was 19, she woke one morning to find her mother dead in her bathroom. Twenty years later, the tears from that trauma were still just under the surface. Ann found a simple technique that helped her release these emotions. Ann has found that seeking out our truth, what we truly feel, accepting those feelings and releasing them, is the key to inner peace.

When we relate to others from that place of inner peace, we will find that co-creating peace with others comes far more easily.

To learn more about Ann’s work and her book, “A Pathway to Insight”, visit her website: https://annhince.com. Her Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/AnnHinceWisdom. Click here for her YouTube channel .

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Welcome to "How to Say What They Don’t Want to Hear”, Episode #69 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

This episode is a bit of a change of pace. In today’s episode, I am interviewed by Marta Greca, for her podcast Marta the Minimalist. Marta invited me to be a guest to talk about how to deliver information that the other person may not want to hear. Our focus is primarily on workplace scenarios, but the concepts and tools can be applied in almost any context.

You may recall that Marta was my guest in Episode #59 about “Using Conscious Communication to Attract What You Want in Life”.

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Welcome to “The 7 Steps of Relationship Repair”, Episode #68 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

No matter how strong or long-lasting, every relationship hits rough spots or tough times once in awhile. Branch Isole joins us today to talk about some very useful approaches to successfully moving through those experiences to heal, restore harmony, and grow as a result.

Author, storyteller and poet Branch Isole writes about strength of choice to change consequences. He's known worldwide for contemporary short stories that reveal emotions and issues often experienced, but not always voiced. He posts a Thought for Today, short stories and articles on his website: www.branchisole.com and on YouTube.

As a podcast and talk radio on-air guest Branch shares informative steps to build frameworks that supports career, personal and spiritual growth.

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Welcome to “Connecting Across Divides”, Episode #67 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

The 2022 National Week of Conversation takes place April 24-30. It is a week of events and activities that bring people together across differences, and gives people an opportunity to experience dialogue and deliberation. I encourage you to harvest the opportunity to experience Dialogue & Deliberation by participating, You'll find information about how to participate in the National Week of Conversation at the end of these notes.

I feel very strongly about the enlightening and healing power of dialogue, and the amazing potential to co-create a better future that collaborative deliberation brings forth. To help you have a sense of dialogue and deliberation and how it is being used around the country, last week’s episode and today’s are devoted to two innovative and dynamic organizations whose focus is to bring people together for conversation, connection and the opportunity to co-create new and better paths forward.

Last week, Courtney Breeseof the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation joined me to talk about how dialogue & deliberation can bridge divides and help people connect with, and better understand, one another as fellow human beings despite different viewpoints and affiliations.

Joining me today to talk about how dialogue and deliberation are being used by groups of young adults across the nation, are two inspiring young women from a dynamic student- student led organization called Civic Synergy.

Civic Synergy is a student-led political depolarization organization bringing together young adults from across the political divide to communicate and collaborate. Over the course of 6 weeks, participants learn and practice conflict resolution skills and develop policy proposals which are presented to U.S. representatives at the end of the program.

Laura Chen, Director of Program Development and Co-founder of Civic Synergy, is a senior at MIT studying chemical engineering and minoring in public policy. She is passionate about tackling sustainability and equity challenges and enhancing public participation. At MIT, she has enjoyed contributing to academic research and being a part of the Varsity Field Hockey team, the Terrascope community, and the MIT Water Club. In the fall, Laura is excited to join the Coro Fellows Program, a leadership and public affairs fellowship.

Claire Kane is a freshman student at Clemson University studying Political Science and Communication. Claire is a first time Civic Synergy participant and seeks to explore more about civil discourse and discussion. Claire is involved on campus with the sorority Gamma Phi Beta, Clemson Club Swimming, and RHA.

There is so much we can learn from one another by simply sitting down together exchanging ideas without trying to change each other’s perspective or opinion, just listening to learn how others see the world and why. I encourage you to harvest the opportunity to experience Dialogue & Deliberation by participating in the National Week of Conversation – a week of events and activities that bring people together across differences. The 2022 National Week of Conversation starts tomorrow, Monday April 24 and ends on April 30. More information is available at https://americatalks.us/national-week-of-conversation/.

To learn more about Civic Synergy, visit: civicsynergy.live

To learn more about Living Room Conversations, visit their website at: livingroomconversations.org/

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Welcome to “Let’s Talk About It”, Episode #66 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

The difficulties we have with one another are very often the result of lack of insight and understanding. In the absence of information we make assumptions about one another – assumptions that often lead to conflict.

There is a cure for this phenomenon, and that is dialogue – sitting down with one another to have conversations that help us to learn about one another at deeper levels. When we put aside our assumptions, our biases, and the fears on which those are often based, and enter into dialogue with not only a willingness, but a desire, to learn about others and the way they experience and see the world, and then deliberate together to arrive at paths forward that can better meet the needs of all, we begin to build bridges of peace which can one day span the world.

Joining me today to talk about dialogue and deliberation is Courtney Breese, Executive Director of the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD), a network of innovators who bring people together across divides to discuss, decide, and take positive action together to address today’s toughest issues.

In addition to serving as the Executive Director of the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD), Courtney Breese is a trainer, mediator, and facilitator with extensive experience working on state and municipal engagement efforts. She started facilitating dialogues as an undergraduate at Franklin Pierce University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in social work and Counseling.

To learn more about the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation, go to www.ncdd.org.

If Dialogue & Deliberation is something that you would like to experience, you can begin as early as this coming week by participating in the National Week of Conversation – a week of events and activities that bring people together across differences. The 2022 National Week of Conversation takes place April 24-30. More information is available at https://americatalks.us/national-week-of-conversation/.

Here’s how to contact the organizations Courtney mentioned in our conversation:

Living Room Conversations’ website is: https://livingroomconversations.org/
Make America Dinner Again’s website is: www.makeamericadinneragain.com/
Essential Partners’ website is: www.whatisessential.org
Conversation Café’s website is: www.conversationcafe.org

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The journey from goals to reality is not always clear. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a map? Fear not, because - in fact - there is a way to map your goals and turn your goals into your reality!

Welcome to “How to Make Your Goals Your Reality” – Episode #65 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Joining me today from Lagos Nigeria is my dear friend Felix Iziomoh to tell us about Goal Mapping, a dynamic tool that can help us to create our own reality and to co-create peace. Felix elaborates on the 7 steps of Goal Mapping:
1. Dream
2. Order
3. Draw
4. Why
5. When
6. How
7. Who

Felix is a Certified Goal Mapping Practitioner. To him, Goal Mapping is not just about mapping well-being, career, finance, relationships, educational or personal goals and achieving them. It is about lifting lives, empowering and inspiring people to become a better person and achieve their life goals.

Felix and I have been friends for many years, working together in support of the International Institute for Global Leadership, of which Felix was one of the earliest graduates.

Felix Iziomoh is the Principal Consultant at BeeFlex Consultancy Ltd, and the founder and Executive Director of International Centre for Leadership Development Nigeria. He is the Nigerian Coordinator for the International Institute for Global Leadership (IIGL) U.S.A, where he has formerly served as President, a Board member and as Executive Secretary. A core team member of NELIS – Next Leaders Initiative for Sustainability – Japan, Felix is the African Program Manager of the flagship initiative 4Revolutions (4Revs) , a co-creative ecosystem.

Felix is also the co-founder of One Million Leaders Africa (OMLA). He is the author of:

African Leadership 101: 7 Secrets for African Renaissance,
The Way Forward: 5 Effective Steps to Achieving Your Life Goals
Goal Mapping: 7 Simple Steps to Fulfilling Your Dreams,

and a co-author of Creating Your Path through Leadership. Click here to find Felix’s books on Amazon.

To contact Felix directly and to utilize his goal-mapping coaching services, email him at: flelixi@gmail.com. For more information on Felix and his work with BeeFlex Consultancy LTD., go to their Facebook page. To learn more about Felix’s work with the International Centre for Leadership Development Nigeria, go to ICLDNG.org. Find Felix on Instagram at: ICLD.nig.com. Click here to learn more about Felix on LinkedIn.

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Welcome to "Holding the Space for Peace", Episode #64 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Andrea Petrut joins me today from Toronto Canada for a conversation about the many ways that we can hold the space for peace – within ourselves, between ourselves and others, and in the world. We discuss the relationship between inner peace, outer peace and world peace, and Andrea shares some easy but very powerful tools for how we can find and maintain our inner peace, which is where all peace has its roots.

After losing her mother to cancer when she was 11 years old, Andrea took an empowering vision, made it her reality and became her own pillar in life, lifting herself and others on her path.

As an Intuitive Life & Relationships Catalyst, Andrea combines a unique form of insight to help multi-passionate, heart-centered women center on the present moment. With laser focused energy she helps her clients expand their hearts for themselves and their family while anchoring and living their vision for the world.

Andrea is a Heart Imagery Teacher at The School of The Heart, entrepreneur, trauma-informed writer, speaker, storyteller, leader, home educator, host of Healing Through Oneness podcast and advocate for love. Originally from Romania, she currently lives with her husband and three children in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She loves to create, invent, inspire, build, and see the world with all its beauty.

To learn more about Andrea and her work, go to andreapetrut.ca.

Andrea has generously offered a wonderful Gift for you, dear listeners: Her 7 Keys to Clarity – A quick guide to move you forward to the aligned love and relationships you envision. To receive this gift, go to: https://andreapetrut.ca/7keystoclarity/

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Welcome to “The Sequel to ‘Timing & Delivery are Everything’: Letters from Listeners”, Episode #63 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Last week, I talked about how important it is to give careful thought to the timing and delivery of important conversations and offered some suggestions about what to consider when planning those conversations. Boy, did that topic strike a chord with many of you listeners! In this episode, I share with you some of the letters I received from listeners about their experiences with timing and delivery of communication, and the answers I offered in response to one listener’s request for advice about that.

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Welcome to "Timing & Delivery Are Everything”, Episode #62 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

All too often, we neglect to give careful thought to the timing and delivery of important conversations. Sometimes we put them off, when it would be more constructive to have them earlier. Other times, we have important conversations when we’re emotionally escalated, when waiting until we were more calm and clear, and able to be more in our wisdom would have created a better result. In this episode, I will share with you some thoughts on choosing the best timing and delivery for those important conversations you need to have.

Concepts, tools and applications I discuss relate directly to Episode #2 about the structure of conscious communication and Episode #4 about needs-based negotiation.

Please support Co-creating Peace by:

Becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace
Subscribing to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests, or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and receive free communication coaching.
Tell the world about Co-creating Peace!

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Welcome to "The Leader's Inward Journey”, Episode #61 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In today’s world, wise, ethical and empathetic leadership is needed more than ever. Where do those traits come from? How are they developed? In my conversation today with Terry Wildemann, we’ll explore these questions, as we discuss intuitive leadership and the Law of Attraction.

An Intuitive Success Navigator, Terry Wildemann helps spiritual entrepreneurial leaders connect deeply with their inner guidance system to control overwhelm, awaken the possibilities, and attract prosperity. She is an experienced entrepreneur, the founder of Intuitive Leadership® U, a speaker, and author of 2 solo and 7 co-authored books.

To learn more about Terry and her work, go to intuitiveleadership.com.

Please support Co-creating Peace by:

Becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace
Subscribing to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests, or be a guest to talk about your communication or conflict resolution challenges and get free communication coaching.
Tell the world about Co-creating Peace!

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Welcome to "Nourishing Wisdom in Children", Episode #60 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

I’m joined today by Gramps Jeffrey, to talk about his children’s book, “I Don’t Want to Turn 3”, a book that explores what goes through a toddler’s mind as he faces turning 3. Age 3, as this toddler sees it, is the age when he’ll have to take responsibility for his actions, which he is not looking forward to. This story also involves conflict resolution with children, and the roles that parents and grandparents can have in nourishing wisdom in children. It is based on the true experiences Gramps Jeffrey has had with his 6 grandchildren.

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Welcome to "Using Conscious Communication to Attract What You Want in Life” – Episode #59 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

With me today is Marta Greca to share what she has learned about the power of conscious communication and how that has impacted her family and her life.

As you listen to my conversation with Marta, if you recognize yourself in some of those communication patterns she describes that didn’t work well for her in the past, I am happy to support you in your communication transformation with communication coaching. You can go to the Communication Coaching page at www.bridgesofpeace.com to learn more, and feel free to reach out to me for a free 30-minute initial consultation to help you determine if communication coaching is right for you.

Marta is lovingly nicknamed by her colleagues as the Millionaire Minimalist. As the CEO of MEDIA - The Creative Agency, Marta and her team help women business leaders attract their ideal clients so they can focus on serving their own clients as they expand their brands internationally. As an established business leader herself, Marta coaches countless emerging entrepreneurs on how to set their businesses up to thrive long-term. But Marta's most important role is as the homeschooling mom to her six kids, and as a daughter, a sister, and wife. Marta is also the proud host of her podcast Marta the Minimalist, and TV show Thriving Women Talk.

To learn more about Marta’s work go to mediacreativeagency.com or email her at: marta@mediacreativeagency.com

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Welcome to “Here Comes the Judge”,Episode #58 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Have you ever noticed yourself writing a story in your head about something that has happened in the world or in your life? For example, think about the events of January 6th. What stories did you write in your head about the people involved or their motivations for doing what they did. What judgements came up for you? Even if you know someone who was there and they told you what their motivations were, that is only one person of the thousands who were there, and the truth for each of them might be different and there is no way for any of us to possibly know their truth unless we’ve asked them. But yet, it’s so easy and – in a way – perfectly natural for us to fill in the blanks in our information with our assumptions and our judgements. Our brain wants to know the whole story, and when it doesn’t have that information, it will fill in the gaps with assumptions based on the way that we see the world – our frame of reference.

Or what about when someone doesn’t respond to an email? Our first assumption is that they received our email. Our second assumption is that just because we didn’t receive an email reply, they must not have sent one. Then we start thinking, “I guess I’m not important enough to bother responding to”. Or, “They must not want to collaborate with me.” Or something else along those lines. Then, based on our assumptions, we think, “What a jerk!” or “How arrogant!”

Here comes the judge!

We become the judge, the jury, or both, and from there, we render the verdict and impose the sentence. In the case of those who participated in the events of January 6th, depending on whose actions we judge to be right or wrong, we determine in our own minds what should happen next. All this based on what we may have heard on the news or by word of mouth, without having actually heard the “testimony” – as it were – of those we are judging.

In the case of the person we’ve determined to be guilty of not replying to our email, our verdict may be something like “That’s it then! I’m done with them!” Then we become the executioner and sever our relationship with them.

We judge and condemn them, and even execute the sentence, all without even knowing whether or not they received our email, or – if they did – whether or not they responded.

Joining me again is Michael Lightweaver, to share his observations and remedies for this all-too-common phenomenon.

You may recall that Michael Lightweaver was with us for Episode 9, when we talked about the power of deeply hearing others. Our conversation today is related in many ways.

Michael has led a long and interesting life of service to humanity. Among his many accomplishments, in 2002 he founded the International Institute for Global Leadership, an internet-based study program, whose primary mission is to provide a tuition-free education to individuals who wish to become high-integrity, heart-centered and conscious leaders in their communities and the world.

Michael now serves as the steward of the Mountain Light Sanctuary a spiritual retreat center in a remote mountain cove near Asheville, North Carolina where he offers guidance sessions to those who seek him out.

Michael has also published 3 books: The World According to Michael, A Day of Grace, and Conscious Creation 101.

You can learn more about the International Institute for Global Leadership by going to www.global-leadership.com. You can learn more about the Mountain Light Sanctuary by going to www.mountainlightsanctuary.com . You can contact Michael through that website as well. You’ll find all of Michael’s books available on Amazon.

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Welcome to “A 5-step Framework to Approach a Difficult Conversation”, Episode #57 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Today, I am joined by Jerry Fu a conflict resolution coach who helps Asian-American leaders advance in their career and life journeys. Jerry will share with us his 5-step Framework for Approaching a Difficult Conversation and examples of how he has used it in situations he’s faced, and in his leadership coaching.

Prior to starting his coaching business, Jerry Fu served as a pharmacist and began facilitating leadership workshops in 2012. Jerry started coaching in 2017 to help other Asian-American professionals deal with the conflict they encounter at work, with their culture, and within themselves.

Jerry offers a range of coaching services, which includes individual coaching, group workshops, and keynote presentations. He has appeared on over seventy podcasts and plans to appear in plenty more.
To learn more about Jerry Fu and his work, visit www.adaptingleaders.com

Please support Co-creating Peace by:

Becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/CocreatingPeace
Subscribing to Co-creating Peace on your favorite podcast provider
Send me your ideas for topics and guests, or be a guest
Tell the world about Co-creating Peace!

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Welcome to “What Results is Peace”, Episode #56 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

You may recall that in Episode #53 Indra Rinzler joined me to talk about The Enneagram of Personality and the Four Doorways to Conscious Living. In our conversation after the interview, Indra shared with me some of his thoughts about conflict and peace. I was intrigued by what he said and invited him back to share those thoughts with you.

Indra Rinzler has been a life-long spiritual seeker, and is a healer and teacher who offers life readings for clients. Astrology and the Enneagram of Personality are the main modalities that he shares. His focus is to help clients to awaken to who they really are. He works to help people to live beyond their conditioned stories and to live more in the moment. Indra’s understandings about the way energies work informs much of his thinking about conflict and peace.

Wondering how you can support Co-creating Peace to stay strong & live long? Thank you! Here’s how:

¨ Become a patron of Co-creating Peace by going to www.patreon.com/cocreatingpeace. Patrons pledging $10 or more per month will receive thank you gifts ranging from communication worksheets and workbooks to free communication coaching sessions with me and Co-creating Peace t-shirts, coffee mugs and tote bags.

¨ Contribute to the content of this podcast: Send your requests for advice about conscious communication or conflict transformation to oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com. I will honor whatever level of confidentiality you want in my response.

¨ Send your ideas for episodes of this podcast, or specific things you’d like to learn about conscious communication and conflict transformation to oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com. Many episode topics and guests were suggested by listeners.

¨ Tell the world about Co-creating Peace!

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Welcome to "The Unicorn in You”, Episode #55 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Today, I am joined by Joshua Kramer. Josh’s upcoming book, "The Unicorn in You", takes an un-self-help approach to finding a path to peace and joy. By identifying fundamental principles and the standards that guide them, he uses classic stories and timeless quotes to outline practical and actionable steps to reconnect with these universal qualities. In The Unicorn in You, Josh reveals the everyday structures for stepping out of your head and becoming grounded in your foundation for being. Josh & I discuss how these can help each of us to co-create peaceful relationships.

Now available for Pre Order on Amazon.com, "The Unicorn in You" will be released on Tuesday, February 22nd. Once released, it will also be available at Barnes & Noble, and on theunicorninyou.com. In the meantime, feel free to visit theunicorninyou.com to learn more about Josh and to connect with him directly.

Josh Kramer is the creator of The Unicorn in You, a personal growth and development perspective that emphasizes five key principles as the foundation for peace and joy. He is the Managing Partner of Kramer Chandler, a Founding Partner of Real Connex, and an active member of YPO. There are several ways that you can help this podcast stay strong and live long through your financial support, your contributions to the content, and by sharing Co-creating Peace with others.

Become a patron of Co-creating Peace by going to www.patreon.com/cocreatingpeace. Patrons pledging $10 or more per month will receive thank you gifts ranging from communication worksheets and workbooks to free communication coaching sessions with me and Co-creating Peace t-shirts, coffee mugs and tote bags.

To contribute to the content of this podcast: Send me your requests for advice about conscious communication or conflict transformation. I will honor whatever level of confidentiality you want in my response.

If you have ideas for episodes of this podcast, or specific things you’d like to learn about conscious communication and conflict transformation, please let me know. These are very welcome content contributions. Many episode topics and guests were suggested by listeners like you.

Write to me with any questions you may have about anything I’ve shared with you. I will reply within 2 business days.

I want this show to have a direct and positive impact on your life!

The best way to reach me is to email me at oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com.

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Welcome to “Your Many Facets”, Episode #54 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Today’s episode may feel like a bit of a walkabout as you hear the thoughts I will share, yet I invite and encourage you to journey with me on this little adventure of the mind. By the end of this episode, you will have new insights into yourself and others, and some new tools that will help you to more mindfully choose how you want to relate to others in any given situation.

Back in the mid-1980’s when I was studying psychology in college, I observed something about the human psyche which I call the multi-faceted sphere – each facet a different personality through which the light of our soul shines.

I came to understand through my studies in the classroom, and my observation of myself and others, that we all have many different personalities residing within us, some of which are common to all of us, others which are unique to an individual, formed by our innate characteristics and life circumstance. Any of these personalities may come to the forefront without our consciously being aware of it, evoked by the situation we are in and our emotional response to that situation. Yet, we can mindfully choose which personality to bring forward to best address the situation we are in and the people we are interacting with.

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Welcome to “The Enneagram of Personality and the Four Doorways to Conscious Living". Episode #53 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Today, I am speaking with Indra Rinzler - a life-long spiritual seeker who will share a valuable tool for increasing our self-awareness and our understandings about others – Enneagram of Personality. We’re also going to talk about the 4 Doorways to Conscious Living.

Indra Rinzler is a healer and teacher and offers life readings for clients. Astrology and the Enneagram of Personality are the main modalities that he shares. He’s been studying astrology and spirituality for fifty years. He first learned of the Enneagram of Personality in 1999. He uses these two modalities individually and in combination. His focus is to help clients to awaken to who they really are. He works to help people to live beyond their conditioned stories and to live more in the moment.

To learn more about Indra and his work, and to harvest his generous offer of a Vedic astrology chart and free Enneagram test, at no charge to the Co-creating Peace audience, go to www.IndraRinzler.com, or email him at: IndraRinzler@gmail.com. You can also find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/indra.rinzler

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Welcome to “Why CARE?" Episode #52 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Today, I am speaking with Sam Thiara about an acronym he has created that is central to his outlook and his work: CARE, which stands for Collaboration, Adaptability, Resilience and Empathy. We’ll talk about why this is so important and how it might be applied.

Sam Thiara is a professional who has created a personal journey as a speaker, storyteller, writer, educator, mentor, coach, entrepreneur, problem solver and community activator.

His goal is to engage individuals in their personal and professional development, work with teams and organizations on alignment and the 45+ non-profits that he has worked with over the years. Presently, he teaches at the Beedie School of business, at Simon Fraser University and is also the Founder and Chief Motivating Officer at Ignite the Dream Coaching and Consulting, a platform that engages his audience to define their path. A key element is transformational practices where he has become an expert in career coaching (15-40 year old’s) with over 5,000 conversations to date and supporting teams and organizations. He has authored two books, one on storytelling and the other a travel memoir about his journey to India to find his ancestral roots with a faded photograph. He has also spoken at two different TEDx conferences.

He is the author of “Lost and Found” in which he tells the story of his seemingly impossible quest to find his grandfather’s village in India —armed with little more than a faded photograph.

To learn more about Sam Thiara and his work, visit his website at: www.sam-thiara.com

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Welcome to “An Attitude of Gratitude” – Episode #51 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

When nothing seems to be going your way, your best-laid plans are thwarted by the Fates, and it feels as though the bird of paradise is leaving droppings on your head, it is so easy to go into a dark, desperate, and angry place in your psyche. It’s tempting to scream “Why me!?!” or “Screw you!” to the Universe and the powers that be, or even to vent that anger and frustration on some poor undeserving soul who crosses your path.

I speak from current experience, as I sit in a hotel room where I have been stuck for the last week by snowstorms that interrupted my road-trip to be with family for the Christmas holiday, and ruined my chances of being with loved ones, or even in my own home for any part of this holiday season.

I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t get extremely upset, or that I haven’t cried more than once as this ordeal has continued, and I sit here, trapped in a place I don’t enjoy and where I know no one. There have been times when I wanted to rage, stomp my feet, do something to vent my frustration and disappointment!

What has gotten me through this, and will continue to do so, is reminding myself of all there is to be grateful for – having an attitude of gratitude.

On my list of things I am so very grateful for are you, my listeners. Thank you for being with me as we co-create peace in this world. I wish each and every one of you a safe, healthy, and joyful new year, and a long, long list of blessings you are grateful for!

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Welcome to “Resolve to Resolve” – Episode 50 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

As we approach the birth of every new year, many people have the tradition of making resolutions for the new year. For 2022, I would like to invite you to resolve to resolve.

Think about the unresolved conflicts in your life, the conversations you know you need to have but have been putting off, unmade apologies, unaccepted apologies, and the forgiveness you know someone deserves, but which you haven’t yet expressed to them.

The topic of this episode is inspired by many things. Most prominent of those are a very sad, remorseful letter from a listener and the upcoming birth of 2022. The birth of a new year gives us a sense of a fresh start, and opportunity to do things in a better way – to create better tomorrows than our yesterdays have been. Why not harvest that to co-create peace in your life? To resolve the conflicts, bridge the chasms, and heal the wounds in your life?

So, let’s talk about what that means – resolving to resolve, how to decide if you’re ready to do that, and how to go about it if you are.

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Welcome to: "Speaking in Rounds to Help People Think” - Episode #49 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Sheella Mierson joins me to talk about a method of designing the flow of a conversation in a way that evokes more thoughtful responses, and which allows for each person to have a chance to share their thoughts without the conversation being dominated by the stronger personalities.

Sheella specializes in helping people collaborate more effectively in a variety of settings. One of her favorite tools is having people speak in "rounds" in meetings, whether there are two people or many. She will discuss what a round is, how to do it, and why it is so effective.

Sheella Mierson, Ph.D. helps individuals and organizations design relationships, processes, and structures for creative collaboration. In her first career as a research scientist, she became interested in how people collaborate (or not) in and out of the laboratory. She is a certified facilitator for the Blueprint of We Process, and a sociocracy consultant. Her passion is to create joyful, productive relationships and workplaces, where both people and organization can flourish.

To contact Sheella or to learn more about meetings that use rounds, visit: www.sociocracyconsulting.com. Her email address is: sheella.mierson@sociocracyconsulting.com.

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Welcome to “A Buddhist Perspective on Peace and Purpose” - Episode #48 of Co-creating Peace – a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Today, I have the honor of speaking with Venerable Domo Geshe Rinpoche.
The 9th Domo Geshe Rinpoche is the Spiritual Director of White Conch Dharma Center and abbot of Lotus Lake Buddhist Retreat Center and monastery in Central Wisconsin. Having completed extensive training and retreat, Rinpoche’s current incarnation has been teaching in the United States, Europe and Canada for more than twenty years, during which time she has given numerous Buddhist retreats, both at Lotus Lake and at various retreat centers around the world. Domo Geshe Rinpoche is the author of four books: Mystery of Emptiness & Love, Red Lotus Buddhist Wisdom, Sensing Shades of Reality - A daily reader of Buddhist concepts and journal, and her most recent publication: How to Change Your Karma ~ Healing the Past. Her next book is titled "Buddha's Brass Band" for four to seven-year-olds.

You can experience Rinpoche’s teachings during the White Conch Online Winter Retreat 2021-2022. This will be a retreat in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition. The first session – Tonglen – will be December 27th, 2021 – January 2nd, 2022. The second session – The Nightingale Song will be January 3rd - January 9th, 2022.

To register for this retreat and learn more about Rinpoche and her work visit the White Conch website at: www.white-conch.org. Many of her public teachings are free to stream at: www.youtube.com/user/WhiteConchFilms.

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Welcome to Part 2 of "Riverlogic - Finding Flow in our Conversational Spaces" – Episode #47 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

This episode is a continuation of last week’s broadcast of my conversation with Denise Blanc about the flow of a river as a metaphor for conversation.

In her forthcoming book, "Riverlogic - Finding Flow in our Conversational Spaces", Denise elaborates on this metaphor in each chapter, titling the chapters using various aspects of a river: Current, Confluence, Rivulet, and Riverbank. Last week, we discussed Current and Confluence. Today, Denise will share her insights into Rivulet and Riverbank as components of this metaphor.

Denise Blanc has over 23 years contributing to the field of Organization Development as a Leadership Coach, Senior Leader and Facilitator. Her 20 years in a Mindfulness practice deeply informs her life and work. She is currently completing a book of her work called Riverlogic - Finding Flow in Conversational Spaces.

For more information about Denise and her work, go to: www.riverlogicpartners.com or email her at: Deise@riverlogicpartners.com.

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Welcome to Part 1 of "Riverlogic - Finding Flow in our Conversational Spaces" – Episode #46 of Co-creating Peace, a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

With me is Denise Blanc to share her thoughts on the flow of a river as a metaphor for conversation. This beautiful metaphor can help us to better practice conscious communication.

In her forthcoming book, "Riverlogic - Finding Flow in our Conversational Spaces", Denise elaborates on this metaphor in each chapter, titling the chapters using various aspects of a river: Current, Confluence, Rivulet, and Riverbank. In today’s episode, we’ll discuss Current and Confluence.

Denise Blanc has over 23 years contributing to the field of Organization Development as a Leadership Coach, Senior Leader and Facilitator. Her 20 years in a Mindfulness practice deeply informs her life and work. She is currently completing a book of her work called Riverlogic - Finding Flow in Conversational Spaces.

Make sure to join us next week, when Denise and I will continue our conversation, and focus on Rivulet and Riverbank as metaphors for aspects of conversation in part 2 of "Riverlogic - Finding Flow in our Conversational Spaces".

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Welcome to “Deck the Halls, Not Your Relatives” - Episode #45 of Co-creating Peace – a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Holidays are usually thought of as a time of gathering with family and loved ones, and creating joyful memories. For some families, there is a different experience. Some people find themselves embroiled in family conflict during the holidays, and wishing they could deck one relative or another. Rachel Yarrington joins me to talk about why that is and what we can do about it.

Rachel Yarrington is a certified mediator, ombuds, and licensed mental health professional. She provides mediation and consultation services to couples, families, and organizations seeking to resolve conflict and repair relationships.

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Welcome to Part 2 of "Using NVC® to Speak Your Truth” - Episode 44 of Co-creating Peace – a podcast series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Last week Jack Lehman and I had a great conversation about how NVC uses observations, feelings, needs, and requests, as part of its communication structure. We discussed identifying our feelings and some understandings and tools that we can utilize to express them clearly and safely. In this episode we continue that conversation.

Jack Lehman is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor licensed in the State of New Mexico, and a Certified Trainer with the Global Center for Nonviolent Communication®.

To learn more about Jack and his work, contact him at: girafferide@gmail.com.

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Welcome to Part 1 of "Using Nonviolent Communication® to Speak Your Truth” - Episode #43 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In Episode #22, Jack Lehman gave us some insights into The Dao of Domination, and told us a little bit about a wonderful conscious communication tool called Nonviolent Communication®, also known as NVC.

Today, Jack joins me again for part one of a more detailed conversation about NVC, and how we can use it to express our truth in ways that other people feel safe hearing.

Jack Lehman is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor licensed in the State of New Mexico, and a Certified Trainer with the Global Center for Nonviolent Communication®.

Don't forget to tune in next week for Part 2.

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Welcome to “You, Me, Us – The Art of Verbal Aikido™," Episode #42 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Joining me today from Lyon, France, is Luke Archer, who will be sharing with us a peace education practice called Verbal Aikido™, which is based on principles and philosophy of the Japanese martial art Aikido. Verbal Aikido™, practitioners train to protect themselves, and to de-escalate conflictual exchanges peacefully. Luke Archer and his team have been developing and sharing this practice since 2009, focusing on empowering both adults and children to listen more deeply and to communicate more assertively."

Luke Archer is a writer and facilitator, specializing in communication and educational development. He is the developer of Verbal Aikido™ & co-director of the Newskool SAS training organization.

Learn more about Luke and Verbal Aikido™ at: www.verbalaikido.org

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Welcome to “Bringing Calm to the Storm”, Episode #41 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

I recorded this podcast in front of a live online audience at the 2021 State of New Mexico Alternative Dispute Resolution Symposium on October 21 – National Conflict Resolution Day.

As we all know, conflict often involves high emotion. Not everyone has the ability to manage their emotions well, especially when their emotions are highly escalated. People sometimes completely lose awareness and control of their emotions and behavior. Other times people in conflict may use rage to intimidate and control others.

Yet, in order for productive communications to happen and conflict to be resolved, everyone involved must feel safe enough to be able to discuss their experiences and negotiate agreements. That means that someone needs to bring calm to the storm and help everyone de-escalate so that they can move forward together. But, how do we do that??

Joining me today is John Allen to provide us with some helpful understandings about de-escalating others, and some effective tools to help us do that. As time allows, John will also take questions posed by the audience.

John Allen is a retired Sergeant from the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office. He is a Lead Law Enforcement Instructor at the Central New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy, which is responsible for training various law enforcement entities. He is a Master Use of Force Instructor, Master Defensive Tactics Instructor and Lead Homicide Instructor with 23 years of law enforcement experience. During his career at BCSO, John was a supervisor for homicide, violent crimes, Special Weapons and Tactics, mobile crisis teams, and crisis intervention teams that deal with mental health. Conflict resolution and crisis negotiation are components of what he teaches in many of his classes.

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Welcome to Part 2of "Walking Through the Blueprint of We - A Way to Co-create Relationships" – Episode #40 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In Episode #16 of this podcast, I interviewed Sheella Mierson and Rachel Eryn Kalish about “A Way to Co-create Relationships (The Blueprint of We Process).” They described the Blueprint of We and gave examples of where and how it is used. At the end of that interview, I wanted to know more, and was delighted to continue the series.

In Episode #33, "Walking Through the Blueprint of We, Part 1", Sheella walked through writing a Blueprint with Ron Person as he wrote his document. They discussed the first two components of a Blueprint of We. This time, Sheella and Ron will continue the walk-through of the remaining three components.

In this time of transition, uncertainty, and adaptation, the Blueprint of We can be especially helpful as a tool to mindfully articulate, co-create and navigate professional and personal relationships for greatest long-term success.

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Welcome to “What is Restorative Justice, Really?” – Episode #39 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

I am so pleased to have my friend and colleague, Tonya Covington join me to talk about a very important field of mediation – especially in today’s world. It is a powerful, yet underutilized form of mediation known as Restorative Justice.

Tonya Covington was appointed by the Mayor of Albuquerque to bring Restorative Justice to the City. She is the immediate past President of the New Mexico Mediation Association. Tonya has been a trained mediator and teacher of mediation since 1988. Tonya has expertise in Restorative Justice, Workplace, Family, Transformative, Cross-cultural, Postal (REDRESS), Divorce and Elder mediation.

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Welcome to “Implementing Emotional Intelligence”, Episode #38 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In last week’s episode, I talked about “Expressing Emotion Safely”. In this episode, I’ll discuss Emotional Intelligence, also known as EI or EQ, which I think is defined best by Daniel Goleman, author of the book titled “Emotional Intelligence”, who defines EI as the ability to recognize, understand and manage our own emotions and to recognize, understand and influence the emotions of others.

To best perceive and respond to the emotions that you and others experience, and the impacts of those emotions, developing and utilizing Emotional Intelligence is key, because when you develop your EQ, you are enhancing your ability to understand and manage your own emotions and how you act on those emotions (or not), and to recognize and respond constructively to the emotions of other people.

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Welcome to “Expressing Emotion Safely” – Episode #37 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Expressing our emotions, especially when we feel those emotions strongly is something that is very difficult for many people to do, or to do successfully, and in ways that help build understanding.

We all struggle from time to time with how to express our emotions. We often either react to our feelings without thought, causing others to get upset, or we avoid talking about them altogether in an effort to prevent high emotion and conflict, which – in the long run – can cause us to accumulate a lot of unpacked emotional baggage. Today, we’ll look at some other options that might be more helpful to us, and to our interpersonal dynamics with others: practices we can use to help us to express our emotions in ways that others can feel safe hearing.

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Welcome to “The Courage to Bridge the Divide” – Episode #36 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In this episode, I share a letter from a listener seeking advice about feeling rejected by family members, and not knowing how to have a productive conversation about that. The advice I will share could be applied in any situation where one feels as though others are distancing from them, whether or not it is family members.

Today’s quote is by Winston Churchill. "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

One the many reasons that I love this quote is because I have so often observed that one root cause of assumptions, misunderstandings and conflict is people being afraid to say what’s on their mind – whether it’s an opinion, their feelings, or a question they need the answer to.

Most often, it seems, that fear comes from either not knowing how to approach the conversation, or the fear that the conversation, once initiated, will not go well and lead to conflict. Sometimes it’s because they fear the answer itself. As Churchill says, It takes courage.

What can help us to have that courage is to have a well-thought-out approach to initiating and having the conversation. In my response to this listener’s letter, I’ll offer some ideas on how to mindfully approach the conversation she may need to have.

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Welcome to “Terms to Know” – Episode #35 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In previous episodes of this podcast, I talked about the importance of being mindful of how we use words. In times of change and unrest, such as the times we are in now, new terms often emerge to help us to better understand the world around us and one another, while other terms that have been around for awhile take on new importance.

In this episode, I have invited my dear friend Hollis to help clarify some terms we are hearing a lot these days, but which are often misused, such as equity and equality, which are often mistakenly used interchangeably, as are the words gender and sex. He will also talk about the importance of the use of appropriate pronouns, and clarify terms that are often misunderstood, such as transgender and gender identity.

Hollis Benjamin uses he/him pronouns. He has a BA in Behavioral Science and a Masters of Social Work degree. Hollis is currently earning a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Public Management, and is considering a doctorate in education with a focus in organizational leadership in a few years. He has strong interests in racial justice, cross-cultural capacity building, and overarching social justice issues.

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Welcome to Peacemaking 101, Episode #34 of Co-creating Peace, a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Victor La Cerva about peacemaking and emotional fluency.

Victor worked in violence prevention for more than 25 years. He remains engaged, although he is now retired from his NM Department of Health Family Health Medical Director position. He is the co-founder of the non-profit NM Men’s Wellness, now 35 years strong, whose focus is to create a safe space for men to gather to share the joys and challenges of being masculine in today's world.

To learn more about Victor and his work, and to contact him, go to: myheartsongs.org

If you’d like to know more about New Mexico Men’s Wellness, visit: nmmw.org

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Welcome to “Walking Through the Blueprint - A Way to Co-create Relationships” - Episode #33 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In Episode #16 of Co-creating Peace, I interviewed Sheella Mierson and Rachel Eryn Kalish about The Blueprint of We Process. They described the Blueprint of We and gave examples of where and how it is used. At the end of that interview, I wanted to know more, and am delighted to bring Sheella Mierson back. This time, rather than my interviewing her, she will work with Ron Person, who is writing his Blueprint, in order to demonstrate the process.

In Episode #40, you can hear Part 2 of this process as Sheella and Ron continue their work together, completing Ron's Blueprint.

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Welcome to “What Is Mediation?”, Episode #32 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

I’ve mentioned mediation in some of the previous episodes of this podcast, but I haven’t talked a lot about what mediation is, and how it compares to other methods of resolving or addressing conflict. Managing conflict and resolving conflict are two different things, and I’ll talk about that as I tell you about mediation and other ways of approaching conflict without violence.

I also share some questions to ask yourself to determine if mediation is right for you & your situation, and some good questions to ask a prospective mediator before engaging them for your mediation.
If you'd like copies of those questions, please email me at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com.

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Welcome to “Igniting Positive Change”, Episode #31 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. In this episode I have the pleasure of interviewing Amanda Trosten-Bloom, co-author of The Power of Appreciative Inquiry, which I mentioned to you in Episode #29 of this podcast. She will explain Appreciative Inquiry, and we’ll talk about its many useful applications.

Amanda Trosten-Bloom is a Co-Owner and Principal with both the Rocky Mountain Center for Positive Change and Corporation for Positive Change – local and global consultancies specializing in Appreciative Inquiry and related transformational processes. She’s a consultant, trainer, speaker, and pioneer in the use of Appreciative Inquiry.

Amanda has co-authored four books with Diana Whitney: The Power of Appreciative Inquiry, Appreciative Leadership, Encyclopedia of Positive Questions and Appreciative Team Building.

If you want to experience Appreciative Inquiry and begin integrating it into your work and life, consider joining Amanda and her colleagues for one of the virtual workshops they are offering this fall. Results Through Relationships connects you with like-minded leaders and change agents and introduces you to a few key practices that amplify strengths and create positive futures. And Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Process for Challenge and Change walks your through the 4-D cycle and helps you apply it to a real-life organizational challenge. To learn more or register, visit either the Bridges of Peace or Rocky Mountain Center website, or click on these links:

Results Through Relationships, September 15 online: http://rockymountainpositivechange.org/results-through-relationships-workshop/
Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Process for Challenge and Change, November 10 and 17 online: http://rockymountainpositivechange.org/intro-to-appreciative-inquir

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Welcome to “We See What We Believe”, Episode #30 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In this episode I’ll be talking about an interesting, sometimes beneficial, and more often detrimental psychological phenomenon known as “Confirmation Bias.” I will also share a letter with you from someone who wrote to me about how she used Appreciative Inquiry.

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Welcome to “The Power of the Positive”, Episode #29 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

This episodebuilds upon what I discussed in Episode #14 on re-framing our perspective.

Our experience and perspective of life is dramatically affected – positively or negatively – by what we choose to focus on, how we choose to interpret that, and how we choose to respond. The same is true for our experience and perspective of other people. We make our choices in life based on those interpretations, and we create our reality accordingly.

The “Power of the Positive” is about focusing on the things that are positive in life, in people, in situations – even in the presence of the aspects we see as detrimental or undesirable in those same things. From that foundation of positive focus, we can experience and perpetuate far more joy and empowerment. We can respond in constructive ways to what life presents us.

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Welcome to “Fostering Evolution – The Art of Giving and Receiving Feedback”, Episode #28 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

One of the most powerful gifts we can receive is reflection of how others see and experience us. When that reflection is positive, we feel validated. When that reflection shows us something we don’t want to recognize in ourself, or is delivered in a way that is uncomfortable or unpleasant for us, we are inclined to reject or close off to that reflection, even though there may be opportunities there for us to learn and grow if we would be willing to examine and work with that reflection. In this episode, we’ll explore this dynamic and look at ways to give and receive feedback that foster personal growth and evolution.

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Welcome to “Values Based Decision Making: The Ethical Heart of a Healthy Organization”, Episode #27 of Co-creating Peace.

My friend and fellow mediator, Mark Bennett, is joining me again today. You may recall the wonderful conversation that Mark and I had in Episode #21 about his most recent book, Uniting by Design. In Uniting by Design, he updated the process from his previous book on Values-Based Decision Making as one of the cornerstone practices of Creative Collaboration. Today, we will look at this critical dimension of organizational functioning: Ethical Decision-making.

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Welcome to “Longing for Yesteryear” - Episode 26 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In recent months, I have received many letters from listeners, some seeking advice, others sharing what happened when they tried some of the tools I’ve talked about in this podcast. Some of the letters seeking advice have similar themes, so I decided to share them in theme groups. The letters I’ll read and respond to today share the theme of communication issues and conflict around resistance to change, which is why I titled this episode “Longing for Yesteryear”.

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Welcome to “Living The Four Agreements” - Episode 25 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In this episode, I discuss a wonderful book by Don Miguel Ruiz, titled The Four Agreements. It is one of those books that is timeless, and contains wisdom that can be applied in many areas of life, most especially in human relationship – both with others and with oneself. There is so much there that relates to conscious communication and conflict transformation!

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Welcome to “Resolving Conflict With Your Teen” - Episode 24 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Joining us today is Lisanne Iriks, a conflict resolution specialist who lives and works in Perth, Australia. Lisanne has some great conflict resolution strategies to share with us, including some that are especially helpful when you’re in conflict with a teenager.

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Welcome to “Conflict and Cortisol” - Episode 23 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Today, I am joined by Dr. Mike Kennedy, to talk about the effects that conflict and all the stress that goes with conflict have on your body.

Dr. Mike Kennedy is a board certified General Practice Physician with expertise in integrative and alternative medicine as well as health fitness and wellness.
To learn more about Dr. Mike Kennedy and his work, contact him at: voxdoc@outlook.com

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Welcome to “The Dao of Domination” - Episode #22 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Today, I am joined by Jack Lehman, to talk about The Dao of Domination and a wonderful conscious communication tool called Non-violent Communication, also known as NVC, which was originated by Marshall Rosenberg.

Jack Lehman is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor licensed in the State of New Mexico, and a Certified Trainer with the Global Center for Nonviolent Communication.

To learn more about Jack Lehman and his work, contact him at: girafferide@gmail.com

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Welcome to “Uniting By Design” - Episode 21 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Today, I am joined by my friend and fellow mediator, Mark D. Bennett, to talk about his newest book, "Uniting by Design: the Architecture of Creative Collaboration for Organizations…Teams…and Groups.

"The process of uniting and dividing is as old as human history. However, the stakes have never been this great. We must face what divides us and come together in the organizations in every community that are essential to the health of civil society. Design principles, core values, and shared practices enable us to swim together with strong, confident strokes in the seas of anxiety and uncertainty." [Uniting by Design Introduction excerpt]

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Welcome to “Your Boundaries Create Your Reality” - Episode 20 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. I’m Kathleen Oweegon.

We all have boundaries, although we often don’t recognize them until someone crosses them. When our boundaries are crossed, upset and conflict often result. In this episode, I’ll talk about how defining, articulating and holding our boundaries, as well as honoring other people’s boundaries, supports peace, well-being and positive relationships in our lives.

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Welcome to “Set the Tone, Change the Experience” - Episode #19 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

In any dynamic, someone sets the tone – consciously or unconsciously. The tone that is set has a powerful influence on what happens next and what the outcome will be. Setting the tone is a vital part of Conscious Communication! In today’s episode, I’ll share some thoughts with you on mindfully setting the tone for the kinds of experiences you want to create with other people. I have a little recipe for that, which I’ll share with you as well.

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Welcome to “Re-humanizing One Another” - Episode 18 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

Today’s topic relates in many ways to what I spoke about in last week’s episode, which was the frame of reference in which we see one another, and which we sometimes lock people into in our mind. One frame in which we often see and entrap others is in the role they have in our life or in our experience.

Have you ever noticed how often we see other people as a role, rather than as a person? When we do that, we objectify and dehumanize them. We write a story in our mind about them based on whatever role we see them in, rather than to see them as who they truly are and learn their story from them.

Whether it’s because of the color of their skin, their ethnic origin, their gender, their beliefs, their profession, or their relationship to us – there are so many reasons that we dehumanize each other, and so many more reasons why we should – instead – re-humanize one another. In this episode, we’ll explore that.

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Welcome to “Stuck in the Frame” - Episode 17 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

We all have a frame of reference through which we see the world. This frame dramatically affects the opinions we form, and can make it difficult for us to see things any other way than through our frame. Today, we’re going to explore that phenomenon, how it affects our relationships, and contributes to creating and perpetuating conflict.

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Episode #16 - Blueprint of We

Welcome to “A Way to Co-create Relationships” - Episode #16 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. Today, I am joined by Sheella Mierson and Rachel Eryn Kalish to talk about the Blueprint of We, a process that anyone can use to consciously co-create healthy, resilient, honest, and trusting relationships. I’ll also share a letter from a listener and the advice I offered her.

In addition to this interview, you can listen to Episode #33 "Walking Through the Blueprint of We", where Sheella walks us through the first two components of the Blueprint process, working with Ron Person, who is creating his Blueprint. In Episode #40, you can hear Part 2 of this process as Sheella and Ron continue their work together, completing Ron's Blueprint.

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Welcome to “How You Say It Affects How They See It” - Episode #15 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. This episode is part 2 of a 2-part series on reframing. Last week, I told you about what I consider to be one of the most powerful tools I know for both peacemaking and psychological well-being: reframing your perspective. Today, you’ll learn how to use reframing in your communication to help you more skillfully navigate challenging communication and difficult conversations.

Joining me today, is Diane Grover, founder of LifeDance Mediation Services in Albuquerque, NM. Diane is an award-winning mediator, in practice since 2003. In the past 18 years, Diane has performed over 1000 mediations, including more than 700 divorce and parentage cases.

Several years ago, Diane and I co-authored a workshop on reframing communication, titled "Wrangling With Reframes".

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Welcome to “If You Change the Way You Look at Things, the Things You Look at Change” - Episode 14 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. This episode is part 1 of a 2-part series on reframing. Today, I’m going to tell you about what I consider to be one of the most powerful tools I know for both peacemaking and psychological well-being: reframing your perspective. Next week, in Part 2, you’ll learn how to use re-framing in your communication to help you more skillfully navigate challenging communication and difficult conversations.

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Welcome to “Conflict Is An Opportunity” - Episode 13 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation.

How often have you thought of conflict as an opportunity? Most people don’t see conflict that way at all! In this podcast, I’ll tell why you will find it helpful to seek and find the positive opportunity in every conflict in your life.

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Welcome to “Conflict Is Natural” - Episode 12 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. We are joined today by Tim Hicks, a fellow mediator, in Eugene, OR. Tim Hicks has been a conflict resolution professional or “conflict worker” since 1993 From 2006 to the end of 2014, he was the first director of the Masters degree program in Conflict and Dispute Resolution at the University of Oregon. He has been back in private practice since 2014, helping individuals and organizations communicate, problem-solve, and make decisions, and continuing to teach. Tim is the Author of “Embodied Conflict: the neural basis of conflict and communication”, which is available on Amazon.

To learn more about Tim and his work, visit his website at: www.connexusconflictmanagement.com

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Welcome to “Speaking Their Language” - Episode 11 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. Today’s episode is about what are called modalities of communication – the different ways in which people best receive, process, and communicate information. You might call it our brain’s language. We’ll look at each of the modalities, and how the differences in how we receive, process, and communicate information can lead to miscommunication and conflict. We’ll also talk about how you can adapt your communication style to “speak the other person’s language” to facilitate better communication and understanding.

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Welcome to “The ‘I’s Have It” - Episode 10 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. Today’s episode is about using I-messages to help you deliver information in a way that feels safe for others to hear. I’ll also read a letter to you that I received from a couple of listeners and share with you the advice that I gave them, which directly relates to this topic.

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Welcome to “Hear Them” - Episode 9 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. Today’s episode is about the power of helping others to feel heard.
Joining me today, is Michael Lightweaver. Michael has led a long and interesting life of service to humanity.
Among his many accomplishments, in 2002 he founded the International Institute For Global Leadership, an internet based study program, whose primary mission is to provide a tuition-free education to individuals who wish to become high-integrity, heart-centered and conscious leaders in their communities and the world. Michael now serves as the steward of the Mountain Light Sanctuary a spiritual retreat center in a remote mountain cove near Asheville, North Carolina where he offers guidance sessions to those who seek him out. Michael has also published 3 books: The World According to Michael, A Day of Grace, and Conscious Creation 101.

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Welcome to “Don’t Believe Everything You Think” - Episode 8 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. In this episode, we’re going to talk about Filters and Assumptions, and the role they play in creating and fostering conflict. You will also learn about The Iroquois Rule of Six. In Episode #58, Michael Lightweaver and I discuss more about this topic.

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Welcome to “What’s Your Style?” - Episode #7 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. In this episode, you'll learn about conflict styles – the ways in which we consciously or unconsciously approach conflict situations, why we choose the approach we do and the benefit of being mindful in the conflict style we choose.

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Welcome to “I See You” - Episode #6 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. In this episode, I talk about the power that acknowledgement has to help people feel heard, to de-escalate upset, and to transform conflict. Many people have said that acknowledgement began their healing.

I’m also going to weave in some more thoughts on asking open-ended questions, which I talked about in Episode #5, and which are a great way to move the conversation forward from the foundation of acknowledgement.

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Welcome to “Breaking the Chain of Conflict” - Episode #5 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. In this episode, I talk about what I call The Chain of Conflict and how to break that chain. Conflict is very rarely a spontaneous event. More often, conflict is a result of a series of events – often subtle at first – that lead up to it. When one of those events happens, we might be confused by it or have our feathers slightly ruffled, but we decide not to "make a mountain out of a molehill", or choose not to inquire or address it for some other reason. Yet, we often begin to write a story in our head about the incident, why it happened, what the other person's intention was, etc. These are the first two links in the Chain of Conflict. Listen to learn more about the Chain of Conflict and how you can break it.

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Welcome to “From Demands to Needs – the Power of Needs-based Negotiation” - Episode #4 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. In this episode, I discuss needs-based negotiation and how it applies to conflict transformation. When people are in conflict, negotiation is usually not the first thing on their mind when thinking about how they're going to approach the person they're in conflict with. Most often, we're thinking about how we're going to prove that they're wrong and we are right, or how we're going to coerce or even force them to give us what we want, and how we'll punish them if they don't.

Yet, if conflict is to truly be resolved and transformed into a better situation for all involved and affected, it will require some negotiation. We come into negotiation fully armed with our position - what we want and will demand to happen. Any experienced negotiator will tell you that negotiation based on positions is very difficult and often futile. It's when we delve beneath the positions to the interests that inspire each person's position, or – even better – to the deeper level of the needs that feed the interests, that we can negotiate agreements that create win/win solutions that meet all involved and affected and result in true conflict transformation.

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Welcome to “When the Need Arises” - Episode #3 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. In this episode, I explore with you the role that unmet needs have in conflict, and we’ll look at some examples of how collaboration to meet one another’s needs has helped to transform conflict into lasting peace.

When you listen to Episode #4 – “From Demands to Needs – the Power of Needs-based Negotiation”, you'll learn how to apply this information to create true conflict transformation through the win/win agreements that can come from Needs-based Negotiation.

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Welcome to "The Anatomy of Conscious Communication – Episode #2 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. In this episode, I go into detail about the anatomy and structure of conscious communication, and we’ll look at some specific examples of how to apply it.

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Welcome to Episode #1 of Co-creating Peace – a series about conscious communication and conflict transformation. In this episode, I will tell you more about what to expect from this podcast, why I am doing it, and why it matters. You’re also going to hear a letter seeking communication advice, and I’ll share with you the advice I have for her.

In episode #2 of this podcast, I’ll go into more detail about the structure of conscious communication. In subsequent episodes, we’ll look at some powerful tools you can use when you are implementing conscious communication, and some great examples to help you visualize the experience.

In episode #3, we will look at the role that unmet needs have in conflict, and how collaboration to meet those needs for each person involved can lead to dramatic improvements in the dynamic and the situation, and transform many conflicts into powerful collaborations.

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Learn about the exciting and informative experiences you have to look forward to when you listen to Co-creating Peace - a podcast about conscious communication and conflict transformation! This unique and enlightening podcast will provide you with a wealth of insights and tools to help you communicate more consciously - therefore more effectively, and transform conflict into collaboration.

Do you have a question or concern about a communication dynamic with someone in your life that you'd like some advice about? Are you wondering about how to tell your boss that their breath odor is offensive without shaming them? Thinking about taking a romantic relationship to the next step, but you aren't sure about how to negotiate getting your relationship needs met? Wishing you had the right words for a sensitive conversation you know you need to have? Are you longing to resolve a conflict or break a conflict cycle with someone in your life? Submit your questions to Kathleen at: oweegon@bridgesofpeace.com, and she will give you detailed answers in a podcast!

Listen to Co-creating Peace and become empowered to co-create peace in your life!

Co-creating Peace: Recent Episodes

Kathleen Oweegon