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It’s the last episode of 2019 and Colleen is sharing what she learned this year from listening to all her guests. This year provided so much food for thought as she listened and learned from a variety of people. Find out what were the most popular episodes and which ones have stuck with Colleen long after the microphone was turned off.   Colleen also announced her future project, The Medium Talk Podcast with Jenn Batchelor and Anna Jordan. It drops in January and she’d love for you to be a part of the launch team. You can join the team here.   Also mentioned in this episode: Episodes 47, 54, and 59: Sexual Orientation and the Church part One, Two and Three Episode 48 :Parenting in an Age of Judgement Episode 50: Separating Church and State, God and Politics Episode 60: Reclaiming the Singular Narrative  Episodes 46: Post Incarceration Rehabilitation and Employment and Episode 55: Mass Incarceration and Prison Reform Episode 69: White Supremacy and the Church Episode 72: Listening Across Differences Episode 74: A Conversation About Outrage Culture Episode 79: A Conversation About the Role of Government #ListenFirst Living Room Conversations Pantsuit Politics The Medium Talk Podcast  Medium Talk Instagram

Happy Holidays! Today Colleen chats all things holiday with her friend Shannon. They are tackling all the most polarizing of holiday issues: Elf on a Shelf, appropriate times for decorations, how much glory Santa should get and whether or not Love Actually is a great Christmas movie. This lighthearted discussion will get you into the holiday spirit and perhaps disagreeing vehemently with our opinions. Grab a Mall Santa (the drink invented by Colleen’s siblings: whiskey and hot cocoa) and get ready to have some holiday opinions!

In this episode we talk Enneagram, or rather the pros and cons of this ancient self-knowledge tool.  Colleen chats with two friends, Jenn Batchelor and Anna Jordan (from episode 77), about why they love the Enneagram, how its current popularity has effected its use, and what can be problematic about the Enneagram.  Whether you’ve been doing a deep dive into the Enneagram for months, or you’ve just started wondering what the heck it is, this conversation will help you to understand the highest and best uses of the Enneagram. If you are new to the Enneagram you can find information at the Enneagram Institute.  Check out The Liturgists Enneagram episode (episode 37) for a great overview of each of the nine types.  Annie F. Downs EnneaSummer is another great introductory series.  Suzanne Stabile is our favorite Enneagram Wizard.   Connect with Anna and Jenn!  They are both writers for the very popular Coffee + Crumbs website. You can find Anna on Instagram or at her website.  You can find Jenn on Instagram or her website.

This week we’ve got another special conversation.  Colleen sits down with her long time friend, Mike Lindberg, to discuss the role of government.  Mike and Colleen have spent many an hour discussing all the things they disagree about and over time they’ve come to realize their differences of opinion may root in what they each believe about the truest and best role of government.  So with a few microphones between them they hashed it out, dialoguing about government overreach, who to trust to solve problems and provide aid, and whether the government or the private sector would be more effective.      Also mentioned in the episode: Thomas Sowell Milton Freedman Mere Christianity by CS Lewis

What happens when you use the technology of Match.com to do its opposite? Instead of connecting people in common you try to connect people across differences. And then what would happen if you took that technology into classrooms and allowed students to video conference other students from vastly different socioeconomic, regional, and cultural places? And then helped the students to hold conversations where they discuss issues like immigration and free speech with these other students like them, but not like them. You’d have Mismatch. Mismatch is helping teachers connect their students with classrooms across the country and giving students opportunities for discourse and dialogue about the issues that are polarizing our country. On this episode Colleen learns about how Mismatch technology works with its founder Kristin Hansen and then speaks with educator Kent Lenci about his experience using the technology in the classroom. Kent and Colleen discuss what his students took away from their experience and why he pushes his students to pay attention to the differences in order to foster the skills to work with people who think differently than themselves. Check out Mismatch and its partner All Sides for Schools. If you are an educator or know an educator, be sure to spread the word about this program. It could be incredibly powerful in schools. And if you’d like to connect with Kent about his experience or the work he is doing you can email him at kent.lenci@gmail.com.

This week’s discussion deals with the topic of transracial adoption and parenting.  Guest Anna Jordan is a writer and educator as well as a mom to three, including a son who came to her family through adoption.  Anna and Colleen discuss Anna’s family’s story, the unique challenges that face transracial families, and how the conversation around transracial adoption has changed in the last 30 or so years.  They also delve into adoption ethics and what family’s need to consider before diving into transracial adoption.   Follow Anna!  Find information about Anna on her website and follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.  Also, if you are interested in more information about Anna and adoption check out her appearance on the Coffee and Crumbs podcast.   Also Mentioned in this Episode: No White Saviors instagram account Lord of the Flies by William Golding The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Today we have two special guests.  Graham Bodie and Pearce Godwin are two colleagues who are doing good work to help our country listen across the divide.  Graham Bodie is a listening scholar, educator, and consultant. Pearce Godwin is Founder & CEO of Listen First Project, Executive Director of National Conversation Project, and leader of the #ListenFirst Coalition of ~250 partner organizations. Together the two have incredible experience helping people to listen across divides. Today we will discuss how people can move from listening to understand towards working together for change. This is a conversation about how we have productive conversations, what compromise is and isn’t and the roles both good conversation and activism play in any social movement.   Connect with Graham and Pearce! Find Graham at his website and on Twitter and follow Pearce on Twitter! And be sure to check out the #ListenFirst Project. Find more here and follow on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Additionally take a look at the National Conversation Project. You can find information here and follow the movement on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.   Also mentioned in this episode: The Only Human Podcast: The Birth of Climate Change Denial Listen First Pledge

This week’s episode features a discussion about the new film about the organization Preemptive Love. Jeremy and Jessica started Preemptive Love Coalition during the middle of the Iraq War in in 2008. Over the past decade they have been a non-profit on the front lines, providing relief and serving and working for peace in conflict rich areas of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, Palestine and Israel, Korea and at the Mexico/U.S. border. Recently a short documentary was released that features their story and the work they do. My friend Charity hosted a viewing event to share this film with our community. We sat down to chat about what stood out to us about this documentary and to encourage you all to take a half an hour this week and watch it for yourself. Preemptive Love is doing some tremendous work and we want people to know about it.   First and foremost, watch this short film about Preemptive Love! And check out Preemptive Love’s work, follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.   Also Mentioned in this Episode: Preemptive Love Podcast episode “The Enemy” about Sadiq’s story of loving his enemy

This week’s episode is a little different. Over the next few months we will be hosting a series of dialogues with friends and listeners around topics of disagreement. In an effort to practice what we preach about engaging polarizing topics with compassion, civility and nuance, we’re going to be doing just that. This week I sat down with my husband Tommy to discuss the idea of “outrage culture.” We both have different reactions to the way our culture has responded to the consequences of former acts of indiscretion and it’s a topic we’ve returned to again and again. We’ll pick up this conversation again, this time with a microphone. This discussion wasn’t perfect, by any means. And it ended up leading to another conversation the next night off mic. I’m sure we’ll circle back to these things again and again. The point of this episode, and the others like it, are to practice engaging with people we disagree with, particularly our loved ones, on those points of disagreement. To practice listening for understanding and not argument, sharing to bring points of unity not just to prove a point and to refrain from demonizing others based on their differing opinions. It’s easy to walk away from these kinds of conversations with our loved ones. But if you can stay in it you may open each other up to more nuanced and complex understandings of the issue.   Also mentioned in the episode: Clive Cussler books

This week we the Triad family is here to discuss polyamory and their family.  Katie, Luis and Raquel are a polyamorous family From Baltimore, Maryland.  We discuss the backlash they received for their choice to pursue this lifestyle, what challenges do they face and why they choose each other despite those challenges.  You may not agree with their unconventional family dynamic but it’s worth listening if only  to challenge pre-conceived notions and judgements.     Connect with the Triad Family!  You can find them on Instagram or on their website.

Welcome back! Today is the International Day of Listening!  We have a special episode today with Tracy Hollister.  Tracy works for the organization Listening Room Conversations, an organization attempting to heal divides with a conversational model developed by dialogue experts in order to facilitate connection between people despite their differences, and even identify areas of common ground and shared understanding.  Tracy and I chat about her work with Living Room Conversations, the relationships she has developed across political and cultural divides, and why listening to people with whom we disagree requires great courage.   Check out Living Room Conversations!  Go to their website or follow them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.  You can register for September 19th’s International Day of Listening conversation here and September 20th’s Weaving the Social Fabric here.  Over all, I’d encourage you to keep an eye out for Living Room Conversation Events here.  And you can always reach Tracy at tracy@livingroomconversations.org   Also Mentioned in this Episode One Love Equality Documentary Eating Hummus with the Enemy: from Aversion to Affection The Gift of Imperfections by Brene Brown    

This week we have a lighter contentious topic to hash out.  As the children have now gone back to school and the unofficial end of summer is just around the corner it’s time to answer this most important question once and for all: Is fall the best or the worst?  Colleen joins her sister Ryann to debate the merits and drawbacks to this polarizing season.  Is autumn as amazing as everyone wants it to be?  Or is it an overrated garbage season?  We have some thoughts.   Also Mentioned in the Episode: Jamie B Golden of The Popcast Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle

Adversity is a common theme for everyone.  No one is exempt from dealing with adversity in some form or another and yet the universe does not dole out adversity equally.  Today’s guest is Kenneth Cheadle, a speaker, certified life and career coach, a millennial leader, entrepreneur, and author. Ken’s own story of success includes beating the odds and overcoming tremendous adversity. Ken shares this story as well as insight into overcoming adversity and whether the idea of pulling oneself up by their bootstraps is really all that’s needed to rise up.   Connect with Ken!  Check out his website and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Be sure to listen to his podcast, The Adverse Effect and read his book, Millennial Takeover: A Clear Roadmap to Identifying Your Purpose, Enhancing your Skills and Building a Satisfying Career and Life.   Please continue to fill out the Listener Survey!  It is still open and we are so thankful for your feedback. Also mentioned on the episode Ask More by Frank Senso

This week addresses the topic of white supremacy and the church.  Does the church play a role in white supremacy?  What is theirs to do in dismantling it?  And what will the cost be if the church doesn’t take on this work?  Guest Lenny Duncan helps answer these questions.  Lenny is a pastor and a mission developer, a queer black man and the author of Dear Church : A love letter from a black preacher to the whitest denomination in the U.S.  He also serves on the board of Reconciling Works.   Connect with Lenny!  Find him at his website and follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Also, be sure to check out his book, Dear Church : A love letter from a black preacher to the whitest denomination in the U.S.   Also Mentioned in this Episode: Maus by Art Spiegleman

This week we are tackling free speech with a conversation with Freddy Weinberg about the Intellectual Dark Web.  Freddy is a thinker, a journalist and the host of the Live Learn Repeat Podcast.  Freddy and I discuss what, exactly, the IDW is, and whether or not free speech is at stake in our country.  Is political correctness a threat to our country or do words matter?     While the concept and definition of the Intellectual Dark Web is an ever shifting idea, Freddy insists that those interacting within it have two things in common: They don't buy into the orthodoxy of political ideology aka correctness. No matter which side. And, while peddling in ideas that need to be communicated, they are not beholden to the mainstream media.  Freddy gave us a few names of writers and thinkers that share these values. Right leaning thinkers: Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, Christina Hoff Sommers Left leaning thinkers: Sam Harris, Brett Weinstein, Abby Martin, Debrah Soh Libertarian thinkers: Dave Rubin,Claire Lehman, Kmele Foster, Dave Smith Other names in the movement: Joe Rogan, Michael Malice Academics: Steven Pinker, Thaddeus Russell, Heather Heying, Douglas Murray,  Jonathan Haidt   Connect with Freddy!  Follow him on Instagram and Twitter and be sure to listen to his podcast, Live Learn Repeat.   Also mentioned in the episode: Joran & Sam’s Intellectual Debates The New Right by Michael Malice A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

This week we’re talking about sugar!  Is it as bad as some say?  Are we going to look back 100 years and be astonished we ever fed it to children?  Or is it not that big of a deal?  Today’s guest, Michael Collins has been sugar free for 30 years.  He is the founder of ​SugarAddiction.com​ and  Chairman of the Board of the ​Food Addiction Institute​, and works closely with others to help them regain lives  ravaged by various substance use disorders. Today he’ll talk to us about sugar addiction!   Check out the Sugar Addiction website and connect with Michael’s work on Facebook.  You can find his book, The Last Resort Sugar Detox, on Amazon. Also mentioned in the episode: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Food Addiction Institute

What happens when the political ideologies you once believed don’t hold the weight that they used to?  What does it look like to shift from one political party to the other.  Our guest today John Wood did just that.  At one time John campaigned passionately for Barak Obama.  Just a few years later he was running himself as a Republican for the Congressional seat in his area.  John explains how he went from a liberal to conservative worldview and how his ability to bridge the divide has made him better.   Connect with John!  Follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  And go check out the organization he works for Better Angels.  It will give you hope for politics.     Don’t forget about the listener survey!  You have until August 1 (one week!) to be entered to win a $35 Amazon gift card.   Also mentioned in today’s episode:  The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

This week we are talking about Revolutionary Relationships.  Guest Rosella White is the author of the new book Love Big: The Power of Revolutionary Relationships to Heal the World which delves into this concept of revolutionary relationships as relationships that change ourselves and the world around us.  Rosella shares what she’s learned about the most important revolutionary relationship you can foster in your life and the ripple effect it has around you.   Connect with Rozella!  Find her website and follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  And don’t forget to check out her new book, Love Big: The Power of Revolutionary Relationships to Heal the World.   Also, don’t forget to fill out our first ever listener survey!  If you respond by July 31 you can be entered to win a $35 Amazon gift card! Also mentioned in today’s episode: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi All the Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister

This week we’re talking about the foster care system, the good, the bad and the ugly. Guest Gwen Hicks is an educator, advocate and champion of kids in the foster care system.  As the Chief Dreamer of Amarillo Angels, a non-profit designed to support children in foster care and their foster families, she has served those on the front lines within the foster care system.  Gwen and Colleen discuss the challenges the foster care system is facing, what is most needed and why people should care about this system.     Check out the work that the National Angels Organization is doing and see if you could partner with them to serve your community!  And follow Amarillo Angels on Facebook and Instagram.  Also, connect with Gwen on Facebook and Instagram.   Don’t forget about the listener survey!  You have until August 1 to be entered to win a $35 Amazon gift card.   Also mentioned in today’s episode: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Mindset by Carol S. Dweck

We’re back!!! This week's episodes includes a conversation with an old friend. Lyra Repplinger and Colleen discuss a few things that they’ve changed their opinions on over the years. You may remember Lyra from episode 39, a recap episode. This time Lyra and Colleen take turns sharing a few of the big and small things they’ve changed their minds about. We don’t give ourselves a lot of freedom in our culture to change our mind about things.  It feels like a betrayal of our ideals or values sometimes to admit that maybe we’ve come to think differently about things.  And in our social media culture where it is painfully easy to pull up anything we ever said publicly about something 10 years ago, it becomes even harder to be able to say, I thought that, but now I think this.  So this will be the first of hopefully a number of conversations, with a number of people who will be willing to share a few things they changed their minds about and how they managed to do that. Connect with Lyra! Come find her over on Instagram! Have you heard about the  listener survey?? For the month of July we are begging, pleading and even bribing you all to take a moment to fill out our listener survey.  Your answers to these questions will be so helpful to me as we begin to think about what is next for A Year of Listening. To express her gratitude Colleen will be drawing one responder at random to win an Amazon gift card on August 1. Find the survey here.