Heart, Empowerment & Effective Action | Joan Blade
Could heart, empowerment and conscious effectiveness be the pillars to aligning as society and making progress on the issues that matter to us most? Joan Blades, co-founder of Living Room Conversations— a divide healing organization, thinks it's a great place to start.
As the founder of political groups like Moveon.org and MomsRising, Joan knows a thing or two about bridging political divides. She also has a wealth of experience in mediation, with her background as a practicing lawyer and as the author of Family Mediation, a book on the subject of navigating divorce.
Sharing the dream behind Living Room Conversations, Joan explores the root causes behind the political fracturing in the United States. She explains how the illusion of otherness and distractions from technology has influenced our culture. Find out how people are using Living Room Conversation guides around the country to bridge partisan gaps and move past differences. Getting back to the underlying connection we all have: our humanity.
Episode Timeline:
[00:09] Intro
[00:57] Meet Joan Blades of Living Room Conversations
[02:33] Her mediation backstory and creating listening conversations
[07:25] Why polarization has been increasing since 2008
[11:28] Working through discomfort and taking action
[14:14] How listening to the views of others can be empowering
[15:24] Effectiveness: Showing up, together
[18:20] How leadership is changing and the effects of technology on culture
[27:51] How talking politics has become socially unacceptable
[32:36] Joan Blades words of wisdom for you
[35:41] Outro
Resources Mentioned:
Standout Quotes:
“This isn't just about persuading people, that it's an issue. It's about being able to work to that attack, the agility, and everyone's best ideas that happen when we're in a collaborative relationship and not an adversary relationship.” -Joan Blades
“When we don't talk about things with people we don't agree with and we only talk with people that agree with us, that deepens our sense that those people are crazy, you know?...we are starting to see those people as less than in very dangerous ways.” -Joan Blades [08:30]
“We used to be really proud that we have all kinds of different religions, and yet, we're thriving peaceful communities. And somehow that is feeling more and more lost on the political realm.” -Joan Blades [27:14]
Connect:
Find | Sidewalk Talk
At sidewalk-talk.org
On Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg
On Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg
Find | Traci Ruble
At Traciruble.com
On Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT
On Twitter: @TraciRubleMFT
On Facebook: @TraciRubleMFT
Find | Joan Blades
At livingroomconversations.org
On Instagram: @livingroomconvo
On Twitter: @LivingRoomConvo
On Facebook: @LivingRoomConversations
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