Standout Quotes:

• I used to believe effective communication was me finding exactly the right words to express what I needed to say but have learned it is about co-creating shared meaning with others.

• I do not believe anyone is broken and believe in the inherent wisdom inside of people.

• I had to unlearn anxiety to learn to become more relational. 

About our guest, Nina Horne:
Nina Horne is founder and CEO of Samara Family Services,  a company focused on building healthier teens and happier families through skill-building and mentoring: samarafamilyservices.com   As a public policy expert, large-scale systems builder, and emotional health advocate, her goal is to ensure every teen and young adult has the skills needed to manage difficult times.  Most important, she’s a mom who’s been there and back.  At home, Nina teaches meditation in nature and is a reiki healer for underserved cancer patients in Oakland, CA.

Nina was born and raised in the deep south and grew up steeped in southern hospitality.  But she is also a natural extrovert who was shaped by her genuine curiosity.  
She believes that if she hasn't found something interesting in a conversation it was because she was asking the wrong questions.

After she left her higher education publishing career, Nina went on to become an Oakland City commissioner for Oakland, California but quickly learned that she didn't have all the tools she needed to make good decisions.  So she took her natural curiosity and went back to grad school.

Nina soon found herself taking on very complex challenges for the UN, several White Houses, the EPA, and The State Department.  She has used her many years of being a natural connector in representing the US in negotiating with other nations.

But her internal work was also a huge part of her learning.  Hear how Nina's own work in therapy with her own anxiety using techniques like EMDR radically shifted her from being a connector to a more deeply related human. Nina has shepherded her own teen through anxiety and now helps families and teens navigate mental health - She has a heart for helping families and teens thrive. 

You can learn more about Nina and Samara Family Servcie's work on their website here.

We hope you enjoyed this dialogue.  As Sidewalk Talk has doubled in size since February of 2019 to today, we need 100 folks to invest monthly to keep us providing free listening on sidewalks and this podcast in 2020.  Upcoming and past guests include Harville Hendricks, Spring Washam, Parker Palmer, Charlie Easmon, David Kessler, George Kinder, Howard Stephenson, and Ashanti Branch. You can invest here or share this conversation with all those who would be lifted up by it.