Practicing Connection

Amy Rodick, Director of the Office of Military Family Readiness and Policy in the Department of Defense, joins the podcast to talk about the informal and formal network that help military families thrive. As an Army veteran and military spouse, Amy brings a unique perspective, sharing real-world strategies for service providers to successfully engage with the Military Family Readiness System at the local level.

This is the third is a series of three practicasts centered around "holding space," a concept we learned from Heather Plett, author of "The Art of Holding Space." Our co-creator for this series was our OneOp colleague, Kristen Jowers. In this episode, Bob Bertsch shares a practice for letting go of something in order to let something new emerge.

Check out the show notes. This is the second in a series of three practicasts centered around "holding space," a concept we learned from Heather Plett, author of "The Art of Holding Space." Our co-creator for this series was our OneOp colleague, Kristen Jowers. In this episode, Kristen Jowers shares two practices to help us prepare to hold space for someone experiencing grief.

This is the first is a series of three practicasts centered around "holding space," a concept we learned from Heather Plett, author of "The Art of Holding Space." Our co-creator for this series was our OneOp colleague, Kristen Jowers. In this episode, Jessica Beckendorf shares two practices for building curiosity, which is necessary for avoiding judgment and holding space.

In this episode, co-hosts Jessica Beckendorf and Bob Bertsch talk about watching for opportunities to think big - one of the eight ways of cultivating community resilience identified in the “Connecting Communities in Asset-based Community Recovery” project. "Connecting Communities in Asset-based Community Recovery" is a collection of resources developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic presented some really difficult challenges, but it also revealed some opportunities for building better systems and communities.

We are offered gifts from others every day. The hard part is often noticing them and recognizing them as gifts. Once we do, it has the potential to unlock amazing possibilities in our communication and collaborative relationships. In this practicast, special guest Shannon Hughes of Enlivened Studios talks with Jessica about how the applied improvisation practice of "Noticing Offers and Seeing Them as Gifts" can help us in our lives and work.

We live in a world where competition is everywhere. But what if we broke the mold and instead focused on making each other look good - de-centering ourselves and centering others? In this practicast, special guest Shannon Hughes of Enlivened Studios talks with Jessica about how the applied improvisation practice of "Making Your Partner Look Good" can help us in our lives and work.

Saying “yeah, but” is a habit that has become second nature to many of us. Yet we know that validating and building on ideas and offers from others is an effective way to build high-trust relationships and teams. In this practicast, special guest Shannon Hughes of Enlivened Studios talks with Jessica about how the applied improvisation practice of "Yes, And" can help us in our lives and work.

In this episode, co-hosts Jessica Beckendorf and Bob Bertsch talk about share the work (and love) - one of the eight ways of cultivating community resilience identified in the “Connecting Communities in Asset-based Community Recovery” project. "Connecting Communities in Asset-based Community Recovery" is a collection of resources developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic presented some really difficult challenges, but it also revealed some opportunities for building better systems and communities.

Discover the transformative power of feedback. Hosts Bob Bertsch and Jessica Beckendorf explore the nuances of giving and receiving feedback, emphasizing its role in personal and professional growth. Jessica shares a practical readiness checklist, offering valuable insights for enhancing feedback practices.

In this episode, Jessica Beckendorf and Bob Bertsch explore the profound impact of emotion regulation on health, well-being, and relationships. They delve into the importance of regulating emotions and the misconceptions surrounding it. Bob guides listeners through a mindfulness meditation designed to cultivate equanimity, providing a tangible practice for integrating emotional regulation into daily life.

In this episode, learn how values shape emotions, decisions, and relationships, providing a roadmap for reduced stress, boosted confidence, and thriving connections. Bob Bertsch introduces practical exercises, guiding you through reflections and rapid assessments to uncover and understand your core values.

In this episode, we share the practice of empathetic listening—a game-changer in building emotionally supportive environments. Discover why empathetic listening goes beyond the basics of active listening and how it can transform your interactions. Jessica Beckendorf guides you through a step-by-step practice, providing insights on identifying listening patterns, understanding empathy, and reaping the benefits for you and your community.

A conversation about building an ecosystem of support and addressing issues upstream with Nicola Winkel, Project Director at the Arizona Coalition for Military Families, a nationally recognized public/private partnership focused on building Arizona’s capacity to care for and support all service members,

Setting goals that focus on what we can learn from each other not only builds our own personal and collective knowledge, but can build community and leave space for collaboration. In this Practicing Connection practicast, Bob Bertsch shares a practice to help us take control of our learning and begin to build a knowledge network .

Community engagement, co-creation and collaboration depend on meaningful conversations. Asking the right question is the most effective way of expanding a conversation, keeping it engaging and making it meaningful. In this Practicing Connection practicast, Jessica Beckendorf shares a practice to help us engage people in the meaningful conversations we need to have in order to plan and do our work together.

When people feel that they are being listened to empathetically, attentively, and without judgment, they enter a safe state that enables them to delve deeper into their consciousness and discover new insights about themselves – even those that may challenge previously held beliefs and perceptions. In this practicast, Jessica Beckendorf shares about the listening practice, Strength Spotting, with us and guides us through how to do it.

In this episode (Season 5, Episode 1), co-hosts Jessica Beckendorf and Bob Bertsch talk about investing time in leisure, in learning, and in yourself - one of the eight ways of cultivating community resilience identified in the “Connecting Communities in Asset-based Community Recovery” project. "Connecting Communities in Asset-based Community Recovery" is a collection of resources developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic presented some really difficult challenges, but it also revealed some opportunities for building better systems and communities.

Sharing your work, even before it is done, can make your work better, make you visible to others, and lead you to a community of support and growth. In this practicast, Jessica Beckendorf and Bob Bertsch talk about the benefits of sharing your work with others and share a practice for getting started.

We know that relationships are important, but with so much focus on tasks we rarely take time to work on relationships in meetings. IN this episode, Jessica Beckendorf talks about why relationships are so important to collaboration and guides us through some activities we can use in meetings to help build those relationships.