
In a world that loves to talk, do, achieve, promote, preach, sell....what does it mean to connect, be, and listen. A podcast about #humanconnection #mentalhealth #socialhealth #empathy #belonging and #loneliness. And always thinking about justice and inclusion in all things. Join us. And share far and wide. Or start your own chapter of Sidewalk Talk in your community. www.sidewalk-talk.org
Episodes

Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
High Conflict (and how we get out) with Amanda Ripley
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
Amanda Ripley is a New York Times bestselling author, an investigative journalist, and the co-founder of Good Conflict, LLC. She writes for the Atlantic, the Washington Post, and Politico, and she spent a decade writing about human behavior for Time magazine in New York, Washington, and Paris.
Listen in as Amanda and Traci explore what High Conflict is (and how we get out) drawing on research, insights, and experience across astronauts on space missions (yes, really!), the Israeli-Palestine conflict, intimate relationships across political divides, gang warfare, and racism.
Episode Timeline
- [00:09] Intro
- [0:58] Meet Amanda
- [3:44] Amanda’s journey to becoming a writer - and how she’s not like Stephen King
- [8:14] Journalism, Conflict Entrepreneurship, and our need to matter
- [10:17] Gossip: the art of creating intimacy through a common enemy
- [11:46] Conflict in space missions (NASA studies with astronauts)
- [15:09] “Us versus them” and dehumanization
- [15:50] Curtis Toller’s story of gang rivalry… and redemption
- [19:38] The paradox of internal and external conflict
- [22:00] The “exhausted majority” who want less toxicity in politics
- [23:40] Sidewalk Talk’s Wish you knew Me project, designed for couples who have conflict around politics or vaccines
- [27:12] Bringing Black and white communities together in the wake of George Floyd’s murder
- [29:20] The impact of positional power on the need to be heard
- [31:38] The art of political speech
- [33:35] Social media and automatic responses
- [39:32] Friendship, stereotyping, and how a lack of listening shuts down conversations
- [41:35] Learning to dialogue differently around issues of righteous callout… like racism, vaccines, mask-wearing.
- [45.09] Amanda’s message to the Sidewalk Talk volunteers
- [47:14] Closing
- [48:01] Outro
Resources Mentioned
High Conflict: Why we get trapped, and how we get out (Amanda’s book)
Standout Quotes
- “you'll never get out of external conflict until you work on the internal conflict” (Amanda)
- “I feel like that's why we're in this situation. We'd rather just continue othering.” (Traci)
- “Meanwhile there's this “exhausted majority”... who really want major social change and they want less toxicity in the conflict. So both at once they don't necessarily want moderation or centrism, but they want less toxicity, less dehumanization.” (Amanda)
- “There’s something like 40 million Americans who stopped speaking to someone in their lives over the 2016 election.” (Traci)
- “So we're not marrying, dating, or living next to or working with people of other political persuasions is a big problem.” (Traci)
- “yes, you shouldn't let people get away with saying racist things. And what do you say in response? Like, where is the skill, the craft, the learning, the education, the nuance of sophistication emotional, intellectual around what you say, how you respond to that?” (Amanda)
- “We could make lasting change that really solves racism in America or dehumanization of any kind by developing the capacity to dialogue differently.” (Traci)
- “When you really listen to someone, even if you disagree, there is something that opens up. There's an opening that happens in your mind and in your heart. And most people who experience that kind of opening across a big difference want more of it. It's almost like a drug, like a very good drug.” (Amanda)
Connect:
Find | Sidewalk Talk
On Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg
On Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg
Find | Traci Ruble
On Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT
On Twitter: @TraciRubleMFT
On Facebook: @TraciRubleMFT
Find | Amanda Ripley
At https://www.amandaripley.com/
On Twitter: @AmandaRipley
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Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Rule Makers and Rule Breakers with Michele Gelfand
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Michele Gelfand is a Professor at Stanford University, and an expert on negotiation and cross-cultural psychology. Her book Rule Makers, Rule Breakers explores how tight and loose cultures wire our world, and in doing so offers unique insights on how we might bridge today’s cultural divides.
Michele and Traci chat about the impact of culture on everything from international negotiation to couple’s arguments over chores… in a wide-ranging and fascinating conversation that might just shift how you see yourself and the people around you.
Episode Timeline
- [00:09] Intro
- [0:58] Meet Michele
- [3:33] “Tight” and “loose” culture as a puzzle
- [5:25] Michele and Traci share traveling stories and how they illuminate cultural differences (and subcultural similarities)
- [8:58] What is culture?
- [10:19] How countries develop a tight or loose culture
- [12:17] How understanding culture can create empathy
- [16:27] The polarization at play in the USA’s culture
- [17:40] Why experiencing threat can lead people to want a tighter culture
- [19:31] Michele shares the behind-the-scenes of a fascinating study challenging the views of people from Pakistan and the USA have of each other
- [21:33] Cultural intelligence as a way of connecting more deeply
- [26:32] How tight and loose cultures responded to the pandemic
- [29:16] Getting curious about psychology in international negotiating
- [34:07] Negotiations in couples (the impact of leaning tight or loose)
- [35:45] Household chores and the surprising thing they reveal about attitudes and culture
- [40:51] The relationship between rules and social class
- [44:48] Michele’s life advice (including a touching reflection from her late father-in-law)
- [47:35] Closing
- [48:01] Outro
Resources Mentioned
Rule Makers, Rule Breakers (Michele’s book)
Standout Quotes
- “Cultural intelligence is critical for connection because then you're really open-minded to people's lives and why they evolved the way they did. And it's really hard sometimes not to be judgmental.” (Michele)
- “In the US, individualism and doing your own thing is so part of the culture. And partly it's something that we've inherited because we have more wealth than other cultures and so in contexts where there's not a lot of wealth, you need to have strong support. You need to kind of help out the family. Like, it's just absolutely necessary.” (Michele)
- “there's less debt and there's less alcoholism, less obesity in tighter cultures.” (Michele)
- “loose cultures did far worse during COVID. But loose cultures are really open and creative and tolerant.” (Michele)
Connect:
Find | Sidewalk Talk
On Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg
On Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg
Find | Traci Ruble
On Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT
On Twitter: @TraciRubleMFT
On Facebook: @TraciRubleMFT
Find | Michele Gelfand
At https://www.michelegelfand.com/
On Twitter: @MicheleJGefland
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST
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Tuesday Oct 11, 2022
Sensitive Striving with Melody Wilding
Tuesday Oct 11, 2022
Tuesday Oct 11, 2022
Melody Wilding is an executive coach for Sensitive Strivers - smart, sensitive high-achievers who are tired of getting in their own way. Melody is a Sensitive Striver herself, a licensed social worker, professor of Human Behavior and a contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Business Insider. She’s also the author of Trust Yourself, described by Susan Cain as “essential reading for every introverted, sensitive professional”.
Listen in is as Melody and Traci take us on a tour of what it means to be a Sensitive Striver, the constellation of challenges facing sensitive people, and how the characteristics of Sensitive Strivers make them the leaders of the future.
Episode Timeline
- [00:09] Intro
- [2:20] Melody shares the personal and clinical experiences that led her to the work she does now, including her experience of extreme burnout
- [9:32] The constellation of challenges Melody sees facing sensitive, Type A people
- [13:22] Melody’s wake-up call moment
- [16:42] The Honorable Hangover (a form of achievement addiction)
- [19:30] The 3 characteristics of the Honorable Hangover (perfectionism, people-pleasing and over-functioning)
- [24:43] The mindset shift needed for success as a Sensitive Striver
- [27:27] Melody’s own experiences of being a Sensitive Striver
- [29:53] Creating intuitive flow (and leaving behind “butt in chair” time)
- [30:31] Why Sensitive Strivers need processing space and time
- [31:00] Behind the scenes of Melody’s book-writing process
- [33:14] How Sensitive Strivers are perfectly placed for leadership and the future demands of workplaces
- [35:12] Is Sensitive Striving a Millennial thing?
- [39:22] Melody’s message to you, if you’re a Sensitive Striver
- [39:50] Closing
- [41:10] Outro
Resources Mentioned
Trust Yourself - Stop Overthinking and Channel Emotions for success at work (You can download a free chapter of Melody’s book)
Standout Quotes
- “I was working with very high achieving, career-driven people and saw this constellation of challenges imposter syndrome, self-doubt, the people pleasing, perfectionism, over-functioning, and really came to see that it fell into two patterns. It fell into a profound sensitivity towards the world, as well as this striving side, this high achiever, pushing, want to be the best and grow yourself sort of side.” (Melody)
- “The Honor Roll Hangover is usually one of the biggest blockers to trusting yourself and to really becoming a more empowered, balanced, sensitive driver. And with it, some signs of it. You are fixated on goal setting. You set a lot of goals, you enjoy hitting them. But if you don't have something that you're moving towards, you feel like you're worthless, you're never doing enough.” (Melody)
- “So that's what I would offer people is to think about how you might see those three elements of the honor roll hangover, perfectionism, people pleasing, over functioning coming up in your life. Because really being able to shake that to put in its place is really key to moving on and getting the best out of your qualities as a sensitive driver.” (Melody)
- “And so the work isn't “butt in chair” time. It's the time that we create so that we can be more intuitive.” (Traci)
- “(Sensitive Strivers are…) highly empathetic, and that is classic because we need processing time. We need processing space and time. And neurologically speaking, we're wired differently. If you look at research on the highly sensitive brain, we have more activation in areas related to mental processing. So our brains make novel connections. We see nuances, we spot opportunities that other people miss. We synthesize and are able to take in and process complex information more deeply, which is why on your run you're having those great insights.” (Melody)
- “30% of the population that has this genetic trait difference that leads to a highly attuned nervous system, which is basically all sensitivity is.” (Melody)
- “you are not crazy for being so affected by everything around you. The fact that you are doing this work, that you are receptive and perceptive and empathetic to other people's needs is your superpower and find other ways to lean into that fully and let that be your greatest strength because it's a gift to yourself and a gift to the world.” (Melody)
Connect:
Find | Sidewalk Talk
On Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg
On Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg
Find | Traci Ruble
On Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT
On Twitter: @TraciRubleMFT
On Facebook: @TraciRubleMFT
Find | Melody Wilding
On Medium
On Instagram: @melodywilding
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On YouTube

Tuesday Oct 04, 2022
Black Feminism and Sensuous Knowledge with Minna Salami
Tuesday Oct 04, 2022
Tuesday Oct 04, 2022
Hailed as a “blistering new literary voice”, Minna Salami is a Nigerian-Finnish and Swedish writer and social critic, and the founder of the multiple award-winning blog, MsAfropolitan, which connects feminism with critical reflections on contemporary culture from an Africa-centred perspective.
Traci talks with Minna following the publication of her new book, Sensuous Knowledge, which was described by Bernadine Evaristo as “intellectual soul food”. Their conversation is a deep, rich and wonderful romp through Minna’s muti-faceted identity and how her experiences have shaped her writings on Black feminism, Minna’s fresh cultural insights and the need to create space for growth and grappling in today’s world.
Episode Timeline
- [00:09] Intro
- [00:57] Meet Minna
- [2:38] The five(!) languages Minna speaks, and how they have shaped the way she thinks of Black feminism
- [10:55] how Blackness is tied to the African American experience
- [14:50] the impact Minna wants to create through her writing
- [20:26] Making room for growth and grappling
- [26:00] Minna’s intuitive writing process
- [43:12] Having ownership of your inner world
- [45:56] Closing
- [46:35] Outro
Resources Mentioned
Sensuous Knowledge (Minna’s book)
Standout Quotes
- “Blackness right now is very much tied to the African American experience and the kind of definitions of Blackness as African Americans. It formulates them. And the way that Blackness would be formulated in a kind of Diasporic sensibility outside of America and in the African continent certainly overlaps and is connected. There would be context, sort of dialectic contexts that are siblings, but there are also differences.” (Minna)
- “I think the closest analogy to how I feel when I'm writing is a bit like an archaeologist might feel when they're trying to find some very specific object and they have to sort of excavate everything that's in the way and remove obstacles in order to gain the kind of clarity of how they might find their objects.” (Minna)
- “a personal process of growth is of course completely tied to a collective process of growth.” (Minna)
- “I also started the blog out of frustration and rage, maybe even because of the state of exclusion that Black women face, especially in the ideas world, which is a world that I very much see myself as contributing to, as well as the kind of feminist theory and feminist activism world.” (Minna)
- “I think there's this invitation that how we move from our unconscious bias is that we do have to begin to learn a different kind of knowledge and we have to make it a regular practice where we're listening to more stories, the land, people from different viewpoints, our own bodies.” (Traci)
- “...is wanting to think up or to conjure a way of knowing that is simultaneously utopian and pragmatic. There's a lot of radical ideas in the world, many of which I am really inspired by and thankful for but many that I also can feel are impractical and I sometimes approach more as poems or something to kind of plant a seed of something.” (Minna)
- “I will say that the inner world and the things that you choose to pay attention to, things that you choose to be preoccupied with. Those are the spaces which have not been taken over… And so it's very important, it's incredibly important that you cater to that space and that you have ownership of that space. And it's by no means a space that isn't full of complex feelings. It's that inner world where joy resides, but also sorrow and suffering. But it's the space you own.” (Minna)
Connect:
Find | Sidewalk Talk
On Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg
On Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg
Find | Traci Ruble
On Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT
On Twitter: @TraciRubleMFT
On Facebook: @TraciRubleMFT
Find | Minna Salami
On Instagram: @minnasalami_
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Monday Sep 26, 2022
Being seen, just as you are with Natalie Koussa
Monday Sep 26, 2022
Monday Sep 26, 2022
In this episode of the Sidewalk Talk podcast, Traci is in conversation with Natalie Koussa, a trauma-sensitive visibility coach and podcast guesting strategist who supports high-integrity entrepreneurs to bring their work into the world in a bigger way.
Traci and Natalie explore how Leadership Designs (a trauma-aware way of understanding how you move through the world, show up, create and lead from your core) can support us to understand our core needs, and the vulnerabilities of letting ourselves be seen, just as we are.
This episode will be a balm for you if you’re feeling the call to show up in your life in a bigger, more true-to-you way. Listen in, and let yourself come home to yourself.
Episode Timeline
- [00:09] Intro
- [00:57] Meet Natalie
- [3:43] What it means to be seen, just as you are
- [5:53] The role of relationships in helping us fully step into what we’re here for
- [10:00] The experience of living in a country that’s not your own
- [11:22] Natalie’s decision to leave her non-profit career
- [13:58] The impact of the sudden loss of a colleague
- [19:10] The impact of trauma on how able we are to let ourselves be seen
- [26:40] The Leadership Designs as a way of understanding your core needs
- [29:30] Traci sharing her experience as a Visionary (her Leadership Design profile)
- [31:21] The characteristics of a Visionary
- [34:35] How can you invite in validation? (The Visionary’s core need)
- [35:29] Experiences of the Sidewalk Talk volunteers
- [37:19] The Nurturer Leadership Design profile
- [38:55] Understanding what we have to offer, just as we are
- [44:29] Closing
- [45:45] Outro
Resources Mentioned
The Leadership Designs Assessment
Standout Quotes
- “I want people to be seen just as they are, and I want them to feel safe in doing so.” (Natalie)
- “My intention is always that the people that I touch through my work feel closer to themselves than they did before.” (Natalie)
- “This is kind of a constant, coming home to ourselves and learning ourselves and being with ourselves, including the bits of ourselves that we really don't want to be with.” (Natalie)
- “I think good relationships, wholesome relationships are about holding each other in our wholeness.” (Natalie)
- “(It’s) about supporting people to reconnect with themselves in such a way that they're able to connect with others.” (Natalie)
- “I think what I'm pissed off about is that even in the personal growth space, there is this mould of the ideal person, and there's also this mould of the ideal growth person. And this idea that growing happens in this one particular way.” (Traci)
- “I think it's about really intentionally understanding what it is that we do offer when we are ourselves. So not trying to become a louder version or a shinier version, but what do we offer just as we are?” (Natalie)
- “I love people and I love people's complexity.” (Traci)
Connect:
Find | Sidewalk Talk
On Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg
On Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg
Find | Traci Ruble
On Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT
On Twitter: @TraciRubleMFT
On Facebook: @TraciRubleMFT
Find | Natalie Koussa
On Instagram: @nataliekoussa_
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST
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Tuesday Sep 20, 2022
The 3 Flows of Compassion with Dr. Stan Steindl
Tuesday Sep 20, 2022
Tuesday Sep 20, 2022
Dr. Stan Steindl brings a fresh take to compassion in this week’s Sidewalk Talk conversation. Stan’s a clinical psychologist with over 20 years experience as a therapist, trainer and researcher, and he’s also an adjunct associate professor at the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland, Australia. Last year, Stan published his first book: The Gifts of Compassion.
Stan and Traci explore the 3 flows of compassion, bringing a new light to a timeless topic. If you’ve ever been curious about what compassion truly is, how to cultivate more of it in your life, and why it can be so damn tricky to receive… Stan brings some fascinating ideas and practical ways of incorporating compassion into your daily life.
Connect:
Find | Sidewalk Talk
On Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg
On Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg
Find | Traci Ruble
On Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT
On Twitter: @TraciRubleMFT
On Facebook: @TraciRubleMFT
Find | Dr Stan Steindl
On Youtube
On Instagram: @dr_stan_steindl
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST
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Friday Sep 09, 2022
Living and breathing the archetypal realm with Kristina Dryza
Friday Sep 09, 2022
Friday Sep 09, 2022
Traci and Kristina share a deep and rich conversation, in which Traci asks the kind of big questions Kristina thrives on. Questions like…
- what is the psyche, and what is the soul?
- what's the point of Greek mythology and how can it be meaningful?
You’ll leave this episode with a renewed sense of wonder, and a deeper understanding of how archetypes can help us access wisdom and creative energy beyond the confines of our rational mind.

Tuesday Aug 17, 2021
Getting weird and vulnerable with Aziph Mustapha | Aziph Mustapha
Tuesday Aug 17, 2021
Tuesday Aug 17, 2021
Aziph Mustapha is a weirdo. As the head of culture transformation and employee engagement at Malaysian telecommunications giant, Celcom, Aziph has built a career on disrupting social norms. But being weird isn’t just good business, for Aziph it’s the only authentic way to live.
On this episode of The Sidewalk Talk podcast, Traci gets to talk with—and really, make space for—Aziph as the two discuss creating psychological safety in the workplace, what it means to be a weirdo in a formal culture, and the importance of vulnerability and authenticity. As their conversation progresses, Aziph gets real with Traci, sharing that he’s struggling to process a number of the tragedies happening in the world right now, including the latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic. Traci thanks Aziph for his willingness to share, and together the two embark upon a time of listening and making space for the other. This is a powerful exchange between two great listeners that you won’t want to miss.
Episode Milestones
[00:07] Intro
[03:02] Meet Aziph
[06:15] What Aziph makes for breakfast and dinner in Malaysia
[09:08] Creating psychology safety and cultural transformation in the workplace
[14:19] Aziph’s vision for Celcom
[20:46] Being a weirdo in a formal culture
[25:31] Discerning when to be contrarian versus when to go along with social norms
[30:07] Volunteering, community, and providing space for one another
[37:38] Aziph’s willingness to be vulnerable and authentic
[44:42] Aziph’s word for you
[47:04] Outro
Resources Mentioned
Ted Talk: To Be the Best, Be a Weirdo
Standout Quotes from the Episode
“Every person or group we touch with our business we consider a distinct society, and our job is to advance them in one way or another.”
—Aziph Mustapha
“Sometimes you need to make those conscious efforts to change even simple things, like language, simple terms people use to humanize that relationship.”
—Aziph Mustapha
“Success gives you confidence.”
—Aziph Mustapha
“You need to grasp on something, you need to have a bit of control in this vast, chaotic storm.”
—Aziph Mustapha
“Maybe these human beings just talking to each other could help in small way.”
—Aziph Mustapha
“People need to be listened to, and there’s just not enough people willing to listen to them in the world.”
—Aziph Mustapha
Connect:
Find | Sidewalk Talk Podcast
On Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg
On Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg
Find | Traci Ruble
On Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT
On Twitter: @TraciRubleMFT
On Facebook: @TraciRubleMFT
Find | Aziph Mustapha
On LinkedIn: @AziphMustapha
On Twitter: @aziph_mustapha
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On Spotify

Tuesday Aug 10, 2021
Tuesday Aug 10, 2021
Restless in the often too structured world of academia, Anna Katharina Schaffner carved her own path as a professor, researcher, writer, coach, and modern thinker. In her forthcoming book, The Art of Self-Improvement: Ten Timeless Truths, Anna sets out to shift the way we think about self-help and how to better ourselves by taking cues from our ancestors’ ways of thinking and living that still remain true today. Traci was thrilled to sit down with Anna for this latest episode of The Sidewalk Talk podcast to chat all about Anna’s new book, how metaphor shapes our human experience, and where to find the soul in today’s culture of human as computer.
As the two talk, they make discoveries about the benefits of growing as a collective versus as an individual, explore the concept of loneliness, and talk about mutual messy interactions they’ve had in the past. Towards the end of the episode Anna shares a few of the “timeless truths” from her new book, including the truths of controlling your mind, using your imagination, and being humble. In a time where we’ve increasingly been told that we simply need to “rewire” our brains in order to function better as humans, Anna and Traci explore a different way of thinking—one that helps us examine the metaphors we use about ourselves, and become more vulnerably human in the process.
Episode Milestones
[00:07] Intro
[02:25] Meet Anna
[06:40] What made Anna restless in academia
[08:41] Provoking to leave a legacy
[12:09] How metaphor shapes our human experience
[16:32] A shift to growing as a collective
[20:28] Learning from Eastern cultures and ways of thinking
[23:39] Where’s the soul?
[26:35] Questions and definitions of loneliness
[29:40] Messy interactions
[33:25] Anna’s discoveries about self-improvement
[37:06] “Timeless truths” of self-improvement
[39:57] Anna’s word for you
[42:15] Outro
Resources Mentioned
The Art of Self-Improvement: Ten Timeless Truths
“You’re not a computer, you’re a tiny stone in a beautiful mosaic”
Standout Quotes from the Episode
“I like to take issue with what everyone accepts to be the case. I like to look at ideas that we take for granted, and that we don’t really investigate very much.”
—Anna Katharina Schaffner
“I think it’s always very important to have a questioning mind.”
—Anna Katharina Schaffner
“The language we use to talk about the psyche is very very telling because it reveals the models of the psyche that we believe in as people, but also as a culture.”
—Anna Katharina Schaffner
“This focus on self-actualization and self-realization has begun to sound very tired, and very unsatisfying.”
—Anna Katharina Schaffner
“Stories can give a lot of solace.”
—Anna Katharina Schaffner
“Self-help reveals our models of selfhood.”
—Anna Katharina Schaffner
“Be aware of the kind of language you use to think about yourself, and inner voices, and reflect on it because they will tell you a lot about your deeper values and deeper models.”
—Anna Katharina Schaffner
Connect:
Find | Sidewalk Talk Podcast
On Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg
On Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg
Find | Traci Ruble
On Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT
On Twitter: @TraciRubleMFT
On Facebook: @TraciRubleMFT
Find | Anna Katharina Schaffner
On LinkedIn: @AnnaKatharinaSchaffner
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Tuesday Aug 03, 2021
Street Wisdom’s David Pearl on finding magic in the everyday | David Pearl
Tuesday Aug 03, 2021
Tuesday Aug 03, 2021
David Pearl is a true Renaissance man. A self-title “experience engineer,” David has done it all—from writing books and starting a nonprofit to advocating for social change and even working as an opera star. Our current reality may seem anything but magical, that’s far from the truth in David’s eyes.
On this episode of The Sidewalk Talk podcast, Traci gets the chance to sit down with one of her new favorite European friends to talk about his nonprofit Street Wisdom, doing soul-work in the paradox of the here and now, and why simplicity is at the heart of what David and Traci are both doing with Street Wisdom and Sidewalk Talk. This is a playful and fun conversation between two people with an urgency to see our society, and the world at large, become a more inclusive, and magical, place. Come along for the ride and discover your own version of magic, today!
Episode Milestones
[00:07] Intro
[03:34] Meet David
[11:09] David’s time on the street and what it taught him
[15:00] Street Wisdom and serendipity
[19:37] Making connections with perfect strangers on the street
[23:30] How Street Wisdom is finding its future
[27:42] Finding the magic in the everyday
[35:25] Play and breaking the rules
[39:23] Doing work in the paradox
[45:14] The urgency to grow Street Wisdom and Sidewalk Talk
[47:25] Embodied intelligence
[49:40] Simplicity and a shared sense of being seen
[57:49] David’s word and song for you
[1:03:02] Outro
Resources Mentioned
Wanderful: Find wonder in the every day. Every day.
Standout Quotes from the Episode
“For me, the brushes I had with mental breakdown were the wellspring of why I’m here today.”
—David Pearl
“Serendipity is only surprising if you think you’re a separate human being who ends at your skin.”
—David Pearl
“How could you be the perfect stranger for those strangers?”
—David Pearl
“As soon as we take the problems to be real, they become heavy and difficult to move.”
—David Pearl
“People don’t always see the work behind the apparent spontaneity.”
—David Pearl
“The wandering is the new straight and narrow. When the world is as wobbly as ours, you’d have to be nuts to go in a straight line—you’d end up in the wrong place.”
—David Pearl
“The way we change things is through a million simple things.”
—David Pearl
“If you’re prepared to see the magic in the ordinary you can have a conversation, you can have a dialogue. And we need a dialogue because the one inside your head isn’t great.”
—David Pearl
“There’s a certain urgency, and yet we can enjoy everything that happens.”
—David Pearl
“Being lost and feeling lost are not the same thing.”
—David Pearl
Connect:
Find | Sidewalk Talk Podcast
On Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg
On Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg
Find | Traci Ruble
On Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT
On Twitter: @TraciRubleMFT
On Facebook: @TraciRubleMFT
Find | David Pearl
On Twitter: @DavidPearlHere
On LinkedIn: David Pearl
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST
On Spotify