This month, host Lillian Koizumi talks to Eliza O’Neil, who is a Senior Curriculum Developer at the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI). Eliza’s role at CDI is to create dialogue-focused curriculum, resources, and trainings for students, educators, administrators, and anyone looking to cultivate skills to foster connection across differences in any context. In the episode, Eliza shares her career journey, what constructive dialogue means and looks like, her insights on the role of dialogue in an increasingly divisive world, inspiring examples of individuals and groups transforming conflicts through dialogue, and more.

Before joining CDI, Eliza was a program director for Seeds of Peace, where she ran dialogue and facilitation training programs for young adults and educators from around the world. She spent 6 years as a facilitator for Essential Partners, working with communities of all ages looking to bridge divides and connect more meaningfully. Eliza previously taught at experiential high schools in Maine and Colorado and led wilderness trips around the world for groups of young adults. Eliza holds a B.A. from Bates College and an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

For more information on Eliza’s work, visit https://constructivedialogue.org/. 

To learn more about the Ikeda Center, visit ikedacenter.org or email us at [email protected] 

Music attribution: Podcast Music