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Front porch or back porch? It sounds like a trivial choice. But as Dr. Jane R. Shore unpacks this question in a recent Substack essay, that decision carries real weight, shaping who we encounter and how connected we might become in our own neighborhoods. And indeed, in our own lives! 

Find that essay HERE. 

Jane is the writer behind the Substack School of Thought and author of People-Based Learning: The Future of Learning is Human. Today we dig into one of her essays that uses this deceptively simple image as a lens for something much bigger: the way small, everyday choices determine whether we're open to the world or closed off from it.

This is the conclusion of a two-part conversation on People-Based Learning in community, together, and across difference. Start with last week's episode if you haven't yet, then come back for this one.

It turns out where you sit matters more than you think.

Connect with Dr. Jane R. Shore:

Website: schoolofthoughtphl.com

Substack: schoolofthought.substack.com

People-Based Learning: The Future of Learning is Human — Amazon | Routledge

Twitter/X: @shorejaneshore

Support the show

I'd love to hear what you think. Drop me a text (linked above) or an email: [email protected] 

Or NEW (!) even more fun, drop me a voice memo HERE! 

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Cream City Dreams is now Gather Connect Create! 

New name, same host 👋🏼 Bite-sized episodes with big connection! 

Join me weekly for inspiration, interviews and simple ideas you can use in your own community to create more connections IN REAL LIFE, no matter where you find yourself! 

➡ CLICK HERE to send me a text, I'd love to hear what you thought about this episode! Leave your name in the text so I know who it's from!

What does it really mean to learn with people, not just from them? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Jane R. Shore, learning scientist, researcher, visual storyteller, and founder of a beautifully illustrated Substack, School of Thought, to explore her framework for People-Based Learning and why human connection is so incredibly important in education, workplaces, and everyday life.

Seems obvious, right? It's almost too simple. And that, as you'll hear, is exactly what makes it so powerful.

Her debut book, People-Based Learning: The Future of Learning is Human (Routledge, 2026), is the culmination of years of research, storytelling, and gathering people in meaningful ways.

In this episode, you'll hear us talk about what People-Based Learning actually looks like in schools, with real examples from her own life and research; why belonging and relationship make learning 'sticky' and the three core elements of the PeBL framework: Connect, Reflect, and Affect.

Stay tuned next week for the conclusion of our conversation when we hash out the  Substack that inspired me to approach Jane for the podcast in the first place! Find that essay HERE. 

Connect with Dr. Jane R. Shore:

Website: schoolofthoughtphl.com

Substack: schoolofthought.substack.com

People-Based Learning: The Future of Learning is Human — Amazon | Routledge

Twitter/X: @shorejaneshore

Support the show

I'd love to hear what you think. Drop me a text (linked above) or an email: [email protected] 

Or NEW (!) even more fun, drop me a voice memo HERE! 

And definitely stay in the loop when new episodes drop by signing up for my newsletter HERE! (I swear I never spam!) 

Cream City Dreams is now Gather Connect Create! 

New name, same host 👋🏼 Bite-sized episodes with big connection! 

Join me weekly for inspiration, interviews and simple ideas you can use in your own community to create more connections IN REAL LIFE, no matter where you find yourself! 

➡ CLICK HERE to send me a text, I'd love to hear what you thought about this episode! Leave your name in the text so I know who it's from!

As kids we didn't need a reason to start a club. A treehouse, a secret handshake, a made-up name (as in my case, The Silver Binder Club) ... and that was enough. 

But somewhere along the way we convinced ourselves that clubs needed a purpose, a committee, and very likely, an exorbitant membership fee. 

Let this episode be your reminder that they don't! Just a shared interest and a willingness to show up is all it takes. Today, I've got some great examples of clubs I've been invited to (or heard about) recently and I hope they inspire some club formations of your own! 

If they do, I'd love to hear about it! I'm always looking for ideas to share, so drop me an email or a voice memo (below). 

Support the show

I'd love to hear what you think. Drop me a text (linked above) or an email: [email protected] 

Or NEW (!) even more fun, drop me a voice memo HERE! 

And definitely stay in the loop when new episodes drop by signing up for my newsletter HERE! (I swear I never spam!) 

Cream City Dreams is now Gather Connect Create! 

New name, same host 👋🏼 Bite-sized episodes with big connection! 

Join me weekly for inspiration, interviews and simple ideas you can use in your own community to create more connections IN REAL LIFE, no matter where you find yourself! 

➡ CLICK HERE to send me a text, I'd love to hear what you thought about this episode! Leave your name in the text so I know who it's from!

This week another short and sweet story about what it means to be a good neighbor. 

A full-circle story of gratitude, connection, and what happens when we share of ourselves with abundance. 

If you need a pick-me-up this week, give this episode a listen and be inspired by the good deeds of local kids on a mission, neighbors who answer the call and volunteers who listen.

Support the show

I'd love to hear what you think. Drop me a text (linked above) or an email: [email protected] 

Or NEW (!) even more fun, drop me a voice memo HERE! 

And definitely stay in the loop when new episodes drop by signing up for my newsletter HERE! (I swear I never spam!) 

Cream City Dreams is now Gather Connect Create! 

New name, same host 👋🏼 Bite-sized episodes with big connection! 

Join me weekly for inspiration, interviews and simple ideas you can use in your own community to create more connections IN REAL LIFE, no matter where you find yourself! 

➡ CLICK HERE to send me a text, I'd love to hear what you thought about this episode! Leave your name in the text so I know who it's from!

If showing up to a room full of complete strangers, or to a networking event, or to any situation where you must interact with people you've barely met gives you even the slightest amount of anxiety ...  today's episode is for you.

Today I talk with Nydia Maurás-Jones, cofounder of Banter Design Co. about the art of small talk. We talk about ways to approach new people, what makes for good conversation, and equally how to escape a bad one.

Find Nydia and her team HERE. 

OR meet Nydia in person at Milwaukee's Chapter of Creative Mornings on the third Friday of every month, where Banter is a cosponsor (and responsible for bringing the name tags!) 🎉

If you've got a small talk strategy that works for you, I'd love to hear about it (links below to reach me in all the ways!). 

Support the show

I'd love to hear what you think. Drop me a text (linked above) or an email: [email protected] 

Or NEW (!) even more fun, drop me a voice memo HERE! 

And definitely stay in the loop when new episodes drop by signing up for my newsletter HERE! (I swear I never spam!) 

Cream City Dreams is now Gather Connect Create! 

New name, same host 👋🏼 Bite-sized episodes with big connection! 

Join me weekly for inspiration, interviews and simple ideas you can use in your own community to create more connections IN REAL LIFE, no matter where you find yourself! 

➡ CLICK HERE to send me a text, I'd love to hear what you thought about this episode! Leave your name in the text so I know who it's from!

Now there's a podcast title that will gain NO SEO traction whatsoever. 

But it's worth it. 

It's a name my mother invented for my daughter, and you'll hear all about how it's run, how it got that title, and why I wanted to share it with you. 

Short and sweet this week. If you want a chuckle, give it a listen! 

Support the show

I'd love to hear what you think. Drop me a text (linked above) or an email: [email protected] 

Or NEW (!) even more fun, drop me a voice memo HERE! 

And definitely stay in the loop when new episodes drop by signing up for my newsletter HERE! (I swear I never spam!) 

Cream City Dreams is now Gather Connect Create! 

New name, same host 👋🏼 Bite-sized episodes with big connection! 

Join me weekly for inspiration, interviews and simple ideas you can use in your own community to create more connections IN REAL LIFE, no matter where you find yourself! 

➡ CLICK HERE to send me a text, I'd love to hear what you thought about this episode! Leave your name in the text so I know who it's from!

Today on the podcast, I’m excited to introduce you to a small (but mighty) practice that has changed my life, and the woman who created it. Laurie Wagner is a writer, teacher, retreat leader, traveler, published author, and the founder and guiding force behind Wild Writing, a practice she has been sharing with the world for more than twenty-five years.

At our core, we are all storytellers. Yet so many of us hesitate to call ourselves “writers” because we've been shaped by childhood messages, or that ONE teacher (you remember the one), or our inner voice that measures our words against some idea of what “good writing” is supposed to be.

But Wild Writing is not about "good" writing. It's about "true" writing. 

It's about writing so fast and so free, that there isn't time to edit for clarity, or perfection or even soundness of mind. It's about getting the words onto the page that you mean to say, even if they aren't pretty. (And they aren't always pretty!) 

But what makes Wild Writing different is the practice of sharing our words aloud, in community. 

Listen today as Laurie and I talk about how she got her start with Wild Writing over 35 years ago and how she continues teaching it today to thousands of people around the world. 

Links and poets we talk about: 

Laurie's own website and ways into Wild Writing

Laurie & Andrea's Wild Wonder Retreats

Write with ME (if you live locally in Milwaukee!) 

Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

James Crews

Maya Stein

Support the show

I'd love to hear what you think. Drop me a text (linked above) or an email: [email protected] 

Or NEW (!) even more fun, drop me a voice memo HERE! 

And definitely stay in the loop when new episodes drop by signing up for my newsletter HERE! (I swear I never spam!) 

Cream City Dreams is now Gather Connect Create! 

New name, same host 👋🏼 Bite-sized episodes with big connection! 

Join me weekly for inspiration, interviews and simple ideas you can use in your own community to create more connections IN REAL LIFE, no matter where you find yourself! 

➡ CLICK HERE to send me a text, I'd love to hear what you thought about this episode! Leave your name in the text so I know who it's from!

Garrett wears so many hats that we could have gone in so many different directions with this conversation, but in today’s episode, we talk about his latest undertaking: The Declaration of Interdependence Relay. (Or just The Relay, for short).

50 gatherings in 50 states in one year. 

You’ll hear us talk about where this idea came from, why now, and what he hopes comes from this ambitious project, though admittedly so much is unknown at this early stage, which is just part of the beauty of it! 

And while there can only be 50 “official” Relay gatherings, that shouldn't stop any of us from participating, from being a part of this community building movement. Because ultimately, The Relay is asking us to reach out to neighbors, to introduce ourselves, to solve problems for our community in community with each other.

I hope after listening to this, you will follow along! Check out the very throrough website for The Relay with ALL the information you might need to apply to host. (I know he’s still looking for hosts in Alaska!) You can also subscribe to Garrett’s Substack, The White Pages, follow him on Instagram if you are there, or pick up a copy of his book, The Right Kind of White. And after you've check out ALL those ways, get on his mailing list so that you can join a Barnraisers Project Cohort when they open again later this year! 

Speaking of gatherings, registration is open and spots are filling (fast!) for my women’s circles starting in April! And I would love to have you join me if you’re local. Click HERE to find out more and to register!

Support the show

I'd love to hear what you think. Drop me a text (linked above) or an email: [email protected] 

Or NEW (!) even more fun, drop me a voice memo HERE! 

And definitely stay in the loop when new episodes drop by signing up for my newsletter HERE! (I swear I never spam!) 

Cream City Dreams is now Gather Connect Create! 

New name, same host 👋🏼 Bite-sized episodes with big connection! 

Join me weekly for inspiration, interviews and simple ideas you can use in your own community to create more connections IN REAL LIFE, no matter where you find yourself! 

➡ CLICK HERE to send me a text, I'd love to hear what you thought about this episode! Leave your name in the text so I know who it's from!

In today's episode, my friend and neighbor Maura Flaherty, shares the secrets of her longstanding Cookbook Club. For the last 4-5 years, she and 6 other women have been meeting and sharing recipes from a rotating cast of cookbooks and (sometimes) celebrity chefs. 

And while the recipes have had their moments (see below for some of the faves!), they aren’t the true stars of these evenings. That honor belongs to the friends, and to the friendships they’ve built, nurtured, and deepened across all the courses life has served. (and life has served them some gristle, as you'll hear). 

I'm so happy to share the tips from Maura about how you might consider creating one of these clubs yourself. And before you turn up your nose because you don't consider yourself a foodie - there's always room at the table for a cocktail or a mocktail! So don't let your skills in the kitchen be a deciding (or limiting!) factor. 

Support the show

I'd love to hear what you think. Drop me a text (linked above) or an email: [email protected] 

Or NEW (!) even more fun, drop me a voice memo HERE! 

And definitely stay in the loop when new episodes drop by signing up for my newsletter HERE! (I swear I never spam!) 

Cream City Dreams is now Gather Connect Create! 

New name, same host 👋🏼 Bite-sized episodes with big connection! 

Join me weekly for inspiration, interviews and simple ideas you can use in your own community to create more connections IN REAL LIFE, no matter where you find yourself! 

➡ CLICK HERE to send me a text, I'd love to hear what you thought about this episode! Leave your name in the text so I know who it's from!

Today on the podcast, I'm reflecting on the last four episodes of the podcast, where I've talked at great length about screens. It's a conversation that isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so it's important that we keep talking about it. But if this conversation about screen time brings up feelings of shame or embarrassment, guilt or discomfort, then today's bite-sized episode might leave you feeling a little better. 

YOU ARE NOT ALONE. And in this screen-obsessed, screen-addicted culture we find ourselves in, IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT. We've been given these pocket-sized slot machines without an instruction manual. We're all learning this together. 

Plus I end with a beautiful poem from Laura Grace Weldon 

Instead of Clicking on ChatGPT. 

Enjoy! 

Support the show

I'd love to hear what you think. Drop me a text (linked above) or an email: [email protected] 

Or NEW (!) even more fun, drop me a voice memo HERE! 

And definitely stay in the loop when new episodes drop by signing up for my newsletter HERE! (I swear I never spam!) 

Cream City Dreams is now Gather Connect Create! 

New name, same host 👋🏼 Bite-sized episodes with big connection! 

Join me weekly for inspiration, interviews and simple ideas you can use in your own community to create more connections IN REAL LIFE, no matter where you find yourself!