I am glad you are here everybody. Today we are going to talk about negotiation. Why are we talking about negotiation on Love Sweet Love, which focuses on our connectedness and social health? Well, because negotiations don’t just happen at work … they also happen in our everyday lives, within many of our relationships: such as with our partners, our bosses, our kids and our neighbours, and how we manage these negotiations for what we want and need can very much affect our relationships.

Also, we are approaching the holiday season and some of us end up spending more time than we normally do with lots of family, lots of people with differing opinions, various dynamics going on with personalities that sometimes clash, and with people who are sometimes over-tired and stressed. We need strategies for how we can get through these upcoming holiday times and remain sane while doing so.

What will help us keep the peace but also allow us to be our full selves? Is that even possible? Are there things we can do to increase the chances of getting what we want and maintaining the relationships we have?

To talk with me about this today, is an international expert on conflict resolution who has over 20 years of experience as a lawyer, negotiator and mediator. She is also the founder of two companies, an award-winning author, and her expertise makes her a sought-after authority across industries, across the globe.

Damali Peterman is here with us today. Damali is the author of the award-winning and bestselling book Negotiating While Black: Be Who You Are to Get What You Want. It is available in over 72 countries, and has won some prestigious honours such as being included in the Forbes Top 10 Negotiation books, and in 2024 it was listed as one of Essence’s top 15 summer reads. Damali’s book has been celebrated for its insights on overcoming bias, embracing authenticity, and excelling in negotiations, cementing its place as a transformative resource for professionals and leaders worldwide.

https://damalipeterman.com/

https://damalipeterman.com/be-who-you-are-to-get-what-you-want/

Today my guest is passionate about many of the same things I am. His specific quest is to help make communities places of recovery, or “recovery-ready” to support folks who have been in treatment for addiction and are returning to their communities, but also, for all the members of a community, because you will see that what he is advocating for, and helping communities do, is to create cohesive, responsive, caring, collaborative places for all of us to get what we need to thrive.

Mark Lefebvre is someone who is definitely working for the greater good. He knows what he needed when he came through his recovery programs and he wants others to have those resources and supports, available.

Mark is in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and he is the author of the book, "Healing a Village:A Practical Guide to Building Recovery Ready Communities". Mark has served on several boards, such as the Seacoast Youth Services, and Step-U Parents, is an advisor at the Pinetree Institute, and he is the co-founder of the Safe Harbour Recovery Centre. He is also a speaker, a music lover and a longtime radio DJ, and a podcaster and podcast producer.

You will love this episode with Mark, whether you are a parent, someone who is interested in how we can work together to improve our neighbourhoods and communities, or if you know someone who is in recovery. Mark is a wealth of information and a gem of a person and storyteller.

 Mark and I talk about his book, how he came to write it and why, and who it is written for. We talk about what he defines as a “recovery ready community”, and how a community can work toward this. We talk about prevention and what parents and families can do to help better support their kids, how he has dealt with NIMBYism, what folks get wrong about addiction, how to avoid the troubling issues of silos in community work, the importance for all of us to find what we love to do and gives us joy, and to try and do that as much as we can, and so much more.

You will love this conversation with Mark.

Link for the podcast: It Takes A Village Podcast Series

Link for a signed copy of my book: Signed Book Order Site

If you were, or are, fortunate enough to have a close relationship with a grandparent or older family friend in your life, you know how lucky you are. There is just something magic in these times – for people of both generations involved.

These interactions used to happen more frequently and naturally in our families and in our neighbourhoods. We as a society have been retreating inward, as our homes become more comfortable, more filled with all of the conveniences we need, and many of us are working from home. This is changing the landscape of connection and interactions amongst us. How do we nurture our social health, if we are not connecting as much anymore?

And loneliness and isolation? They are rising, especially in the older demographic, and in young people.

This episode is about the benefits of intergenerational programs, and intergenerational connection. I have a wonderful mix of some interviews from a non-profit called Volunteer Grandparents and some on-site recordings at a seniors’ Care Centre. And this Centre has something really original: a Child Care Centre for 3 - 5 yr-old's right in the premises.
It will blow your mind.
So you will hear portions of my interview with Veronica Grossi, and Hope Stenhouse of Volunteer Grandparents, as well as my on-site interview and visit Ava Turner.

Veronica Grossi, is the Program Manager at Volunteer Grandparents, and has been with them for 18 years. Her background is in Family and Nutritional Sciences and Gerontology.

Hope Stenhouse is the program’s Coordinator, has her bachelor's degree in Health Administration, and she is studying aspects of aging and aging issues such as social isolation and ageism in Gerontology at SFU.

Ava Turner, has worked as Executive Director and now CEO at George Derby Care Centre, for several years now and has a background in the Home Health Care Program with Fraser Health.

volunteergrandparents.ca
georgederby.ca

This episode will touch your heart, and I bet it will inspire you to enliven some of the intergenerational connections in your life, or, just create some. You’ll hear reasons why these connections are so valuable to all of us, why we need them more than ever now.

Hello. I am so glad you are joining me, and if it is your first time, welcome! Today I am going to introduce you to Tina Shaw who leads a group “100 Women Who Care Fraser Valley”. This group of women is so inspiring and I am excited to share what they do with you. Basically, the women each bring $100 to a meeting, 4 times a year and then because there are 100 of them, they present a $10,000 cheque to a local charity each of those 4 times. Amazing, right?

If you are a long time listener of the show you might remember the episode in which I interviewed Mike and Frank from the “100 Guys That Care South Surrey”. It was Episode 22 and I put a link to that in the notes here.

Today, Tina and I talk about how it all started, how she came to lead the group, what kinds of charities they support and how they decide on which ones get the money. We also hear some of the stories of how their funds have made a difference, what these charities do for folks in the community, and how you can support charities in various ways, even if you are not able right now to support financially. You will love Tina’s heartfelt story, her enthusiasm and dedication, and how she leads.

Love Sweet Love episode 22 with 100 Guys That Care South Surrey: https://open.spotify.com/episode/05Dy9ON5iw6YQdRy6XDOSM?si=c54dc46905674336

Link to 100 Women Who Care Fraser Valley’s website:
https://100womenfraservalley.com/

Link to many of the charities and non-profits in the Surrey area of BC:
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/explore/charities/region/BC/city/Surrey/?q=Surrey

Link to the Beayoutiful Foundation:
https://thebeayoutifulfoundation.com/

Link to the Care for Women Foundation:
https://careforwomen.ca/

100 Guys That Care South Surrey Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/100_guys_that_care_s_surrey/?hl=en

If you find yourself wondering what the heck is going on with the world today, along with our growing feelings of meaninglessness and despair, I think you will find this episode not just interesting and informative, but actually helpful. Today, I am so pleased to say that I am speaking with Dr. Seth Kaplan.

Dr. Kaplan is a leading expert on fragile states, a consultant to multilateral organizations such as the World Bank, the US State Department and others. He is a Professional Lecturer at SAIS and Johns Hopkins University and he is the author of the book: “Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code At A Time”.

Seth and I talk about how he answers the question that so many people ask him: “Is the US a fragile state?”, the link between our striving for upward mobility and what he calls, “social poverty”, the signs that tell him that a neighbourhood is thriving, what kids need in a neighbourhood, what his “sideways approach” to improving neighbourhoods is, the importance of each of us having a sense of “place”, what he says are 5 “Social Repairers”, and what are some actionable things we can do right now, to help repair our neighbourhoods, and our society.

I’d love you to let me know what you think of the episode and the podcast. A review would be so helpful, especially if you loved this content.

Here is a link to Seth Kaplan’s book and website:

Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time
https://sethkaplan.org/

Here are the links to two other LSL episodes that delved into neighbourhoods:

Ep 38 Neighboring is a Crockpot, Not a Microwave & Why Knowing Neighbors Matters with David Burton:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Ei6ZiivWUhXAWtYKlyNxy?si=mpXRkS2gTammaWji1SMcGw

Ep 2 Gather, Belong, Shine and Lead - Neighbourhood Houses:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7eYL1ARXBcjEm03hY9n0gf?si=arOuFUFyTAmu4VfyPRsw1g

This is an episode I am excited for you to hear. This topic -- about what we clamour for to feel successful, and why, in the end, we don't even feel fulfilled. In fact, we often feel worse. In this episode, I will share with you some research findings and expert opinions on the one thing that makes us the happiest and healthiest in life. It is accessible to all of us. It has been tested and tested and tested, and the findings are clear. This one thing also will help us stay on the right track and not be repeatedly pulled into the powerful lure and of those false markers of success that we all get pulled into. I know I do -- and I think and write about this all the time and I still get sucked in!

I'll give you a new way to look at life that might be helpful to you. I know it has helped me to keep my eyes on the most important prize, so to speak. I'll also give you four questions to ask yourself that can help you know if you are actually on the right track, that I have found have been helpful to me. I will finish up by giving you six concrete suggestions for getting more of this one, powerful, strengthening element into your life.

Enjoy, and feel free to share it with someone who might need this reminder.

Welcome to this episode of Love Sweet Love. If this is your first time here, I hope you come back again! I love sharing inspiring ideas, initiatives and innovators who are growing good and even spreading love (I know! Cue the eye-roll, but it’s true!) in the world.

Today’s guest is David Burton who teaches the very popular Engaged Neighbour Program at the University of Missouri Extension. He is a writer, speaker, community developer and of course, an engaged neighbour. He will tell you that it wasn’t always this way, however, and he and I talk about how he came to do this work, what his course consists of, how Missouri celebrates and fosters engaged neighbouring, why he thinks some people are reluctant to know their neighbours these days, what we can all do to move toward connecting ourselves in our neighbourhoods, and why it is imperative that we do this. I hope you enjoy this informative, funny and warm conversation with David Burton, as much as I did.

RESOURCES
https://mohumanities.org/speakers/david-burton/

https://extension.missouri.edu/counties/greene/engaged-neighbor-project

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-burton-5041728/

Welcome back everyone. I am so thankful you have chosen to listen. Listening to the stories of some of the good that is happening in the world, really helps us stay strong, while we try to deal with and process all the negative around us. You will find today’s episode really interesting and entertaining.

Today, I am bringing you a conversation with Marj Kleinman, the founder of NYC’s Stoop Stories. Marj is an award-winning filmmaker and visual storyteller, and she and her team connect NY neighbours, across generations and differences to celebrate, preserve and enliven Stoop Culture through documentary films, story-telling and community events.

Marj wrote for children’s television such as PBS kids and Sesame Workshop, for over 20 years, and she has a background in Theatre and an MA in Educational Psychology. Marj and her team have been featured in the NY Times, the Washington Post, the We Love NY Campaign and several other news outlets. Marj and I talk about how it all started, why she is driven to preserve this culture, why intergenerational work is so important, how they aim to reduce loneliness and increase joy and compassion through their films and activities, what play has to do with all of this, what happens if we don’t have a stoop, and so much more!

Enjoy this conversation and I hope you take a piece of what Stoop Stories is doing, and bring it into your own life!

Resources & Links:

https://www.stoopstories.com/

Award Winning Documentary Film: Stoop Chat with Jimmy and Shanaya

https://youtu.be/5OVo5xCL7Kc

Social health is becoming a widely talked about segment of our lives! It has been for years but the attention it is getting right now is finally doing it justice!

This episode is just me. It is me sharing with you some of the thoughts I have, and have written about, regarding our connections, regarding loneliness, regarding our responsibility to ourselves and our kids, to figure this out, and fast.

Today’s episode has two main parts. The first part is about a dangerous misconception we have and how that manifests. I will talk about why this is happening, and why we absolutely DO need each other. I’ll focus on one of the simplest, accessible, impactful ways we can nurture these connections and our social health – our HEALTH, period – and that is through our connections with our neighbours and actions we can take in our neighbourhoods.

The second part is looking at friendship and loneliness. It is about what loneliness is and isn’t, why we, and our KIDS are feeling lonely, and what is our part in that reality. I talk about what can be done. where free play fits into loneliness for our kids (and even us), how our technologically-saturated lives are affecting our ability to thrive, and why now is the time to do something about this.

I think you will find this episode informative, maybe a bit sobering, and also inspiring. It is not too late. We can do this, We can do this together, for our and our kids’ sakes.

I’d love it if you took a moment to rate and review the podcast, and even share it with just one friend who may need to hear this message, or is, like you and I, passionate about getting us, and our loved ones, back to feeling well and healthy and connected.

So, sit back with a glass or cup of something good, or get your walking shoes and earbuds on, and enjoy. We’ve got this.

Let’s grow some good together.

Lenore Skenazy’s ‘Let Grow”:
 https://letgrow.org/

To check out Jonathan Haidt’s book, “The Anxious Generation”:
https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-anxious-generation-how-the-great-rewiring-of-childhood-is-causing-an-epidemic-of-mental-illness/9780593655030.html

Dr. Seth Kaplan’s Website and book information:
https://sethkaplan.org/

Block Party USA website:
https://www.blockpartyusa.org/

I am excited for you to meet my two guests today, Karl Schatz and Margaret Hathaway. They are a married couple who are co-founders of a non-profit called Community Plate, in Maine. They also have a goat farm, are authors, have a busy family and a real love of bringing people together and building community.

You’ll find out how a cookbook, celebrating Maine’s bi-centennial, was kind of a spark for their non-profit, and how these recipes led to another cookbook and then those led to the vision of these dinners. Karl and Margaret always believed in the power of food (and the stories around food), to bring folks together and so you’ll hear why and how they began these free, community potluck evenings that have strangers eating side by side, over conversation around food and family.

They masterfully design these simple, yet carefully planned evenings for inclusion, connection and belonging, and they have seen the positive impacts these dinners have, not just when they are happening, but that there are ripple effects for long afterward. This couple knows that now, more than ever, we need to connect with each other.

Find out the details, learn about how it has grown and where they see Community Plate going next, Hear some touching stories, and find out about the goat hikes (they have about 20 goats!) they offer at their farm!

You’ll love this delightful couple and their deep dedication to community, gathering, food, story and joy.

Website: 

https://www.communityplate.me/