Practicing Connection

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In this episode of the Practicing Connection podcast, hosts Jessica and Bob explore the Community Capitals Framework, a powerful tool from community development that can enhance your work with military families. They discuss how this framework, developed by Jan and Cornelia Flora, identifies seven types of capital—natural, cultural, human, social, political, financial, and built—and how these capitals can be leveraged to build resilient and supportive communities for military families.

Jessica and Bob dive into practical examples, such as the Stronghold Food Pantry at Fort Leavenworth and the collaborative efforts at Malmstrom Air Force Base, to illustrate how different capitals can be strategically utilized. They also share insights from books like "Strategic Doing" and "Holding Change," which offer valuable perspectives on asset-based approaches and the importance of small-scale changes in group facilitation.

Links

• Strategic Doing
• Holding Change
• Community Capitals Framework
• Spiraling-Up: Mapping Community Transformation with Community Capitals Framework
• Feeding Military Families with Stronghold Food Pantry CEO Monica Bassett
• An Ecosystem of Military Family Support with Nicola Winkel
• Partnering on Early Education for Military Kids
• Coming Together to Support Military Families in Military Bay, USA
• Reconnecting with Nature: Health and Well-Being for Military Communities

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Multigenerational communication is important for military leaders and family service providers.

In this episode, we talk about how to communicate across generations with Corie Weathers, author of Military Culture Shift.

Corie is a licensed professional counselor (LPC), and a sought-after speaker, consultant, and award-winning author. Corie has focused her career for the last 20 years as a clinician specializing in marriage, the military culture, special forces, and leadership development. In addition to providing subject matter expertise on military culture, Corie consults organizations and institutions on building trust, creating impactful programming, and working within a multi-generational team. 

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In this episode, Bob and Jessica explore a powerful tool designed to deepen your connection with others—empathy mapping. Whether you're working with military families, service members, or anyone navigating life's challenges, this practice can help you step into their shoes and understand their experiences on a whole new level.

Jessica shares her insights on how empathy mapping can move us beyond surface-level interactions, offering practical steps to apply this tool in your work or personal life. 

Links

• Empathy Map Activity
• Opening to Joy and Love by Sebene Selassie

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Navigating conversation about difficult topics, like money, can be daunting. In this episode, Bob and Jessica help you turn those tricky conversations into opportunities for growth and understanding. Jessica introduces the “Hopes and Concerns” activity, a powerful tool from the Constructive Dialogue Institute designed to ease the discomfort and enhance communication during challenging discussions.

Links

• Hopes and Concerns activity from the Constructive Dialogue Institute
• Approaching Money Conversations with Military Couples

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In this episode, join us in exploring how our beliefs and values shape our work, with a focus on financial attitudes and personal reflection. Research shows that investing in self-awareness can really build a foundation that allows service providers to respond to themselves compassionately regarding financial topics and concerns, allowing them to respond to others compassionately around these issues.

Jessica and Bob discuss what's inspiring them, and Bob walks through creating a financial genogram, a detailed practice for examining financial beliefs and family histories.

Links

• True Biz by Sara Nović
• The Self-Reflective Financial Therapist

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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.

Links

• Dare to Lead: The Engaged Feedback Checklist
• Listening for Strengths and Values (S.5, Ep.2)

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In this episode, co-hosts Jessica Beckendorf and Bob Bertsch talk with Monica Bassett, founder and CEO of Stronghold Food Pantry, a resource for military families on Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. Monica talks about how she started a food pantry on Fort Riley, KS and how she launched Stronghold, highlighting the role military spouses, like Monica, can play in supporting military families.

Links

• Stronghold Food Pantry
  • Stronghold on Facebook
  • Stronghold on Instagram

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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.

Links

• Values Worksheets from the Wellness Society (PDF)
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Sharing your work, even before it is done, is a great practice for dealing with imposter syndrome. It can help you realize no one is perfect and 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.

Links

• Show Your Work by Jane Bozarth
• Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon
• Working Out Loud
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The more you understand about yourself, the better you’ll be able to align your life with the things that are really meaningful to you.  In this episode,  Jessica Beckendorf shares how to do less of what drains you by using energy and engagement tracking.

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