The Proximity Process

Tex is back as the guest host of today's episode. We decided that he would interview me again so we can dive a little deeper into my own process. We start the conversation with how we met 25 years ago and then reconnected a few years ago. When Tex found out I was going through a difficult time in my life he decided to pick up the phone and call me after 12 years of not being in contact. His decision to make that call changed both of our lives in a very real way and has led to a deeply meaningful relationship.  We cover a lot of ground in this episode including some of my personal story of why I do the work that I do, what the proximity process means to me, and what I'm learning about working for myself.  

You are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people who are supporting one another through their own process. We meet every Monday morning at 9am est. Message Matt Anderon on LinkedIn for the meeting link. 

Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

This is the last episode of 2023 and Season 1. Thank you for listening to the show, it means a lot to me. I can't wait to continue building this community in 2024. Today's episode is a piece of wisdom that my coach, Brendalyn King, shared with me about connecting to our future. This framework has helped me be more aware of when I'm making decisions from my future rather than my past of present. In other words, what we want to accomplish has already happened if we can see it in our mind's eye. If we pay attention to the present moment there will be key moments when we our future appears, and we have the opportunity to make the next right decision that gets us closer to our vision. This is a skill that we can develop, and I've found that journaling is a practice that builds this particular muscle.

If you want to learn more about the coaching that Brendalyn does you can visit the Bhavana Learning Group website.  Bhavana Learning Group

You are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people who are supporting one another through their own process. We meet every Monday morning at 9am est. Message Matt Anderon on LinkedIn for the meeting link. 

Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

Today's episode is a conversation I had with Ryan O'Donnell on December 15, one day after Garnell had a Permanency Planning Hearing in court. In his first episode, Ryan tells his story of being a foster parent to a little boy and how meeting this boy's father, Garnell, changed everything. Ryan immediately knew that Garnel loved his son and that his role was to help this little boy go home to his father. For the past three years, Ryan and Garnell have been fighting for justice for this family. This episode is an update from Ryan's perspective on what happened at the most recent court date. 

For more on the reporting on this case you can follow the Indy Week and WBTV stories. Here is a link to the Indy Week story. A Father Relocated to NC to Care For His Son. - INDY Week

You are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people who are supporting one another through their own process. We meet every Monday morning at 9am est. Message Matt Anderon on LinkedIn for the meeting link. 

Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

Today's episode is my conversation with friend and colleague, Cheri Williams. At the age of 49 and 25 years into her career, Cheri made the decision to take the leap. She left an Executive Vice President role with an international non-profit where she had led a multi-state foster care and adoption program. Cheri and I dive into her process, how she came to make this decision, and how she is beginning to navigate entrepreneurship. We end the conversation with the parts of this decision that are scary and unsettling as well as freeing and values aligned.  This is the conversation for anyone who is contemplating taking the leap. 

As always, you are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people who are supporting one another through their own process. We meet every Monday at 9am est. Message me on LinkedIn and I will send you the invitation.

Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

As a career macro-level social worker, I've arrived at a major shift in perspective. The unit of change is more about people than policy. Today's episode is about how I came to the idea that systems don't change until people change. In other words, I believe that systems change strategies are important, but they are insufficient in advancing justice for families. I share how the strategies I've worked on ran up against very real limitations in their ability to improve the well-being of children or parents and keep families together. When we change the structures of the system are we solving the right problem? I wrap with some of my practices for how I am changing so that my work is in service of people rather than systems.

You can click this link to watch the feature film, From Place to Place. 

Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

Today's episode is a conversation I had with Adam Ballout who is an attorney and public defender in Everrett, WA. The conversation centers around something Adam said to me in a conversation that piqued my curiosity, "justice doesn't happen in the courtroom." I wanted to understand why an attorney would say this and where he thinks justice happens. We talk through the lessons Adam learned about justice for families throughout his career, how they have shaped his law practice, and what role he thinks attorneys play in speaking truth. We also talk about the work his law practice, ABC Law Group and the FIRST Legal Clinic. If you want to learn more about the work of the Clinic you can visit their website - The First Clinic.

We reference this article by Jousha Michtom in our conversation - A Call to Action for Parents' Lawyers in the Family Regulation System: 

As always, you are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people who are supporting one another through their own process. We meet every Monday at 9am est. Message me on LinkedIn and I will send you the invitation. 

Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

Today's episode starts with me reading straight from my journal. I read the "day one" entry from August 8, 2022, when I made the decision to leave my job. What follows are some reflections about whether or not I've stayed true to what I set out to do. The episode ends with a bit about my daily journaling practice and how it continues to bring me so much value.

As always, you are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people who are supporting one another through their own process. We meet every Monday at 9am est. Message me on LinkedIn and I will send you the invitation. 

You can listen to the Leaving Well podcast with Naomi Hattaway here. Leaving Well Podcast with Naomi Hattaway 

Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

Today's episode is a conversation I had with my friend Ryan O'Donnell. Ryan is a tech entrepreneur, creative problem solver, and a former foster parent. Our conversation spans his decision to become a foster parent, what that experience taught him about the system and himself, and how he is reckoning with what he can do invest in the well-being of parents to keep families together.  His story starts just like most foster parents, but where it ends up is not only unexpected, it's actually the beginning of Ryan's quest to solve problems that truly serve parents and families.

For more information about Ryan's work, you can follow him at RPO Ventures. rpoventures.com

You can also message on LinkedIn for an invitation to the Proximity Podcast Club that happens every Monday at 9am est. Ryan will be joining the next call. 

Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

As a non-profit executive, I spent a lot of time developing, reviewing, and managing budgets. It was a weekly activity. But I never considered budgets as moral documents, until now. In this episode, I share where I first heard the idea, how I've been thinking about it, and how I'm applying it in my work with Proximity Design Studio clients. I also mention a recent blog post from Alia Innovations that offers some prompt questions that I think can spark healthy dialogue within organizations. I've included the link in the show notes. As always, you are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people who are supporting one another through their own process. Message me on LinkedIn and I will send you the invitation. 

Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

Today's episode is with Keith Howard who is the CEO of Circle of Care in Oklahoma. Ciricle of Care is a statewide multi-service non-profit and the largest foster care provider in Oklahoma. Keith is also a client of Proximity Design Studio. Our work together started with a focus on Circle of Care moving their programming further upstream. What our work has become, and what we talk about in the episode, is how Keith can go through his own process of seeing and serving the wholeness of families - systems don't change until people change. The episode culminates in a conversation about our own lived experiences as leaders who have contributed to harm. Keith's transparency offers an insight into how we can begin to go through a process of becoming more relational in our work so that we are in service of people and not systems.

Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn