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Lisa K Swallow is the co-founder and Executive Director of Crossing Party Lines, Inc., a national nonprofit dedicated to reducing toxic polarization by creating open dialogue between Americans with dissimilar political views. In this interview, she shares a wealth of wisdom derived from helping hundreds of people heal the political divide in their families and communities, exploring insights and tools derived from mindfulness, relational neurobiology, Nonviolent Communication, and Moral Foundations Theory.
Show Notes
Lisa K Swallow is the co-founder and Executive Director of Crossing Party Lines, Inc., a national nonprofit dedicated to reducing toxic polarization by creating open dialogue between Americans with dissimilar political views. In this interview, she shares a wealth of wisdom derived from helping hundreds of people heal the political divide in their families and communities, exploring insights and tools derived from mindfulness, relational neurobiology, Nonviolent Communication, and Moral Foundations Theory.
Trained in Nonviolent Communication (NVC), Lisa hadn't considered bringing her work into the political arena until 2016, when politics became personal. That year, a long-awaited reunion with a conservative cousin turned contentious as soon as conversation became political, which it did regardless of what topic they chose. Then, on the second day of her visit Lisa thought to apply her active listening skills and the conversation shifted from toxic to respectful.
On returning to her home in Portland, Oregon, Lisa set about identifying the specific skills that lead to civil, productive political conversations. She learned that the key to talking across differences lies in cultivating a curious, open mind and listening to understand why another person’s views make sense for them. Her nonprofit, Crossing Party Lines, provides two crucial services: workshops teaching the concepts and skills and weekly facilitated meetings where members can practice those skills.
Her work is rooted in NVC, inspired by the work of John and Julie Gottman and Stephen Stosny, and draws from cognitive science, neurobiology, and evolutionary psychology. Her workshops emphasize mindfulness, active listening, clear boundaries, and understanding the unspoken contracts at play in any conversation.
Lisa has written two books on the subject: her memoir, No One Was Listening, and a workbook, Yes, You can Talk Politics, which makes it possible for anyone, anywhere, to learn the skills for listening and talking across differences.
Find Lisa at www.LisaKSwallow.com. Learn more about Crossing Party Lines at Crossingpartylines.com. Follow CPL on Twitter @crosspartylines or Instagram @crossingpartylines.
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Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.
Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.
Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.
Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.
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Creators and Guests
What is You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist?
A podcast at the intersection of psychology and culture that intimately explores the human experience and critiques the counseling profession. Your host, Stephanie Winn, distills wisdom gained from her practice as a family therapist and coach while pivoting towards questions of how to apply a practical understanding of psychology to the novel dilemmas of the 21st century, from political polarization to medical malpractice.
What does ethical mental health care look like in a normless age, as our moral compasses spin in search of true north? How can therapists treat patients under pressure to affirm everything from the notion of "gender identity" to assisted suicide?
Primarily a long-form interview podcast, Stephanie invites unorthodox, free-thinking guests from many walks of life, including counselors, social workers, medical professionals, writers, researchers, and people with unique lived experience, such as detransitioners.
Curious about many things, Stephanie’s interdisciplinary psychological lens investigates challenging social issues and inspires transformation in the self, relationships, and society. She is known for bringing calm warmth to painful subjects, and astute perceptiveness to ethically complex issues. Pick up a torch to illuminate the dark night and join us on this journey through the inner wilderness.
You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist ranks in the top 1% globally according to ListenNotes. New episodes are released every Monday. Three and a half years after the show's inception in May of 2022, Stephanie became a Christian, representing the crystallization of moral, spiritual, and existential views she had been openly grappling with along with her audience and guests. Newer episodes (#188 forward) may sometimes reflect a Christian understanding, interwoven with and applied to the same issues the podcast has always addressed. The podcast remains diverse and continues to feature guests from all viewpoints.