Today on Sheer Clarity, we continue our three-part series on diversity and inclusion with part two. In the last episode, we discussed the power of learning your heart story, and today we continue this discussion by talking about the power of learning another person’s heart story. Instead of taking a big global approach or national approach to addressing the problem of divisiveness and hatred, we’re taking an inside-out approach by focusing on the human heart. Kevin suggests that when you know your own heart and are prepared to share it, then you can find other human beings who are also willing and share your hearts with each other. If this is done with sincerity and vulnerability, there is an enormous amount of connection building, empathy, and healing that occurs. Tuning in today, you’ll hear about what it takes to be able to really engage with another human being, and what we can learn about this from Oriah Mountain Dreamer’s poem “The Invitation”. Find out some practical advice on how to share your story, how to decide who to share your story with, how to set the tone for openness and vulnerability, and even the topics you should cover to guide the conversation and help you really connect with each other’s heart stories. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• How today’s topic falls within the current three-part series on diversity and inclusion.
• Why Kevin feels it’s important to take an inside-out approach to the problems of division and hatred.
• How to go about learning another human heart by talking to each other about your life story.
• The first of the three things you need to be able to engage with another human being: having the desire to do so.
• The second thing: the willingness to experience the discomfort of sharing your own story.
• The third thing: You have to decide with whom you are going to exchange heart stories.
• The two parts of this desire: I’d like to get to know you and I’d like to give you an invitation to get to know me.
• Thoughts on what we can learn from the poem “The Invitation”.
• The art of not helping: why you should just listen with your head and your heart instead of trying to solve problems.
• Practical advice on talking to another person to know their heart: The downloadable worksheet: ‘Sharing your Story: Discovering, disclosure, openness, and vulnerability’
• Why you should start by practicing this with friends or family members and work up to people you don’t really know.
• How to set the tone for an open and vulnerable conversation.
• Topics to cover in the conversation to help you and the other person open up about your heart stories.
• How sharing this podcast may help spread the healing.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Brené Brown: The Power of Vulnerability

Poem: The Invitation

The Worksheet: ‘Sharing your Story: Discovering, disclosure, openness, and vulnerability’

Sheer Clarity

Kevin McHugh

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JKM Management

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