About
How do we "show up" to each other and why does it matter? What does it look like to create a safe space for vulnerability in our relationships? How do we ask thoughtful questions and listen deeply? what does it look like to communicate clearly, effectively, and authentically? How do we learn to empathize with others and understand different perspectives? What are the practices that we can bring into our lives to be better communicators, better relationship partners, better people? These are the questions for the podcast.
Hi. I'm Abbie--the creator, host, and producer of Stories Lived. Stories Told. With the help of the CMM Institute for personal and social evolution, i get to join you, my fellow communicators, in a conversation about stories. The stories we live. The stories we tell. And everything in Between. (Hence, the name of our podcast).
I graduated from Ball State University in May 2022 with a degree in Interpersonal Communication. Basically, that means that I studied relationships and how individuals communicate in their everyday lives. Did you know that there are all kinds of theories, patterns, tools, skills, and language that researchers have found surrounding interpersonal communication? I felt so empowered by all this new knowledge, and not just in my academic life, but my personal life, too. I was able to apply all that I was learning to better understand my relationships and to better engage with people.
I saw how quickly my relationships transformed for the better because of what I knew. I became a better listener. I learned how to express myself more clearly. I started writing things that helped me to express myself. I began avoiding painful miscommunication. I started to empathize better with others. And I got so much more out of my relationships and interactions than I was before. I thought, "Everyone deserves to know this!" Because The truth is... you shouldn't have to get a degree in interpersonal communication to know this stuff!
To me, this podcast is all about translating, taking all those amazingly helpful concepts from the academic world, and translating them into language and practices that everyone can use. Everyone deserves to have access to this information because it is a huge game-changer. I believe that when our communication gets better, our relationships get better, our mental health gets better, our physical health gets better, our work gets better. our. lives. get. better.
Here is what you need to know... this podcast is for you. You don't have to be an academic that has devoted their whole life to studying communication (although, if that is you I am so happy for you to be a part of this community) and you don't have to think you are the worst communicator in the world (But, again, if you are... welcome!). You might be doing just fine in your life right now. but you deserve more than "just fine." You deserve amazing and meaningful and joyful and exciting and safe and loving and authentic. We take for granted the fact that we aren't all born with perfect communication skills. We believe that communication is some abstract force that doesn't really matter that much. Well, guess what? It's not! And it does! Communication is a tangible thing that people like me have studied. I have real tools and helpful words and important skills that let us take back control of our lives.
In this podcast we use a communication theory called Coordinated management of Meaning (CMM) to learn about communication. But, don't let all those big words scare you. The whole point of this podcast is for me to make this theory accessible. So, let me tell you a little about this theory. To use a little of the academic language, the main claim of CMM is that "persons-in-conversation co-construct their own social realities and are simultaneously shaped by those worlds they create." What this means is that we aren't passive observers, but active participants in our lives. We are "persons-in-conversation" every second of every day by being in relationship and part of communities. We get to create the "social worlds" we want to create. And the place where all that starts is with communication. Using CMM we will explore the patterns that we find ourselves in with our communication, reflect on our experiences to understand why we tell the stories we do and how we make meaning in those stories, and discuss what it looks like to create a space in your relationships that leads to deeper connection. For more of an overview of CMM check out my first episode (An introduction to the coordinated management of meaning communication theory) which you can find on the "podcast" page.
I am so excited for you to join me as I invite guests into our podcast space and not only learn what it means to have meaningful, effective communication but also to see it at work first hand in each episode. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for being curious. Thank you for being a part of this story.