Ep. 116 - Conversation Curator Shannon Wheatley Hartman Shares Wisdom

The Main Thing Podcast

Welcome to the Main Thing Podcast, where every episode brings you a concise, high-impact wisdom lesson from one of the wisest people I know. Studying their wisdom and learning together, we all get just a little bit better at this thing called life.

Fostering Democracy and Personal Growth Through Collaborative Exploration

What if embracing diverse ideas could transform not just your personal growth, but also strengthen democracy itself? Tune into an enlightening conversation with Dr. Shannon Wheatley Hartman, president of the Interactivity Foundation. She reveals how an exploratory mindset opens doors to innovative thinking and community building. Drawing inspiration from her mentor, Dr. Jack Byrd, Shannon shares invaluable lessons on being present and supportive in our interactions. We dive into the foundation's commitment to nurturing democratic skills like generous interpretation and comfort with ambiguity, underscoring the ongoing importance of fostering wisdom in our everyday lives.

More About Our Wise Guest - Dr. Shannon Wheatley Hartman

Shannon Wheatley Hartman is the President of the Interactivity Foundation, a nonpartisan and non-advocacy organization founded decades ago in Parkersburg, WV. The foundation has grown to become a nationally recognized leader, focused on strengthening democracy through discussion.

Shannon is an expert facilitator who has been working to advance civic discussion skills and mindsets in communities and classrooms for over 15 years. She entered the nonprofit world through academia. She has a Ph.D. in political science and has taught at several universities. Whether she is teaching a class or working with a community group, she has always been passionate about creating the conditions and nurturing the necessary skills to help groups think better together.

Democracy isn't defined by the absence of difference or conflict, but the ability to celebrate differences and work together through disagreements. Shannon and the work of the Interactivity Foundation helps to support this in classrooms, communities, and workplaces.

Perhaps unintentionally, Shannon tests out all of her new discussion experiments on her family. She lives with a wonderfully supportive husband, three daughters, and a very enthusiastic dog, “Scouty Boy.” They gravitate to activities that encourage exploration, like traveling, hiking, mountain biking, and wild baking experiments.

Shannon joins us from Philadelphia.

Get ready! Over the next 19 minutes, you will discover why Dr. Shannon Wheatley Hartman is one of the wisest people I know.

Resources

Connect with Shannon on LinkedIn

Interactivity Foundation website

Our podcast website for additional wisdom resources

Credits

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Episode Chapters

[0:03:54] - Traveling north to escape the heat and awaken the brain

[0:05:35] - Skip and Shannon reveal how they’re connected

[0:06:29] - The work of the Interactivity Foundation

[0:09:45] - Shannon shares her main thing wisdom nugget

[0:10:28] - Building collaboratively with purpose and patience

[0:13:54] - Ego, fear and other blockers to building democracy

[0:18:18] - Cooking down the kitchen

Keywords

Wisdom, Personal Growth, Democracy, Diverse Ideas, Exploratory Mindset, Collaboration, Community, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Ego, Fear, Impatience, Curiosity, Comfort with Ambiguity, Democratic Discussions, Wisdom, Analytical Mindset, Building, Purpose, Patience, Loneliness, Engagement, Interaction, Culinary Experiments, Resourceful, Enriching Experience, Gratitude, Kentucky, West Virginia, WVU, Jack Byrd