Practice? Podcast

Episode 315: Episode 298 - Still Thinking Deeply About Teaching and Offering Bold Ideas (John Miller)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:58:26 +0000

Dr. John Miller is one of the most revered and provocative Management Educators in Dave's field. John retired from Bucknell University decades ago, but still has much to say and write about, giving every emerging practitioner a chance to learn to manage. He created Management 101 to accomplish this at Bucknell. It continues after more than 45 years. He has submitted three journal articles just in the last few months. His earnest thinking and joy of sharing it ring out in this conversation.

Episode 314: Episode 297 - Uncertainty Invades Every Decision Arena (Tom Casey)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 04 May 2026 21:27:17 +0000

As the shock waves of chaotic national and global change shake the context for every managerial practice, Dave and Tom Casey have this conversation about what leaders and clients of his firm, Discussion Partner Collaborative, do in the face of unprecedented uncertainty about what is coming next. Sit tight or stand up, speak out?

Episode 313: Episode 296 - Conversation with a Positive Change Architect (Faith Addicott)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 20:54:17 +0000

Dave and Faith Addicott become reacquainted on the verge of hopeful changes in the emerging, interdisciplinary fields of organization development. From Anthropology to engineering, Faith's vision is that creative approaches to changing how people experience organizational life in this global society are finally possible. She organizes at the confluence of these refreshing interactions between practitioners and researchers, sharing the purpose to invent new ways to guide positive change. Currently, she contributes to The Good Work Collective, which is spearheading the OD Out Loud Revival.

Episode 312: Episode 295 - Shame, Social Bonds, and Internal Family Systems as shame social bonds (Dave Fearon, Jr.)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:44:58 +0000

This is Part 2 of episode 288 in which we showed how, as human language and group life evolved, special social emotions developed that sustain the relationships underlying enacted social actions. These are the emotions of shame, guilt, and pride. This episode shifts from the social bonds maintained between self and others to look "inward" to the bonds among aspects of our own selves. We discuss Internal Family Systems therapy which shows how the Self splits into Parts during child development. Shame among internal parts can sustain mental health problems that can be resolved by a respectful therapeutic conversation, repairing bonds among parts. Join us for another layer to our explanation of how practice works.

Episode 311: Episode 294 - The Boomerang Comes Back: What Business Leaders Face Today (Tom Casey)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 20:09:27 +0000

As Managing Partner of the Discussion Partner Collaborative, Tom Casey is not only watching the trends facing business leaders but also taking a stand. He speaks of the 'boomerang' of radical changes thrown at us last year, now coming back to confront leaders' values and their company's reputation.

Episode 310: Episode 293 - The Living Organization - He Sees a Better Way to Do Business (Norman Wolfe)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 21:08:28 +0000

Dave meets Norman Wolfe https://www.linkedin.com/in/wolfe/whose different way of viewing and guiding any organization is to see it as alive and very much like a human striving for results that matter. He consolidates this unique perspective in his bestselling book, The Living Organization: Transforming Business to Create Extraordinary Results.

Episode 309: Episode 292 - Socially Enacted Practice: Reflections and Ponderings

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 21:42:26 +0000

On the last day of 2025, Dave Jr. and his father, Dave Fearon Sr., take a moment to reflect on the key themes from their discussions throughout the year regarding socially enacted practices. They consider the socially and psychologically complex nature of these practices and recognize that there is much to learn together in 2026.

Episode 308: Episode 291 - Conversation with a True Promethean (Tom Bohinc)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 00:03:00 +0000

Prometheans unlock the mysteries of the cosmos. Tom Bohinc is boldly going to where he and we colleagues can think of leadership in altogether different ways. Anchoring the Promethean Project: " dedicated to making leading clear and leaders common - and challenging institutional and social convention and complacency.", uniquely shapes Tom's executive coaching. Dave sees his and Peter Vaill's probing of the unexplored nature of Practice dovetailing with Tom's Promethean work.

Episode 307: Episode 290 - Her Copy Editing Practice Blends with her Collegiate Studies in Germany (Mahaska Stiegler)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 20:45:09 +0000

Three years ago, Dave recorded a conversation with the young high school student who was providing surprisingly accurate and thoughtful copy editing for his book with the late Peter B. Vaill, On Practice as a Way of Being. He marveled at her love of the accordion. Wondering what she is doing now as a college student, he reached out to Mahaska Stiegler, who is now an exchange student at a German university. She is deepening her German language and cultural acumen while continuing her proofreading and copyediting services. Her accordion was too heavy to make the trip, so she is learning the accordina. All her practices blend into Mahaska's unique and promising way of being.

Episode 306: Episode 289 - Her Crocheted Sweaters Warm New Hampshire Children (Krisan Evenson)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 14:34:08 +0000

Can a retired professor with a Phd in Political Inquiry, Comparative Politics, Political Psychology from Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs find retired happiness crocheting and selling children's sweaters? Krisan Everson says, "Yes". Residing in her home state of New Hampshire, Krisan creates distinctive (and warm) children's sweaters and sells them in weekend community markets. She explains how her academic background in Foreign Affairs illuminates the cultural significance of handmade crafts.

Episode 305: Episode 288 - Origin and function of self, relationships, and shame in practice (Dave, Jr. and Dave, Sr Fearon)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 21:43:34 +0000

Dave & Dad continue their discussion series on enacted social action as it applies to emotions. We extend American Pragmatism philosopher George H. Mead's approach to self as I and Me, social acts and symbolic interaction to sociologist Thomas Scheff's social bond theory. From the communicative functions of primary emotions evolve composite emotions of shame, guilt, and pride. These social emotions are fundamental to maintaining social relationships and constitute language, as demonstrated in a close analysis of conversation. Part 2 of the discussion will explore therapeutic applications and consciousness.

Episode 304: Episode 287 - She is Music, Music, Music (Emily Castellon)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:28:55 +0000

Dave shows us the reason he has joined a church choir, 70 years after his last time. It is Connecticut Music Educator and Burlington Congregational Church Music Director Emily Lombardo Castellon. Her enthusiasm for all manner of performing music is transmitted not only to her adult choir but also to the fifth- and sixth-grade members of her school's band. Emily represents the devoted practices of thousands of Music Teacher Educators across the Country. She and they transform lives—even Dave's.

Episode 303: Episode 286 - Change Agrees with Him (Fredrick Miller)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 18:34:36 +0000

Toward the end of this episode, you will hear revered Organization Development practitioner Fred Miller speak enthusiastically about an unprecedented wave of change, presenting fundamentally new prospects for organizational development. No rocking chair on the porch for Fred; he will be out there in the future helping business leaders transform their companies. He and host Dave Fearon speak of their mutual admiration of Peter B. Vaill, co-founder of this Practice? Podcast and co-author of Practice as a Way of Being.

Episode 302: Episode 285 - Mining Uncertainty for Nuggets for Decision Makers (Tom Casey)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 14:03:10 +0000

Periodically, Dave checks in with leadership trend researcher and advisor Tom Casey to learn what practicing business leaders have on their minds. He and his Discussion Partners Collaborative colleagues ask the question, "What if all you believe to be accurate and possible is incorrect?" In these turbulent times, Tom discusses how leaders are holding their beliefs in suspension. They are advised to 'snap out of it'.

Episode 301: Episode 284 - Whitewater Kyacking is His Element (David Silk)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 19 Jul 2025 18:18:40 +0000

My friend and co-author Peter B. Vaill told us in his 1989 book, Managing as a Performing Art, to be ready to practice in permanent white water. David Silk kayaks daily in white waters raging in rivers around the globe. His practice has him racing among the top kayakers, exploring rivers around the world that have never been kayaked before, and teaching practitioners who are firmly committed to this challenging sport. In all ways, David is a whitewater professional.

Episode 300: Episode 283 - Their Idea is now Maine's Morning Moose Coffee

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 12 Jul 2025 16:53:05 +0000

Richmond, Maine sisters Olivia and Elsie Winokurzew drew upon lessons from their leadership experiences at Starbucks to create their own coffee and donut business, which was needed in their hometown. They named it Morning Moose Coffee. As committed entrepreneurs, they continue learning every day, even after successfully growing their business for over three years.

Episode 299: Episode 282 - How Cognition is Enacted in Practice and Conversation

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 16:39:53 +0000

Dave leads me through a process to understand understanding itself. What happens in real-time moments of cognition. is comprised of 6 E's, enacted, embodied, embedded, extended, emotional and exacting processes that are also visible in conversation. This is the latest in a series of episodes probing the nature of Practice. The YouTube version includes presentation slides.

Episode 298: Episode 281 - Human Intelligence Thrives in Her Company (Jessica Rich)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 15:03:23 +0000

"High Tech. Human Touch" is a logo of Walker Group led by co-CEO Jessica Rich. Dave knows human intelligence thrives there, even as they know and apply AI, because Walker Group is a registered Benefit Corporation and the first Perpetual Purpose Trust-Owned Company in Connecticut. They promise their practitioners a stable foundation for a long career. Jessica has been with Walker for over 22 years and has no plan or reason to lead elsewhere.

Episode 297: Episode 280 - Exploring the Physics of Socially Enacted Practices

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 17:38:32 +0000

Dave, Jr., and I had another conversation to discuss more dimensions of how information and practice in social behavior is not abstract but rooted in the real dynamics of physics, even at the quantum level. Explored this time are how enacted living systems are expressed by Constructor Theory, Assembly Theory, and Indivisible Stochastic Processes

Episode 296: Episode 279 - Leading is Making and Offering Meaning (John Varney)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 23:01:37 +0000

Dave meets a contemporary who thinks alike about the nature of leading as practice. John Varney founded the Centre for Management Creativity and High Trenhouse and the author of Leadership as Meaning. Enjoy his wisdom and lovely English accent.

Episode 295: Episode 278 - We Each Have an Origin Story Informing our Practices (Kim Byas)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 22 Feb 2025 19:57:39 +0000

Dave becomes acquainted with Dr. Kim Byas, who, among his several current endeavors, including Vice President of Community Engagement and Impact at The Center for Health Affairs, is a member of the Conscious Leadership Guild. In the course of this conversation, Kim introduces the concept of the origin story. Each of us has one, yet to inform and grow our practices, we can become more aware of this unique personal resource. Journaling is one way of doing so.

Episode 294: Episode 277 - Spirit at Work Guides Her Doctoral Practice (Kyndra Frazier)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 20:31:55 +0000

Dave introduces Kyndra Frazier, a doctoral student studying Organization Development and Change at Bowling Green University. She is well into her career as a pastor, social worker, and consultant and aims to become a chief spiritual officer in a progressive company.

Episode 293: Episode 276 - Her Genealogy Practice Grows with Her

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 15:52:57 +0000

Dave discovered that his versatile friend from 'way back' practices genealogy as an avocation. Barbara MacDonald Saabye, a fellow graduate of the Portland, Maine Deering High School Class of 1961, tells how searching for her grandfather's records captivated her interest in researching other family lineages. Forty years later, she uses Family Search.com to find the ancestry of friends and fellow genealogists.

Episode 292: Episode 275 - Two Practices Merge to Form a New Firm (Pam Potanka and John Kelly)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 21:34:45 +0000

Dave reconnects with his former student, Pam Potanka, to learn she is joining her former colleague, John Kelly, to blend their advanced managerial leadership practices to create a custom recruitment and development firm Arise Results Business Services.

Episode 291: Episode 274 - Offer the Predicate. Their is little choice otherwise (Tom Casey)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 18:31:51 +0000

Dave reconnects with Discussion Partner Collaborative Managing Principal Tom Casey to learn what his research tells senior leaders they are facing ahead in our time's raging Practice white waters. Vicarious trauma and Predicate are the two factors they have under discussion for leader development.

Episode 290: Episode 273 - Dave and Dad on Relevance Realization in Practice

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 19:27:04 +0000

Dave adds to our deep dive for the closest look so far at the socially-enacted nature of Practice, the ideas of philosopher and cognitive scientist John Vernaecke.; Relevance Realization in particular.

Episode 289: Episode 272 - Dave and Dad Bring Complexity into the Picture

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 22:53:42 +0000

Dave Jr. and his dad resume their exploration of social enaction and Practice by delving into Ralph Stacey's theories on complex responsive processes. Reading Stacey's books caused Dave to make a major revision to his doctoral dissertation, Social Enactoin: How TalkinInteraction Constitutes Social Organization.

Episode 288: Change is Afoot

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 21:25:18 +0000

I am at an entirely different point in my life as a recent widower. Talk about change! Accordingly, I am shifting my attention to practitioners who make our daily lives livable, many of whom are paid by the hour. Yet, they shine and see their role and work as a personal practice. I will both podcast conversations with them and create short videos telling their stories. Yes, change is afoot. I'll still post conversations with organization and leadership developers, but I will feature the people whose work I also admire.

Episode 287: Episode 14 - (Reprised) Practice is a Central Organizing Principle

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 18:22:41 +0000

I move past 12 and 13 to reprise this Episode 14 as the last one before I resume new podcasting. Peter gives us the "why" of our and your attention to Practice. It organizes what we think about our Practice, and Practice organizes us! Asked, "Who are you?', we tend to answer with what we do (Practice). Asked, "What do you love doing?" we may respond differently than what we are paid to do. That's Practice rising from our souls.

Episode 286: Episode 11 (Reprised) Is the sole purpose of leading change? Peter Vaill says so

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 18:05:03 +0000

Change makes the leader, and leading makes the change. Peter and Dave, co-authors of On Practice as a Way of Being, talk about leading as a dynamic practice available to anyone, at any moment, to make change happen

Episode 285: Episode 10 (Reprised) All of Us Have Practices of Something

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 14 Sep 2024 12:06:55 +0000

Peter and Dave continue their conversation probing the developmental nature of Practice. Episode 10 was recorded in 2019 as they collaborated on what became Peter's last book - On Practice as a Way of Being. People find something we have the energy to do, and we are driven to do it better each time.

Episode 284: Episode 9 (Reprised) Increasingly, Consistenly Produce Intended Results

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 07 Sep 2024 17:55:33 +0000

Dave and Peter deepened their thinking about practice, introduced in their digital book On Practice as a Way of Being. Over time, intended results teach practitioners what works and why. The payoff is increasing performance levels. If you stick with it, it sticks with you.

Episode 283: Episode 8 (Reprised) Digitizing Your Practices is Inevitable

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 18:06:39 +0000

Peter and Dave recorded in 2021. Peter predicted that digitizing our work and its context was accelerating. Today, Artificial Intelligence applications abound. Their book On Practice as a Way of Being is one of the first digital-only, interactive books. They went all in on this trend. Here is a preview.

Episode 282: Episode 7 (Reprised) - We Practice in a Socio-Technical Swirl

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 25 Aug 2024 18:42:32 +0000

Dave and Peter examine their conjecture in On Practice as a Way of Being, that there is a dynamic interflow of social and technical conditions. Four years later, AI technologies are mimicking human-social behaviors. Practice seeks the optimum experience of both.

Episode 281: Episode 6 (Reprise) - Peter and Dave Talk About 'Learning in the Mess".

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 15:05:17 +0000

This episode was initially recorded in late 2019, just as COVID invaded our lives and livelihoods. Then and now, it is a question of our desire and ability to learn as beginners. Change is changing. Can we keep up?

Episode 280: Episode 5 (Reprise) - Peter and Dave's Points of View on the Practitioner POV

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 20:49:26 +0000

Among the 32 Conjectures on why your practice matters in On Practice as a Way of Being is how Practice is perceptual and perspectival. What the person sees in moments of doing is what is acted upon (no matter what observers like Vaill and Fearon think is real). Listen to them form their points of view on points of view back in 2019.

Episode 279: Episode 4 (Reprise) Peter and Dave Continue to Probe the Nature of Practice

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 04 Aug 2024 14:47:54 +0000

The essence of Practice cannot be fully described through lists or agreements in this conversation. It is ultimately defined by each individual practitioner and so much more. Peter and Dave exchange ideas freely and formalize these ideas in their book On Practice as a Way of Being.

Episode 278: Episode 3 (Reprise) - Peter Vaill and Dave Fearon Clarifying the Nature of Practice

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 16:45:09 +0000

While collaborating on the final draft of On Practice as a Way of Being, Peter and Dave recorded conversations similar to those in the book to originate the Practice? Podcast. There are 32 conjectures about the complex, yet personal, nature of Pratice. Myths and assumptions are pondered in this episode.

Episode 277: Episode 2 (reprised) Peter Vaill and Dave - Conversation at the Origin of On Practice

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 14:59:53 +0000

Peter Vaill invited Dave to help him complete what was likely to be Peter's last book, On Practice as a Way of Being. In the Summer of 2019, Dave learned how to produce a podcast to capture the idea-rich conversations he was having with Peter. To us, and you, Practice is personal.

Episode 276: Episode 271 - He Frees Compassion from Hardened Male Minds (Sean Harvey)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 15:36:04 +0000

Chief Compassion Officer Sean Harvey's work with men in the most challenging roles and situations elicits a string of 'wows' from Dave. The author of Warrior Compassion: Unleashing the Healing Power of Men, Sean, offers hope that new systems and structures are emerging that favor our spirits in all endeavors.

Episode 275: Episode 270 - He Catches Telling Signs in the Ever-shifting Context for Leading (Tom Casey)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 13:59:09 +0000

Tom Casey and his firm, Discussion Partners Collaborative, constantly cast questions to various leaders to catch the emerging trends shaping the context for leading their organizations. Dave and Tom discuss the yield from the cast of this question. What do you find reprehensible in a leader? Clue. #1 is hypocrisy.

Episode 274: Episode 269 - Problem Solving at the Nexus Corporate Operations (Greg Balicki)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 23 Jun 2024 18:15:50 +0000

Corporate business operations are where multiple practices converge, with daily outcomes predicted and not. Dave's former student, Senior Vice President Greg Balicki, works at the nexus of Voya's converging business problems and opportunities to lead problem-solving projects addressing both.

Episode 273: Episode 268 -She Makes Space for Us to Do the Changing (Lisa Lloyd)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 16:33:50 +0000

People find the need and space to change by experiencing Lisa Lloyd's "bespoke support" designs. Dave enjoys this conversation with a fellow podcaster. Lisa is Beyond the Water Cooler. He agrees with her theme: "It's time for change."

Episode 272: Episode 267 - His Busines is the People Who Are the Business HR Huntsman)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 12:06:04 +0000

Dave talks with business growth specialist HR Huntsman and makes the pleasant discovery that The Leaders EDGE is his client company's people - all of them - working in a complex social system that his consulting makes lastingly real.

Episode 271: Episode 266 - She Revels in the Ambiguity of the Digital Future (ElisaTuijnder)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 19:07:23 +0000

Listening to Happiness at Work podcaster and agile leadership consultant Elisa Tuijnder is strangely encouraging. She is not hashing over the past (like Dave does). She is tossing digital breadcrumbs ahead of time for us to follow into the future.

Episode 270: Episode 265 - He Guides Business Owners Onward Into the Unknown (Scott Beebe)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 26 May 2024 18:55:10 +0000

Dave was intrigued by a business consultant about the founder of My Business on Purpose, Scott Beebe's logo - Liberating Owners from Chaos. These days, who doesn't need a coach who believes we can handle the yet-to-be-known future? Scott's 100+ business clients know the value of a steady guide.

Episode 269: Episode 264 - His Practice is Media Magic (Alexander Liteplo)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 19 May 2024 15:44:14 +0000

Dave met an actual AI content creator, Alex Liteplo, a practice for all our futures. Dave is trying out one of Alex's AI-generated clips to feature podcast episodes with his son Dave, Jr. The images correspond to Dave's words as in a dance. Magic!

Episode 268: Episode 263 - What Are You Discovering About AI? (Dave, Jr & Dave, Sr)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 11 May 2024 17:45:35 +0000

Social Enaction thinker Dave Fearon helps his dad Dave Fearon overcome his reluctance to accept AI as an inevitable presence in our practice lives.

Episode 267: Episode 262 - He Makes Space for Designing Conversations (Mark Bradford)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 06 May 2024 12:49:36 +0000

Dave returned (see Episode 257) to Relational Leadership thinker Mark Bradford to be with him in a virtual social space where designing thinking has plenty of room to bloom. And, for Dave, it did.

Episode 266: Episode 261 - Classical Music Is His Learning Sound Track (Paul Crick)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 28 Apr 2024 16:33:36 +0000

Dave and Paul Crick, Founder of Elevate Partnership, exchange insights into the marvelous mysteries of humans' behavior in leading, composing, and performing in concert. While you will not hear classical music in the background, it is the analogy to leading playing in their thoughts.

Episode 265: Episode 260 - Softball then, now, and forever (Hannah Cooper)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 19:05:36 +0000

Dave noticed that his former student Hannah Cooper, now a business analyst, was still the softball enthusiast he knew nearly ten years ago. Her practice evolved from player to coach to founder/trainer of Cooper Clinics. Hannah's vision is that girls and young women will develop in spirit, mind, and body with a sport they can play well into adulthood.

Episode 264: Episode 259 - He Studies the Sound of Silence (Freek Sanders)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 16:20:46 +0000

Freek Sanders, from the Netherlands, is an action researcher, poet, and certified executive coach, among other things. Dave finds his current focus on the role of silence in leadership discourse interesting. However, this episode is not 30 minutes of silence. Rather, it suggests that we could all benefit from more moments of peaceful quiet.

Episode 263: Episode 258 - He Helps Us See the Unseen (Leader) - Martin Gutmann

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 06 Apr 2024 15:19:43 +0000

Dave was attracted to the evocative title of Historian/Business Professor Martin Gutmann's new book - The Unseen Leader. This led to a rousing conversation and the promise to keep on learning with each other. Seeing is believing in the depth of leadership.

Episode 262: Episode 257 - His Practice Goes to the (Aikido) Mat (Mark Bradford)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 17:55:12 +0000

Dave always looks for thinkers who can contribute a different perspective to leading and developing our leadership and collaborative design practices. Dave had to reach all the way out from Connecticut to New Zealand, but he found BeWeDo founder, Aikido-inspired Mark Bradford fits this bill and so much more.

Episode 261: Episode 256 - Information Happens as We Practice (Dave, Jr & Dad)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 14:20:59 +0000

Son Dave Fearon continues informing me about the hidden 'goings on' as we humans create and use information in conversation, laying out the path for practice. The typed letters are not information until you read and give them meaning.

Episode 260: Episode 255 - He Brings Out the Best (yet) in Us (Tenneson Woolf)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 17 Mar 2024 18:15:16 +0000

Poet, coach, group process facilitator, and refreshingly kind person, Tenneson Woolf and Dave 'speak' in close harmony (singing is out of the question for Dave). They share ways, each in his way, gauges success as moments when guiding people releases untapped potential to solve and to soar.

Episode 259: Episode 254 - Teaching Becomes Her and Her College (Kathy Lund Dean)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 17:41:11 +0000

Dave and Kathy Lund Dean were recognized in subsequent years with the Management & Organizational Behavior Teaching Society's David L. Bradford Award for a lifetime of leadership focusing on teaching and learning. Years of creative accomplishments 'become' the person as a way of being. Kathy's unique role as The Board of Trustees Distinguished Chair in Leadership and Ethics is becoming to Gustus Adolfus College. Two unabashed lovers of teaching converse here.

Episode 258: Episode 253 - His Practice Earns Him Peanuts (Cornelius Uliano)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 19:40:37 +0000

Cornelius (Niel) Uliano tells Dave he was inspired to become a filmmaker in the eighth grade. And so he has! He left Newington, Connecticut, to attend film school four years later. Today, he is the Co-producer and writer of The Peanuts Movie. And, on to other Peanuts movies for Apple+... Well, listen, and Niel will tell his story. And to think he grew up two miles from Dave's campus and was the brother of Dave's favorite student, John Uliano!

Episode 257: Episode 252 - She Leads to Funding Better Lives (Robin Sharp)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 19:39:41 +0000

Easterseals campaigns and inter-organizational collaborations happen out of the goodness of people's hearts. President & CEO of Easterseals Capital Region & Eastern Connecticut, inc. Robin Sharp leads with a deep appreciation for volunteered resources whose disabled beneficiaries have a better quality of life.

Episode 256: Episode 251 - Once Upon Many Times - a Storied Practice (David Hutchens)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 16:15:17 +0000

I'll tell you a story about the sincerely practiced storyteller in this episode. David Hutchens taps into our humanity and finds the gold in real and true stories (or delightful fiction). Our stories. Our organisations' stories. Our town's stories. And he/we will live happily ever after.

Episode 255: Episode 250 - Still Exploring for New Ways for Developing Leadership Practice (Gary Lloyd)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 19:22:09 +0000

Leading is a skillful practice, and the founder of the Leadership Skills Lab, Gary Lloyd, never lets up on the quest for better ways. Dave realizes he has fallen behind his contemporary Gary, who is urging him to put AI (artificial intelligence) to this purpose. Well, the learning never ceases if you are majorly curious.

Episode 254: Episode 249 - Dave and Dad Talk About Time and Space - Always Real as Practice Contexts.

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 04 Feb 2024 17:23:59 +0000

We continue our series of 'Dave & Dad" learning conversations, looking closely for what happens in moments, engaging all our senses, and compelling our full consciousness. Our practices grow us forward, always landing us in a new time and place (even if the space seems to be the same as before, yet connected anew).

Episode 253: Episode 248 - Talking about Today's Distressing Context for Practice (Lizy Freudmann & Tom Casey)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 16:26:58 +0000

Our intentional practices have landed us amid a socio-political context of pessimism, anger, and even rage. Dave, Lizy, and Tom talk over such findings in a recent Discussion Partners Collaborative leadership sentiment survey. We still focus and do what we can to make things better.

Episode 252: Episode 247 - Exemplary Leading - Her Research. Her Practice (Kelly Gesmundo Clarke)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 20 Jan 2024 20:29:16 +0000

A Bowling Green State University Doctorate in Organization Development & Change was just conferred upon this seasoned leader whose research focuses on exemplary leaders in highly disruptive settings (COVID). Dr. Kelly Gesmundo Clarke goes now where uncertainty prevails to encourage exemplary leadership practice. "You can find Dr. Gesmundo Clarke here: Exemplary Leadership Institute

Episode 251: Episode 246 - Yes, Even Grieving Can Be a Practice (Kathryn Kaplan)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 17:11:55 +0000

Kathryn Kaplan is now a professional grief counselor. For most of her career, she was an Organization Development consultant. This is the fifth episode with Kathryn, each marking a transformational moment in her practice life. Her latest book, Dying With His Eyes Wide Open, prompts this reunion of two former Peter Vaill students. Dave ventures that we can choose to develop grieving losses as a practice.

Episode 250: Episode 245 - She brings Development to Each Engagement (Lisa Thomas)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 21:27:08 +0000

Dave discovers a natural teaching quality in his guest Organizational Development professional, Dr. Lisa Thomas. Mutual development happens in moments when Lisa is coaching, facilitating, or instructing. Her earnest desire for the betterment of others is palpable. You will experience it in this conversation.

Episode 249: Episode 244 - She Accounts for Her Practice (Kelly Harper)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 17:44:55 +0000

Dave's former student, Kelly Harper, CPA, manages her fortunate way of life as an accountant who constantly leads and learns. After doing so at several global corporations, Kelly brings her team's talents to corporate customers of Deloitte.

Episode 248: Episode 243 - How the Practice of Talk Really Works (Dave Fearon, Jr and his Dad)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 20:38:22 +0000

Dave Fearon, Jr. summarizes the progression of his Social Enaction thoughts across the 18 episodes of conversation with his co-inquiring father (me). This brings us to Conversational Analysis revealing the practice that holds us humans together (or apart). Talking.

Episode 247: Episode 242 - Her Practice is Changing Change for the Better (Carla McKnight)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 18:46:49 +0000

Vice-President of Organization Development & HR Carla McKnight's conversation with Dave gets him 'all fired up' for the community college movement as Carla talks about her constantly changing Valencia College, keeping up with the needs of the Central Florida communities. Changing again? Call Carla.

Episode 246: Episde 241 - Still Digging for the Natural Moments of Leadership (Don Dunoon)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 02 Dec 2023 18:54:55 +0000

Dave reaches across continents to see what fellow restless thinker Don Dunoon, Director of New Futures, has found since Episode 124 in August 2021. Plenty. He's still digging in the gold mine of natural conversation. He shares leadership 'finds' like the importance of safety.

Episode 245: Episode 240 - Diving into Complexity She Comes Up Smiling (Nicole Mata)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 25 Nov 2023 18:04:12 +0000

Dave loves to showcase former Management students who, then and now, are avid learners. Nicole, always up for change, moves into a new practicing estimating for jet engine transactions. "It's different every day".

Episode 244: Episode 239 - The Effect of His Digital Artistry is Special (Mike Zaman)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 17:31:22 +0000

Digital artist and special effects practitioner, Realtime Supervisor at the visual effect company Framestore, Mike Zaman introduces Dave to the vast, fast, and broadly cast world of digitally rendered art.

Episode 243: Episode 238 - He Advises and Learns in the Thick of It (Daryl Conner)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 16:24:26 +0000

Dave meets Daryl Conner, a change consultant who, for many decades, has performed at the epicenter of organizational strategic decision-making, learning with his clients at the point of change execution. While his global firm serves enterprises across the spectrum, Daryl advises international NGOs addressing "changes that matter."

Episode 242: Episode 237 - He Led Discovery of Leadership Gems in Childrend's Books (Tom Casey)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 05 Nov 2023 17:13:56 +0000

Tom Casey's Discussion Partner Collaborative shifted its leadership research practice to an unusual but elemental source of influence - ideas shaped by reading classic children's books. He and Dave sift through the gems of possibilities.

Episode 241: Episode 236 - Her Practice is Sweet (Amanda Pizzoferrato)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 18:38:39 +0000

Right now, Amanda Pizzoferrato is a Cookie Marketer. No, she's not a Girl Scout. Her's is the innovative Corso Cookie brand.
She loves the daily learning of launching a direct sales online marketing practice. It's not unlike her previous venture, 'cooking up' a popular sandwich cafe - the Sleepy Rooster. And yes, she's another of Dave's former students.

Episode 240: Episode 235 - Her Practice is Simply Presidential! (Glynis Fitzgerald)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 18:15:42 +0000

Dave reconnects with his former university colleague Glynis Fitzgerald to celebrate her recent ascendence to President of Alvernia University with a conversation about old times, now-times, and time up ahead. Glynis' sunny nature is now a beacon for her school, as it was for Dave's back then. This time, her practice is simply presidential!

Episode 239: Episode 234 - Teaching 5th Grade -the Hub of his Gallaxy of Practices (Matt Dicks)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 18:28:52 +0000

Many have one soul-satisfying practice around which other ways of being cluster. Teaching 5th graders is Matt Dick's primary way of being his best self. Storytelling in many forms and forums orbits and compliments his teaching. Dave salutes his fellow adventurous teacher.

Episode 238: Episode 233 - She Alway Answers the New Alternative Doorbell (Kate Barhart)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 18:22:57 +0000

Kate Barnhart and her old friend "Uncle Dave" talk about her extraordinary service accomplishment - New Alternatives for LGBT Homeless Youth in New York City. Kate was a close friend of his late niece Kate Spencer, who helped this agency when she could. During this conversation, the New Alternatives doorbell rang - a possible new client needing guidance, solutions, and a hot meal.

Episode 237: Episode 232 - Encouragng Our Full Potetial for Doing Good in the World (Judi Neal)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 18:20:16 +0000

Judi Neal, an inspirational global educator, and leader, encourages us to be Edgewalkers and to elevate our Global Consciousness. It does take courage to change for the better. Listening to Judi in this conversation with Dave, you may experience some of her positive energy right through your screen. Dave did.

Episode 236: Episode 231 - She Listens for the Good (Ideas) in Us (Bessi Graham)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 17:53:37 +0000

Thinking partner Bessi Graham is a writer, speaker, podcaster, and listener. Hear this in a getting-acquainted conversation with Dave, who suddenly says she is a conversation 'alchemist.' Bessi draws out one's ideas and better is found: a better way forward, a better way to direct business, a better way of being.

Episode 235: Episode 230 - His Practice Results in Safety (Jordan Wareham)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 17:11:36 +0000

"It is safe to say" that Senior Director of Operational Safety for Spirit Airlines Jordan Wareham is a superb organizational learner. In this conversation, you will see why Dave says this is so. The Operation constantly 'teaches' him what it takes to sustain its exceptional safety. In turn, he brings these lessons to all responsible leaders, and they to him. Safety learning takes flight at Spirit.

Episode 234: Episode 229 - His Practice is on (a) Track - Mike Hurczyn

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 17:51:07 +0000

Motorsports have been the roaring soundtrack of race driver Mike Hurczyn's career since childhood. Among the lessons Dave learns in this conversation with his former student is that all a driver's team does rides on the track on the 'second seat' in all aspects of a race. Mike now consults with those sponsoring and developing those vital teams and beyond.

Episode 233: Episode 228 - He Talks for the Towns (Bart Russell)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 11:56:21 +0000

Hundreds of thousands of people living in America's town have an advocate in Bart Russell. His practice is to know and care deeply about the small town way of life, telling their compelling story for positive change to major companies and government bodies. Dave has known Bart for forty years and is still amazed at how well he 'talks for the towns.'

Episode 232: Episode 227 - Teaching Organizational Behavior is His North (Michigan) Star (Gary Stark)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 13:02:52 +0000

Northern Michigan University Professor of Management Gary Stark found his place to thrive in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. He "talks shop" with Dave, who had, for 30 years, found his place to excel at teaching Organizational Behavior in a regional campus of the State University System. Both have been versatile leaders in the Management & Organizational Behavior Teaching Society celebrating its 50th year of "carrying the torch" for practice-enhancing learning.

Episode 231: Episode 226 - Teaching his Old Dad New Tricks (Dave Fearon, Jr.)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 16:44:59 +0000

Here is another conversation in which Dave Fearon, Jr. continues to teach his dad (me) how we humans are constantly fulfilling the promise of our practices and have the capacity called languaging to tell about it. Please think of the importance of other people when it comes to the telling. This usually happens in spirited conversations, when achievements are relived and made memorialized. It's the Talk of Fame.

Episode 230: Episode 225 - His Trumpet has Taken Him Far (Andy Forster)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 13 Aug 2023 16:41:52 +0000

Outstanding Maine Music Educator Andy Forter was found in the fifth grade by an attic trumpet. Many trumpets since have kept Andy learning, growing, and inspiring the same in thousands of rural Maine students for 35 years. Making music is his gift to audiences. Making musicians is his gift to Maine and beyond.

Episode 229: Episode 1 - Reprising our First Recorded Conversaton - August 2019 (Peter Vaill and Dave Fearon)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 18:59:53 +0000

Over 200 individuals have engaged in discussions with Dave, exploring the distinctive essence of their practices. The catalyst behind these conversations was Peter B. Vaill, who requested Dave's assistance in completing his manuscript entitled "On Practice as a Way of Being." Despite Peter's deteriorating health, these determined educators launched a podcast to convert words from pages to sound waves. Sadly, Peter passed away in March of 2020, and his voice is deeply missed by Dave and others.

Episode 228: Episode 224 - He Prospects for Work Energy with a Different Map (Martin Goldberg)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 17:19:24 +0000

Recovering from COVID when he recorded this conversation, Dave knows first-hand what it means to Practice drained of energy. Martin Goldberg's new book Out of the Workplace Trap rolls out a different map (the works of Wilhelm Reich) for releasing natural human reservoirs of what Martin calls work energy. To Dave, this opens fresh ways to foster organizational development and Practice development tying in with On Practice as a Way of Being.

Episode 227: Episode 223 - Executive Decisions are His Legacy, Craft, and Study (David Mansfield)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 16:44:24 +0000

Entering his seventh decade, David Mansfield looks back at his years as CEO of a major UK media corporation, his satisfying times as an advisor/coach to senior leaders, and now, ahead as a student of effective decision-making. Hear Dave's conversation with this Monday Revolutionary.

Episode 226: Episode 222 - He Hears Computers Talking to Him (Dan Oleksiw)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 15 Jul 2023 15:18:59 +0000

Diagnosing is a practice we rely upon in many fields. It takes 'a keen ear". Since his early teens, Dan Oleksiw has built and repaired PCs for his family's small business Computer Heads. Now, he chairs an IT department at a Connecticut Technical High School. Still helping out on weekends, Dan 'heard" Dave ailing PC's more profound problems and enacted a fix prompting this conversation. Dan's depth of experience told him "something was still not quite right," even after several part replacements. This very computer now works like a charm.

Episode 225: Episode 221 - He Made a Company from Scratch (John Hibbs)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 08 Jul 2023 23:42:57 +0000

Perhaps John Hibbs was walking an Island of Guernsey beach when the first ideas for his company, CoEfficient, came to him. His practice is as a Maker, a co-maker of companies that help us see a business as its workers see it. This one is several Guernsey beach rock-skips along, but Dave finds it fascinating and promising for his Organization Development community.

Episode 224: Episode 220 - Practice Caught in the ACT (Dave, Sr & Dave, Jr.)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 17:31:06 +0000

Here is my conversation with my son Dave asking him to take me back to his learnings from George Herbert Meade. As you will hear, all there is about Practice happens at the moment we ACT. Picture holding your finger above the Send key. Then, send it! This ACT commits us to know what happens now and not know what will come next. The thrill of figuring out how to ACT upon what comes next energizes the associated Practice. Like it or not, we are 'caught in the ACT' and must change.

Episode 223: Episode 219 - He's Got the Music in Him (Rijon Ericson)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 25 Jun 2023 19:27:34 +0000

Dave discovers something else about Practice. Music is at the core of Rijon Ericson's way of being, yet today he works as a people-gatherer. He draws people together for moments of free expression in the Open Space; not unlike a wandering troubadour of an earlier time. Yes, change can be wrenching and difficult, but why not try sheer fun with the singing Purple Person, Mr. Rijon?

Episode 222: Epsode 218- Youth is not eternal, but his teaching is (Ian Mitroff)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 18 Jun 2023 21:06:53 +0000

Dave relishes this conversation with a professor whose career, like Peter Vaill's, began among the taproots of thinking, writing, and managing Organizational Behavior. Ian Mitroff is still drawing hope and energy from those who believe in the power of the human spirit. Dave and Ian -a leading thinker on Crisis Management - agree there has never been a better time for each of us to supply that power to the world.

Episode 221: Episode 217 - His Practice is research. His results help people change (Richard Boyatzis)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sun, 11 Jun 2023 16:46:13 +0000

Dave has a lively conversation with fellow Management Educator Richard Boyatzis. Richard's research practice informs his highly regarded teaching, writings, and consultations. His current interest is coaching which helps people make timely changes. This dovetails with Dave and Peter Vaill's focus on changing and growing to keep a practice viable in times of constant change.

Episode 220: Episdode 216 - She Thrives and Learns at the Point of Action (Hilary Bradbury)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 27 May 2023 17:33:27 +0000

Action IS the point of Hilary's research and of her Action Research peers. A Zoom call connects Dave with Hilary in her home in Ireland for a conversation where you'll hear her joy in convening people to apply collective thinking and caring to understand better and solve world problems.

Episode 219: Episode 215 - Pricing is Her Way of Being Katie (Katie Wei)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Tue, 23 May 2023 10:57:59 +0000

When a person channels her practice over decades of use and learning, it becomes a prominent and reliable way of being. This is Cloudbed's Senior Pricing Analyst Katie Wei. We all know that everything we purchase has a price. Katie is teaching her former professor Dave that there is an art and science in determining what we customers value.

Episode 218: Episode 213 - They Prognosticate About the New Future of our Workforce (Lesley Tracy and Tom Casey)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 06 May 2023 16:03:16 +0000

Dave joins Leadership and Change consultants Lesley Tracy and Tom Casey in 'prognosticating' what is happening with our five-generation workforce, changing the hiring game for organization leaders.

Episode 217: Episode 214 - Quality is Evolving and So Is Joe (Joe De Feo)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 06 May 2023 15:33:43 +0000

Dave has followed, supported, and learned with Joe De Feo's Juran-Attain's Quality Management education practice for over 40 years. Like Dave, Joe has 'gone digital.; reaching people with new QM tools for making their practices indispensable.

Episode 216: Episode 212 - Her Latest Result is an Unexpected Memoir (Kathryn Kaplan)

David Fearon and Peter Vaill — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 16:33:46 +0000

Practice is a way of being. A memoir tells us and others what we've been and why. Author, consultant, and now grief support counselor Kathryn Kaplan talks with Dave about how her new book - Becoming Visible to Myself - came to be. We are all living an imagined memoir. Kathryn made hers real.