Sidewalk Talk

💬🧡 Want better relationships? Start with better listening. Every strong connection—whether at home, at work, or in your community—begins with the kind of listening that feels safe, respectful, and real. That’s exactly what our HEAR training is designed to offer. It’s not therapy, and it’s not a performance. It’s a powerful, practical set of tools to help you build trust, set healthy boundaries, and be truly present with the people in your life. Because when people feel heard, relationships thrive—and so do we. 🎓 Invest in yourself and the people you care about. Begin your listening journey at www.sidewalk-talk.org. . . #sidewalktalk #mentalhealthusa #usa #sanfrancisco #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthrecovery #endthestigma #mindfulness #personalgrowth #selfcarematters #anxietyawareness #emotionalwellbeing #mentalhealthadvocate #itsokaytonotbeokay #selfcare #selflove #depression #love #health #wellness #heartcentered #personaldevelopmentjourney #personalgrowthjourney #selfgrowth #mentalhealthsupport

Want to be part of something real, meaningful, and deeply human? Volunteer with us on the Sidewalk Talk Bus Tour! We’re calling on open-hearted individuals to help us turn ordinary sidewalks into powerful spaces of connection and healing. Whether you join us in one city or ride along for the full journey, your presence can make a profound impact. You don’t need a title, degree, or special credentials — just a willingness to show up, listen with compassion, and hold space for others. This is about community, empathy, and the quiet power of being there for someone. Ready to take a seat and help us create change? Sign up to volunteer or learn more at www.sidewalk-talk.org. . . #sidewalktalk #mentalhealthusa #usa #sanfrancisco #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthrecovery #endthestigma #mindfulness #personalgrowth #selfcarematters #anxietyawareness #emotionalwellbeing #mentalhealthadvocate #itsokaytonotbeokay #selfcare #selflove #depression #love #health #wellness #heartcentered #personaldevelopmentjourney #personalgrowthjourney #selfgrowth #mentalhealthsupport

The 2025 Listening Bus Tour is more than a journey — it’s a nationwide movement to reconnect people through the power of presence. If you’re a brand or organization looking to stand for something meaningful, we invite you to partner with us as we take heart-centered listening from coast to coast. Our mission is simple yet powerful: to foster mental health, reduce loneliness, and build genuine human connection, one sidewalk conversation at a time. With your sponsorship, we can expand our reach, impact more lives, and train more people in the art of compassionate listening. This is your chance to align with a movement that’s creating real, measurable change. Be part of the impact. Learn more about sponsorship opportunities at www.sidewalk-talk.org. . . #sidewalktalk #mentalhealthusa #usa #sanfrancisco #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthrecovery #endthestigma #mindfulness #personalgrowth #selfcarematters #anxietyawareness #emotionalwellbeing #mentalhealthadvocate #itsokaytonotbeokay #selfcare #selflove #depression #love #health #wellness #heartcentered #personaldevelopmentjourney #personalgrowthjourney #selfgrowth #mentalhealthsupport

💛 Meet the heartbeat of Sidewalk Talk: our incredible volunteers. Behind every sidewalk conversation is a compassionate soul who chose to pause their day and hold space for another human being. They are artists, teachers, students, parents—people from all walks of life who believe in the power of listening. These volunteers don’t come to fix; they come to witness, to connect, and to help others feel seen. As we journey across the country, we’ll be sharing their voices, their insights, and the quiet magic that happens when people simply show up for each other. This movement wouldn’t exist without them—and it wouldn’t exist without you. 🌟 Get inspired and find your place in the movement at www.sidewalk-talk.org. . . #sidewalktalk #mentalhealthusa #usa #sanfrancisco #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthrecovery #endthestigma #mindfulness #personalgrowth #selfcarematters #anxietyawareness #emotionalwellbeing #mentalhealthadvocate #itsokaytonotbeokay #selfcare #selflove #depression #love #health #wellness #heartcentered #personaldevelopmentjourney #personalgrowthjourney #selfgrowth #mentalhealthsupport

🚌 The Listening Bus Tour is hitting the road, and we want you to be part of it! This May, we’re bringing heart-centered listening to sidewalks across the U.S., one city at a time — from Kansas City to Pittsburgh. It’s more than a tour; it’s a gentle call to pause, reconnect, and rediscover the power of simply being human together. We’ll be in Kansas City (May 5), St. Louis (May 6), Louisville (May 7), Cincinnati (May 8), Columbus (May 9), and Pittsburgh (May 10), setting up chairs and creating space for real connection. No judgment. No fixing. Just presence. Whether you’re curious about volunteering, ready to share your story, or want to see what radical empathy looks like in action, we’d love for you to join us. 💛 Find all the tour details and how you can get involved at www.sidewalk-talk.org. . . #sidewalktalk #mentalhealthusa #usa #sanfrancisco #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthrecovery #endthestigma #mindfulness #personalgrowth #selfcarematters #anxietyawareness #emotionalwellbeing #mentalhealthadvocate #itsokaytonotbeokay #selfcare #selflove #depression #love #health #wellness #heartcentered #personaldevelopmentjourney #personalgrowthjourney #selfgrowth #mentalhealthsupport

🌍🌍 In a world filled with noise, division, and disconnection, listening has become one of the most radical and healing acts we can offer. It creates unity where there’s been distance, builds bridges where walls have gone up, and gently reminds us that we’re not alone in what we’re feeling or facing. That’s the heart of our upcoming bus tour — a journey to reconnect communities one sidewalk conversation at a time. No scripts. No expectations. Just real, human presence and the courage to truly hear one another. 🫶 Be part of something that brings us back to each other. Learn more or get involved at www.sidewalk-talk.org. . . #sidewalktalk #mentalhealthusa #usa #sanfrancisco #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthrecovery #endthestigma #mindfulness #personalgrowth #selfcarematters #anxietyawareness #emotionalwellbeing #mentalhealthadvocate #itsokaytonotbeokay #selfcare #selflove #depression #love #health #wellness #heartcentered #personaldevelopmentjourney #personalgrowthjourney #selfgrowth #mentalhealthsupport

🎓 Last chance to enroll in our transformative 5-week Listening Training! Whether you’re a leader, a caregiver, a community builder, or simply someone who wants to connect more deeply with others — this experience is for you. You'll learn how to hold space with compassion, listen with healthy boundaries, and strengthen your ability to truly be present with others. These aren’t just communication tools — they’re life skills that change how we relate, connect, and build meaningful relationships. Spots are limited, and enrollment is closing soon! 🌱 Don’t miss this opportunity to grow in connection. Secure your spot today at www.sidewalk-talk.org . . #sidewalktalk #mentalhealthusa #usa #sanfrancisco #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthrecovery #endthestigma #mindfulness #personalgrowth #selfcarematters #anxietyawareness #emotionalwellbeing #mentalhealthadvocate #itsokaytonotbeokay #selfcare #selflove #depression #love #health #wellness #heartcentered #personaldevelopmentjourney #personalgrowthjourney #selfgrowth #mentalhealthsupport

Ever since I started studying the STAIR method with Juliane Taylor Shore, I’ve felt lit up about diving deeper into brain science. And I’m even more excited to begin my second year with STAIR and a new yearlong deep-dive into interpersonal neurobiology under Bonnie Badenoch’s wise teaching—after I return from the Sidewalk Talk listening bus tour. Why all this learning? -Because I want my work to stay relational and emergent, not diagnosis-driven or transaction-based which blocks deep change. -Because co-regulation, presence, and attunement aren’t just soft skills—they’re brain-changing, and they are the evidence-based practice of care. -Because when we understand how the mind actually heals, we can show up differently. Not as fixers or experts, but as humans who feel and undo the aloneness that makes us unwell and unable to engage with life's hard stuff. -Because feeling good all the time isn't health but relating to ourselves in our feelings is. And maybe one more reason: I’ve spent the last 10 years building Sidewalk Talk—anchored in the belief that listening changes people. But not just any listening. ->Listening without fixing is a relational brain skill. ->It requires embodiment, trauma-informed presence, and neurobiological awareness. Planning this bus tour showed me something else: ->When I overuse my transacting brain (because I have )—to get things done, stay on task, push productivity to the max—my health takes a hit - it did take a hit. Once I post this I am off for job in the spring sun. So this learning isn’t just for clients. It’s for me, too. And while I love AI (and even encourage my therapy clients to use it!), what it can’t do is the relating, attunement, and co-regulation work that makes us healthy miraculous humans. If you want to learn these brain-based listening skills, my colleague Travia "Trae" Fitzpatrick, MBA is launching the next cohort of HEAR at the end of May. Get on the waitlist now if you're curious. Link to sign up in comments. In the slides that follow, I explore a theme I’ve been thinking about lately: 🧠 We spend so much time in the transacting brain—seeking answers, certainty, productivity—that we’re neglecting the relating brain, the part that truly helps us heal, connect, and thrive. The result? -->We know more than ever… but we often feel more anxious, more alone, and more disconnected. -->Swipe through for a brain-based perspective on why that’s happening—and how we can start to shift. #RelatingSkills #TraumaInformed #ListeningSkills

⏳ The countdown is on — just four weeks until the Sidewalk Talk Listening Bus hits the road! This journey isn’t just about traveling from city to city; it’s about transforming everyday sidewalks into sacred spaces where people feel safe to open up, be heard, and feel human again. At every stop, we’re creating moments that matter — where stories are welcomed without judgment and empathy becomes a powerful ripple effect across communities. This isn’t just a tour. It’s a call to reconnect with one another, heart to heart, one conversation at a time. 🚌 Want to help us make this magic happen? Share, support, or sign up to listen at www.sidewalk-talk.org. . . #sidewalktalk #mentalhealthusa #usa #sanfrancisco #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthrecovery #endthestigma #mindfulness #personalgrowth #selfcarematters #anxietyawareness #emotionalwellbeing #mentalhealthadvocate #itsokaytonotbeokay #selfcare #selflove #depression #love #health #wellness #heartcentered #personaldevelopmentjourney #personalgrowthjourney #selfgrowth #mentalhealthsupport

We’re going on tour to listen—face to face, on city sidewalks, for Mental Health Awareness Month. But the truth is, listening starts before we ever arrive. To understand people, we need to understand place. That’s why we’re collecting reflections from people like you—residents, neighbors, memory-keepers, artists, cultural workers, long-timers, newcomers—anyone who carries a piece of their city’s story. 💬 What makes your city unique? 💬 What’s often overlooked? 💬 What has your city taught you? ✨ We’ll use what you share to write a short reflection about each city and offer it to your local newspaper—to honor the complexity, grief, beauty, and brilliance already rooted in the place. 🔗 Take the short survey (just 10 questions): bit.ly/StoryOfYourCity (or link in Instagram Bio) 📩 Pass it on to someone who knows the soul of your city. #ListeningTour #StoryOfPlace #WeAreListening