Dr. B is back - with a new co-host Juliana Rodrigues. Before 2025 ends and the new one begins - they discover that they share a common ritual of ending/beginning the year. In this episode, they share about that and also ponder how NVC awareness can be a more intentional part of the process. We hope you enjoy and Happy New Year.

This is Ryan and Dr. B's last episode together. In it, they explain what is going on with The Bigbie Method and the podcast. There is also an offering to folks to help keep it going - for those interested.

For those of you on the NVC journey - do you ever get frustrated with the learning or with the process? Welcome to the F NVC Club! Seems like it is a common phenomenon to have moments when you want to give up on NVC and revert back to previous and easier communication patterns. Episode 272 is all about those moments.

Episode 271 was a fun one for Dr. B and Ryan to record. In it, they model the reflecting part of NVC empathy and they do it consistently throughout the episode. As they do so, they talk about why this may be helpful in our conversations. They also go into some of the nuances of using this in our speech - what does or doesn't work and did into the why of that. We hope you enjoy listening and challenge yourself to reflecting a bit more in your conversations.

In this episode, Dr. B and Ryan discuss one of the "easy" practices of NVC - asking permission before launching into a discussion (especially if it's going to be a difficult conversation.) Dr. B recently forgot to do what she preaches - and it was immediately apparent how this was the stimulus for some disconnection. Our hope is that you have an easy takeaway of one piece of the NVC process that you can start practicing with relative ease quickly.

What is the difference between listening and waiting to speak? Why does this distinction matter? And how does NVC help with all of this? In Episode 269, Dr. B and discuss all of this and more.

One of Dr. B's very first students recently reminded her of a "success" story with NVC and we thought it might be helpful sharing it here. Through this story, you can hear how one person worked through the NVC process in a "sticky" situation and ended up with a very connecting outcome as a result.

Do feelings come from thoughts? Who cares anyway? And how is all this connected to NVC? Listen in to Episode 267, where Dr. B and Ryan discuss all of this and more.

In Episode 266, Ryan and Dr. B discuss the similarities between practicing NVC and working out at a gym. In the end, they decide the analogy might be better framed as being an empathy dojo. Listen in and learn why.

In this episode, Dr. B and Ryan talk about stimulus and response. What is the difference and how does it pertain to NVC. Ultimately, our thinking is responsible for how one experiences any situation and, thus, in all kinds of scenarios (even the really hard ones) we have the ultimate power and responsibility. Is this true? Tune in as we mull this around.

Why is it that the people with whom we are closest are also the ones with whom we forget to use our NVC skills? What on earth can we do about this? Dr. B and Ryan go into this topic that seems to resonate with so many.

Though they have talked about Connecting Requests on previous episodes, here Dr. B and Ryan look at the usefulness of one particular Request when it comes to the issue of sharing intentions versus impact. As it turns out, the NVC Connecting Request, "How was that for you to hear?" can be a very simple way of ensuring that our communications address impact. Listen in to learn more.

What if we could enter into all difficult conversations with a sense of curiosity? Even if we don't have NVC skills or knowledge, by just setting the stage with this idea of curiosity - could that be enough to help create connection - even in hard interactions? Join Dr. B and Ryan as they discuss this idea.

Can you actually feel fat or feel old? Are these actual feelings or thoughts/judgments? Dr. B and Ryan take a deep dive into this question in Episode 261.

In this episode, Ryan shares about a situation where he had some mournings about how he responded and Dr. B models a bit of empathy. But, the larger discussion has to do with things that shape our views and how staying close and present to people and viewing from primarily and observational lens can create more connection for ourselves and others.

We don't mean to make this a competition between empathy and other ways of responding. In fact, there are times when relating, giving advice, commiserating, championing, etc. might be helpful and connecting. However, in this episode, Dr. B shares some recent experiences where empathy was much in need and "Other Conversational Responses" would have only brought about more harm and disconnection. The point here is not to do away with our responses but to use them with awareness and for the intention towards connection. Most of the time, empathy does bring us to that.

We find it helps to model and practice NVC empathy over and over again. So, that's what we are doing for Episode 258. Ryan was feeling a bit overwhelmed, so Dr. B steps into hearing him deeply and without using those "Other Conversational Responses." Listen in and see what Dr. B is and is not doing so that a sense of connection can occur within Ryan and between Ryan and Dr. B.

In the NVC world, there tends to be a lot of emphasis on giving empathy and hearing other deeply. However, there is a whole other part of the NVC process that is equally as important - and that is the expressing piece. Listen in to Episode 257, when Dr. B and Ryan discuss how to express in a way that can land a bit easier for the other person involved in the communication.

At The Bigbie Method, we advocate for starting with empathy first when in conflict. This usually allows for more openness when one goes to express their side of the equation. However, this seems to be a stumbling block for many. Why and how to get around it? Listen in for some ideas and examples to help with this.

In this week's episode, Dr. B interviews a longtime student on his application of NVC in the world of parenting. Parenting can bring about so many challenges and just the strategy of listening first (by the parents) can be a game changer.