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For the last century or so, we\u2019ve been told that we\u2014humans\u2014are the problem, not the society in which we live. What if the opposite was actually true? Dr. Niobe Way thinks so, and she\u2019s ready to tell you why. On this episode of The Sidewalk Talk podcast, Traci sits down for a conversation with NYU professor and founder of the Project for the Advancement of our Common Humanity (PACH), Dr. Niobe Way.\xa0\nDr. Niobe founded PACH after spending years talking with students in middle school classrooms, specifically boys, about their feelings when it comes to friendship, life, and connection. Throughout their conversation, Traci and Niobe tackle the many issues embedded within our culture that work to de-humanize us, Niobe\u2019s newest initiative\u2014The Listening Project\u2014and the power of transformative interviewing, and the scientific evidence pointing to the current crisis of connection we\u2019re facing not only in the U.S., but around the world. If you\u2019ve ever wondered if a single person determined to listen and not judge the individual sitting across from them can change the world, this is your proof that listening can in fact restore our humanity and change our culture for the better. Sit with Traci and Niobe as they engage in this heavy, yet hopeful, conversation.\xa0\n\xa0\nEpisode Milestones\n[00:07] Intro\xa0\n[03:07] Meet Dr. Niobe Way\xa0\n[15:05] Issues in the culture that de-humanize us\xa0\n[21:13] Niobe\u2019s story on friendships between boys in the classroom\xa0\xa0\n[28:45] The Listening Project and transformative interviewing\xa0\n[45:37] Traci and Niobe\u2019s dreams for disrupting the culture and addressing the crisis of connection\xa0\n[48:32] The scientific evidence behind the crisis of connection\xa0\xa0\n[54:59] Niobe\u2019s word for you\xa0\n[1:01] Outro\xa0\n\xa0\nResources Mentioned\nPACH \u2013 The Project for the Advancement of our Common Humanity\xa0\nThe Science of Human Connection\nDeep Secrets: Boys\u2019 Friendships and the Crisis of Connection\xa0\nThe Crisis of Connection: Roots, Consequences, and Solutions\xa0\n\xa0\nStandout Quotes from the Episode\n\u201cWe born wanting, starving, for connection to each other. And that\u2019s basically all we want in our lives: to be deeply connected to one another and to connect to ourselves as well.\u201d\u2014Dr. Niobe Way\xa0\n\u201cWe\u2019ve created a culture that clashes with our nature.\u201d\u2014Dr. Niobe Way\xa0\n\u201cWe say, \u2018the problem is you, not the culture in which you live.\u2019\u201d\u2014Dr. Niobe Way\xa0\n\u201cThe problem is that we have created this culture that\u2019s based on this hierarchy of humanness. It\u2019s very critical that we stop taking the symptom and treating it as if it\u2019s the problem, because it\u2019s a symptom of a problem.\u201d \u2014Dr. Niobe Way\xa0\n\u201cIf it\u2019s just about holding hands and being nice to each other, it\u2019s not going to get far because we\u2019re not disrupting the fundamental structure that creates the problem.\u201d\u2014Dr. Niobe Way\xa0\n\u201cAt the root of all good connection is interpersonal curiosity.\u201d\u2014Dr. Niobe Way\xa0\n\u201cThe question is not, \u2018how do we punish that person? But, \u2018how do we understand what happened so that it doesn\u2019t happen again?\u2019\u201d\u2014Dr. Niobe Way\xa0\n\u201cListening is not just simply about shutting up. It\u2019s about engaging with people around their questions. Learning from someone else about the answers to your own questions. Valuing interpersonal curiosity. Seeing connection not just as connecting on social media, but actually allowing someone to be seen, and heard, and listened to.\u201d\u2014Dr. Niobe Way\xa0\n\u201cWe need to start from a place of humanity and who we are as humans, in order for us to get to a more just and humane place. And until we start from that place, we\u2019re never going to get there.\u201d \u2014Dr. Niobe Way\xa0\n\xa0\nConnect:\nFind | Sidewalk Talk Podcast\nAt sidewalk-talk.org\nOn Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg\nOn Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg\n\xa0\nFind | Traci Ruble\nAt Traciruble.com\nOn Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT\nOn Twitter: @TraciRubleMFT\nOn Facebook: @TraciRubleMFT