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What does it mean to truly listen—both to ourselves and to others?

This week on Connection From Here, hosts Ashley Perry and Rhianna Wiggins sit down with Daniel Weinshenker, founder of EchoStory and a pioneer in digital storytelling. Together, they explore how sharing and witnessing stories creates authentic connection in a world where traditional community spaces can feel scarce or out of reach.

Daniel’s 25 years of experience helping people narrate their journeys—whether around a dinner table, in a workshop, or coping with life’s hardest moments—set the foundation for a discussion that weaves personal reflection, empathy, and the radical act of listening. From childhood memories to community myth-making, and from sitting with grief to empowering marginalized voices, this episode is an invitation to reimagine how we connect, heal, and grow together.

Daniel Weinshenker is the founder and director of EchoStory a storytelling organization based in Denver, CO. He is one of the most seasoned digital storytelling practitioners in the world, having spent 25 years with StoryCenter - the creators of the digital storytelling movement.

Over that time, Daniel has helped over 8000 people around the world find and tell their stories in the form of mini movies. He started the Nurstory program and has trained nurses and nurse educators in reflective storytelling for compassion fatigue, moral injury, burnout prevention and working through ethical dilemmas

Daniel is a TEDx speaker, has keynoted conferences around the world, and is a widely published writer.

Topics covered:

• How growing up in a caring family amidst silencing community norms fueled Daniel’s passion for agency in storytelling
• Why digital storytelling is a powerful tool for connection, allowing people to witness each other’s true experiences and break down barriers of loneliness and misunderstanding
• Why listening is an act of love and how it creates space for others and ourselves to feel seen, validated, and connected
• How safe spaces help people express and discover their truest selves across all stages of life

By holding space for your own story and listening with honesty and compassion, you build the foundation to truly witness and connect with others.

Watch the episode on YouTube here!

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Learn more about HopeBase at https://www.gethopebase.com/ and our community at https://hopebasecommunity.mn.co/

Connect with Daniel:

LinkedIn | YouTube | TEDx Talk | Talking Documentary Episode | The Impact That the Stories We Tell About Ourselves Have On Identity Formation

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Are you searching for an authentic community and deeper connection in today’s ever-changing world?

This week on Connection From Here, host Ashley Perry sits down with longtime friend, author, and mom of four, Anna MacArthur. Together, they explore what it means to build intentional, supportive communities, both as parents and people looking for belonging beyond traditional institutions.

Anna shares insights from her debut book, Hope for Moms: It's Tough Out There, But So Are You, weaving together stories of her own evolving journey as a parent, her interracial family, and how learning to say “yes” to help and staying open to vulnerability transformed her family’s relationships and her understanding of community.

Anna McArthur is a mom to four kids, including two recent college grads and twin girls who are high schoolers. She is a blogger, newspaper guest columnist, and contributor to parenting magazines and websites, including Her View From Home and the Motherly Collective. Anna’s essays have recently been published by Grown and Flown and Business Insider. A graduate of Clemson University and Columbia Theological Seminary, Anna lives in Georgia with her husband and their teenage girls.

Topics covered:

• How parenting can shift our understanding of community from proximity to intentional connection.
• The power of accepting help and embracing grace, humility, and vulnerability.
• Creating environments where children can be their authentic selves through continual learning and openness.
• Why building real relationships across differences is key to genuine inclusion.
• The importance of lending privilege and taking action, not just offering support.
• Asking “What is mine to do within 50 yards of me?” to inspire small, meaningful change.

Building communities where everyone can show up as their authentic self doesn’t mean being perfect. It means being open, humble, and willing to learn alongside those you love.

Watch the episode on YouTube here!

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast, telling us what you found insightful!

Learn more about HopeBase at https://www.gethopebase.com/ and our community at https://hopebasecommunity.mn.co/

Connect with Anna:

Hope For Moms Book | Blog

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GetHopeBase.com

HopeBase Instagram

YouTube

Join the HopeBase Community

Join the HopeBase Community!

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Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of religious trauma and self-harm.

One of the most important pillars of a good community is being able to show up as your whole self, being welcomed and accepted as such. But for many of us, it takes time to find this type of community for ourselves, and we go through a lot of heartache in the process. Today’s guest, Reverend Robert Arnáu, is no stranger to this journey and joins us to share his story of surviving conversion therapy and religious trauma to finding true belonging in an affirming spiritual community. Episode 8 of Connection from Here is about healing and authenticity beyond religious trauma.

Rev. Robert Daniel Arnáu is a queer, neurodivergent spiritual director, coach, and minister based in Massachusetts. Raised in the Bronx by his fierce Puerto Rican abuela and Nuyorican mother, he is a survivor of conversion therapy and now offers trauma-informed spiritual direction and coaching for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC/Latiné individuals healing from religious trauma. Ordained through the Metropolitan Community Churches, he currently serves as a minister with The Faith Community in Atlanta, GA. His spiritual path is expansive and deeply rooted in liberation, blending non-Christian-nationalist Christianity with secular Buddhism, reiki, tarot, and ecumenical mysticism. At the core of his work is a belief in the sacredness of bodies, stories, and chosen family. Rob is the author of Sabor Zen, a pocket prayer book inspired by Buddhist precepts and infused with cultural soul—a gentle yet grounded invitation into mindful and embodied living. His approach bridges the mystical and the practical, offering clarity, compassion, and a fierce commitment to justice and healing in every space he enters.

Topics covered:

• The warmth– and the wounds– of being raised in a conservative church as a queer person.
• Rob recounts his experience surviving conversion therapy, illustrating the deep psychological and spiritual scars it can leave.
• The search for community beyond traditional spaces and how Rob found acceptance and healing within an LGBTQ+ affirming church.
• How our wounds can become sources of wisdom and how reclaiming our narrative can become an inspiration to others on similar journeys.

Your need for connection is real, natural, and important. As Rob’s story powerfully reveals, the path to wholeness is often found in safe, affirming community, where every part of you is welcome.

Watch the episode on YouTube here!

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast, telling us what you found insightful!

Learn more about HopeBase at https://www.gethopebase.com/ and our community at https://hopebasecommunity.mn.co/

Connect with Robert:

Website

Sabor Zen, a pocket prayer book inspired by Buddhist precepts and

flavored with cultural soul

Sacred & Salty Newsletter (Substack)

Spiritual Directors International Profile

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Join the HopeBase Community!

A caring, inclusive community for those seeking real connection, thoughtful conversations, & support.

Start your free trial today at: https://hopebasecommunity.mn.co/plans/1524592?bundle_token=33729f35dfaaa9fea5bc9fc3fdde4a68&utm_source=manual