Episode # 106: Building Bridges with Thaler Pekar

Meet Thaler Pekar

Thaler Pekar is the founder of Thaler Pekar & Partners, a consultancy celebrating its 20th anniversary helping organizations build cultures of excellent communication. Her work spans executive coaching, institutional story collections, oral histories, and high-end content creation. As both a Hoboken resident of nearly four decades and a former Jersey City professional who worked in McGinley Square for 10 years, Thaler brings a unique perspective on how stories shape our connections to place.

Connect with Thaler Pekar:

Website: thalerpekar.com

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ThalerPekarPartners

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thaler-pekar-partners/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThalerPekar

Key Insights

Stories are containers for information that hold facts, values, and emotions simultaneously, allowing us to express things we couldn't say in other ways

Values like "integrity" or "community" are subjective - stories demonstrate what these values look like in action

People are drawn to solutions, not problems - showing stories of solutions in action is more effective than focusing on what's wrong

The "Narrative Garden®" approach examines which stories are being told, which are missing, and which need more room to grow

Stories at the borders and edges of organizations or communities often contain the most innovation and untapped potential

Universal across cultures: everyone has stories to tell, and everyone wants to be genuinely heard

Historic preservation isn't just about individual buildings, but about preserving streetscapes, neighborhood character, and the aesthetics of community

Buildings uniquely "bring the past into the present so we can hold both at the same time"

More details, visual documentation, full transcript and related resources on my substack.

Explore Further

In next week's Substack article, I'll be sharing my own story map of Jersey City, featuring paintings of the locations that have shaped my personal connection to this community. I'll explore how finding these meaningful places helps us build deeper relationships with the cities we call home.

Coming Up Next

Join us for the next episode when I'll be speaking with Colin Egan of the Friends of the Loew's Theater about saving and revitalizing one of Jersey City's most magnificent historic buildings.

Connect with Nat

Website: natkalbach.com

Substack: Nat's Sidewalk Stories Substack

Instagram: @natkalbach

Email: [e-mail]

Music: Our theme music is "How You Amaze Me," composed by Jim Kalbach and performed by Jim Kalbach, Bryan Beninghove, Charlie Siegler, and Pat Van Dyke.

Support the Show: Subscribe to the podcast and sign up for Nat's Substack to receive additional stories and visuals that complement each conversation.

Share Your Story: What sidewalk stories have you discovered in your neighborhood? Share them with Nat through email or social media.

Nat's Sidewalk Stories explores the intersection of place, community, and storytelling through conversations with practitioners, community leaders, and local changemakers. New episodes release on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month through August, with a break in September before Season 2 begins in October.