We're doing something new! We decided to bring back episode one, which goes into a bit of my origin story! We've added a lot of new listeners over the past couple of months and I thought it would be a good idea to reintroduce myself and the inspiration for the show. And, quite honestly, it's helpful to take a pause from producing new episodes every week. We'll be back with a new episode next week.

Episode one gets into some of my process and how I came to realize that I had a proximity problem and wasn't in right relationship with myself and the people I serve. The episode starts with a story from July 2022 that was the tipping point when I decided to leave my job of 11 years. This decision took me even deeper into my own process of seeing the system as harmful and myself as a perpetrator of harm. This episode was recorded in the summer of 2023 and the work is unfinished, my process continues. My longtime friend, and producer of the show, Michael (Tex) interviews me in this episode.

You are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people supporting one another through their process of becoming who they want to be in this work. We meet every Monday morning at 9am est. Message me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn for the meeting link.

Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

I'm excited to bring you this week's conversation with Dr Jessica Pryce. Dr Pryce's new book, Broken: Transforming Child Protective Services, gave us a great backdrop to a wide-ranging conversation. At the beginning of the book, she lays out a framework or process of moving from being an agent of the child protection system to becoming an advocate and then activist. We talk about what these terms mean, the process of moving from one to the other, and how this has played out in Jessica's career. The conversation then turns to the subtitle of the book, transforming child protective services, Dr Pryce's Ted Talk, and her perspective on Termination of Parental Rights.

Please visit Dr Pryce's website to learn more about her work, listen to her Ted Talk, or to purchase her new book. Reimagine Child Protection (jessicaprycephd.com)

Please message me on LinkedIn ii you would like to join the Proximity Podcast Club. We meet everyone Monday at 9am ET to discuss the most recent episode.

Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

This episode is a follow up to the previous journal episode, Am I Biased? One of our ambitions with this show is to build community and engage the community in a conversation. So, the series of episodes about termination of parental rights led to some feedback that prompted the episode about my biases. And that episode prompted past guest Corey Best to send me a journal prompt that I used for this episode. I do have fears about addressing racism publicly, and I believe that I need to have conversations about racism in public. My hope with all of these episodes is that by sharing a little bit of my own vulnerability it can normalize conversations that often feel difficult.

You are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people supporting one another through their process of becoming who they want to be in this work. We meet every Monday morning at 9am est. Message me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn for the meeting link.

Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn