Listening is Your Superpower: Reduce Defensiveness, Increase Connection with Jennifer England

In this short guided practice, Jennifer builds on her conversation with Zen teacher Diane Musho Hamilton and facilitator & executive coach Gabe Kaigen Wilson to explore one underrated superpower in our “growing up” toolkit: listening well.

We’ve all been in those harder conversations—at work, with a partner, a teen, or a family member—where we’re either talking over each other or shutting down. In this episode, Jennifer offers a simple, relational practice to slow things down and listen in a way that softens defensiveness and deepens connection.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why reflective listening is such a powerful practice in conflict and everyday conversations
• How to shift from listening to confirm you’re “right” to listening from a place of not knowing
• How slowing the pace of a conversation can change the entire field of relationship

Jennifer reminds us that reflecting back doesn’t mean you agree. It simply shows that you’ve heard what matters to the other person and are willing to be with it—without rushing to fix, solve, or convince.

Links & Resources:

• Get Diane Musho Hamilton and Gabe Kaigen Wilson's new book Waking Up and Growing Up: Spiritual Cross Training for an Evolving World
• Get Jennifer's bi-monthly newsletter or reach out here

Gratitude for this show’s theme song Inside the House, composed by the talented Yukon musician, multi-instrumentalist and sound artist Jordy Walker. Artwork by the imaginative writer, filmmaker and artist Jon Marro.