Building Bridges, Not Walls: Tim Shriver on Dignity that Transcends Disagreements

Let’s be honest: there are seasons in life when things feel heavy and hard and the thought of breaking through the noise and negativity seems impossible. But with a little retooling of perspective, you can shift the conversation to one that is more productive and more hope-filled. In this episode, Timothy Shriver discusses his lifelong commitment to promoting dignity and unity through his work with the Special Olympics and the Dignity Index. He shares practical steps (and real-life examples gleaned from guests of his brand new Need A Lift? podcast) to demonstrate how you can turn a difficult conversation into an opportunity to form a connection.

And if that’s not enough, Jen and Amy dig into some of their biggest fears – the ones they want to Bless and Release. 

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Thought-provoking Quotes:

“I was being invited into a world in which the pursuit of making the world better, more just, more hopeful was a joyful pursuit. It wasn’t a burden. It wasn’t a responsibility of commitment you had to keep.” – Tim Shriver

"We need people willing to take a chance – on each other, on trying again, on their communities." – Tim Shriver

“Without losing my passion, without losing my commitment to the issues, I can still treat people with dignity.” – Tim Shriver

"Contempt for each other is the problem and treating each other with dignity is the solution." – Tim Shriver

“We can’t get legislation in most states or at the Federal level that embodies either of those majority opinions [border security and gun control] because the contempt on the extremes is so dominating the conversation that our political leaders find it in their best interest not to solve the problem or too scary to try.” – Tim Shriver

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

The Special Olympics - https://www.specialolympics.org/

Fully Alive: Discovering What Matters Most by Tim Shriver - https://amzn.to/3NXAie9

The Dignity Index - https://www.dignity.us/

Tim’s Need A Lift Podcast - https://www.timothyshriver.com/projects/need-a-lift

How Michael and Nicole Phelps Unlearned the Fear of Losing - https://apple.co/3NGKiYI

A Special Olympics Gold Medalist on Authenticity and Play: Loretta Claiborne - https://apple.co/4hhBbLF

Simon Sinek Believes that Idealism Belongs In the Workplace - https://apple.co/4dXmjj0

Taking Off Our Masks through Confession with Fr. Mike Schmitz - https://apple.co/48gAlLl

Guest’s Links:

Tim’s website - https://www.timothyshriver.com/

Tim’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/timothyshriver

Tim’s Twitter - https://x.com/TimShriver

Tim’s Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/timshriver/

Tim’s Need A Lift Podcast - https://www.timothyshriver.com/projects/need-a-lift

Connect with Jen!

Jen’s website - https://jenhatmaker.com/

Jen’s Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmaker