Stories Lived. Stories Told.

Abbie VanMeter and The CMM Institute

The purpose of Coordinated Management of Meaning is to create better social worlds through better communication. This podcast is about empowering all of us in our communication to see ourselves as curious and active participants with the ability to create meaningful change in our relationships and social worlds. Our practice of CMM is about embodying a “communication perspective,” which asks us to “look at communication, rather than through it.” To take a communication perspective is to consider what we’re making and how we’re making it through our communication practices. This means we look at patterns, contexts, stories, and relationships; and that we use curiosity, mindfulness, collaboration, and dialogue to create better social worlds for ourselves. So, join us as we take CMM from theory to practice, engage in collective learning together, and apply a communication perspective to make meaning in our conversations.

  1. 6D AGO

    On Creating Invitations to Imagination with Jenn Chan | Ep. 156

    What can you imagine for a better world? ... Today, Abbie and Jenn discuss the recent Chinese Lunar New Year, and the context of the transition from the year of the Wood Snake to the year of the Fire Horse as it relates to a shared sense of urgency, momentum, revolution. As Abbie and Jenn explore imagination as invitation, action, rehearsal, and experiment, they name a relationship between communication, stories, and imagination for designing better social worlds.  ... Jennifer Chan (she/her) is a second-generation Chinese-Canadian settler, born and raised in Tkaranto, Turtle Island. Jenn is an oldest daughter of immigrants from Hong Kong, she is a Mama to two wonderful humans, a partner to her high school sweetie, a fiercely loyal friend as well as a sister and an Aunt, she is also a Double Virgo who lives with ADHD. Jenn weaves her deeply personal perspectives and worldviews into her work as the CEO of the Department of Imaginary Affairs.  ... Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created, produced & hosted by Abbie VanMeter. Stories Lived. Stories Told. is an initiative of the CMM Institute for Personal and Social Evolution. ... Music for Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created by Rik Spann. ... CMM Institute Substack CMM Institute Events Page … ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore all things Stories Lived. Stories Told. here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Explore all things CMM Institute here.

    1h 17m
  2. FEB 18

    On Episodes, Boundaries, and Marginalization with Gerald Midgley | Ep. 155

    What is your practice of systems thinking? ... Today, Abbie and Gerald explore the ongoing practice of defining and redefining systems; the relationship between boundaries and meaning-making; the impact of moral forces on naming the 'sacred' and 'profane;' the inter-relational complexity that goes beyond otherness and belonging: the twin myths of non-intervention and non-communication; the connection between reason and emotion; and the emergent nature of systems.  ... Gerald Midgley is an Emeritus Professor of Systems Thinking in the Centre for Systems Studies, University of Hull, UK. He also holds visiting professorships at the University of Birmingham (UK), the Australian National University and Linnaeus University (Sweden). He has held research leadership roles in both UK academia and New Zealand government, and has undertaken a wide variety of public policy, public health, natural resource management, community development and technology foresight projects. Gerald was the 2013/14 President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences. He has written or edited almost 400 papers and 12 books, including "Systemic Intervention: Philosophy, Methodology, and Practice" (Kluwer, 2000); "Systems Thinking" (Sage, 2003); "Community Operational Research: OR and Systems Thinking for Community Development" (Kluwer, 2004); "The Handbook of Systems Thinking" (Open Science, 2023); and "Systems of Marginalization and Identity" (Routledge, 2026, in press). ... Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created, produced & hosted by Abbie VanMeter. Stories Lived. Stories Told. is an initiative of the CMM Institute for Personal and Social Evolution. ... Music for Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created by Rik Spann. ... CMM Institute Substack CMM Institute Events Page … ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore all things Stories Lived. Stories Told. here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Explore all things CMM Institute here.

    1h 14m
  3. FEB 4

    On Exploring Systems, Perspectives, and Complexity with Christian Baron | Ep. 154

    Where are you able to identify opportunities to make new choices in the systems you live, work, and play within?   ... Today, Abbie and Christian talk trying out practical methods for system thinking, balancing simplicity and complexity, using the 5M structure (motivate, meet, map, make, manage), and inviting playful exploration of choices with groups.  ... Christian Baron, PhD, is a freelance consultant, trainer, and systemic coach. As founder of zusammen-weiterdenken, he supports clients in creating sustainable value and navigating organizational transformation. With experience in research leadership and mid-sized industry, he applies systems thinking and systemic methods to make complex situations more workable. His practice focuses on clarity, collaboration, and long-term impact. He is the author of Methods for Systems Thinking: 65+ Practical Approaches for Exploring Systems, Perspectives, and Complexity.  ... Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created, produced & hosted by Abbie VanMeter. Stories Lived. Stories Told. is an initiative of the CMM Institute for Personal and Social Evolution. ... Music for Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created by Rik Spann. ... CMM Institute Substack CMM Institute Events Page … ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore all things Stories Lived. Stories Told. here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Explore all things CMM Institute here.

    1h 1m
  4. On Unlearning Ableism with Jamie Shields and Celia Chartres-Aris | Ep. 152

    12/10/2025

    On Unlearning Ableism with Jamie Shields and Celia Chartres-Aris | Ep. 152

    How can you be proactive in your inclusivity? ... Today, Abbie, Jamie, and Celia explore disability through the lens of a communication perspective, talking about transforming exclusion into inclusion in every space, changing narratives to focus on "the problem" as an inaccessible society rather than any one disabled individual, unlearning our internalized ableism as a necessary step for all of us, becoming proactive rather than reactive in our inclusive accessibility practices, and creating space for more stories that acknowledge both the systemic nature of ableism with the individual experiences of disability.  ... Jamie Shields is a multi-award-winning Disability, Speaker, Trainer and Consultant, Content Creator and Disability Advocate, Registered Blind AuDHD Rhino, the UK’s 2nd most influential grassroots Disability advocate.  Celia Chartres-Aris is a Disabled Government Advisor, Founder & Investor, Multi-Award Winning Campaigner and Lobbyist, Researcher, Policy and Legal Expert, Speaker and Consultant, recognised as the UK’s most influential Disabled person.  Together, they are the founders of Disabled By Society, a 100% Disabled owned and led business transforming exclusion to inclusion. 17% of the world’s population identifies as Disabled, making us the largest minority group in the world. Despite this, ableism is one of the most under addressed, under-discussed, and underrepresented conversations in society. Society is failing to unlearn our inherent ableism. Everyday, Disabled people face aggressions, encounter inaccessible barriers, are excluded, overlooked, treated as a burden, or seen as a problem to be fixed. As a result, Disabled people are often left to manage internalised ableism in this ableist society. We are on a mission to change this. We cant sit back and do nothing. We partner globally across all sectors to remove the ableism ingrained in cultures, recruitment, products and services, policies, and everything in between. We make the uncomfortable comfortable, ending cycles of oppression and creating an inclusive society that is accessible, empowers, represents and provides opportunity for everyone. Our ground-breaking research and policy work has fed into reviews and cited across the world as never-before-seen data by and for the Disabled community. And through policy, lobbying, consultancy, training, an award-winning podcast, Celia and Jamie deliver award-winning solutions that transform Disability exclusion to inclusion. Having worked with some of the biggest brands and charities in the world, creating systematic change for the 2 billion people affected by ableism. Order Jamie and Celia's book, Unlearning Ableism: The Ultimate No-Nonsense Guide to Understanding Disability and Unlearning Ableism.  ... Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created, produced & hosted by Abbie VanMeter. Stories Lived. Stories Told. is an initiative of the CMM Institute for Personal and Social Evolution. ... Music for Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created by Rik Spann. ... ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore all things Stories Lived. Stories Told. here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Explore all things CMM Institute here.

    1h 6m
  5. On Stories, Exploration, and Learning with Claudia Westermann and Chris Speed | Ep. 151

    11/26/2025

    On Stories, Exploration, and Learning with Claudia Westermann and Chris Speed | Ep. 151

    What makes you a designer?  ... Today, Abbie, Claudia, and Chris explore radical changes in learning around systems thinking and design over time, along with the implications for future designers, which includes all of us. This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience as part of the RSDX Online Festival on Sunday, October 5, 2025. Join the RSDX Zoom Event here to watch the recording of Claudia and Chris' presentation 'Configuring Incompossible Futures'. ... Claudia Westermann is an artist-researcher and licensed architect. She is Associate Professor of Creative Practice in the School of Design and the Built Environment at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, a member of the German Chamber of Architects, Vice President of the American Society for Cybernetics (ASC), and co-editor of the journal Technoetic Arts. Claudia Westermann's projects have been widely exhibited and presented, including at the Venice Biennale, the Moscow International Film Festival, ISEA Symposium for the Electronic Arts, and the Center for Art and Media (ZKM) in Germany. She has received awards for her practice and teaching, including two provincial and three national awards. For her visionary engagement fostering systemic education, research, and practice, she received the Margaret Mead Prize from the American Society for Cybernetics in 2024. Chris Speed FRSE, FRSA is Professor of Design for Regenerative Futures at RMIT, Melbourne, where he works with communities and partners to explore how design supports transitions toward regenerative societies. He has a strong record of leading major grants and educational programmes with academic, industry and third-sector collaborators, applying design and data methods to address social, environmental and economic challenges. From 2022 to 2024, he served as Director of the Edinburgh Futures Institute, where he led the transformation of the historic Old Royal Infirmary into a world-leading centre for interdisciplinary teaching, research and innovation. Between 2018 and 2024, he directed Creative Informatics, a £7.4 million UKRI-funded cluster that supported data-driven innovation in the creative industries. From 2012 to 2022, he was Co-Director of the Institute for Design Informatics at the University of Edinburgh, which he helped build into the College’s largest research centre and a nationally recognised leader in interactive media. In 2020, he received the University of Edinburgh Chancellor’s Award for Research and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. ... Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created, produced & hosted by Abbie VanMeter. Stories Lived. Stories Told. is an initiative of the CMM Institute for Personal and Social Evolution. ... Music for Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created by Rik Spann. ... ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore all things Stories Lived. Stories Told. here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Explore all things CMM Institute here.

    55 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

The purpose of Coordinated Management of Meaning is to create better social worlds through better communication. This podcast is about empowering all of us in our communication to see ourselves as curious and active participants with the ability to create meaningful change in our relationships and social worlds. Our practice of CMM is about embodying a “communication perspective,” which asks us to “look at communication, rather than through it.” To take a communication perspective is to consider what we’re making and how we’re making it through our communication practices. This means we look at patterns, contexts, stories, and relationships; and that we use curiosity, mindfulness, collaboration, and dialogue to create better social worlds for ourselves. So, join us as we take CMM from theory to practice, engage in collective learning together, and apply a communication perspective to make meaning in our conversations.