Blueprints for Belonging - Building Conscious Connection in a Disconnected World

Kelly Penrod & Geoff Wheeler
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“Tired of feeling disconnected?” Yeah, we thought so. Blueprints for Belonging is here to help you ditch the small talk, stop the endless scroll, and actually build connection that feels real in a noisy world. Hosts Geoff Wheeler and Kelly Penrod bring you practical communication tools, personal growth hacks, and unfiltered conversations that won’t put you to sleep. Want to handle conflict without ghosting people? Stop people-pleasing without becoming a jerk? Find your place in the world without joining a cult? We’ve got you. Let’s build belonging—on purpose.

  1. 1D AGO

    Your Captain Has Turned on The Judgement Light

    In this episode, we tell the true story of Qantas Flight 32, where five pilots worked together to land a severely damaged plane and save over 400 lives. We use this moment of collective clarity under pressure as a metaphor for what we often lack in daily communication. While they had training, systems, and support to navigate the crisis, most of us are flying blind in our conversations—without tools or awareness. We introduce the four common Nonviolent Communication disconnects that sabotage connection: diagnosing others, denial of responsibility, demands, and deserve thinking. We zoom in on deserve thinking, which Dr. Marshall Rosenberg called some of the most dangerous thinking we do. This mindset—believing someone deserves praise or punishment based on behavior—often leads to control, blame, and power struggles rather than honest connection. Throughout the episode, we reflect on how the BIG Growth framework helps us shift from judgment to choice, and from autopilot to awareness. Instead of crashing in blame or avoidance, we can land safely in clarity and connection.

    31 min

  2. SEP 19

    When Stories Run The Show (And How to Reclaim the Pen)

    In this episode, we explore the powerful role of personal and cultural narratives in shaping how we see ourselves, others, and the world.  These stories, often mistaken for facts, are deeply rooted in upbringing, trauma, media, and inherited social memes.  When left unexamined. they quietly dictate our relationships, reactions, and sense of identity.  Kelly introduces the concept of memetic scripting, showing how these inherited beliefs pass down through generations like outdated software.  Geoff brings in real-life examples of how old stories hijack present-day communication, especially in conflict or misunderstanding.  Together, they unpack how judgements, assumptions, and past experiences edit our conversations before they even begin.Using Nonviolent Communication tools like OFNR and the practice of “re-storying”, this episode helps listeners become aware of their internal narratives and offers concrete tools for choosing which story to live within.  Reclaiming the pen, they suggest, is essential to building connection, making conscious choices, and belonging to ourselves and each other.

    31 min

  3. SEP 12

    AutoPilot Malfunction: Please Reclaim the Wheel

    In this episode, we explore what it really means to generate choice—and why it’s often harder than it sounds. We dig into the invisible memetic scripts that make us believe we don’t have a choice (“It’s just the way things are,” “I didn’t get to choose”), and show how autopilot behavior, judgment, and inherited expectations limit our agency. Judgment, in particular, becomes a clue—often signaling grief over choices we didn’t know we had. We talk about how to slow down, become more aware, and start practicing small, daily acts of conscious choice. Rather than a one-time decision, choice is framed as a skill we can strengthen with practice. Ultimately, reclaiming our ability to choose helps us build authentic connection and true belonging—not just compliance or performance.

    34 min

  4. SEP 5

    You Inherited the Script, But the Rewrite Is Yours

    In Episode 9, Kelly and Geoff explore how old stories—personal and cultural—can quietly run our lives. From memetic scripts like “That’s just how it is” to childhood narratives that still steer adult choices, they unpack how to spot these hidden authors and reclaim the pen. With help from Wayne Dyer’s “7 Faces of Intention,” this episode invites listeners to stop quoting outdated lines and start writing with intention, one conscious choice at a time.

    32 min

  5. AUG 29

    Your Mouth Said ‘Ask’, But Your Eyebrows Said ‘Now’

    Why do so many of our “requests” sound more like demands—and why does that matter? In this episode, we untangle the subtle but critical differences between asking and pressuring. We explore how cultural and familial memes like “Don’t be needy” or “I shouldn’t have to ask” sabotage honest communication, and how our tone, timing, and trust level often speak louder than our words. We discuss how inherited scripts and unexamined expectations can turn even simple requests into threats—shutting down connection instead of opening it. You'll learn the anatomy of a clean request, the impact of demand-language on the nervous system, and what to do when someone says no. We also offer practical tools to shift your language, soften your delivery, and communicate in ways that preserve dignity—for both you and the other person.

    39 min

  6. AUG 22

    Needs Are the Compass. Strategies Are… the Detour

    Episode 7 centers on the importance of human needs as the root of emotions and conflict. Kelly and Geoff explain that unmet needs—like respect, support, or clarity—drive our reactions, while met needs bring ease. They distinguish needs from strategies and show how emotional awareness can lead to more authentic communication. The episode prepares listeners to turn self-awareness into clear, respectful requests.

    31 min

  7. AUG 15

    Feelings: The Only F-Word That Still Makes People Uncomfortable

    Episode 6 highlights feelings as vital signals of unmet needs, not weaknesses to avoid. Kelly and Geoff introduce emotional literacy, challenge cultural messages that dismiss emotions, and clarify the difference between real feelings and judgment-based “fauxlings.” This sets the stage for deeper connection through understanding needs.

    31 min

  8. AUG 8

    Expectation: The Gateway Drug to Disappointment.

    In Episode 5 of Blueprints for Belonging, titled “Expectation: The Gateway Drug to Disappointment”, we explore how unspoken expectations quietly shape, and often sabotage, our relationships. Continuing the BIG Growth framework (Build awareness, Investigate meaning, Generate choice), this episode helps listeners recognize how expectations are not just future hopes, but memetic scripts we inherit and rarely examine. We discuss how these embedded assumptions set us up for miscommunication, disconnection, and resentment, especially when they go unmet. Drawing from logotherapy, we explain how we often assign meaning to a moment before it happens—and then feel disappointed when reality doesn’t align with our inner narrative. By surfacing these patterns, listeners gain the tools to differentiate between true needs and unexamined assumptions, allowing for more honest communication and the freedom to generate conscious choice in relationships.

    26 min
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About

“Tired of feeling disconnected?” Yeah, we thought so. Blueprints for Belonging is here to help you ditch the small talk, stop the endless scroll, and actually build connection that feels real in a noisy world. Hosts Geoff Wheeler and Kelly Penrod bring you practical communication tools, personal growth hacks, and unfiltered conversations that won’t put you to sleep. Want to handle conflict without ghosting people? Stop people-pleasing without becoming a jerk? Find your place in the world without joining a cult? We’ve got you. Let’s build belonging—on purpose.

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