In this special episode of the Power of Partnership Podcast, host Cherri Jacobs Pruitt speaks with Dr. Riane Eisler and summit director Gina Miltiadou about the upcoming Peace Begins at Home Summit (October 29, 2025). Together, they explore how peace must be redefined—not just as the absence of war, but as the presence of care, equity, and mutual respect, beginning in our homes. Drawing from neuroscience and decades of research, Riane explains how early childhood experiences shape entire cultures, while Gina shares the summit’s origin story, diverse global speaker lineup, and vision for real, lasting change.

Listeners will hear inspiring stories, eye-opening statistics, and a clear call to action: to replace systems of domination with cultures of partnership. With over 20 speakers from 13 countries—including peacebuilders, survivors, youth leaders, and cultural icons—this global virtual gathering will offer both inspiration and practical tools to transform relationships, communities, and the world. Learn more and register at peacebeginsathomesummit.org.

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Prefer to watch? You can also view all episodes of The Power of Partnership Podcast on the Center for Partnership Systems YouTube channel

Event Details:
Summit Date: October 29, 2025
Time: 13:00–19:30 UTC (with 30-day replay access for all ticket holders)
Tickets: Early Bird $35 (until Aug 31), Regular $47, Supporter $79 (supports access for others)
Registration: peacebeginsathomesummit.org
Who Should Attend: Caregivers, parents, educators, policymakers, peacebuilders, community leaders, systems thinkers—anyone who cares about building a peaceful and just world.

Resources & Links:

Register for the Summit: peacebeginsathomesummit.org
Center for Partnership Systems: centerforpartnership.org
About Dr. Riane Eisler: rianeeisler.com

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In this episode of The Power of Partnership Podcast, host Cherri Jacobs Pruitt is joined by Tom Mansfield—regenerative thinker, innovator, and creator of Cards for Life. Together, they explore how the principles of nature and the power of partnership can guide us through cycles of renewal, support cultural transformation, and spark innovation grounded in care and connection.

Tom shares the personal journey that led him to develop Cards for Life, a powerful tool being used by individuals, changemakers, educators, and organizations across the globe to reconnect with nature, foster systems thinking, and reimagine leadership and decision-making. Whether used for personal clarity, coaching, education, or collective transformation, his approach helps people align their inner work with the outer challenges we face.

This conversation touches on the rise of regenerative movements, the importance of decentralized leadership, and the urgent call to shift from domination to partnership—locally, globally, and within ourselves. Tune in to hear how Tom is cultivating a worldwide network of practitioners committed to building a more vibrant, just, and interconnected future.

Shownotes:

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Prefer to watch? You can also view all episodes of The Power of Partnership Podcast on the Center for Partnership Systems YouTube channel

Cards for Life (practitioner package includes a digital deck, resources and access to a thriving global community.) (https://paleblueperspective.com/cards-for-life)

Thinking Like Gaia facilitator training (https://paleblueperspective.com/cards-for-life) You can

Tom Mansfield: tom@paleblueperspective.com or Linkedin

The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future, Riane Eisler (https://centerforpartnership.org/resources/books/the-chalice-and-the-blade-our-history-our-future/)

Donella Meadows, Thinking in Systems (https://donellameadows.org/systems-thinking-book-sale/)

Fritjof Capra, The Systems View of Life (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/systems-view-of-life/35186BA5B12161E469C4224B6076ADFE)

Nora Bateson, Combining (https://www.triarchypress.net/combining.html)

Laura Storm and Giles Hutchins,

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This episode is a deep dive into what it really means to partner with—not for—communities. Host Cherri Jacobs Pruitt is joined by Jill LaLonde and Sheku Muhamed Gossimu, Jr. from One Village Partners, an organization working alongside communities in Sierra Leone to challenge the legacy of top-down aid and embrace a model of development grounded in equity, humility, and lasting partnership.

SHOWNOTES:

SUPPORT THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP PODCAST (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2207697/support)

Prefer to watch? You can also view all episodes of The Power of Partnership Podcast on the Center for Partnership Systems YouTube channel

One Village Partners (https://www.onevillagepartners.org/)

Movement for Community Led Development (https://mcld.org/)

Community Development in Practice, We Power Our Own Chain, Edited by Elene Cloete and Gunjan Veda

The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future, Riane Eisler (https://centerforpartnership.org/resources/books/the-chalice-and-the-blade-our-history-our-future/)

The Power of Partnership: Seven Relationships that will Change Your Life, Riane Eisler (https://centerforpartnership.org/resources/books/the-power-of-partnership/)

Center for Partnership Systems (https://centerforpartnership.org/)

center@partnershipway.org

Resilience, Rising Appalachia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx17RvPMaQ8

Center for Partnership "Join Us" email link

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What if care was recognized as the foundation of our economy—not an afterthought? In this episode of The Power of Partnership, Cherri Jacobs Pruitt speaks with Austrian consultant and activist Elisabeth Sechser, whose work boldly re-centers care at the heart of economics, leadership, and everyday life. As an expert in organizational development, Elisabeth shows ways to build partnership-based companies and overcome domination organization-systems.

This episode also includes discussion on the invisibility of unpaid care work—and how Elisabeth is creating a cooperative, community-based, care model for children and youth with specific health care needs.

SUPPORT THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP PODCAST (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2207697/support)

Prefer to watch? You can also view all episodes of The Power of Partnership Podcast on the Center for Partnership Systems YouTube channel

Links and Resources:

• Caring Economy. Jetzt – Austria https://www.caringeconomy.jetzt/partnershipsystem
• Learn more or connect with Elisabeth Sechser (https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabeth-sechser-69a4a29a/)
• The Real Wealth of Nations, Riane Eisler https://centerforpartnership.org/resources/books/the-real-wealth-of-nations-creating-a-caring-economics
• Die verkannten Grundlagen der Ökonomie, Riane Eisler – the German translation (https://www.caringeconomy.jetzt/die-verkannten-grundlagen-der-oekonomie/)
• The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future, Riane Eisler (https://centerforpartnership.org/resources/books/the-chalice-and-the-blade-our-history-our-future/)
• The Power of Partnership: Seven Relationships that will Change Your Life, Riane Eisler (https://centerforpartnership.org/resources/books/the-power-of-partnership)
• Center for Partnership Systems
  
  

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What happens when a military engineer walks away from the defense industry to challenge the domination paradigm and choose a life rooted in peace, sustainability, and partnership? Filmmaker and author Jim Merkel shares how awakening to the human cost of war led him to embrace “radical simplicity,” create award-winning documentaries, and dedicate his life to building a more caring, equitable world.

We explore real-world examples of partnership-based societies in Kerala, Cuba, and Slovenia—places where gender equity, sustainability, and community care are transforming lives. Jim’s story is both an urgent call to dismantle systems of domination and an inspiring roadmap for living in alignment with our deepest values. Whether you’re curious about living with less, creating lasting social change, or bridging divides in a polarized world, this episode offers wisdom, hope, and practical ways forward.

SUPPORT THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP PODCAST (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2207697/support)

Prefer to watch? You can also view all episodes of The Power of Partnership Podcast on the Center for Partnership Systems YouTube channel

Saving Walden’s World (Connecting with Jim Merkel) https://savingwaldensworld.org/

Books by Jim Merkel (https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/233048.Jim_Merkel)

The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future, Riane Eisler (https://centerforpartnership.org/resources/books/the-chalice-and-the-blade-our-history-our-future/)

The Power of Partnership: Seven Relationships that will Change Your Life, Riane Eisler (https://centerforpartnership.org/resources/books/the-power-of-partnership/)

Center for Partnership Systems (https://centerforpartnership.org/)

center@partnershipway.org

Resilience, Rising Appalachia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx17RvPMaQ8

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Join globally recognized wisdom futurist Karen Sands as she shares her remarkable journey from growing up under domination to championing collaboration and intergenerational partnerships. Karen reveals how critical it is for today’s workforce to harness the wisdom of all generations during this time of societal transformation. The episode includes information about Karen’s "Leading Women to Watch" initiative creating global networks of brilliant female minds, and her unique "honeybee mastery" approach to navigating life transitions. Essential listening for anyone ready to embrace their greatness and help create the collaborative future we need.

SUPPORT THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP PODCAST (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2207697/support)

Prefer to watch? You can also view all episodes of The Power of Partnership Podcast on the Center for Partnership Systems YouTube channel

Karen Sands website (https://www.karensands.com/) (including Leading Women to Watch List, and Swerve resources)

Karen Sands books (https://www.karensands.com/store/)

The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future, Riane Eisler (https://centerforpartnership.org/resources/books/the-chalice-and-the-blade-our-history-our-future/)

The Power of Partnership: Seven Relationships that will Change Your Life, Riane Eisler (https://centerforpartnership.org/resources/books/the-power-of-partnership/)

Center for Partnership Systems (https://centerforpartnership.org/)

center@partnershipway.org

Center for Partnership "Join Us" email link

Resilience, Rising Appalachia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx17RvPMaQ8

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Join scientist and interspiritual leader Dr. Kurt Johnson as he reveals how cutting-edge science confirms what history and human health have long shown: cooperation—not competition—has always been the key to our survival, thriving, and longevity. With a career spanning global diplomacy, scientific research, and interspiritual leadership—including work with the United Nations and the Evolutionary Leaders Circle—Kurt weaves together science and spirituality to show how nature’s own evolutionary patterns point us toward partnership and global cooperation.

Kurt explores Riane Eisler's Four Cornerstones framework, which shapes whether cultures lean toward domination or partnership. He shares current initiatives like Peace Begins at Home and examines how misinformation and algorithms fuel what sociologists call an "evolutionary catastrophe." Yet his message is one of hope, showing why our species’ survival depends on embracing the reality that in complex systems, “fitness” comes from working together. Essential listening for anyone seeking the science behind partnership and guidance for navigating a rapidly changing world.

SUPPORT THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP PODCAST (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2207697/support)

Prefer to watch? You can also view all episodes of The Power of Partnership Podcast on the Center for Partnership Systems YouTube channel

Evolutionary Leader’s Circle (https://www.evolutionaryleaders.net/)

Light on Light Press and VoiceAmerica Podcast (https://www.lightonlight.us/voice-america/)

Connecting the Dots (Peace Begins At Home and Art for a Partnership Culture Initiatives) (https://rianeeislerconnectingthedots.com/)

Illuminate Film Festival (https://illuminatefilmfestival.com/)

Our Moment of Choice, compilation edited by Robert Atkinson, Kurt Johnson, Deborah Moldow, 2020 Simon and Schuster

Darwin’s Lost Theory, David Loye, originally published 1998

Holomovement (https://www.holomovement.net/)

Interspiritual Network (https://www.interspirituality.com)

Unity.Earth (https://unity.earth)

United Nations Committe on Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns (http://csvgc-ny.org/)

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (https://www.unesco.org/en)

United Nations Enivironment Programme https://www.unep.org/

The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future, Riane Eisler (https://centerforpartnership.org/resources/books/the-chalice-and-the-blade-our-history-our-future/)

center@partnershipway.org

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In this episode of The Power of Partnership Podcast, author and change strategist Rebecca Borland Reynolds shares how a partnership approach can transform the way we navigate change. Drawing from decades of diverse work—from ecosystem conservation in a remote fishing village to programs for asylum seekers on the U.S.–Mexico border—Rebecca has identified common patterns in how change unfolds. Her book, Thresholds of Change: The Way Through Transformational Times, introduces a four-stage model that helps leaders, organizations, and individuals align with change rather than resist it.

Rebecca and host Cherri Jacobs Pruitt explore how traditional domination-based leadership assumptions can stall transformation, why emotions are essential fuel for change, and how creating safe spaces for emotional honesty can accelerate growth. They discuss the “Four Thresholds” of change, the dangers of clinging to certainty, and why seeing change as a companion—rather than an adversary—can open new possibilities. This conversation offers a hopeful, practical roadmap for navigating even the most difficult transitions with curiosity, compassion, and resilience.

SHOWNOTES:

SUPPORT THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP PODCAST (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2207697/support)

Prefer to watch? You can also view all episodes of The Power of Partnership Podcast on the Center for Partnership Systems YouTube channel

The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future, Riane Eisler (https://centerforpartnership.org/resources/books/the-chalice-and-the-blade-our-history-our-future/)

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/thresholds-of-change-the-way-through-transformational-times/P4Er7NTJ962M98ox?ean=9798990298309&next=t

www.RebeccaBorlandReynolds.com

The Power of Partnership: Seven Relationships that will Change Your Life, Riane Eisler (https://centerforpartnership.org/resources/books/the-power-of-partnership/)

Center for Partnership Systems (https://centerforpartnership.org/)

center@partnershipway.org

Center for Partnership "Join Us" email link

Resilience, Rising Appalachia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx17RvPMaQ8

Support the show