113: HEALING: Verónica Márquez on navigating conflict, food as connector and the healing power of working with difference

It's episode #113 and I'm chatting with Verónica Márquez, a researcher, somatic facilitator and the Founder of Between Us - a global community that explores and teaches how to turn sensitive topics and conversations into opportunities for growth and deeper connection.   I first met Vero in a women's leadership circle, and was really struck by her steady, gentle but determined nature. "What a marvelous woman!" I thought. And, I was a little envious - she was facilitating dinner parties with depth, with strangers, in a way that I'd often dreamed of starting, but hadn't had the courage to initiate.  So, I invited her to have a one-on-one friends conversation, and enjoyed it so much I invited her on the podcast.  Here's a little more about Vero and her work: Each month, Between Us explores a different theme through intimate gatherings worldwide. At the end of the month, all the facilitators share what they learned on that topic, and then write an article with the key insights. So far, they have facilitated close to 500 gatherings in almost 40 cities worldwide. They are currently writing their first book.  Verónica teaches "confident and compassionate" communication trainings and also facilitates conversations on highly sensitive topics such as abortion and politics – where she brings people with different views to truly listen to one another.  Prior to this work, Verónica spent over a decade working as a qualitative researcher where she traveled the world talking to people about all kinds of different topics - from understanding the financial needs of ultra high net-worth individuals in Singapore to uncovering what prevents diabetic patients in Toronto from taking their medication.   She holds an M.A. in Marketing Communications and is trained in executive coaching, neuro-linguistics programming, Gabor Maté's Compassionate Inquiry, Reiki, and meditation.  She is originally from Venezuela (3/4 European and 1/4 indigenous roots) and now lives in Miami with her two kids and English husband.  It was so lovely to connect with Verónica, and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy listening in. Website: https://everythingbetweenus.com Learn our global insights from 500 gatherings across 37 complex topics: https://everythingbetweenus.com/journal Confident and Compassionate Communication - free monthly call sign up: https://betweenus.mykajabi.com/free-monthly-calls Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everything_betweenus/