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Dr. Steve Mortenson is an award-winning teacher and researcher. Steve's mission is to help people help themselves by sharing transformative tools for building personal skills and relational effectiveness. He received his Ph.D. in Communication from Purdue University. Recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award, Dr. Mortenson teaches and publishes at the University of Delaware. He has designed and conducted leadership development seminars and communication workshops for the U.S. State Department’s International Leadership Programs, The National Association for Environmental Management, Delaware Psychological Association, The Horn Institute, and the Blue Hen Leadership Program.


Steve's TED Talks

• Projecting Your Personal Shadow
• Adventure and the Problem of the Hero

A Sample of Steve's Scholarship

• Confronting implicit and benevolent bias in teams
• A fluency of feeling: Exploring cultural and individual differences (and similarities) related to skilled emotional support

Quotes From This Episode

• "One of the things that I’ve asked my students is what new strengths has the pandemic brought out in you? I talk about 'dark gifts of the pandemic' - like, I’ve got a lot more patience than I used to, because I don’t have a choice."
• "The way I talk about supportive confrontation...you have to support the person while you critique their behavior. Otherwise, it’s difficult for them to hear what you’re trying to say."
• On people who are comfortable having difficult conversations - "they don’t get set off, they’re able to listen, they’re more comfortable in their own skin."
• "We need to see that there’s another side to our personality and the things we’re afraid of have a lot of really important potential for us. And that the things that we rely on are also the root of our dysfunctions."
• "What are you good at? But when does it also undermine you?"
• "Authentic anger is - you crossed a line with me - there’s a clear transgression - I can tell you what it is. And I can tell you, this is why I’m mad."
• "Jung said that you can show somebody their shadow, and they’ll kind of deal with it. You show somebody their genius, they’ll fight you every step of the way."
• "I want us to have a fuller understanding of our identities, not just the parts we’re comfortable with."

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• Book: Romancing the Shadow: A Guide to Soul Work for a Vital, Authentic Life by Zweig and Wolf
• Book: Living an Examined Life: Wisdom for the Second Half of the Journey by Hollis
• Film: In and Of Itself

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