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Create Belonging

Create Belonging

By: Mateo Bornico
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Welcome

The goal of this podcast is for us to learn. It aims to create the space to discuss and explore belonging in our lives. These wide-ranging conversations are designed to generate insights into how we can create belonging for ourselves and for others.

Belonging is like water. It’s essential to life. It also takes on many shapes and forms, seeping through every part of our lives.

Still with me? Good.


Why Listen

This podcast is intended for those that are seeking to help themselves and others find a sense of belonging.

If you ever asked yourself; Where do I belong? Why do I belong? Then this podcast will be useful.

If you are asking; How can I help others belong? How can I build a more inclusive workplace culture, community, or team, then this podcast will be useful.

This podcast is an exploration founded on curiosity, humility, and generosity. I hope you can join us.

Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.


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Mateo Bornico Personal Development Personal Success Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Peter Block – Community: The Structure of Belonging (Part 2)

    Peter Block – Community: The Structure of Belonging (Part 2)
    Jun 11 2026
    CB16 - Shownotes: Peter Block – Community: The Structure of Belonging (Part 2)

    Title: 16: Peter Block – Community: The Structure of Belonging (Part 2)


    Welcome back to Create Belonging, the podcast where we explore the world through the lens of belonging.

    This is Part 2 of my conversation with Peter Block, author of Community: The Structure of Belonging. Where Part 1 laid out the framework, Part 2 took a turn I didn't expect. It got personal. We go deeper into leadership, dissent, curiosity, and eventually into the riskiest of the six conversations: gifts. Somewhere in the middle, I named my own gift out loud for the first time, and I can honestly say I'm not the same person I was when we started. If you haven't heard Part 1 yet, I'd start there, but if you want to jump in here, I'll catch you up.


    Who Is Peter Block?

    Peter Block is an author, a citizen of Cincinnati, Ohio, and co-founder of Designed Learning. Full bio and headshot at peterblock.com/media-kit.


    His books include Flawless Consulting, Stewardship, The Answer to How Is Yes, The Abundant Community, Activating the Common Good, and the book that brought him to this podcast: Community: The Structure of Belonging, now in its third edition.


    Key Insights
    • Bosses, yes. Worship, no. A leader sets the rails; peers create the world
    • The Leadership Industrial Complex: when we wait for a leader to save us, it lets us off the hook
    • Curiosity is the breath of relationships, and the delivery system of well-being
    • "If you can't say no, your yes means nothing" - dissent is what makes belonging real
    • Naming your gifts is the riskiest conversation: once you name them, you have to do something with them
    • "When you say it out loud, it changes your relationship to it"
    • Break a group into threes and people realize "I'm not alone"
    • In the absence of connection and belonging, we get violence, now normalized


    Timestamps

    00:05 Cold open - Peter on violence and the absence of connection

    00:27 Welcome back; a recap of Part 1

    02:10 Why Part 2 goes deeper; a note on the book

    03:40 Interview resumes - the trouble with leadership

    05:36 Peter on bosses, hierarchy, and "it lets me off the hook"

    06:45 Mateo's breakdown: The Leadership Industrial Complex

    08:59 Peers create the world; why Peter wants to stop the worship

    13:52 Curiosity as the breath of relationships

    14:33 Mateo's breakdown: Unpacking curiosity

    16:55 Dissent, a camp story, and "if you can't say no, your yes means nothing"

    18:01 Mateo's breakdown: The six conversations of community

    19:30 Why gifts is the riskiest conversation of all

    20:10 Peter on why naming your gifts is terrifying

    22:34 Mateo names his gift out loud

    24:44 Mateo's breakdown: What is your gift?

    27:28 Saying it out loud changes your relationship to it

    28:38 Why Mateo spent years brushing his gift aside

    30:03 Groups of three, and the relief of "I'm not alone"

    31:46 Gifts from the margin to the center

    33:43 Mateo thanks Peter; why being a bystander isn't an option

    34:29 In the absence of belonging, we have violence

    36:26 Closing reflections - community as the structure of belonging


    Resources & Links

    Community: The Structure of Belonging (3rd Ed): penguinrandomhouse.com/books/815995/community-third-edition-by-peter-block/ Peter Block's Substack: substack.com/@peterblock Designed Learning: designedlearning.com Peter Block on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/peter-block-238848a/ Designed Learning on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/designed-learning/


    Connect

    Instagram: instagram.com/createbelonging

    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/create-belonging

    Email: createbelonging@gmail.com


    This is the second of a two-part conversation. If it moved you, share it with someone thinking about how to build something real in their corner of the world. And as always - go create belonging for yourself and for others.


    Acknowledgments: Music "Playing with Color" by Nullhertz via Pixabay. Thank you to the lovely people at Purple Space for your support.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    41 mins
  • 14 - Peter Block – Community: The Structure of Belonging (Part 1)

    14 - Peter Block – Community: The Structure of Belonging (Part 1)
    Apr 14 2026
    CB15 - Shownotes: Peter Block – Community: The Structure of Belonging (Part 1)Welcome to Create Belonging, the podcast where we explore the world through the lens of belonging.I sat down with Peter Block, one of the most original thinkers on community and civic life working today, and what came out was a conversation so rich I had to split it into two parts. In part one, Peter shares how he went from being a self-described wanderer to becoming a rooted citizen of Cincinnati, and why he believes that belonging isn't something we find inside ourselves alone. It emerges through how we gather, the questions we ask, and the structures we create together.Who Is Peter Block?Peter Block is an author, a citizen of Cincinnati, Ohio, and co-founder of Designed Learning, a training company that offers workshops and learning experiences built around the ideas in his books. He's part of the Common Good Alliance of Greater Cincinnati and was a member of his local neighborhood council. You can find his full bio and headshot at peterblock.com/media-kit.His books include Flawless Consulting, Stewardship, The Answer to How Is Yes, The Abundant Community, Activating the Common Good, and the book that brought him to this podcast: Community: The Structure of Belonging, now in its third edition.Main Topics CoveredPeter's personal journey from wandering to choosing rootedness and citizenshipWhy inner work alone isn't enough, and why community is where belonging actually emergesHow the form of a gathering shapes whether connection happens or notThe critique of inherited structures like Robert's Rules of Order and forward-facing roomsDesigning gatherings where people become agents of their own experienceWhy questions unite us and answers divide usPeter's surprising claim: the opposite of love isn't hate - it's certaintyKey InsightsCommunity is where belonging emerges - not through prescription, but through the conversations and structures we chooseInner work and community work aren't either/or - Peter argues we need a group to do our inner work, and anyone who claims victory on self-work "isn't paying attention"All transformation is linguistic - the conversations we design change us and change the worldThe small group is the unit of transformation - breaking people into groups of two or three shifts them from passive audience to active agents"If you argue with me, I'm taking your side" - Peter's approach to resistance: instead of convincing skeptics, agree with them and let them reckon with themselvesQuestions bring us together, answers keep us apart - when someone gives an answer, the room splits into agree and disagree; a shared question draws people closerThe opposite of love isn't hate, it's certainty - one of Peter's most provocative reframes, and a thread worth sitting withResources & LinksCommunity: The Structure of Belonging (Third Edition) by Peter BlockThe Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods by Peter Block & John McKnightFlawless Consulting by Peter BlockActivating the Common Good by Peter BlockPeter Block's Substack - Peter's latest thinking and writingDesigned Learning - learning experiences designed around Peter's workPeter Block on LinkedInDesigned Learning on LinkedInConnectInstagram: instagram.com/createbelongingLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/create-belongingEmail: createbelonging@gmail.comStay tuned for Part Two, where Peter and I go deeper into the practical side - how these ideas about structure, questions, and agency show up in everyday community life. If this episode sparked something for you, please share it with someone who's also wondering about belonging in this world. And as always - go create belonging for yourself and for others.Acknowledgments: Music "Playing with Color" by Nullhertz, obtained royalty-free from Pixabay. Thank you to the lovely people at Purple Space for your support. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    38 mins
  • 13 - The 3 Dimension of Belonging

    13 - The 3 Dimension of Belonging
    Sep 10 2025
    The 3 Dimensions of Belonging: A Framework for Understanding How We Connect

    Belonging is one of those catch-all terms that everyone talks about, but we're often describing completely different experiences. On this episode, Mateo explores a framework that breaks belonging into three distinct dimensions - not as a prescription to follow, but as a compass for understanding the different ways we can experience connection.

    What Mateo Covers:
    • The three dimensions of belonging: Self, Others, and Universal
    • Why most conversations about belonging get stuck focusing on just one dimension
    • How belonging with yourself creates space for more authentic relationships
    • The science behind our innate connection to nature and something larger than ourselves
    • Why exclusion registers in our brains the same way physical pain does
    • How to use these dimensions as pathways when you're feeling disconnected
    • The Venn diagram approach: mapping the seven different states of belonging
    Key Ideas Explored:
    • Brené Brown's True Belonging and what it means to stand alone in the wilderness
    • The biophilia hypothesis and why we're wired for nature connection
    • Ubuntu philosophy: "I am because we are"
    • How authenticity and social connection can sometimes work against each other
    • Why these dimensions aren't hierarchical - just different landscapes to explore

    Resources: Mateo has created a free Venn Diagram PDF mapping out all seven belonging states, complete with research notes and book recommendations. Reach out at createbelonging@gmail.com or connect on LinkedIn to get your copy.

    This isn't about optimizing your belonging or checking boxes. It's about recognizing the different pathways that are always available and learning to trust your own internal compass.

    Enjoying these conversations? Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you're listening - it helps more people discover these explorations of belonging and connection. Thank you for being part of this community and for doing the work of creating belonging for yourself and others.


    Acknowledgments:

    Music “Playing with Color” by Nullhertz obtained royalty-free from Pixabay

    Thank you to the lovely people at Purple Space for your support

    ——————————-

    Thank you for listening!

    I would love your Feedback: Please send me an email at createbelonging@gmail.com and let me know what you thought of the episode.

    You can also follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createbelonging/ or on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/create-belonging


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
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