Game developer Christian Telesmar, creator of 'Disparity Trap', joins Amy, Kevin, and Don Griffin, Jr. in a crossover episode with "My Racist Friend" to discuss Christian's board game about the game of real life. Christian explains the origins of the game, and Amy highlights two new RCT concepts: Desire for More and Strategies of Disconnection.

Christian Telesmar will provide the keynote presentation on Friday, September 6 as part of the upcoming 2024 Relational Summit on Playful Connection. Don will be on a panel playing Disparity Trap during that session.

Some resources mentioned in this episode:

Disparity Trap board game https://disparitytrap.net/

"Disparity Trap Board Game" (Kickstarter video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOC8PB1aMS0

Share the Flame consulting https://www.shareflame.com/ist-of-an-ism

My Racist Friend (podcast) https://bloomingtoncc.podbean.com/

2024 Relational Summit https://www.bloomingtoncenterforconnection.org/2024-relational-summit/

Cadre is a podcast that explores concepts from Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT), a psychological theory that started with Jean Baker Miller, and grew through collaboration and connection in places like the Stone Center at Wellesley College. RCT is built on the idea that people grow through and towards relationships, and that those relationships shape and are shaped by the cultures we co-create. Culture often creates challenges to connection through inequity and hierarchies.

Each year, the Bloomington Center for Connection selects a guiding theme for monthly small-group discussions of RCT concepts.

Christian Telesmar attended college at the University of Washington (UW) with the intent of pursuing medical school but fell in love with theatre and knew that’s where he was meant to be. After graduating from the University of Washington’s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Acting program, he relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he resides today. His performance work includes appearances on FOX’s Bones, 9-1-1: Lone Star, and The Young and the Restless. While in Los Angeles, Christian earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Purdue University Global and holds a Qualified Administrator license for the Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI) from IDI, LLC. He is excited to be fusing his many passions, combining his love of art, business, and education in the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion space with his board game, Disparity Trap.

Donald Griffin Jr. is a Bloomington native, former Deputy Mayor for Bloomington, and a real estate broker, proudly serving his community for the past three decades. Since opening Griffin Realty in 2003, Don's dedication to excellence has helped to guide his company to be among the top producers in Indiana with nearly a half billion in individual lifetime sales.

Amy Makice is the founder of Bloomington Center for Connection and a licensed psychotherapist based in Bloomington, Indiana. Amy offers individual therapy and parent support for people in the Bloomington area, workshops for parents and caregivers, and training on Relational Cultural theory.

Kevin Makice is a user experience designer and enthusiastic gamer who has been steeping in RCT for three decades.

Theme music created by Vlad Gluschenko ("Positive Thinking" and "Serpantine") and downloaded from Soundcloud through Creative Commons Attribution 3.0.

https://soundcloud.com/vgl9/positive-thinking https://soundcloud.com/vgl9/serpantine https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

Jonathan H. Liu, a writer for the GeekDad blog and board game enthusiast, joins Amy and Kevin for a discussion of considerations when starting, playing, and ending a gaming session. We revisit some of the How to Play guidelines gleaned from an interview a decade ago. Jonathan will join us again on Friday, September 6 for a panel discussion on play as part of the upcoming Relational Summit on Playful Connection.

Some resources mentioned in this episode:

Play and Connection (BCC) https://www.bloomingtoncenterforconnection.org/play-and-connection/

The Ultimate Session Zero Checklist (Level 1 Geek) https://www.level1geek.com/blog/dnd-session-0

OT: Alternate Candyland Rules (Baby Center) https://community.babycenter.com/post/a61415299/ot-alternative-candyland-rules

X Card by John Stavropoulos (Google Doc) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SB0jsx34bWHZWbnNIVVuMjhDkrdFGo1_hSC2BWPlI3A/edit

What’s unsettling about Catan: How board games uphold colonial narratives (The Conversation) https://theconversation.com/whats-unsettling-about-catan-how-board-games-uphold-colonial-narratives-220459

The Cultural Background of Ticket to Ride Legacy, pt. 2 - Native Erasure (BoardGame Geek) https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3164652/the-cultural-background-of-ticket-to-ride-legacy-p

Cadre is a podcast that explores concepts from Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT), a psychological theory that started with Jean Baker Miller, and grew through collaboration and connection in places like the Stone Center at Wellesley College. RCT is built on the idea that people grow through and towards relationships, and that those relationships shape and are shaped by the cultures we co-create. Culture often creates challenges to connection through inequity and hierarchies.

Each year, the Bloomington Center for Connection selects a guiding theme for monthly small-group discussions of RCT concepts.

Amy Makice is the founder of Bloomington Center for Connection and a licensed psychotherapist based in Bloomington, Indiana. Amy offers individual therapy and parent support for people in the Bloomington area, workshops for parents and caregivers, and training on Relational Cultural theory.

Kevin Makice is a user experience designer and enthusiastic gamer who has been steeping in RCT for three decades.

Theme music created by Vlad Gluschenko ("Positive Thinking" and "Serpantine") and downloaded from Soundcloud through Creative Commons Attribution 3.0.

https://soundcloud.com/vgl9/positive-thinking https://soundcloud.com/vgl9/serpantine https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

In this conversation, Amy and Kevin explore the benefits of remembering and recalling connecting moments in past play, by intentionally cultivating a repository of positive relational moments.

Some resources mentioned in this episode:

"Dave's Mad Monkey Tea Party" (video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MVA6Spl7PQ

"Wired to Connect" (book) by Amy Banks (2016) https://www.amazon.com/Wired-Connect-Surprising-Between-Relationships/dp/1101983213/

"Frederick" (book) by Leo Lionni (1967) https://www.amazon.com/Frederick-Leo-Lionni/dp/0394810406

Cadre is a podcast that explores concepts from Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT), a psychological theory that started with Jean Baker Miller, and grew through collaboration and connection in places like the Stone Center at Wellesley College. RCT is built on the idea that people grow through and towards relationships, and that those relationships shape and are shaped by the cultures we co-create. Culture often creates challenges to connection through inequity and hierarchies.

Each year, the Bloomington Center for Connection selects a guiding theme for monthly small-group discussions of RCT concepts.

Amy Makice is the founder of Bloomington Center for Connection and a licensed psychotherapist based in Bloomington, Indiana. Amy offers individual therapy and parent support for people in the Bloomington area, workshops for parents and caregivers, and training on Relational Cultural theory.

Kevin Makice is a user experience designer and enthusiastic gamer who has been steeping in RCT for three decades.

Theme music created by Vlad Gluschenko ("Positive Thinking" and "Serpantine") and downloaded from Soundcloud through Creative Commons Attribution 3.0.

https://soundcloud.com/vgl9/positive-thinking https://soundcloud.com/vgl9/serpantine https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en