Season 2 of “Stop & Talk” has arrived! This season, dive deep into the themes of purpose and opportunity, guided by the insights of leaders in the arts and culture, sports, philanthropy, finance, and innovation fields. Together, we'll celebrate local achievements and envision what's possible in San Diego County. Let's converse and inspire one another.

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        &lt;p&gt;Dr. Novien Yarber is the Senior Learning Officer at Prebys Foundation, where he helps the foundation listen, reflect, and learn from its work with community partners. Known around the office as “Dr. Novi,” he brings a rare combination of rigor, warmth, and curiosity to the practice of evaluation. Before joining Prebys, Novi served as Director of Leadership, Philanthropy, and Social Impact at the University of San Diego’s Nonprofit Institute, where he led community-focused programs at the intersection of leadership and social change &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This Episode:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What does it look like when a foundation takes a closer look at itself? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode, Novi and Grant reflect on what Prebys heard from grantee partners through its most recent Grantee Perception Report. The conversation explores both the affirmations and the invitations for growth, including how grantees perceive Prebys’ leadership, impact, adaptability, transparency, and relationships across San Diego County. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This episode offers a candid look at how a foundation makes sense of feedback, wrestles with trade-offs, and thinks about its role in community. Novi and Grant discuss one of the central tensions in place-based philanthropy: how to keep learning and responding to changing conditions while also being clear and predictable for the organizations doing the work every day. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They explore what real transparency requires, why trust matters for shared learning, and how funders and grantees can build relationships strong enough to hold wins, losses, lessons, and setbacks. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key Moments:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;[2:02] What the Center for Effective Philanthropy is and why the report matters &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;[10:28] Why relationships are central to place-based philanthropy &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;[23:55] How deeper trust can support shared learning between funders and grantees &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;[30:39] Grant reflects on adaptive leadership, values, and predictability &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;[38:08] Novi connects transparency with accountability &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Resources Mentioned in This Episode:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Center for Effective Philanthropy – A national nonprofit that supports more effective philanthropy through research, data, and resources for foundations and donors. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Prebys Foundation – A place-based foundation working to advance purpose, opportunity, and belonging across San Diego County. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Healing Through Arts and Nature – A Prebys-supported approach that expands access to arts, culture, and nature as resources for youth mental health and well-being. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Take Action:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practice Transparency&lt;/strong&gt; – Share not only what you decide, but what you are learning along the way. Being open about process can build trust, even when the answers are still evolving. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Build Relationships That Can Hold Honesty&lt;/strong&gt; – Invest in relationships where people can share what is working, what is hard, and what needs to change without fear of losing trust. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stay Open to Feedback&lt;/strong&gt; – Treat feedback as an opportunity to grow, not as a final judgment. Listening, reflecting, and adjusting are part of building stronger organizations and communities. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Credits:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;This is a production of the Prebys Foundation&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;Hosted by Grant Oliphant&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;Co-Hosted by Crystal Page&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;Produced by Adam Greenfield, Tess Karesky, Edgar Ontiveros Medina, and Crystal Page&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;Engineered by Adam Greenfield&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;Production Coordination by Tess Karesky&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;Video Production by Edgar Ontiveros Medina&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;The Stop &amp;amp; Talk Theme song was created by San Diego’s own Mr. Lyrical Groove.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;Download episodes at your favorite podcatcher or visit us at StopAndTalkPod​cast​.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;Special thanks to the Prebys Foundation Team&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;If you like this show, and we hope you do, the best way to support this show is to share, subscribe&lt;/p&gt;<br />
      

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