The space between us disappears, one conversation at a time.

Phillip Wilder is the founder of OneConversation, where he partners with leaders, teams, and communities to restore relationships and remember how to be human together. His work is grounded in the belief that lasting change begins not with better strategies, but with the courage to listen deeply, speak honestly, and remain present to one another in moments of tension and possibility.

Over the past three decades, Phillip has served as an educator, professor-researcher, international consultant, and facilitator, leading work in the United States and globally, including East Africa, Europe, and Asia to strengthen belonging, agency, and peace through communication, education, and community partnership.

Drawing from contemplative practice, Buddhist principles, nonviolent communication, restorative approaches, and adult learning, Phillip creates spaces where people move beyond blame and fear toward compassion, accountability, and genuine connection. His deepest hope is to help communities cultivate the practices, habits, and courage to restore relationship without depending on him, believing that when people communicate from their deepest humanity, they strengthen both their relationships and the communities they are called to serve.

With more than 30 years of experience in education, organizational development, and international consulting, Phillip Wilder has designed, led, and evaluated transformational learning initiatives across schools, universities, nonprofit organizations, and community partnerships in the United States and globally, including East Africa, Europe, and Asia.

As a Teacher Collaborator with the Center for Education in Small Urban Communities at the University of Illinois, Phillip partnered with middle and secondary educators to deepen language and literacy instruction through year-long instructional coaching and collaborative professional learning. Grounded in a deep understanding of language, he guided teachers in examining their practice, expanding their agency, and responding more intentionally to students' literacy needs. Phillip also designed and facilitated annual institutes for more than 200 educators and school leaders, developed the coaching capacity of instructional leaders, and partnered with district administrators to create sustainable, culturally responsive literacy initiatives across multiple schools.

For over a decade, he's been the Senior Advisor to Mwangaza Education for Partnership in Tanzania, which uses a Safe School program to support the emotional and physical safety of 15,000 youth. His career includes service as a secondary educator, literacy coach, professor, international education advisor, program evaluator, nonviolent communication trainer, yoga and meditation teacher, and organizational consultant.

As an Associate Professor of Language and Literacy at Clemson University (2013–2026), Phillip directed grant-funded research, developed graduate and doctoral programs, facilitated leadership development, advised international NGOs through USAID, designed strategic initiatives, conducted program evaluations, secured philanthropic funding, and partnered with educational, governmental, and community leaders to advance equity, communication, and organizational learning.

Today, through OneConversation, he brings this breadth of experience to help leaders, teams, and communities strengthen trust, navigate conflict, cultivate belonging, and build cultures capable of sustaining healthy relationships and strengthening change efforts.

Every systemic shift begins with a single, quiet point of internal alignment. Phillip's work as a facilitator and practitioner is rooted in the belief that sustainable peace is not the absence of conflict, but the capacity to remain present within it.

His practice is anchored in a lifelong commitment to contemplative depth and reflective inquiry. He believes that meaningful external transformation requires a profound capacity for emotional attunement, a willingness to offer steady, unconditional presence and a genuine comfort with suffering. This inner grounding is the steady center from which all his external work ripples outward.

Moving from the internal to the relational, communication requires both fierce tenderness and precise skill. In moments of organizational or interpersonal crisis, Phillip brings a grounded teaching presence and a specialized capacity for facilitation under tension.

Rather than avoiding friction, he leans into conflict transformation, viewing tension as a doorway to deeper understanding. This relational work is guided by deep intercultural humility, ensuring that every voice is structurally heard, valued, and integrated.

We do not live or work in isolation. True Nonviolent Communication (NVC) practice requires an acute systems awareness, an understanding of how structural power, historical context, and regional economies influence our daily interactions.

By bringing a community-minded lens to every engagement, my goal is to help your organization co-create sustainable cultures of care. The shifts we practice together are designed to expand far beyond our immediate sessions, creating a lasting ripple effect that transforms your teams, your industry, and the wider communities you touch.

“The word that comes to mind is legacy. Not the individual mark I want to leave, but the ripple effect of being present, listening, and connecting people across what we perceive to be differences.”

In Phillip's global work, this idea is called seed to shade. Legacy is not about buildings or budgets. It is about planting seeds you may never see fully grown. A high school junior who becomes a college graduate. A mentee who becomes a mentor. A shy student who becomes a community organizer. A brother who says your self-acceptance inspired him to judge himself less. A co-worker who more often admits what they don't know. A romantic partner who more frequently shares their inner landscape. By relating to ourselves differently, we create more personal peace and ripple into the lives of people we know and those we don't know...even if we never hear or see the ripples.