Shut UpA journey into the lost art of listening
by Richard Dillon
In a world addicted to opinions and noise, rediscover the simple, radical power of presence.
When was the last time someone truly heard you?
Not just nodded while preparing their reply. Not offered advice you didn’t ask for. Not turned the moment back to themselves.
If you can’t remember, you’re not alone.
In a culture obsessed with talking, fixing, and being right, we’ve forgotten how to simply listen. Shut Up is about finding our way back.
Drawing on two decades of Aikido, Nonviolent Communication, counselling studies and lived experience, Richard Dillon maps a path back to the listening we’ve forgotten — for partners, parents, leaders, and anyone tired of surface conversations.
What you’ll discover
- Why advice often harms more than it helps, and what to offer instead
- How your nervous system reveals whether you’re truly present
- The neuroscience of co-regulation — staying calm helps others find their ground
- How to hold space for anger, grief, and uncertainty
- Why your children need your presence more than your wisdom
- How listening transforms leadership, conflict, and intimacy
- The hardest practice of all — listening to yourself
Shut Up isn’t about being silent. It’s about being present.
Where can I buy Shut Up?
Shut Up is available in paperback, hardcover, eBook and audiobook (narrated by Ken Franson) from these stores.
Paperback
Hardcover
- Publisher
- Good Uke Publishing
- Published
- 2 November 2025
- Length
- 238 pages
- ISBN
- 9781764334105 (paperback)
9781764334112 (hardcover)
Read reviews or add it to your shelf on Goodreads (opens in a new tab).
About Richard Dillon
Richard Dillon is a writer, partner and father who has spent much of his life exploring what it means to listen deeply. After years in design and web development he moved into leadership, where he found that trust is built less by what we say than by how we listen. He holds a diploma in counselling, is a long-time Aikido practitioner, and lives in Melbourne.
From the blog
All articles →
The eight-year-old still driving my car
How a childhood rule about never being late still ran Richard Dillon’s nervous system — and what happened when he made himself late on purpose.
Stop playing the blame game
“You marked the sofa” versus “I can see a mark.” How the difference between observation and blame, from Nonviolent Communication, changes a conversation.
The promise that changed how my sons interrupted me
“Hang on buddy, I’m talking to someone.” What a son’s dipped shoulders taught Richard Dillon about proving presence to a child who interrupts.