Courses, workshops, and retreats coming up in the next few months:
1. Ignite – A day of retreat for women sparking change – Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, July 6, 2013
I’ll be co-hosting this day retreat together with my dear friends Diane Jung and Ann-Marie Boudreau. Join us for a day of creativity, music, inspiration, and connection. We’ll sit in intimate conversation, make meaningful art, use our bodies and voices to explore our places in the world, connect with a beautiful circle of women, share stories, and walk away inspired to work together to ignite positive change in the world. You’ll take home two artful reminders of what your role is in sparking change in the world.
2. The Art of Hosting & Harvesting Conversations that Matter – Winnipeg, Manitoba, July 24, 2013
Ever since I was introduced to The Art of Hosting three years ago, I’ve wanted to bring it to my hometown, and now I’m pleased to be able to do that as part of the hosting team. Join me, Kathy Jourdain, Jerry Nagel, and Dianne McCoy as we offer an introductory one-day workshop on this paradigm-shifting approach to participatory leadership. The Art of Hosting is a style of leadership that generates fresh thinking and creates a shared commitment to solving critical challenges in sustainable, inclusive ways. Anyone who’s take a course or been part of a workshop I’ve hosted in the past three years will have gotten a taste of The Art of Hosting because it has changed the way I lead, teach, and interact with people.
3. Engage! A retreat for women with love in their hearts and fire in their veins – Asheville, North Carolina, April 1-4, 2013
After three years of dreaming together, Desiree Adaway and I are finally co-hosting a retreat that is totally in-line with the work that both of us do in the world. This is a retreat for women who want to look deep into their innermost longings, explore their own giftedness, dive deeply into conversations, and find their strength so that they can serve as courageous leaders and stewards of the world. This retreat is for changemakers and trailblazers. At this retreat, you will learn more about what it means to serve the world with passion and justice. You will learn how to be a “global listener”, engaging with the stories of the world in order to shift your own perspective and grow into a more impactful leader.
4. Creative Writing for Self-Discovery - Winnipeg, Manitoba, 8 Tuesdays, September 24 to November 12, 2013
In this interactive 8 week course or workshop, we play with various forms of creative writing (journal writing, poetry, personal essay, etc.), and learn new skills in engaging both our right and left brains in our writing practices. Participants stretch themselves creatively & personally, dig into their personal stories, learn new things about who they are, and have fun in the process. (I normally deliver this as an 8 week class, but it could be adapted to a one or two day workshop or retreat. The next 8 week offering will be in Winnipeg in Fall 2013.)
Following is a list of courses, workshops, and keynotes I have taught and/or developed resources for. If you would like to hire me for an conference, learning event, or retreat, I would be happy to discuss any variations on these topics to suit your needs. Please contact me with your questions. Visit my testimonials page to find out what some of my students and workshop participants have said.
1. Lead with your Wild Heart
Lead with your Wild Heart is an intensive personal leadership program for women. It’s about unleashing and equipping edgewalkers, artists, changemakers, lovers, visionaries, teachers, storytellers and imaginal cells – just the kind of women the world needs more of RIGHT NOW. It’s about living boldly and passionately and from a place of feminine, holistic (mind, body, and soul) wisdom. (The next offering of the 18 week online version of this program will begin in September 2013.)
2. A Day retreat for Women of Courage
At this retreat we spend time in circle, sharing stories of courage and wholeheartedness. Together, we experience deep listening in a safe environment where our stories are sacred and welcome. We also spend some quiet time with our own thoughts. At the end of the day, we make prayer flags that will remind us of the courage we have and the courage we want to claim. We take the prayer flags home and hang them in our homes to remind ourselves of our courage. (No offerings currently planned.)
3. Creative Discovery
In this interactive and fun class (or workshop), we explore various forms of creativity (journal writing, mandalas, photography, painting, etc.). Participants learn new ways of expressing themselves and interpreting the world. Through creative play, journaling, and conversations in circle, they stretch themselves, find new meaning in their stories, and have fun in the process. This is a good team-building and creativity-exploring workshop for groups that want to bring more innovation and excitement into their work and/or lives. (I have delivered this as an 8 week class and have also adapted the material for full and half day workshops for a variety of audiences.)
4. Horses & Mandalas
A one day workshop near Winnipeg, Manitoba, co-hosted with Sherri Garrity. Learn more about your authentic nature through interaction with horses. Explore your personal truths through mandalas. (This workshop was offered in June 2012 and will be offered again.)
5. Mandalas for Self-Discovery – online
In this 6 week online course, you learn to make mandalas as a creative spiritual practice which will help you explore your authentic self. Mandalas combine spirituality, meditation, therapy, creative process, and play in one holistic circle. They help us slow our minds, process our complex thoughts, and shift out of our logical left-brains into our intuitive right brains. (I am currently working on a self-study version of this. You can also book one-on-one mandala coaching sessions with me.)
6. Storytelling for community-development and organizational transformation
People are changed and communities are built through the power of stories. In my storytelling workshops, participants engage in an exploration of how storytelling can help their businesses grow, their communities deepen, and their organizations have more impact in the work they do. Based on my many years of working as the primary storyteller for government and non-profit organizations (which included travel all over the world for the purpose of gathering stories) I take advantage of every opportunity to teach others to become better storytellers for transformative change. (This could be adapted as a full or half day workshop, or a keynote address.)
7. Emotional and Social Intelligence
This workshop touches first on the theory of multiple intelligences (based on Howard Gardner’s work), and then delves into the concepts of emotional and social intelligence – the ability to recognize, harness, and transform our emotions as well as the way we respond to other people’s emotions (based on Daniel Goleman’s work). Students will learn more about their strengths and weaknesses and practice strategies for building both emotional and social intelligence. Past students have had significant personal a-ha moments as they learned more about how their emotions impact them and the work they do. (This one day workshop was delivered at the U of W’s professional edge seminar series, and can be adapted for other purposes as well.)
8. Community-building Skills for Leaders of All Kinds
In this workshop, participants learn to define, identify, and build community in many different environments. They learn about the stages of community development (pseudo-community, chaos, emptiness, true community), and they explore the difference between team-building and community-building. This workshop is suitable for community organizations, churches, non-profits, businesses, and government departments. (I have delivered this workshop in a variety of formats – a one day workshop for the Prairie Leadership Development Network, a lunch-and-learn session, and a webinar. It could also be a keynote address.)
9. The Power of Deep and Soulful Listening
In this workshop, participants learn to use effective listening skills to engage people, learn from other cultures, and transform communities. We explore the art of the question, what it means to listen for deeper understanding, and how listening is one of the most crucial skills in leadership and community building. (This workshop was delivered as a webinar, but could be adapted to a full or half day workshop or keynote speech.)
10. Effective Facilitation Skills
This course is designed for trainers, facilitators, supervisors, managers, team builders, and other individuals who set up meetings and facilitate groups or plan to do so in the future. Students learn various models for facilitating groups and for building group consensus and making decisions collectively. (This is an 8 week course I teach in the project management program in the Continuing Ed department at the University of Winnipeg.)
11. Writing for Public Relations
In this course, students are taught clear, creative, and concise writing in many formats related to public relations. The key course material could be adapted to a shorter workshop for businesses, non-profits, or government departments working to improve their writing and public relations skills. (This is a 3 level, 18 week course I teach in the Professional Development department at the University of Winnipeg. The course material could be adapted for various purposes.)
12. Effective Written Communication
Students learn clear, creative, and concise writing that will enhance their communication skills in the workplace. The key course material could be adapted to a shorter workshop for businesses, non-profits, or government departments working to improve their writing and communication skills. (This is an 8 week course I teach in a variety of programs – eg. human resources, project management – in the Continuing Ed department at the University of Winnipeg. Course material could be adapted for various purposes.)
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