January 2024 Newsletter & Events

Breaking news! our new Intentional Community in Mexico is open for both permanent residents and month-long residential retreat intensives. Find out more and register your interest here

What’s happening in the community?

Quick answer: a lot. Yay team! 

• I am currently enrolling the February cohorts of the 4-week experience, Practical Relational Leadership through Authentic Relating. The January programs sold-out at 3 groups x 6 people each, cross all time zones, and are kicking ass. You register your interest and start the enrollment process by sending me a $25 deposit. The cost is just $100.
• Authentic Revolution is hosting a workshop Repair Conflicts With Grace and Connection (with Hazel-Grace Yates) on Wednesday January 17th at 6 p.m. Central. Also (in case you have not heard) Authentic Revolution is back!!! They launched a 16-week Authentic Facilitator Training in October 2023, which hopefully will be offered again soon. There may also be live programs in Austin offered this coming year, in addition to many courses on demand.
• The Relateful Company continues operating the world’s largest online circling community. There is also an in-person Austin Relateful Immersion Jan. 26-28. The next Relateful Coaching Training starts Feb 12. And of course, the Level Up, one of the finest and best-value high-level circling training programs in the world (and my Alma Mater) continues strong.
  Last but not least: book your calendar for the Relateful Camp 2024, April 24-28 at Camp Olympia, near Houston. This will be a memorable event which I hope to attend.
• ART International is offering multiple online Level 1’s, and 15+ in-person courses in Bali, the UK, Costa Rica, Germany, Colorado, Portugal and France. It’s enough to make one’s head spin. In terms of global AR training, ART International’s success continues to inspire me.
• Circling Europe is offering short Circling and Surrendered Leadership trainings online / 6-week closed groups. The first one starts this Friday Jan. 12.  Also weekend and longer trainings online and in person in Oslo, Amsterdam, Tallinn, Auckland, London, and Wellington NZ. Circling Europe is another organization whose success makes my head spin. They were also well-represented at the 2023 Integral European Conference in Budapest. I hope to join the 2025 conference.
• The Circling Institute has a number of new Self-Study Programs as well as Weekend intensives, offered both online and in the Bay Area.
• The Connection Institute will be offering the next Untriggered: 6 week course beginning Thursdays Feb. 1. They are also launching a new cohort of Avalon Coaching Institute next June 2024. There are also many events offered as part of the Relational Leadership Academy which is just $49/mth.
• Keith McGuinnes is offering a free webinar MASCULINE MASTERY – A Masterclass on Ejaculatory Choice on Friday, January 12th, 12 – 1:30 PM MT. I love Keith’s work as he has both deep training in AR (he was and maybe still is with ART International) and in several tantric yoga traditions.
• Seek Healing has a lot happening. In case you are not familiar with this amazing organization, they work in applying AR to addiction recovery, their motto being “we are the medicine”. Their leading training, Social Health Facilitation (good for therapists and other addiction professionals), is almost sold-out! You can check them out in the Phoenix App, which occurs as a wonderful place to find connection-focused Recovery Events, Resources & Communities.
  Note: I am also a big fan (and member) of Recovery Dharma.
• Zori Tomova is starting a new program Widening Circles: Mushroom Medicine Edition which is a support and development group for plant-medicine practitioners. Building on her prior program, Widening Circles (for which I have been a happy customer), this promises to be a hit if you’re in the business of plant medicine.
  Zori also has a new 12-week program (in partnership with Tammi Chow), The Art of Relating, starting on Saturday Jan. 27th

Are you producing events that you would like to be included in this list? Or maybe you are attending some events which you especially recommend? Then just reply to this email and tell me about it!

Other valuable resources

• If you are not familiar with Miki Kashtan & Friends Non-Violent Global Liberation, check it out. Originally sourced from NVC, they have gone way beyond that with a program and a community focused on bringing relational intelligence to social justice. All programs are based on gift-economy, which is also impressive. The monthly NGL Introduction calls are well worth attending. The next one is January 21 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm CET
• Michael Porcelli recorded this conversation with Kendra Cunov, who was of course very influential in early AR communities. This podcast will be be of interest to anyone interested in the evolution of the movement from its early days, and current directions. Michael has designed a relational system called Meta-Relating, which will be covered as well.

Personal news

I am realizing a 10-year dream through the opening of our connection-focused intentional community in Mexico, Authentic Relating Village. The village is now open to both permanent members and month-long residential retreat intensives.  If you are interested in how this came about, read my personal blog post The new commune in Mexico, which is our origin story.