Who’s Invited

Whether you are seeking to grow or transform your current relationship, learn from past relationships, or enter the dating world better prepared, this is for you if you want to…

• Explore time-tested perspectives and proven practices that support greater clarity, intimacy, and fulfillment in relationships

• Connect with those you love (or want to love) in more meaningful ways

• Navigate relationships with more ease and grace

• Clarify the nature of your relationships—past, present, and/or future—using research-validated models and assessments

• Avoid common relationship mishaps and mismatches

• Learn practical skills for loving well and staying in love

About the Course

This is a seven-session interactive, online course via Zoom. Each week, we come together in a 90-minute LIVE online gathering focused on the topic of the week. You’ll immerse yourself in useful content, juicy discussions, self-assessments, and practical steps you can take to cultivate your most fulfilling relationships.

Session 1 - Relationships: Mapping the Territory - Your Relationship Map

Why are some relationships so much better than others? What is the difference between a connection and a relationship? What is the true nature of our current relational world? Who really matters?

Session 2 - Biology of Love: Drives & Personality Traits

How does our biology influence our relationships? What drives our desire to connect? Why are we attracted to some people more than others? What makes for good chemistry? Why do we fall in love with this person rather than another?

Session 3 - Key Components & Types of Love

What are various elements of love? How do these show up in relationships? Is there a winning formula for lasting love? What types of relationships work best?

Session 4 - Essential Conditions & Types of Intimacy - Your Intimacy Profile   

What is intimacy? What are the different ways of being intimate? What are the three essential conditions for good intimacy? How do we nurture the right kind of intimacy for us in relationship?               

Session 5 - Attachment Dynamics - Your Attachment Style

What does it mean to feel attached to someone? How do our early childhood situations affect our love relationships? How do we foster healthy ways of dealing with our insecurities in relationship?

Session 6 - Practical Skills: Do’s and Don’ts of Healthier, Happier Relationships

How do we cultivate happier, healthier relationships given who we are? How can we more successfully navigate problematic or dysfunctional dynamics? What do couples who stay happier in love have in common?

Session 7 - Summary & Next Steps: Your Real Relationship Commitment

Where do we go from here? What (and who) do we really want in our relational lives? What’s real for us? What, if anything, are we committed to applying in our relationships?

What to Expect

PLAYFUL PRESENTATION, FACILITATED DISCUSSION & EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES

Luminanda courses and retreats are designed to be life-affirming and life-changing short immersions for busy people.

THERAPEUTIC, but not therapy.

RELAXING, but not a vacation.

ENGAGING, but not a social occasion.

We co-create an intimate, playful, thoughtful, and constructive space to explore fresh perspectives and sustainable practices for greater relational well-being, whatever that looks like for you.  

OPTIONAL SHARING

Although there will be opportunities for group interaction, sharing is entirely optional. Because the nature of this work is deeply personal, please know that there is no obligation or expectation for you to share beyond your comfort.

WELCOMING SPACE

You are welcome just as you are, freak(in’) genius flag and all. Please come prepared to welcome and appreciate all shapes, shades, and affinities. 

RSVP: Rates, Terms & Registration

MY COMMITMENT

As long as I can pay my bills, I'm going to show up and deliver this work to whomever shows up with gratitude for the opportunity to share and explore it together.  

Consistently. Open-mindedly. Wholeheartedly. 

I'm not sure if this is brave or naive or both, but I want to live in a generous world in which each of us gives whatever we can whenever wherever however we can, so I'm going to offer this as generously as I can, and see what happens.

MY INVESTMENT

This work is informed by over twenty years of experience helping people figure out better ways to live and work with the messy magnificence of being human in this ever-changing world.

It is supported by my formal education in organization development, expressive arts psychotherapy, and various somatic arts, as well as my lifelong obsession with understanding how we can have a better experience of being human.

I have read hundreds of books within the vast field of human potential, synthesizing insights from both perennial and cutting-edge wisdom of the world's spiritual luminaries, philosophers, psychologists, educators, neuroscientists, systems theorists, business leaders, and performance gurus to develop a veritable life-boat of relevant perspectives and proven practices.

I've integrated the best of what I've learned so far into what I do, so that you can have fun exploring the stuff that really works without having to do all the heavy-sifting. 

If you would prefer to work with me in private sessions or schedule post-retreat follow up coaching, please feel free to connect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this be offered on different dates and times?

Right course, wrong time?

*Although I have tried to accommodate as many timezones as possible in the course schedule, I am currently based in the Pacific Northwestern United States, so the course schedule reflects this timezone bias. Find your timezone here.

If you want to participate, but can't attend the current constellations, please get in touch to discuss other possibilities.

Please let me know what days/times might work for you, and if a constellation of people coalesces around those days/times, I will host additional constellations, schedule permitting.

I will continue to update this page as other opportunities arise.

If you would like to explore Romancing Reality within the context of your particular group or community, please contact me directly to discuss possibilities.

Why seven sessions?

As much as I’d love to offer this in a shorter timeframe, in my experience most of us are less prepared to actually integrate and apply the learnings of an intensive, or even a week-long workshop. Although I may choose to offer shorter events in the future, my focus is working with people ready to do the deep work necessary for a better future together.

This version of the course is designed to shift who and how you are your relationships. 

For good. 

For your own good. For the common good. And for the good of the planet.

What is the time commitment?

How much time you spend on the course is entirely up to you. The approach requires dedicated time and attention to be most valuable, but I trust you to choose a level of engagement that supports your intentions for the course given whatever is happening in your life. 

Live sessions are 90-minutes long, and occur once weekly. Especially since these are not recorded, you will need to set aside time for these. Optional bonus exercises, each of which may take twenty minutes to an hour to complete, may be offered between our online sessions. There is also a private online discussion group (via Facebook) available for you to participate in as much (or as little) as you'd like.

Why don't you offer recordings of the sessions? 

Recorded sessions are somewhat ubiquitous to online courses these days. However, having given this a lot of consideration, I decided not to offer recordings of the sessions for two important reasons:

1) This course tends to be most valuable when each of us feels free to live our questions aloud in confidence--to share our experiences and the magnificent messiness of whatever's real for us in the moment. Recordings make this more challenging as we tend to be self-conscious and self-editing when we know that we're being recorded. Moreover, we respect each other's privacy and honor confidentiality more fully without recordings.

2) This course requires real commitment, which at a bare minimum means showing up for the live sessions. Every single person's presence contributes something essential to their particular course constellation. Even with the best intentions, recordings offer an “out” and increase the likelihood that people will succumb to the resistance to change or competing priorities that life inevitably presents, and opt out of the sessions. 

There really is no substitute for being present. When you don't show up, you cheat yourself from being truly present with what's happening as it is unfolding, and you cheat us from benefiting from your vital presence in the moment.

So harness that FOMO (fear of missing out) for good, and plan to show up.

If your current life circumstances don't support your ability to attend the video-conference sessions, I suggest that you defer taking the course until a time when you can participate more fully. 

What happens if I miss a session?

We will miss you. Really. The sessions aren't the same without you. No one else can bring your uniquely brilliant "You-ness" to the sessions.

Please don't miss a session.

That said, if you can't avoid missing a session, please let us know in advance whenever possible, and connect with the constellation later in the private online discussion group to find out what you missed.

What technology do I need to participate?

The online sessions are held via ZOOM, a video-conferencing platform that supports computers or tablets. You can also call in via phone using dial in numbers. 

Those without video or internet access are welcome to participate by phone, but if you have the ability to do so, please show-up on screen. 

Why are the constellations limited to 10 participants?

Because our work together is likely to be deeply personal, nuanced, and transformative, each class (constellation) is limited to ten participants. Together, we create an intimate, playful, confidential space for potent learning, brave inquiry, and genuine connection.

In what language is the course taught?

As much as I would love to be multi-lingual, the course is currently only offered in English.