Professional Development Retreat
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3: Organizational Somatics: Embodied Communication Retreat in Nature
Immersive and interactive professional development opportunity to strengthen interpersonal and organizational communication
Step away from the home or work office environment, off of the screen, and out of intellectualized frameworks for a day outside in peak fall foliage at Grandmother Cherry Sanctuary—an herbal healing sanctuary in a mountain forest. Ground in your body and root onto the land to expand your perception of intelligence to include your physical, emotional, and spiritual body and our energetic interactions with each other and the land.
This retreat will support you to:
- Build skills for implementing more effective, inclusive, and welcoming workplace culture
- Learn how to integrate somatic experiencing and other ways of knowing to build trauma-informed skills in workplace, group, and team dynamics
- Deepen your commitment to equitable verbal and non-verbal communication
- Support generative conflict that can align with your organizational values
- Practice ways to shift perspective and support your leadership, facilitation, teaching, coaching, or activism work
We will work with the wisdom of our own bodies in relationship with the animals, elements, plants, and trees at Grandmother Cherry Sanctuary to guide how we can bring the healing power of nature into workplace communication.
Nature works as an interconnected communication web and one that provides generous knowledge when we are open to tapping into the wisdom of Earth and Sky. While we will provide some relevant background and research, this retreat will focus on experiential learning directly with Nature. The facilitators will support participants in how to apply embodied communication learning directly into workplace culture and communication so you leave feeling nourished, recharged, and will gain new skills to directly apply to your organizational communication and culture building goals.
Meet the Facilitators
Rae Carter (she/ki) is a trauma-informed facilitator, communication specialist, and the founder of EmpowR Transformation. Ki is an equity consultant with The Creative Discourse Group and a healing arts practitioner in the University of Vermont Integrative Practitioner Network. Ki draws from her 20+ year career in organizational communication, public relations, and grassroots community engagement as well as her lived experience and study of personal and cultural somatics. Rae weaves embodied antiracist culture building, gender expansiveness, experiential and nature-based learning, trauma-informed practices, holistic healing, and animist spirituality into capacity building work to shift limited perspectives, disrupt dominant patterns, navigate conflict, reimagine communication, and bridge micro and macro behavior change for transformative justice and how to apply transformational change in workplace communication and culture.
Anna Howes Gebhardt (she/her) is a mother, educator, healer, activist, and somatic practitioner with a career background in early child education and community organizing. She currently owns and operates Anna Howes – personal transformation & whole family healing and provides family education and coaching, educator resources, and advocacy training and support centered in somatic therapy. Anna applies the communication and behavior aspects of transformation between children and parents to her work supporting adults to learn skills to self-regulate, deepen emotional capacity, and apply generative communication to organizational settings. Anna facilitates workplace practices that illicit calm, settled, and regulated bodies for the increasingly challenging and intense conversations organizations must address.
Details
Who is this retreat for?
The Organizational Somatics Retreat is for communication, development, human resources, and leadership staff who work at nonprofits, government agencies and municipalities, businesses, and institutions. This retreat is also for small business owners, community organizers, and consultants who work with or collaborate with teams and groups that could benefit from strengthening interpersonal and organizational communication practices.
Where is this retreat held?
At Grandmother Cherry Sanctuary, which is also Rae Carter’s home, in Plainfield, Vermont. This is an in person retreat and will be held outside, working with the elements of nature as a part of the learning experience. There is a covered outside space and inside space if needed and the retreat will be held rain or shine. If raining, we will still take some time to be outside. Directions will be sent in registration/follow up emails.
How do I prepare?
Please prepare by planning to be off of your device for the entire retreat, including lunch. Please bring clothes for being outside as well as items to support your comfort (blanket, cushion, mat) as we will be sitting in circle under the trees for parts of the day. Wear comfortable close toed walking shoes and casual, comfortable clothes that express your identity.
What do I bring?
Bring a basic lunch to meet your dietary needs. There is a fridge and a stove, but no microwave. Bring a water bottle, journal, writing utensil, and something that represents heart-centered communication to you.
What will be provided?
We will provide coffee and tea as well as snacks throughout the day. We will also provide resources and materials following the retreat.
Timing
The retreat will begin at 9:30 and you are asked to prepare enough travel time to arrive, ground, and use the facilities so we can open circle at 9:30. We will close circle at 4:30 and lingering on the land is welcome.
Directions and additional information will be provided upon registration.
