Inspired by Marshall B. Rosenberg

As I pause and reflect upon the fruit I see growing in my own work, and in the world around me, I feel such profound gratitude for the clarity Marshall Rosenberg had when he gifted so many with the process of Nonviolent Communication.

Ten years ago my life felt like it was turned upside down and inside out. I blamed myself for my son’s difficulties; I did not have tools developed to maneuver new territory that was totally unpredictable and unstable; and my window of tolerance was raw and quite narrow. I perceived no choice but to reduce my private practice in order to sort out how to move forward and even function. With a heavy sense of desperation, I began to search for information and processes that would help me to parent and nurture my then 5-year old son so he could regain developmental territory and begin to thrive in his environment, not just survive.

A friend mentioned Marshall Rosenberg’s book, A Language of Life, and reading it was a breath of fresh air for my soul. I traveled to Seattle to meet Marshall in 2006, and was profoundly touched by his honest sincerity, when he asked how he could support me in relationship with my son. Marshall listened with his heart and truly gifted me, and so many other parents, by modeling a new way of being in relationship with Life - that radically transformed who I am today.

These last 10 years I have intentionally focused on absorbing the key concepts of Nonviolent Communication, and integrating the model with Interpersonal Neurobiology, in order to live this unique blend in relationship with myself and my now nearly 15-year old son. We have both come so far. Now, rather than going into shame spirals when the unexpected happens, I consciously seek to remain curious and respond with empathy, curiosity, and compassion in the moment. And when we flip our lids anyway - we take time to intentionally restore our connection with the power of making a repair.

I am passionate to empower people to have eyes, ears, minds, and hearts, to know and sense how to translate any expression they want to give (or happen to receive) into ones that name the beauty of the needs seeking to be met in the moment. I want to live in a world where the environments of learning are ones that prioritize relationships over strategies. My work is about inspiring and co-creating a world of connected resources for folks who care about others with compassion, especially for those who show up differently than the main stream. I do the best I can to model how authentically and consistently providing deep wells of empathy to parents, teachers, and others providing services, is what will provide all children, of any age, the support and nurturance they need to bring their gifts to our world.

Our children are our future.

Thank you, Marshall, may God bless and keep you.