Self-acceptance comes before change- not the other way around! http://workcollaboratively.com

Sometimes we need personalized help to get clear about communication. Schedule a free 30 min coaching session here: http://ow.ly/DrHg30fbduk

Giving feedback is a practice -- if you don’t speak up about your needs, who will? http://ow.ly/j1zv30fba5H

In many large business organizations, internal teams and departments can either “hire” other departments in-house for work needed, often getting the best possible price for those contracts, or they can outsource the work, if there’s a good reason to do so. It all depends on the discretion of the budgeting department, who acts as the … Continue reading Saving Personnel During Budget Cuts 

Awhile ago, I passed by an ASPCA van, with cats up for adoption. I went over to take a look and fell in love with a cat called Caiden. I love Irish names, so he caught my attention. I already had two cats at home and wasn’t looking for a third, but Caiden was so … Continue reading Kitty Empathy

Given that I have recently been blogging about power-over, structural power, and privilege, I thought I would share a real life story of facing structural power using NVC. I hope you find it inspiring! Here’s the story… Some years ago I was heading to an NVC holiday party I’d organized with a bunch of supplies … Continue reading Empathy in the Face of Power-Over

If you’re attempting to communicate with someone who doesn't speak or sign the same language as you, and you don’t have an interpreter, no matter how clear or connected your communication, you may not be heard or understood. There are external or structural issues at play. Your empathic intention---communicated via your facial expressions and body … Continue reading Creating Peace and Change: A Multi-Level Approach

Note: this blog post is a transcription of a podcast made in January, which you can listen to here.  The NVC Academy- which offers online courses on Nonviolent Communication, held a telethon last year and invited trainers to donate prizes. In addition to donating copies of my book, Urban Empathy, I also donated speaking on … Continue reading Working with our Learning Curves

This year Mary MacKenzie of the NVC Academy (NVCA) organized an online symposium Removing Our Blinders: Seeing the Impact of Power and Privilege that I consider courageous and visionary. The symposium offered an opportunity for those of European background, men, women, and people of color to share their experiences and for others to empathically listen. … Continue reading NVC Conversations About Privilege and “Power-Over”

I recently got into a discussion about the concept of “deserve” thanks to the person who sends out emails for me, who dropped the “D” word in a recent subject line about a program I’m leading next week in North Carolina. If you missed it, the subject line read:  “You Deserve Your Best Life.”   … Continue reading What Do You Deserve? And Do You Really Want to Deserve Anything?