Conscious Becoming: Foundations of Self-Coaching

How do you make the most of life’s provocations while also treating yourself kindly? How do you celebrate who you are today and invite forward the person you want to be tomorrow?

Self-coaching is the art of intentional, compassionate conversation with yourself, typically conducted in writing. Spacious listening, unwavering support, and penetrating questions are rapid accelerators of growth, whether you receive them from a professional coach or provide them to yourself. Within that conversation with yourself, you’ll also find natural opportunities to integrate the many insights and practices you’ve already developed elsewhere.

If you like to listen, and you like to be listened to, learning to be that supportive presence for yourself in times of need feels really, really good.

This is a preview of material from the full Conscious Becoming Growth Circle.

In this workshop, you will learn to dialog with yourself, writing as both client and coach. Like a professional coach, you-as-coach will listen, ask questions, and empathize with you-as-client, but not provide answers or advice. Over the course of two hours, we will establish the inner dialog, learn to structure a powerful self-coaching conversation, and begin to break down the fears that impede conscious growth.

We are all, always, becoming something. This workshop is for you if you want to do your becoming more consciously and compassionately.

If you find it easy to be kind with others, and harder to be equally kind with yourself, you may find this experience particularly transformational. As tempting as it often is to be harsh on ourselves in the pursuit of development, that harshness is unnecessary and counterproductive; this program will teach alternative methods of directing your own growth.

Yotam Schachter is a coach, facilitator, and teacher specializing in emotional fitness and the art of change. He helps clients to find beauty, wisdom, and opportunity in their toughest challenges. In addition to his training in traditional coaching tools such as Adaptive Leadership, Nonviolent Communication, and Internal Family Systems, Yotam's work draws from his experiences as a massage therapist, rabbinical student, and meditator.

Yotam and his wife have been polyamorous for eight years. His relationship credo: No one else can fill the hole in your heart, but they can role model to you how to love you.

We love designing experiences to practice connective communication and self-awareness. We are passionate about sharing them because they've had incredibly positive effects on our relationships, including our self-relationships.

Ess Fortunato (they/them)

Ess, who sometimes goes by S, has a passion for community building that centers love, equality, and authenticity. As a creative producer for over ten years, they’ve honed leadership and collaboration skills in the Themed Entertainment industry. Early on, they internalized deep shame within an environment of rigid requirements, which led them to a personal journey of self-acceptance to reclaim self-love. This inspired them to become trained in trauma-informed peer-counseling and nervous system regulation strategies. They have an affinity for transforming complex concepts into simple, approachable practice. When not participating in connective book discussion, you might find them enjoying bike building, playing music, paddle boarding, or celebrating good company over a great meal.

Amy Whicker (she/her)

Amy has been facilitating for 3 years as co-founder of Connection Collaboratory, a drop-in discussion group based on sharing techniques to practice and apply connective communication, self-compassion, personal empowerment, and mindfulness. Her passion for helping others embody deeper self-advocacy comes from her own challenges with finding authenticity that also feels compassionate and supportive to those she cares about. She loves designing fun learning environments that promote connection, openness, and play. Outside of discussion groups, you can catch her painting with alcohol ink, hanging out at Poly Cocktails, or at an ecstatic dance.

These will be hybrid events, offering both Zoom attendance as well as a few spaces for attending in person. We will cap the number of in-person attendees at 14. For now, this option will be only available to participants who are vaccinated or have a negative covid test within 24 hours.

Please plan to arrive between 6:50 and 7:00 PM Eastern. For those who attend in person, you’re invited to hang out afterwards for snacks, music, and games.

Do these workshops happen regularly? Can I drop in?

Yep, every first and third Mondays of the month! [This one is on a Tuesday but usually we do Mondays!]

No experience is necessary to attend. We hope to grow a sense of community through these discussions and we invite you to attend regularly. You are also welcome to drop in, and we welcome new faces!

What should I bring?

Snacks, a drink, and something to write with.

What is the cost of attending?

In order to cover the cost of hosting and facilitation, we accept donations. We'd love to receive $10, but we welcome any amount $1 and up. If you want to attend, we want you here! Please give whatever amount feels affordable to you. Thank you for your support!

How can I stay in touch with community members?

We’ve created a community forum on Discord, where non-monogamous people can gather to chat, share their learning experiences, and contribute stories of personal growth. Join the Open Love Forum here: https://discord.gg/UwzwYzVh76. We are looking forward to being a part of this community of like-minded, like-hearted people. Please introduce yourself when you join!

What’s a hybrid event?

This meeting combines a live in-person event with a virtual online component. So you can choose to attend in-person in Winter Park, FL, or virtually via Zoom from anywhere in the world.

How do I get the Zoom link to attend virtually?

The Zoom information will be provided in your confirmation email after registering.

What’s the location to attend in person?

These events take place at Ess Fortunato’s home in Winter Park, Florida, near Full Sail University. The address for the in-person event location will be in your confirmation email after registering (it's kinda hard to see so make sure to find it early). Only 14 spots are available, with a small waitlist. You’re invited to hang out for games, music, and snacks after the discussion ends!

I have a different question/comment…

We are open to feedback and collaboration. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to message us on Eventbrite or contact us at [email protected].

We're excited to host these because we have seen significant growth and deepening of our relationships with self and others as a direct result of studying connective communication. We hope to share this growth with others and to deepen our own learning as we explore it together.

Host or Publisher The Open Love Forum