Soul School

Little Lessons for a Happy Life

Seminars & Workshops

If you are interested in attending workshops that I lead, in person or recorded video lessons, visit the Workshops tab.

Over my life, seminars or workshops on various topics have really catapulted my growth and development forward in big ways. I’m a BIG fan of workshops because I think that something really powerful happens when a group of people comes together with the expressed intent of accomplishing something. This has certainly been true in my own life and I am confident that you will gain something from them as well. You will also gain a community of people who are working on or toward the same thing, which can give you much needed support and inspiration.With that said, I have two caveats about workshops.

Caveats

First, do your homework and make sure that the people running the workshop have the appropriate skill, expertise, and professionalism to guide your journey appropriately. Unfortunately, there are people who over-reach their skills or abilities and you can end up paying for something that is a waste of both your time and money. It’s important to verify their advertising about themselves – testimonials on websites and brochures are not always real and people’s credentials are not always what they seem to be. For example, a leader’s MA or PhD degree could be in anything and have little or nothing to do with the topic they profess to be an expert in.  So be sure you look around, talk to real people who attended the workshop, and even check with online reviews and local governing agencies like the Chamber of Commerce or the Better Business Bureau.

Second, resist the temptation to become a “workshop junkie” – someone who spends so much time in workshops that they don’t take the time to use that knowledge in their own daily life. Changing patterns takes time and practice and doing the real work of that can sometimes pale to the exhilaration that comes from a workshop experience. To really get your money’s worth, you need to do the work of implementing the learning you gained from the workshop before you sign up for the next one. If you are interested in enrolling in one of my workshops, either online or in person, visit Workshops.

Recommendations

There are many great workshops out there and I certainly only have brushed the surface in my own experience of what was offered in my local area of Southern California. I hesitate to make recommendations here just because there is plethora of really valuable workshops out there that I have never tried. But I also promised you that I would share my own experiences, not as a model but as a sample. So here goes…

In my own journey of development, I have shifted over time with what I needed and wanted in a workshop. Because I am a “thinker”, I had to start with something more “heady” that focused more on thoughts than feelings, and for me, that was The Forum workshop and subsequent seminars. At the beginning of my journey, The Forum by Landmark Education was perfect for me and I learned a lot of valuable concepts and strategies that I still use today.

I think Landmark is a good starting place for folks but I also think you have to expand beyond their offerings because, while fabulous, they offer a narrow set of strategies for managing your life and don’t always get to the deeper healing that may need to be done. Start with The Forum and if you get a lot out of it, take some of their other workshops. But at some point, intentionally move to another organization so that you round out your tool box.

As I grew, I started to realize that how shut down I was emotionally. Once I was ready to process my feelings and emotions, I needed more and I found the perfect solution in the Inner Negotiation Workshop (INW) offered by the Motivation Management Services Institute. That introductory workshop, plus several others they offer on personal development, really jet-propelled my learning and helped me grow and heal in ways that I never imagined. I think their programs are ideal for anyone who wants to heal and move forward in life in a positive way. I also completed their coaching certification program and I must say, it is one of the best out there. MMS is run by New York Times bestselling author Dr. Cherie Carter-Scott and her equally talented sister, Lynn Stewart. They teach all over the world and have many wonderful books that I recommend in several of the Themes sections of this site.

The next step of my journey went deeper (or higher?) from my human experience to that of the spiritual. I was ready to step outside my own internal world and connect to a power that is bigger than us all and yet is the source of each of us. I differentiate religious from spiritual here – there are many fine religious practices and centers out there but I wanted something that would help me cultivate my own connection with the Divine but that still respected religious beliefs. I found this in my local Center for Spiritual Living in Santa Barbara but there are centers all over the world. Specifically, The Foundations workshop was very profound for me. They offer variety of life changing classes and I got something profound out of each one.  The most famous center is in Los Angeles, the Agape International Spiritual Center run by Rev. Michael Beckwith (featured on Oprah and in the movie The Secret which you can view at The Spiritual Cinema Circle).

Some other fantastic options include centers that are focused on specific areas or philosophies. They tend to be a good bet because they vet the workshops and presenters to you can assume good quality. Some popular ones are:

Then there are workshops offered by some of the big names in the self empowerment business. They all have written books and offer workshops around the world on a regular basis. I recommend:

Separate from the above, you will find a lot of options for workshops run by people in your local area. I have attended several of these and many have been true gems (I have experienced more gems than duds but again, do your homework). You may have a local center that hosts these kinds of programs. For example, here in Santa Barbara, we have La Casa de Maria and the Pacifica Graduate Institute. You will also find fliers at stores that are affiliated with personal growth and development (natural food stores, certain book stores, spiritual centers, etc.) and you may have a publication for such programs in your area. For example, we have The Whole Person magazine here in California.  This list is by no means complete so feel free to email me other recommendations you’d like me to add.

Let your intuition and your good sense guide you and also remember to take a break between workshops so that you can integrate the learning into your life.

If you are interested in attending workshops that I lead, in person or recorded video lessons, visit the Workshops tab.