“When we choose to love, we choose to move against fear, against alienation and separation. The choice to love is a choice to connect, to find ourselves in the other.”
—bell hooks
Grief & Action
Grief without despair. Action without self-righteousness.
6-Week Support & Coaching Group
$147 | Sundays at Noon ET (9 AM PT)
1-hour Zoom calls | August 4 - September 8, 2024
Scroll down for enrollment.
In this group, we will:
share our hopes, fears, and worries about the state of the world right now (far-right take-over, climate crisis, greed/wealth-hoarding, increasing health concerns, decreasing life expectancy, and more)
hold space for each other, practicing active listening
create specific actions we can take to feel some sanity and sense of control (limiting the news, participating in an issue we care about, focusing on relationships, buying fewer things, starting a community coalition or meetup, etc)
learn and practice self-regulation tools
remember to enjoy life despite the horrors
What you will get:
feeling of belonging
community of like-minded people
a decrease in stress and helplessness
feeling empowered to focus on what you can control
a strategy and support to achieve small actions
a sense of purpose
resilience and stress reduction tools you can use again and again
sanity and inner calm (at least more often)
resources for continued growth and learning
better mental and physical health
strength you can offer the people you love in your life
Weekly Topics:
Seeing:
+What we’re grieving: naming and norming
+“The arc of the moral universe is long” (MLK JR): putting the present into perspective
Managing:
+Toxic stress, allostatic load, childhood trauma, and information overload: what we’re facing. Brain science of stress.
+Resilience tools: self-regulation and happy habits
Building:
+Focusing on what we can control.
+What kind of life do we want to create? Dreaming and planning.
This group is for anyone who:
is feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or helpless
is feeling overloaded with news and information but guilty to look away
cares deeply but sometimes too much
is burned out at work
seeking strategies for the right amount of engagement on issues
seeking inspiration on what to do next
seeking motivation to make difficult decisions or try new things
who is unsure but curious
those feeling called to do something in light of recent events
Inspiration for this group:
“Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it has been faced.”
—James Baldwin
“Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.”
—Peter Levine
We must feel our feelings fully in the presence of an empathetic witness before we can move forward with power and purpose.
The present moment requires a lot from us. These are not times of rest. These are times of upheaval and big change. We must be ready to meet them.
And we must not forget the restorative power of wonder, awe, joy, and loving each other.
“If you feel called upon to alleviate suffering in the world, that is a very noble thing to do, but remember not to focus exclusively on the outer; otherwise, you will encounter frustration and despair. Without a profound change in human consciousness, the world’s suffering is a bottomless pit. So don’t let your compassion become one-sided. This also applies if you are supporting a movement designed to stop deeply unconscious humans from destroying themselves, each other, and the planet, or from continuing to inflict dreadful suffering on other sentient beings.
Remember: Just as you cannot fight the darkness, so you cannot fight unconsciousness. If you try to do so, the polar opposites will become strengthened and more deeply entrenched. You will become identified with one of the polarities, you will create an “enemy,” and so be drawn into unconsciousness yourself. Raise awareness by disseminating information, or at the most, practice passive resistance. But make sure that you carry no resistance within, no hatred, no negativity.”
—Eckhart Tolle
I have noticed that many people, myself included, fight for a cause and make other human beings the enemy. Wouldn’t it be so convenient if that method worked? I’ve come to experience that it simply does not! We must meet each other with compassion and understanding in our actions, checking our self-righteous anger at the door.
Meet the facilitator
Alison has been facilitating personal growth and support groups for over 14 years, including 4 cohorts of the popular Job Grief Support Group. She is a certified health coach and holds a Master’s in Public Health from Boston University and a BS from UC Berkeley.
She has taught workshops in cities around the world to help people feel more connected to others and to cultivate genuine and authentic kindness and gratitude (not the toxic spiritual bypassing kind). You can hear her on her podcast Latchkey Urchins & Friends, which heals trauma with humor.
In 2024, she founded Tend Collective.
In 2012, she founded Kind Warrior.
She has worked professionally with trauma experts such as Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Dr. Gabor Maté, Dr. Ed Tronick, and more as the producer of live events at PACEs Connection (2019-2022). A highlight of her career was explaining Adverse Childhood Experiences science to actor Jane Fonda!
Enroll Now:
Testimonials for Alison’s Past Groups & Programs
“I have participated in other grief/support groups via Zoom that were not as open or successful. I found Alison to be an excellent facilitator. Working to cultivate an open, caring, online meet-up with folks you haven’t met before is not easy. I felt validated, heard, and respected anytime I shared anything with the whole group or in the chat feature. Very happy to have had this experience and so very thankful for all the resources shared.”
— Victoria A., Librarian
Job Grief Support Group, 2024
“I got a lot out of doing this as part of a larger group. The outward accountability is what I needed.”
— T.L., Tech Industry
8-Week No Sugar Challenge, 2024
“I liked the holistic approach to why you might be in a toxic job, how to deal with it, and how to move forward. I liked the balance of topics.”
— Anonymous Participant, Paralegal
Job Grief Support Group, 2023
“It was just good to hear someone else’s experience and relate to some of the same issues. I think the specific focus on work issues and strategies for dealing with work stress and all of the emotional issues surrounding work is valuable and is better in a group setting. This group is for anyone with a work situation that is eating away at their confidence or that feels stuck.”
— S.L., Higher Education
Job Grief Support Group, 2023
“This program offers space for healing, which is incredibly powerful. I think one thing that is unique and super valuable about this challenge is the education that goes along with it, including the videos, extra mini challenges etc, are not JUST focused on food and diet, they are focused on your whole self, emotional health, movement, relationship to sugar, etc.”
— Tayler W., Public Health
8-Week No Sugar Challenge, 2024
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQs):
Q: Will this group feel awkward? I sometimes don’t like groups on Zoom
A: Lots of Zoom meetings suck because there is no skilled facilitator. I (Alison) have been facilitating group meetings for over a decade. She knows how to cut off long-winded talkers, she knows how to gently encourage the quieter members while respecting their boundaries, when to go deeper, when to back off, and how to make sure folks feel safe and engaged.
Q: What if I can’t make 1 or more of the sessions?
A: I ask that you kindly not sign up for the group if you think you will miss more than 1 session. This group needs all members there at every meeting to feel group cohesion and to build trust and momentum. If you miss a session, we will have a private recording of some of the meeting (not all of the private discussions) and you can send your reflection to the group or a 1:1 group partner.
Q: What if I can’t afford the cost?
A: Reach out to Alison and ask for a sliding scale fee depending on your circumstances. Circumstances include current student status, being unemployed, working in a low-paying service sector job, paying off a significant debt, or living in a country with a lower income scale than the USA or Western/Northern Europe.
Q: What if I can’t do these dates and times? Will you have more groups in the future?
A: Yes! Provided this one is popular, I will have more cohorts in the future.
Q: What if someone signs up who I know and I don’t want to be in a group with them?
A: Send me a message and ask if a specific person has enrolled. Your comfort matters! This has never been an issue in the 14+ years I’ve facilitated groups, but it could happen!
Q: Do I need to participate and share in the group?
A: Yes! However, I put folks into 1:1 breakout rooms for directed discussions on specific topics so that those who don’t enjoy sharing with the group don’t have to. Sharing with the group at large is also an option for those who enjoy that type of sharing. There’s something for everyone!
Q: Does my camera need to be on?
A: Yes. And please don’t be driving a car during meetings.