Greetings Leaders!
Happy Black History Month to you! As we engage in this month, I’ve found myself challenged to balance the emotional labor of being a Black woman leader and the “responsibilities” of this month and what I have usually offered, organized, designed, and done. As I’ve sat in this discomfort to search for my “landing spot” in it for this year, it’s become very clear to me: Black History Month is a rich opportunity for allyship to shine. Because “allyship” is a VERB. It’s not a time for us as Black people to “buckle down” and educate others more and more on the ongoing education we continue to provide, regardless of what month it is.
February is an easy opportunity for allies to highlight and celebrate the experiences of our rich Black culture. With a lens of allyship, our Black culture can be “normalized” to focus on experiences of joy, innovation, and contributions to this society and the world - contributions that literally make each and every day easier for ALL of us. I hope you preach, reach, and teach far and wide in your networks this month to discuss appreciation - rather than appropriation - of our Black genius….making our KIDS swell with pride.
I’ve said it before and I say it again: the liberation of all people is a battle between the conscious and the unconscious, not a racialized experience. A focused hour or two this month can take your allyship from a noun to a verb. There’s some great resources below to support you!
I’ve got lots more to say and share, so stay tuned for a few very important, game-changing announcements coming in March. Until then, come make magic with me…
In celebration -
The Courage Collective is for YOU -- a leader who has been Dare to Lead Trained!
The Courage Collective will serve as a “Daring Leaders Lab" where you will be in community each month, continuing to walk out your Call-to-Courage AND use the tools for self and in leading others in the Dare to Lead frameworks. There will be space for re-connection to a community-network of leaders who “speak DTL,” re-fresh on the concepts, and re-commit each month to BE-ing courageous leaders in our lives and at work. We will pick up where we left off in Dare to Lead with Brene: Living B.I.G! We will also venture into Brene’s new book Atlas of the Heart where she goes deeper into the skill-sets that support us in our grounded confidence, so we can be more courageous leaders. This will support the depth of courage we all value. Each session will be an
opportunity to deepen your own courage-walk, deepen your emotional literacy, and deepen into your growth and journey of the sacred-calling of leadership. And of course, DEIB (equity & inclusion work) is honored and welcomed in the space and will be tended to as it arises in any given moment.
Click here to learn more about the PROGRAM FEATURES!
REGISTER NOW! The Courage Collective DTL Coaching Four Live Zoom Sessions | 90 minutes each Fridays: March 11, April 15, May 13, June 17 10:00 - 11:30 AM PST
RHA: OHM Course Overview
So often, in the spirit of Racial Healing, we are confronted with challenging conversations. “What do I say?” “How do I say it?” “What will happen after I say it?” This course is the practice space you need to fuel your allyship! It’s all about having those hard conversations, talking, interrupting, and feeling whole while doing so.
When we choose to integrate the heart and mouth, we align our highest values and deepest intentions with our words and actions. This is transformative allyship.
In this course, you will be practicing compassion and courage. You will work on conversation skills and tools, using frameworks from several leaders in the field (majority BIPOC). And you will practice having these hard conversations in a supportive community. True to our approach, you will engage in personal self-reflection and contemplative practices, small group discussion in Ally-Pods throughout the course, and whole group learning during our live sessions. These are the transformative elements of the RHA model, and we invite you in to experience the healing effects of collective allyship practice. Read your facilitators’ bios here. Discover the power of RHA trainings from past participants' testimonials here. And then join us for this powerful course experience!
Online Course 7 Live Sessions Meets on the following Wednesdays: 3/23, 3/30, 4/13, 4/20, 5/4, 5/11, 5/18 4:30-6pm PT | 5:30-7pm MT | 6:30-8pm CT | 7:30-9pm ET SLIDING SCALE PRICING: $700 - $545 - $400
Save The Date
Silent Meditation Residential Retreat at the Vallombrosa Center October 7-9, 2022
Space is Limited to 20 Leaders Private Room & Bathroom | All-Inclusive More details to be coming soon!!
“Standing Tovation”
This month's "Standing Tovation" goes to . . . . . (drum-roll please) . . . . . MARLA TRUINI!!!
As Director of Drama and Freshman Class Dean at Westover School in Connecticut, Marla's foremost thought is for her students and the negative impact that our racialized systems have on them. Her focus is on becoming a force for transformation so that her students can become their best selves. Taking both the Racial Healing Allies and Dare to Lead Courses inspired Marla to stretch even further – she has entered a Ph.D. program in Transformative Studies through the California Institute of Integral Studies!
Marla has truly embraced what it means to be an ALLY, lifelong-learner, and leader. She is evolving her actions using equitable & inclusive principles & practices. What sets Marla apart is her commitment to praxis -- she makes the changes that her students need! I have so much admiration for her courage and resilience in the midst of all the challenging things facing educators today. Well done, MARLA!
Congratulations to these Dare to Lead Trained Leaders!
Welcome our newest Dare to Lead Trained Cohort of Courageous Leaders!! This amazing group of leaders dedicated themselves to finding their Call-to-Courage in their journey to BE the courageous leaders our world needs today. Please join me in celebrating their accomplishment!
Stay up-to-date with our Dare to Lead offerings at: Tici'ess.com: Dare to Lead
Sharing Resources Here are a few resources that you might be interested in:
Transformative Educational Leadership is a yearlong fellowship that brings together a racially and culturally diverse group of educational leaders to facilitate personal, professional, and system-wide transformation, with a focus on individual and collective growth. The TEL Fellowship focuses on the integration of Leadership, Equity, SEL & Mindfulness, with a deeper dive into creating a Healing-Centered, Liberatory Leaderful Community where sacred activism, interbeing, and contemplative wisdom are foundational. The 2022-2023 TEL Fellowship starts this July. Applications are now open. www.teleadership.org
Using SEL to Teach Black History. As you prepare for Black History Month, you can use the HEART in Mind model to reflect on your teaching practice and identify how you can do what’s right for your students. Use the reflection prompts provided on the website to guide you in this process. Dr. Lorea Martinez, of Heart in Mind, is hoping that, as you engage with these reflection questions, you will be able to approach Black History Month using your social and emotional skills to teach a more inclusive and rich narrative about the contributions of African Americans in this country. Give it a try and let her know how it goes.
Listen to Nicole Lusiani's podcast, Copy Room Conversations! This is truly for the souls of us educators - and those who love them. Yours truly is featured in this episode on Belonging -- take a listen! Available on all podcast channels.
Virtual AP Leadership Academy is a FREE live stream leadership academy where Principal Kafele engages assistant and aspiring assistant principals in weekly messages or interviews on assistant principal leadership effectiveness every Saturday morning Facebook Live, Twitter Live, and YouTube Live. Principal Kafele and I had a fantastic conversation about Leading in Your BEingness. Check it out!
Tovi is an innovative visionary, healer, and award-winning educator whose career in education began over 25 years ago. She is also the visionary behind the new movement of Racial Healing Allies™. From her lived experience, Tovi teaches on what the future of successful, resilient leadership will require: emotionally intelligent consciousness, connection, and courage.