FROM THE ASSESSOR, Roxy Manning

Keiko's focus is on bringing Nonviolent Communication to marginalized groups, emphasizing the importance of addressing systemic oppression and fostering social change. Keiko's work spans Japan and other communities, where she aims to create inclusive spaces that honor diverse voices and experiences. Her dedication to integrating NVC with spiritual and cultural practices underscores her commitment to a world where all needs matter.

Keiko’s deep commitment to learning and sharing this work has led her to translate several resources, including Kathleen and Jared’s book, Choice, and various curriculum from different trainers, for the Japanese community to contribute to accessibility for those who value this work but can’t access English language resources. Here is an example of feedback we received from Certified Trainers about Keiko:

“There were a few times during the IIT where, upon seeing a certain look on my face, noticing my body posture, or sensing a certain energy in me that you approached me, and checked in with me about my feelings and needs. I remember your empathy guesses being accurate, helpful, and supportive. It met needs for being seen, for care and consideration, for awareness and support, and for mastery… in observing your presentation on a key differentiation, I really appreciated your use of multiple ways of teaching – drawings, verbally, hand and body movements – to teach NVC concepts. It met needs for creativity, learning, and for care of the participants, and offering multiple ways to take in information.

I also really liked in your presentation how in presenting the key differentiations (KD) you did not stop at just a personal or interpersonal, but brought in systemic/social change aspects of the KD; this met my needs for awareness, effectiveness, meaning, community… For me, you really embodied NVC consciousness around, not only right and wrong thinking, but even the potential power dynamics associated with being a facilitator/trainer.”

From Keiko:

[EN] My first awareness of the social system hit me hard. I was 8. I saw a photo in the paper showing kids starving in Africa, and I was horrified. I saved half of my dinner that night. Being told by Mom that it wouldn’t help them at all, I was deeply sad and felt powerless. A few days later, I realized my parents, my school, and the people around me were living their “usual life” as if nothing urgent was happening. I was shocked again, this time more, and now also deeply confused. I was born and grew up in a suburb in Japan, spending most of my time reading books which taught me about the world and universe and being outside climbing trees and observing nature, which taught me how nature and the universe works. 

In junior high, I became aware of feminism and civil disobedience. I was excited to discover something I resonate with. They empowered me to get a YES from my father to support me studying in Hawaiʻi after high school, then eventually on the U.S. mainland. It was a huge step in my life and a huge shift in him since, as I was growing up, his repeated messages were, “Women are stupid.” Shut up! You are not allowed to talk while I am watching TV!” and “Women donʻt need education.”

After four years in Hawaiʻi and on the mainland U.S., I returned to Japan to work. I worked for both private companies and government organizations in trade and investment promotions. When I realized that that was not the life I was longing to have, I made another big decision to move to the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. What I left behind was also the life of being hired to work. In Hawaiʻi, I met teachers who were often willing to share their traditional cultures, values, and traditional practices, which include Lomilomi, their medicine, and healing. I also spent some time at Esalen Institute in California and trained both in energy work and bodywork/massage. I spent over a decade organizing, assisting, and teaching Hawaiian culture and its healing method, Esalen bodywork along with my own style of healing work.

I remembered NVC when I started to look for a way for my partner and myself to safely come out of an intimate relationship, which turned very violent without involving the police. When I finished the last page of the book by Marshall, I was determined not only to learn it but also to become a Certified Trainer to share it with those who need these powerful tools of inner transformation, deeper connection with others, and ways of systemic changes.

It has been a profound journey. I came to know more and gently accept myself, especially those areas I did not wish to see exist in me. I came to feel more comfortable being with other human beings and started to be able to understand what might be in those whom I used to give up understanding or just choose to block out of my sight since their behaviors were shocking and beyond my comprehension. I also came to meet lots of folks who, like myself, have deep concerns about how the world is and are willing to dedicate their life to creating social changes. In other words, it was a journey of coming home to myself.

[JP] 社会システムへの最初の気づきは、とても強烈でした。当時、私は8歳。新聞の広告欄でアフリカの飢えた子供たちの写真を見て、その存在を知りました。驚いたし恐ろしくなりました。食べるものがないなんて。その日の晩御飯の半分をその子供達のために残しておいて、母にそれをアフリカの子供達に送ってくれるようにお願いしました。それは無理だし、私が食べ物を残すことはその子供たちの助けにはならない、と聞いて、とても悲しかったし、何もできない無力感に打ちひしがれました。数日後、別のことに気づきました。父は会社に、母は買い物に、私は学校に、そして、みんな、まるで「通常」のような日常を過ごしていて、まるで緊急事態など起こっていないかのように日常が過ぎていること。これはもっと大きなショックでした。どういうことなんだろう？なぜ、誰も気にせずに日々を過ごせるんだろう？と、深い混乱が始まりました。

私は東京の杉並で生まれ、神戸郊外の緑あふれる環境で育ちました。世界や宇宙のことを教えてくれる本を読むか、外で木に登ったり、自然を観察したりする日々。自然は、自然や宇宙がどうやって動いているかを含めて、たくさんのことを教えてくれました。中学に入り、本を通してフェミニズムと市民不服従というものに出会いました。やっと共鳴できるものが見つかった、とほっとしたしワクワクもしました。高校が終わった後に、ハワイの学校に進学することを、渋々でも父が了承したことは、私にとっても、父にとっても、とても大きなことでした。というのは、小さい頃から、「女はバカだ」「黙れ、お父さんがテレビを見ている時は、喋るな。」「女には教育はいらない」と言われて育ったから。このステップは、私の人生を大きく変えました。

ハワイ、そして米本土で合計4年を過ごし、大学を終えた私は日本に就職のために戻りました。民間、在外公館で貿易や投資促進の仕事を通して、様々な人たちと一緒に仕事をする機会を得ました。「これは私の人生ではない」と気づいた時に、次の大きな決断をしました。ずっと呼ばれていると感じていた、ハワイで暮らすこと。これは雇われて働くというライフスタイルから離れることでもありました。ハワイで、たくさんの先生たちに出会い、ハワイの伝統文化、価値観、医療であり癒しであるロミロミを含めて様々な実践を学びました。同時に、エサレン研究所に滞在して、エネルギーワークとボディワークのトレーニングも受けました。そこから15年ほど、ハワイ文化とその癒しやボディワークのトレーニングをオーガナイズ、アシスト、通訳などをして先生たちの「伝えたい」という気持ちを支えてきました。また、ロミロミに加えて、ボディメカニクスやボディワークを教え始めました。

「NVC」というものがあった、と私がその存在を思い出したのは、親密な関係がとても暴力的なものとなり、そこから双方が警察の介入なしに安全に離れることができる方法を探していた時。マーシャルの本を一気に読み、その最後のページを閉じる時には、NVCを学ぶだけではなく、 認定トレーナーになると決意ができていました。このシンプルでパワフルな内面の変容であり、他者との深いつながりであり、そして社会システムの変化の方法であるNVCを多くの人に伝えたいと願ったから。

この認定の道を歩むことは、とても深い旅でした。自分の中にあるとは認めたくなかった色々なものを見つけて、優しく受け入れること。他の人間と一緒にいることがもう少し心地良くなること。そして、なんでそんな行動ができるのか、衝撃だし、皆目見当がつかなかったことから、存在を見ないようにしたい人たちや、理解不能だと諦めていた人たちの中にあることに繋がることで、その人たちを認めることができるようになること。そして、自分と同じようにこの世界への大きな懸念を抱えて生きていて、この社会を変えていくために自分の人生を使うことを願っているたくさんの人たちと出会うこと。そんな景色に彩られた旅でした。そして、別の表現をすると、自分に戻ってくる旅でした。

FROM THE ASSESSOR, Roxy Manning

Mike has committed his career to creating Nonviolent, inclusive educational environments. Entering Nonviolent Communication from his lived experience as a classroom teacher and Kingian Nonviolence trainer, Mike integrates NVC and social justice principles to foster relationality and mutual understanding. His work extends beyond the classroom, facilitating trainings for educators and activists. Mike's dedication to Nonviolence is rooted in his desire to create spaces that dissolve binary thinking and promote love and understanding.

His book, "Heart at the Center," which will be published this summer, explores integrating NVC and Kingian Nonviolence in educational settings. Mike is excited to continue supporting educators and students in creating humanizing and hopeful learning environments. Here is an example of the kind of feedback we received from Certified Trainers about Mike:

“I was moved by his openness and commitment to "stay with" the other and with himself and to circle back to the participant in the spirit of community-building, curiosity, respect, and love. I've also witnessed how enthusiastically Mike invites feedback and responds open-heartedly to people's responses… Mike demonstrated the same enthusiasm and "ready absorption" of people's feedback in a way that seemed to me utterly undefended. His welcome of people's input meets needs for me of open-mindedness, partnership, curiosity, warmth, and relationality. For me he embodies the spirit of NVC - he seems to create space for everyone's truth and he creates the conditions for trust, respect, and collaboration - he seems thrilled at the possibility of co-creation with community… I will be so thoroughly excited to see Mike being certified… I believe in my bones that what Mike contributes to his family, to his students, to his school and to the world makes a difference. I'm thrilled to add my voice in support of his certification.”

From Mike:

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right-doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” I first heard this quote, attributed to the poet Rumi, when I attended my first NVC training. It was the Nonviolent Leadership for Social Justice Retreat, a weeklong intensive where people of different backgrounds and identities with varying degrees of NVC and social justice experience came together, trying to connect within that field Rumi spoke of.

During moments when some people veered off the field, finding temporary comfort in the familiarity of “right” and “wrong,” the training team held everyone’s needs with abundant care. I felt so deeply inspired and moved by how they called in with love, listened with full presence, and refused to write off anyone. It was the kind of space my heart had been yearning for, and my life was forever changed by the lasting relationships that formed and learnings that emerged.

In the years since I began practicing NVC, as an educator I have committed myself to creating classroom spaces that dissolve notions of right/wrong, good/bad, us/them and instead, center relationality, needs, and love. I have committed myself to creating the kind of learning environment that I desperately needed when I was a young person who was enveloped with self-loathing and hopelessness. I have committed myself to promoting and integrating nonviolence in how I teach, parent, and live. In addition to my work as a classroom teacher, I facilitate trainings with fellow educators, students, social change activists, and others who want to deepen their understanding of nonviolence, particularly in schools. In a time rife with polarizing culture wars, pervasive violence, and collective despair, many educators are craving ways to create classrooms and schools that sustain hope, center needs, and embrace relationality. I feel immensely grateful and humbled to be in a position where I can share some of my learning and skills; doing so meets my own needs for companionship and contributing to a more loving world.

I look forward to continuing to support teachers and students who want to create humanizing classrooms and schools, as well as anyone who wants to learn more about nonviolence. As a certified Kingian Nonviolence trainer, my work also draws from the tradition of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement, exploring how we can foster Dr. King’s radical vision of the Beloved Community in our relationships, institutions, and world. If you are a teacher or person who works with youth, my book, Heart at the Center: An Educator’s Guide to Sustaining Love, Hope, and Community through Nonviolence Pedagogy, looks at how to integrate Nonviolent Communication and Kingian Nonviolence in learning spaces.

FROM THE ASSESSOR, Roxy Manning

Ranji brings her humanitarian aid experience to NVC to create a path to address the roots of conflict and support healing. She integrates NVC with Vipassana meditation, somatic practices, and artistic expression. Her work includes a focus on reconciliation efforts with Indigenous communities, supporting families at life's thresholds, and exploring power dynamics in shared households.

Ranji's journey highlights the transformative potential of NVC in fostering interdependence and social change. She is committed to amplifying marginalized voices and co-creating a world where everyone experiences care, belonging, and connection. Here is an example of the kind of feedback we received from Certified Trainers about Ranji:

“Ranji seeks to live NVC consciousness as much as anyone I can think of. To my eye, she has deeply and fully incorporated the practices of trying to listen with empathy, even when messages are difficult to hear, and to express herself with self-responsibility. I don’t experience any sense of Ranji-turning-on-NVC and Ranji-being-Ranji — these ways of being are very deeply integrated… in the context of being a teacher, Ranji is deeply tuned in to her students, tracking their well-being along with their learning and growth edges. She’s careful and thoughtful about when empathy will likely serve best, or when a gentle and loving push might support learning and growth. Participants in my classes uniformly report both feeling deeply cared-for and also enlightened by their time working with Ranji… as is obvious to anyone who knows her, this certification process is coming at a point when Ranji is not the beginning, but deep into her path as a leader and a teacher. I hope that being certified will give her a bigger platform from which to shine her light and contribute to others. I’m excited to see whatever is next unfold.”

From Ranji:

My name is Ranjana, please call me Ranji. I am the daughter of Lakshmi and of Ariaratnam, who came from the island of Sri Lanka to California, where I was born and raised, and went through graduate school. I worked overseas for years in humanitarian aid with people displaced by conflict in over ten countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Now, in addition to sharing NVC, I am a painter. I feel so grateful and blessed to live on Vancouver Island where my husband and I share a home with my Ammah (‘mother’ in Tamil) as she ages. My NVC journey started in 2005, when my partner, David, and I came back from over a year in West Africa where we’d been in our latest posting as humanitarian aid workers. We joke that Ammah met us at the airport with Marshall’s book, but I think she let us get home to her place first! She said she was so excited about the book and wanted us to read it so that she could discuss it with us. 

It wasn’t until a few years later that David and I took a deep dive into NVC – taking time off to take every NVC class and program we could find, for over a year and a half, to learn as much as we could to be able to take this back into our work overseas. As humanitarian aid workers, we’d been increasingly disillusioned with the aid world. While that work could be life saving and address immediate needs, it did not get to the origins of the conflicts we were witnessing.

When we deepened into NVC, I experienced how transformative a practice it can be and saw that it can help to address the roots of what leads people to resort to war, and thus to people being in refugee camps, in the first place. In addition, or as part of addressing the roots, it can contribute to people strengthening their own inner resources and expanding their access to choice. NVC offers a different paradigm to what is prevalent in the world today for both how to conceive of and hold power and how to engage with those with structural power. Plus, its healing potential also contributes to social change as a healthy society needs to have healthy people.

In addition, decades ago I began my Vipassana Meditation practice. After I deepened into my learning of NVC, I realized that NVC made it possible to put what I got within myself on the meditation cushion into my interactions with other people, for which I am endlessly grateful. For me NVC, like my meditation practice, is a Presence Practice. It helps me to be with myself and with others in a deeper way, one that is led by curiosity. This helps me to approach life beyond my conditioning, to see the interconnections between all beings, and to be with what is as well as to access choice about creating change as well.

Since completing our intensely deep dive, I have continued to share NVC with families, teachers, activists, schools, social service organizations, and businesses via workshops, retreats, mediation, and coaching since 2009. I bring together approaches that are very healing in my own life – NVC, painting and writing, somatic practices, and Vipassana meditation, each addressing different layers of our being – with my experience from humanitarian aid work dealing with people on often opposing sides of wars, including managing diverse staff, along with graduate degrees in planning and human rights protection. I support people to find ways to communicate that hold everyone’s needs with care, and I am passionate about holding space for people who want to heal – themselves, intergenerationally, and the world.

As a Woman of Colour, I bring my life experiences into any space I am in, striving to ensure that voices that do not get heard in the mainstream have space to be heard and held and received. I will continue to do this in my NVC work and sharing, thus hopefully helping to bring the approaches and consciousness of Compassionate Communication into more communities and areas where it is so urgently needed. I want to support people to consciously co-create the world we long to live in – one where everyone is seen and heard and knows care and belonging, and lives from a felt sense of our interdependence with one another and with the more-than-human world.

I would like to offer a deep bow of Gratitude to my foundational Teachers – my mother, Lakshmi, and in the NVC world, Inbal Kashtan, Roxy Manning, Kathy Simon, and Miki Kashtan. Love and Gratitude to my partner, David, for being on this journey with me – we did all of the NVC courses, retreats, and year-long programs together (except for the Women’s Retreat in 2009!), and I continue to be so grateful for his companionship and deep support on this path!

FROM THE ASSESSOR, Roxy Manning

Donna combines her background in mindfulness, Somatic Experiencing, and coaching to bring a holistic approach to her work. She has shared NVC in various contexts, including corporate settings, social justice initiatives, and international NGOs. Donna's passion lies in creating emotionally safe environments where individuals can bring their authentic selves to work and engage in healthy conflict. Her work aims to transform corporate cultures and support social justice efforts by emphasizing the importance of emotions and needs in all interactions. 

Here is an example of the kind of feedback we received from CTs about Donna:

“It’s such a challenge to bring NVC to a world that might be inclined to see it as a set of “soft skills” or not practical enough for the “real” worlds of business or law or other places where distance, competition, and adversarial relationships often prevail. It’s especially exciting to have an NVC skilled and certified person who is navigating and taking leadership in those kinds of spaces, as Donna is. Donna brings an intellectual rigor to this work, and I think because of that and because of her way of living NVC, Donna has the capacity to help people see that these are not just soft skills, but deeply practical; that she can show them how “going slow” for a beat can help them go much faster, together, with more depth of connection and more possibility for real collaboration.

When Donna assisted me at workshops, one of the things I most deeply appreciated was how she would playfully but authentically challenge things I said while teaching. She’d bring up counter-examples or point out apparent inconsistencies. My sense was that participants were enriched and enlivened by our exchanges, as I was. Her capacity to challenge in these ways highlighted one of the things I always want to communicate when I’m teaching NVC: that it’s not a kind of ideology that must be approached with blind faith; that there is room for a lot of questioning, for humor and fun and a sense of play; and that the idea is not to ingest a bunch of truths, but to try to come from a stance of openness, curiosity, discovery. Donna embodies all of these things.”

From Donna:

Nonviolent Communication has been an integral part of my consciousness for about two decades, beginning with forays to hear Marshall teach when he was in the San Francisco Bay Area. I participated in intensive study through Bay Area Nonviolent Communication and eventually supported multiple BayNVC programs to contribute to others and deepen my experience. I persevered because I felt such profound alignment with NVC consciousness as a strategy to manifest my values of communication, community, harmony, kindness, and the gift of being seen, heard, understood, and mattering for myself and others. With or without certification, I continued navigating life and relationships with NVC, Somatic Experiencing and mindfulness as foundations for my efforts to support myself and others to understand and connect more fully. I did this in my consulting practice and my "day job" at a biopharmaceutical company striving to create life-saving drugs. 

When the opportunity to certify with a people of color (POC) cohort through the Trainer Candidate Community Path arose, I seized it because of its potential to soften the customary and exhausting adversities and systemic biases that frequently arise for me as a POC in the United States dealing with institutions. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made, resulting in a rich certification journey and an opportunity to go forward empowered with NVC, gift-bestowing hands, and a vision of building more NVC consciousness, understanding, and harmony.

FROM THE ASSESSOR, Roxy Manning

Alicia, a first-generation Chicana/Latina, has dedicated her life to education and social work, supporting Latino communities and vulnerable populations. Her journey with NVC has been a path of personal and professional healing, enabling her to break free from past traumas and foster resilience. Alicia's work includes supporting bilingual educators, social workers, indigenous communities and other groups with NVC practices.

Her focus on integrating NVC with cultural traditions and alternative healing strategies has been celebrated as a contribution to many groups that have enabled people to embrace NVC. Alicia's commitment to NVC as a spiritual practice drives her to create meaningful connections and promote social change. Here is an example of the kind of feedback we received from CTs about Alicia:

“Alicia slides into offering empathy more easily than anyone I know. It’s just what she does when she hears another person speak. And it’s not per forma or forced — it’s just how she listens; heartfelt, present, curious, open, compassionate. She also expresses herself from that place of empathy for her listener, guessing what aspects might be hard to hear, and keeping the human connection front and center.

Alicia has assisted me many times in the context of NVC retreats. I love to work with her and participants love to work with her. They find her presence and warmth incredibly nurturing, and she models NVC skills in an effortless and lovely way that makes them feel both attainable and deeply desirable.”

From Alicia:

In 2005, my NVC journey began, and my longing to find ways to support NVC consciousness and critical awareness and explore alternative healing strategies further merged in connection with various communities in the Bay Area. Over the next two decades, participated in various workshops and intensives which led to rich learning experiences within various regional organizations and groups, which primarily included  Bay Area Nonviolent Communication; Maestrix, a progressive Chicanix group of educators, and assisting on the Bay NVC Immersion program, Living Peace Retreats, and the Nonviolent Communication Leadership for Social Justice, NLSJ, intensives in North America and working in Guatemala on “Conectando con la Vida” with a team of trainers sharing NVC and other indigenous framework/practices.

My certification process has taken over two years, and joining a diverse cohort was empowering, enriching, and nourishing where there was trust, support, and care for one another while integrating issues of NVC consciousness and critical awareness to honor our whole selves and shared humanity. I am grateful for the support and acceptance, the feeling of “home” in our POC (people of color) cohort where I felt seen and understood for my social location and lived experience. I felt held in navigating this journey to further welcome others to what is possible with NVC consciousness.

FROM THE ASSESSOR, Roxy Manning

Jackson, a black Brazilian diplomat, has dedicated his life to conflict management through coaching and mediation. His passion for NVC ignited during his first IIT in Spain in 2019, and led to him deeply immersing himself in learning opportunities across the globe with many certified trainers, then jumping into supporting programs and offering workshops in both his native Brazil and the United States where he has been stationed for the past three years.

Jackson's work spans Africa, South America, and North America, focusing on helping people transform conflicts compassionately. Jackson will be joining the Brazilian embassy in Ethiopia this summer, where he hopes to connect with certified trainers in Africa while also continuing to work with communities he has supported in the US and Brazil. Here is an example of the kind of feedback we received from CTs and community members about Jackson:

“His presence on the team exceeded my expectations in terms of meeting my needs for support, care, joy, and trust. Throughout the event, I observed him to be highly engaged, attuned to the group's needs, and proactive in addressing them with actions, when necessary. In my perspective, his energy, positivity, and attentive approach significantly enhanced the overall atmosphere, fostering strong connections among participants… I noticed Jackson's active participation in discussions and activities, his willingness to explore new ideas, his deep understanding of others' perspectives, and his attentive listening skills. I believe his consistent focus and attentiveness not only enriched his own learning but also facilitated meaningful interactions and collaboration with others throughout the event.”

“Needs met for Integrity and trust… Jackson's ability to stay in the present moment and give empathy…Celebrating new awarenesses and learning new skills… empathy without defensiveness… I am excited that someone with Jackson's experience, skill, integrity, and kindness wants to join our NVC Trainer community!”

From Jackson:

from the Assessor, Aleksandra Golaszewska

Adrianna Naruk is a psychotherapist, psychologist, and mediator. She is the co-founder and former headmistress of the Mozaika Private Primary School in Białystok. She founded the Contact Workshop, in which she organized workshops and training for schools, kindergartens, companies, and individuals. For many years, she invited Certified Trainers to Białystok to spread NVC in her region, especially in the field of education. Her personal goal is to support people in building good relationships with their loved ones, helping them develop respect and responsibility for themselves and others. Adrianna would like to share NVC values that works for her as inspiration for other people lives.

from adrianna:

[EN] I discovered Nonviolent Communication through my motherhood. My certification process took several years and was a very enriching time. The portfolio allowed me to organize and reflect on various aspects of NVC. The contact with the assessor and the support I received from her, as well as the support from the group of certified trainers from Poland during this process, were invaluable experiences of being in a community.

[PL] Porozumienie bez Przemocy odkryłam dzięki mojemu macierzyństwu. Mój proces certyfikacji trwał kilka lat i był to bardzo wzbogacający czas. Portfolio pozwoliło mi na ułożenie w głowie i poddanie pod refleksje różnych aspektów NVC. Kontakt z assessorką i wsparcie jakie od niej dostałam, wsparcie od grupy certyfikowanych trenerek z Polski podczas tego procesu były nieocenionym doświadczeniem bycia we wspólnocie.

FROM THE ASSESSOR, Roxy Manning

Edmundo, an indigenous Chicano from East Los Angeles, blends his cultural heritage and dedication to justice in his NVC practice. We are celebrating that he was willing to consider moving towards NVC Certification after decades of bringing NVC to many groups, including at community colleges, intentional communities, and indigenous tribal communities. Edmundo hopes to develop pedagogical strategies for sharing NVC with Global Majority and tribal communities, contributing to a body of knowledge that other trainers can adopt. Here is an example of the kind of feedback we received from CTs about Edmundo:

“I experienced him as being extremely involved and active in creating, thinking about, offering, then reflecting on and receiving feedback about various discussions and exercises. This man is “on,” meaning I saw him make himself very available to engage with others about his thoughts, idea, and offerings, as well as engaged with participants in his offerings with deep care and attention, noticing their subtle cues and body language, and inquiring about it with empathy….I experience him as receiving empathy deeply, often in fact letting himself be moved to tears, as well as of course offering empathy, like, always – in our training team, with me as a friend, and with participants in his workshops.

As I mentioned above, I saw him pick up on things another trainer might skip over, and get curious about and inquire with a participant as to what their experience was before moving on with his lecture….Lastly, I value Edmundo as a trainer for his capacity to care for relationships and build bridges across difference – class, race, gender, cultural – in ways that has contributed deeply to my needs for being seen, included, mattering even with my privileged identities, and without losing his commitment to building critical awareness of power differences and systemic inequities and oppressive conditioning. His capacity to do this with folks from all walks of life, to keep an open heart and not just witness but actively *reach* for connection with them, totally meets my needs for mastery, interdependence, connection, and beauty!”

From Edmundo:

It was in my first year of college that I began my parallel, life-long journey of education and action focused on social justice and the project of collectively reclaiming our full humanity; this began with my months-long, extracurricular reading of Paolo Freire’s, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Among the many passages in the book that affirmed, grounded, and inspired me to my bones and spirit, the following helped me make sense of what seemed a chaotic world of unfathomable pain and conflict:

"This, then, is the great humanistic and historical task of the oppressed: to liberate themselves and their oppressors as well. The oppressors, who oppress, exploit, and rape by virtue of their power, cannot find in this power the strength to liberate either the oppressed or themselves."

This analytical frame began my lifelong journey of weaving together threads of insight from developmental psychology, philosophy, education, liberatory pedagogy, counseling and healing (as in Healing the Soul Wound, by Eduardo Duran), and critical pedagogy as the basis for community organizing and movement building. I came to understand that to fully live our “ontological vocation” of "becoming more fully human", as Freire put it, meant that we had to embrace all the dimensions of our individual and collective human experience––we had to heal and grow in our intrapersonal/inner world, in our interpersonal/relational world, and in our institutional/societal/systemic world of experience and influence, and, understand how all three of these spheres of our human experience are completely interdependent.

What was puzzling and frustrating to me regarding large-scale social change especially, was experiencing how peoples’ pain and trauma and resulting patterns of coping behaviors distracted from or completely derailed groups of people organizing for social justice. When the outward focus on action for social change ignored or eclipsed the important work on inner healing and interpersonally engaging with others in non-toxic, nurturing ways, the social-justice-focused work was not sustainable or became as toxic as that which it was seeking to change.

In the mid 1990s while driving to work in Oakland and listening to the local Pacifica Radio station, I heard a guy talking about both teaching in inner-city Detroit and dealing with student conflicts there, and also facilitating mediations in the middle east between Palestinians and Jews. While his stories and perspectives sounded grounded and insightful to me, what truly caught me attention was when he talked about teaching a method of communicating that was also a way of exercising our empathic capacity! I was late to my meeting because I waited until the end of the radio program to make sure I got the name and contact info of this person.

Within a week, I ordered a couple of Marshall Rosenberg’s books and other materials and started studying on my own, eventually using it to the best of my ability in the evening Master in Education courses I was also teaching. Even having no training, simply bringing in some of the core principles of NVC into our classroom experience, and doing my best to apply these tools in my relationship with students transformed the quality of our experience, deepening our quality of connection with each other, and reportedly, teachers’ connection with their students back in their own classrooms.

First coming into know Miki Kashtan through her Conflict Hotline show on KPFA radio, and then Inbal Kastan and many other trainers and assistants, Miki's support and mentorship opened opportunities to participate in the year-long intensive Bay NVC Leadership program and then many many other training, assisting, co-training, and independent and collaborative teaching opportunities over the next 20 years. My experience with the All of Who We Are (AllWWA) certification cohort guided by Roxy Manning has been another powerful collaborative experience that has embodied the highest principles and practices of NVC.

from the assessor, Towe Widstrand

Jasna is working in the educational sector and aims at for now sharing NVC within that field to contribute to social change. She collaborates with the NVC community in Slovenia and is also interested in offering trainings in Italy, which is very close geographically. Jasna has solid knowledge of NVC and a strong presence. I wish for her to gradually "step up" and stand up for her skills and awareness. I think this will support her efforts to contribute to social change.

from jasna:

I first encountered NVC in 2017. What attracted me the most at that time was the way of expressing oneself without evaluations and demands. I noticed that when people talk to me this way, I can easily maintain openness and curiosity and stay connected to my dignity and awareness of freedom of choice. I remember that while reading Marshall’s book, "Nonviolent Communication, A Language of Life," I often shed tears of gratitude at the thought that I had finally found a communication tool that supports me in staying connected with myself at the moment and allows me to express what I experience as truth without »dragging« the other person into my story. It gave me a strong sense of freedom.

From the very first workshop, I felt the desire to share the NVC language with my colleagues at school. In 2021, some colleagues expressed a wish to learn NVC and thus began my journey as a trainer. I decided to pursue certification because I wanted feedback on potential blind spots and areas where I could still improve as a trainer. I am glad that Towe accepted my request to support me as an assessor. The certification process contributed to deepening my understanding of NVC concepts, and I learned how to recognize my learning edges. It supported me in creating a self-assessment module and contributed to deepening my sense of belonging to the NVC community.

from the assessor, Maria Hechenberger

[EN] Bärbl has been a member of our network since 2015 and I have met her again and again in our community. Our joint certification journey began three years ago. For me, it was a journey of struggling, rubbing up against each other and growing and learning together. I am delighted with the consistency with which we have moved forward step by step. I appreciate Bärbel's precise view of things and how she scrutinizes methods and theories for herself, not only in her alert mind but also in her heart. From her basic professions, she brings skills in leading people and groups, which, together with her empathy and her loving view of people, form a fine blend for me.

For several years now, Bärbl's NVC activities in East Tyrol have led to the development of a NVC network in this somewhat remote part of our country. We are happy about the enrichment that communities can experience here. It's great that you are now part of our international network, dear Bärbl.

[DE] Mein Weg mit der GFK hat bei meinem Studium vor 13 Jahren begonnen. Ich habe sofort Feuer gefangen und gespürt, dieser Ansatz ist wichtig für mich. Meiner inneren Stimme folgend, habe ich erst Marshall Rosenbergs Buch gelesen und bald anschließend mit der Ausbildung begonnen. Es hat mich besonders fasziniert, dass ich die theoretischen Inhalte sofort schrittweise in mein Leben und Arbeiten umsetzen konnte. Der Unterschied zu meinem bisherigen Denken, Sprechen und Handeln war von Anfang an, wohltuend spürbar. Vor allem die langsame Veränderung meiner inneren Zwiegespräche, hin zu einem liebevolleren Umgang mit mir selber, hat große Erleichterung und Entspannung in mein Leben gebracht.

„See me beautiful…“ war, im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes ein bahnbrechender Prozess, der mir viele neue Türen geöffnet hat. Die Essenz der GFK mehr und mehr in mein Leben zu integrieren und von dort in die Welt hinauszubringen, sehe ich als einen wunderschönen Weg, den ich, mit all meinen GefährtInnen weitergehen werde. Die CNVC-Zertifizierung ist ein wichtiger Meilenstein auf diesem Pfad, der mich bereichert und mit Freude und Dankbarkeit erfüllt. Ich hoffe, das passt so … mit ganz lieben Grüßen aus Osttirol! bärbl

from Bärbl:

[EN] Enthusiastic and fascinated by Marshall B. Rosenberg's approach, which spoke to a deep truth and wisdom in my heart from the very first moment I began my NVC path 20 years ago. This was followed by intensive years of theoretical and practical learning, unconditional research, and experimentation. In the course of various professional activities, I was able to use NVC not only in my private life but also in my consulting work as a coach, supervisor, and parent education.

In 2014, I started to implement NVC in my company with 40 employees and to pass on NVC in courses and seminars. Inspired by the profound insights and personal experiences that became possible as a result, I increasingly felt a longing to be even more MYSELF and to touch other people and enrich their lives with the precious uniqueness of my being. My entire certification path was also shaped by this idea: Learning to see myself, people, and the world in general as "BEAUTIFUL." In a very special way, as a candidate, I enjoyed being embedded in a circle of "like-minded" people and having benevolent companions around me who encouraged and supported me.

It deeply fulfills me to experience again and again how the miracle of life can fully unfold in the intimate encounter between two people and how real healing and peace can happen. I look back on the intensive path of certification with joy and gratitude, and at the same time, I look forward to being amazed at the many new perspectives that are opening up to me again.

[DE] Begeistert und fasziniert vom Ansatz Marshall B. Rosenbergs, der vom ersten Augenblick an, eine tiefe Wahrheit und Weisheit in meinem Herzen angesprochen hat, habe ich meinen GFK-Weg vor zwanzig Jahren begonnen. Es folgten intensive Jahre des theoretischen und praktischen Lernens, des bedingungslosen Forschens und Ausprobierens. Im Zuge unterschiedlicher beruflicher Tätigkeiten konnte ich die GFK nicht nur im privaten Bereich nutzen, sondern auch in meine Beratungstätigkeit als Coach, Supervisorin und in die Elternbildung einfließen lassen.

2014 habe ich begonnen die GFK auch in meinem Betrieb mit 40 MitarbeiterInnen zu implementieren und GFK in Kursen und Seminaren weiterzugeben. Beseelt von den tiefgreifenden Erkenntnissen und persönlichen Erfahrungen, die dadurch möglich wurden, wuchs in mir zunehmend die Sehnsucht, noch mehr ICH SELBST zu sein und mit der kostbaren Einzigartigkeit meines Wesens, andere Menschen zu berühren und deren Leben zu bereichern. Von diesem Gedanken war auch mein ganzer Zertifizierungsweg geprägt. Zu lernen, mich selber, die Menschen und die Welt im allgemeinen „BEAUTIFUL“ zu sehen. Auf ganz besondere Weise habe ich es als Kandidatin genossen, eingebettet zu sein im Kreise „Gleichgesinnter“ und wohlwollende Gefährtinnen um mich zu haben, die mich fördern und unterstützen.

Es erfüllt mich zutiefst immer wieder zu erleben, wie sich in der intimen Begegnung zweier Menschen das Wunder des Lebens voll entfalten kann, und echte Heilung und Frieden geschehen können. Auf den intensiven Weg der Zertifizierung schaue ich mit Freude und Dankbarkeit zurück und blicke gleichzeitig staunend nach vorne, auf die vielen neuen Perspektiven, die sich mir wieder eröffnen.