Real LIFE Foundations
COMMUNICATION, CONFLICT & EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
A 10-Month Journey in Communication, Personal Growth, and Human Development
SEPTEMBER 2026 – JUNE 2027
THIRTY CLASSES IN 5 MODULES
Thursdays, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm MT, Via Zoom
INFORMATION CALL RECORDING
WE LIVE IN A TIME OF RAPID CHANGE, INCREASING COMPLEXITY, AND GROWING DEMANDS ON OUR ATTENTION, RELATIONSHIPS, AND WELL-BEING.
Many of us were taught how to achieve, perform, and succeed—but few of us were taught how to communicate effectively, navigate conflict, understand our emotions, or continue growing as adults.
Real LIFE Foundations is a 10-month developmental program designed to strengthen the capacities that matter most in everyday life: self-awareness, communication, emotional intelligence, resilience, and meaningful relationships.
Through study, live teaching, and facilitated practice groups, participants develop practical skills they can apply immediately at home, at work, and in their communities.
Program at a Glance
Program Structure
The program combines three complementary forms of learning:
TEACHING SESSION
Explore powerful frameworks, concepts, and practices that support personal growth, emotional maturity, and effective communication.
PRACTICE AND REFLECTION
Apply what you learn through live guided exercises, reflection, and real-life experimentation.
FACILITATED PRACTICE GROUPS
Join an optional weekly practice group to deepen learning, explore challenges, and accelerate growth.
Teaching and optional practice sessions alternate throughout the year. Teaching sessions are 90 minutes; practice groups are 60 minutes.
This course also serves as a pathway into the Real LIFE Facilitator Program for coaches, facilitators, and organizational leaders.
WHY A 10-MONTH PROGRAM?
1) This skill set requires a deeper awareness of one’s communication style and defensive patterning.
2) Skill development requires sustained practice.
3) Learning is supported by an intentional community - like-minded people practicing the same skill set.
4) In-class guidance provides feedback and options beyond your habits.
Self-Development 101: Foundations for Growth
September 17 – October 1, 2026
Growth does not end in childhood. Adults continue to develop throughout life, expanding their capacity for clarity, resilience, wisdom, and relationships.
This opening module introduces the foundational principles that guide the entire program. Participants learn how human development works and how to intentionally engage in growth rather than react.
Key Themes
- Understanding adult development
- Moving beyond self-criticism and self-improvement
- Building resilience through challenge
- Developing curiosity and openness
- Working skillfully with uncertainty
- Understanding emotions as sources of information
- Cultivating purpose and direction
Participants Will Develop
- A framework for lifelong growth
- Greater self-awareness and clarity
- Practical developmental practices
- Increased resilience and adaptability
- A personalized path for continued learning
The Zen of You and Me: Communicating Through Sameness and Difference
October 8 – November 19, 2026
Every relationship contains two powerful forces: what we share and what makes us different.
Sameness creates connection, trust, and belonging. Difference creates creativity, learning, and growth. Yet differences can also trigger defensiveness, misunderstanding, and conflict.
In this module, participants learn how to stay grounded, curious, and connected in the presence of differences—whether in personal relationships, teams, communities, or organizations.
Drawing from adult development, mindfulness, meditation, and communication practices, this course offers practical tools for navigating difficult conversations with greater confidence and skill.
Key Themes
- Psychological safety and trust
- The nervous system and communication
- Working with emotional intensity
- Mindfulness in conversation
- Listening as a relationship skill
- Authentic self-expression
- Identity, belonging, and inclusion
- Compassionate dialogue
Participants Will Learn To
- Create safety and trust in conversations
- Recognize and work with defensiveness
- Listen deeply and communicate clearly
- Explore differences without polarization
- Regulate emotional intensity
- Strengthen collaboration and teamwork
- Develop greater compassion and understanding
Why It Matters
The most successful relationships and teams are not those without differences—they are those that know how to explore and learn from their differences.
This module develops the communication skills needed to engage diversity, complexity, and disagreement without losing connection.
Everything Is Workable: Conflict as a Path to Growth
January 7 – March 11, 2027
Most people think of conflict as something to avoid, manage, or resolve as quickly as possible. Yet conflict is one of life's most powerful opportunities for learning, growth, and transformation.
In this module, participants learn how to engage disagreement, tension, and competing perspectives with greater skill and confidence. Rather than seeing conflict as a problem, we explore how it can become a catalyst for deeper understanding, stronger relationships, and more creative outcomes.
Drawing on mindfulness, meditation, and communication practices, participants develop practical tools for navigating conflict at work, at home, and in their communities.
Key Themes
- Reframing conflict as an opportunity
- Understanding the nervous system under stress
- Awareness and mindfulness in difficult conversations
- Recognizing habitual conflict styles
- Speaking authentically and responsibly
- Deep listening and perspective-taking
- Collaborative problem-solving
- Negotiation and decision-making
Participants Will Learn To
- Approach conflict with curiosity rather than avoidance
- Recognize defensive reactions and respond skillfully
- Stay grounded during challenging conversations
- Communicate needs, concerns, and boundaries effectively
- Listen for understanding rather than agreement
- Work through differences constructively
- Build stronger and more resilient relationships
Program Outcome
Participants leave this module with a practical framework for transforming conflict into clarity, connection, and collaboration.
Developing Emotional Maturity: Emotional Skills for Everyday Life
April 1 – May 6, 2027
Emotions are a source of information, energy, and connection. Yet many of us were never taught how to understand, work with, or communicate our emotional experience effectively.
This module develops emotional literacy and emotional resilience. Participants learn how to recognize feelings, work skillfully with difficult emotional states, and communicate emotions in ways that strengthen rather than damage relationships.
The goal is not to suppress emotions or be controlled by them, but to develop the flexibility and wisdom needed to respond consciously.
Key Themes
- The relationship between emotions, thoughts, and behavior
- Emotional awareness and self-regulation
- The wisdom contained within emotions
- Emotional resilience and recovery
- Letting go of unhelpful emotional patterns
- Communicating emotions effectively
- Compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude
- Cultivating positive emotional traits
Participants Will Learn To
- Identify and name emotions with greater precision
- Work effectively with fear, anger, grief, confusion, longing, and jealousy
- Reduce emotional reactivity
- Develop emotional flexibility and resilience
- Recognize patterns that no longer serve them
- Communicate feelings skillfully
- Cultivate greater compassion and self-awareness
Program Outcome
Participants gain greater emotional fluency, increased self-understanding, and a deeper capacity to remain present and connected during life's challenges.
Embracing All of You: Shadow Work and Authentic Living
May 13 – 27, 2027
Every person possesses strengths, gifts, and qualities that are visible and celebrated. We also carry aspects of ourselves that remain hidden, rejected, or unexplored.
This module introduces shadow work as a pathway to greater authenticity, freedom, and wholeness. Participants learn how unconscious assumptions, biases, and patterns influence communication, relationships, and decision-making.
Rather than judging or rejecting these hidden dimensions, we learn how to integrate them with awareness and compassion.
Key Themes
- Understanding the shadow
- Hidden assumptions and blind spots
- Projection and interpersonal dynamics
- Working with difficult traits and reactions
- Self-acceptance and personal responsibility
- Authenticity and integrity
- Integration and wholeness
Participants Will Learn To
- Recognize unconscious patterns and triggers
- Identify projections in relationships
- Increase self-awareness and self-acceptance
- Expand personal freedom and choice
- Strengthen authenticity in communication
- Develop greater compassion for themselves and others
Program Outcome
Participants develop a more complete understanding of themselves and greater freedom to show up authentically in their lives and relationships.
Bringing It All Together
June 3, 2027
The final session provides an opportunity to reflect on the year's learning, celebrate growth, and identify the practices and commitments participants wish to carry forward.
Together, we will review key insights, strengthen developmental intentions, and create a roadmap for continued growth beyond the program.
Who This Program Is For
This program is designed for individuals who want to strengthen the human skills that matter most in life and work.
IT IS PARTICULARLY VALUABLE FOR:
- Professionals and leaders
- Coaches and facilitators
- Educators and helping professionals
- Team members seeking stronger collaboration
- Individuals committed to personal growth
- Anyone interested in developing more meaningful and effective relationships
No previous experience is required.
The Real LIFE Development Pathway
Introduction to Real LIFE Skills serves as the foundational year in the Real LIFE learning journey.
Graduates may continue into advanced study, including facilitator development, leadership training, coaching applications, and Integral Immersion offerings. A certification is available to those who complete the entire three-year program.
The journey begins with a simple question:
How do we become more skillful, compassionate, and fully human in a rapidly changing world?
This program offers practical answers—and the opportunity to practice and embody them together.
Program Schedule
| Module | Session Dates |
|---|---|
| Module 1 · Sep–Oct 2026 | Sep 17, 24 · Oct 1 |
| Module 2 · Oct–Nov 2026 | Oct 8, 15, 22, 29 · Nov 5, 12, 19 |
| Module 3 · Jan–Mar 2027 | Jan 7, 14, 21, 28 · Feb 4, 11, 18, 25 · Mar 4, 11 |
| Module 4 · Apr–May 2027 | Apr 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 · May 6 |
| Module 5 · May–Jun 2027 | May 13, 20, 27 · Jun 3 (final session) |
Full Program Registration
(three 10-week blocks)
Best value; includes all modules
$2,499 General Admission
Bonus! Optional facilitated practice groups are included with your registration.
Block Registration
Block One: Development & Communication
Modules 1 & 2
10-Week Block (Sept. 17 - Nov. 19, 2026)
$899 General Admission
Bonus: Optional facilitated practice groups are included with your registration.
Block Two: Conflict & Growth
Module 3
10-Week Block (Jan. 7 - Mar. 11, 2027)
$899 General Admission
Bonus: Optional facilitated practice groups are included with your registration.
Block Three: Emotional Maturity & Integration
Modules 4, 5 & Final Session
10-Week Block (Apr. 1 - Jun. 3, 2027)
$899 General Admission
Bonus: Optional facilitated practice groups are included with your registration.