Center for RelationaLearning

🍂 Honoring National Gratitude Month
As we enter the day before Thanksgiving, the Center for Relational Learning is reflecting on the season of warmth, connection, and appreciation.

We are deeply grateful for all who believe that Relational Leadership—and placing relationships first—has the power to transform us individually and reshape the purpose of our work. Gratitude is more than a feeling; it’s a powerful practice that enhances our wellbeing, the first Operating Principle of Relational Leadership: First and always, activating wellbeing.

Gratitude shifts our focus from what’s missing to what’s already present. It helps us see beyond life’s challenges and setbacks and re-center on what truly matters. Our primary associate, Maggie Farrar, reminds us that the heart of gratitude lies in the practice of noticing—noticing when someone offers us care or recognition, noticing how it makes us feel, and finding the courage to offer that same affirmation to others.

Gratitude shows up not in grand gestures, but in the micro-moments—the small interactions that make us feel seen, valued, and understood.

🧡 We invite you to join us:
In the comments, share a micro-moment of gratitude you’ve noticed recently. What small thing made a meaningful difference in your day?

Let’s fill this space with appreciation and relational warmth as we move into the holiday.

🦫 🌙 Introducing the Beaver Moon Cohort of Relational Leaders

The Relational Leadership Intensive I came to a conclusion on Saturday evening. The name for the cohort emerged organically, because we began this journey together on the day of the full moon. We concluded our time together with appreciation, gifting and a commitment to continue to place relationships first in everything we do.

Here are a few of the participant reflections from the three days:

"The biggest surprise for me was that this did not feel like other trainings - it was messy, fun, funny, deep, but above all REAL."

"The most useful information I learned at the Intensive was to be present both with others and myself, and one small step is better than no step at all."

"I valued how supported I felt in this learning process. The expertise of the facilitators and the group contributed to how the approach and informations was absorbed."

✨ Last week, the Center for RelationaLearning hosted a Learning Journey for a team from Elwood Primary School located in Melbourne, Australia. George and the Center have been collaborating and partnering with Elwood for over 15 years. Elwood Primary is a relational school that places the relationship first in everything they do. This focus is evident in the curiosity, wonder, joy and appreciation displayed by this team.

The Center extends it's gratitude to the schools and organizations that hosted a visit to explore the myriad of ways that we can activate wellbeing, establish relational trust and lead realtioanlly. Anansi Charter School in Taos; The May Center in Santa Fe; and the Alleyway Activation initiative hosted by Wilson Middle School in Albuquerque.

If you and or your school or organization would like to learn more about our Learning Journey offering please visit our website at www.relationalearning.com or contact us directly at [email protected] to schedule a consultation with the Center.