Just as public and private diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and programming are under attack, I enrolled at the start of this year in a yearlong DEI training focused on leaders and leadership. I felt that especially now as these vital programs are being dismantled, I need to dive deeply into how to support greater DEI among leaders and leaders of color.
We began the training in January with a primal question: What makes a great leader? Interestingly, people didn’t say, technical skill or intelligence. Instead, they said, self-awareness, courage, integrity, collaboration, empathy, and more. In other words, to create a great leader is to create a great human.
The development of leadership skills is not unlike the pilgrimage journey, which is less about reaching a destination and more about cultivating a quality of self-awareness and presence. Perhaps the growing edge of leadership is the ability to engender psychological safety in a group where people feel safe enough to take interpersonal risks, to voice their ideas, questions, concern, and mistakes, and that they won’t suffer negative social or professional consequences as a result. This type of safety forms the basis for relational trust and supports an awareness of positional power and privilege that strengthens high-performing teams and enhances sensitivity to issues of diversity and inclusion.
Many people are asking important questions:
- How do I act and lead with integrity in the face of injustice?
- How do I speak with clarity and compassion in polarizing times?
- How do I respond to intentional harm without losing my moral compass?
I recall Marna’s words, a leader of high-performing international teams who joined Walk in Beauty Pilgrimage, the Portuguese Coastal Route in 2022. When faced with questions like these, Marna asks herself a truly poignant question that has stayed with me:
‘How do I love more deeply?’
What if when confronted with intentional harm, polarization, or injustice we ask ourselves this soulful question?
Listen to Marna’s insights following her Walk in Beauty Pilgrimage. Click the link below.
Join me for these upcoming, heart-opening events.
Portuguese Camino: Walk in Beauty Pilgrimage of El Camino for 2026
REGISTRATION CLOSES JANUARY 1, 2026!
THREE SPOTS LEFT!
Our Kindest Camino Ever!
October 10-20, 2026
Duration: 11 days / 10 nights
Distance: 80 miles/129 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Start/End: Guimarães, Portugal
-Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Includes All Breakfasts, Gourmet Picnic Lunches, Dinners and 3-4 star hotels.
Let us pamper you in this exclusive, small group, amenities-packed pilgrimage where you’ll savor breathtaking natural beauty of the legendary coast of Portugal and Spain, charming, three and four-star accommodations, and regional delicious cuisine, including gourmet picnic lunches.
Inspiring Highlights
Beginning Guimaraes, the ‘birthplace’ of Portugal and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this Camino explores the allure and beauty of northern Portugal and Spain. Immerse yourself in the ambiance of coastal towns and estuaries, peaceful countryside villages, forested paths, waterfalls, and winding rivers. Showcasing a mix of Gothic, Manueline, and Renaissance architectural styles, this Camino follows ancient paths through historic towns, churches and squares, iconic castles, and cobblestones streets, and ending in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Santiago de Compostela, an urban sanctuary of medieval architecture and art.
At the end of this Camino, you’ll receive the Compostela, official recognition of having completed this historic pilgrimage.
Accommodations are three and four-star hotels with private bath, charmingly restored country manor houses, and B&B’s that offer the best in hospitality, comfort, and location.
This Camino is for foodies!
Enjoy delicious regional cuisine, with dinners at restaurants known for exceptional local cuisine, atmosphere, and service. During our walk, you’ll savor gourmet picnics, using the freshest local and regional ingredients. All breakfasts, picnic lunches, and dinners are included, and vegetarians and those with food allergies are fully accommodated.
A private coach will accompany you to ensure your full support.
Space is limited to 12 persons.
What People Are Saying
- The scenery is spectacular and the beautiful rhythm of walking the Camino is truly revelatory.”
- “To walk the Camino my own way empowered and stretched me into new horizons, safely and in community….”
- “Everyday was a feast for the senses.”
- “I am venturing home with my heart burst wide open, full of hope and possibilities. I am deeply grateful.”
LIVE, ONLINE & FREE: AN INVITATION TO THE DHARMA ACADEMY OPENING
Engaging the Heart of Wisdom Pathways for Meeting Uncertainty May 23–25, 2025 Mountain Standard Time (Please adjust to your time zone.)
In a well‒known Zen koan Xiushan asks his teacher Dizang, “What can you do about the world?” It’s a question that feels more relevant than ever.
I am thrilled to be a part of this opening weekend of the Dharma Academy which brings together leading Zen voices from across the U.S. to sit with this question – not to give quick answers, but to explore what wise, compassionate response might look like today.
What can Zen do about the world? And what can we?
| ‘LET THE BEAUTY YOU LOVE’: A RETREAT FOR RENEWAL & ENGAGED SOCIAL ACTION |
| June 5-7, 2026 Mercy Center Burlingame, CA, (just outside San Francisco) REGISTRATION DEADLINE: May 22, 2026 |
This retreat explores issues of transition, vocational calling, passion, life purpose, meaning, direction and underlying life patterns to live in greater alignment with your core values, to listen to your own inner wisdom, and to reconnect who you are with what you do.
While exploring personal life transitions, this retreat acknowledges the global polycrisis we face that includes climate change, political polarization, war, and injustice. Now more than ever, we need a renewed commitment to social and environmental engagement and justice in this very complex time. Together we will deepen our insight and understanding of the roots of structural violence so we can engage in the world with creativity, courage, love, and hope. This retreat will ground you in resilience, connection and contemplative practices that renew and sustain body, mind and spirit.
The retreat provides a safe space to slow down and nurture personal and professional integrity, and the courage to lean into socially engaged action.
What You Will Learn:
- Navigate important life stage transitions with a community of mutual support
- Connect with the sacred as you align heart and soul with action in the world
- Reflect on your most meaningful values, relationships, priorities, and life purpose and broader issues of social justice
- Discern what’s next for you with creativity and acceptance
- Explore and apply new practices and frameworks to your stage of life
- Gain valuable insights to ignite your life and your work
- Cultivate a sense of joy and connection to your own learning process
Program Features:
- Weekend retreat that include individual and small group reflection, guided mindfulness meditation, engagement in nature and creative arts
- All meals
- Exploration of diverse frameworks, including Quaker faith and practice, Buddhist teachings in the Plum Village tradition, Gestalt psychotherapy, creative expression, and social justice
- All materials
- Expert facilitation
Come Join Us for the 95th Anniversary of Pendle Hill, Quaker Retreat & Conference Center
September 26-28, 2025
In Person and Online
Wallingford, PA
You are warmly invited to join Pendle Hill’s 95th Anniversary Gathering—a weekend on campus and online to connect, renew, and imagine together in community. Whether you were a resident student for years or attended an online program once, this milestone celebration brings together generations of Friends, seekers, artists, and changemakers who have been shaped by Pendle Hill’s witness and community. The event begins with registration from 4:30pm–6:00pm on the opening day and concludes with lunch from 12:00pm–1:00pm on the closing day.
Through storytelling, shared meals, creative engagement, and intergenerational conversation, we’ll honor the legacy that grounds us while exploring the possibilities that lie ahead.
What does it mean to be rooted in tradition while growing toward transformation?
And how might we answer that question—together?
