Recently, I was part of a year-long online learning course on transformational leadership. The first session began with a ritual practice of acknowledging this new journey together in community. We opened with a simple yet nearly forgotten ritual: Welcoming each other and recognizing who is present. This sounds so obvious, and yet in a virtual world, this act of […]
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NEW YEARS – OPEN HEART, PEACEFUL MIND: A RETREAT FOR REST & REFLECTION WITH VALERIE BROWN
On Campus @ Pendle Hill, Wallingford, PA December 28, 2025-Jan 1, 2026 This retreat fills fast so claim your spot today! This annual New Year’s retreat is designed to cultivate rest, reflection, renewal, and restoration. At these times of change, high stress, and high anxiety, we need now, more than ever, to exhale deeply and […]
Black Joy: Celebrating and Honoring Juneteenth
“Joy is a part of our inheritance. . . .It is my responsibility in this lifetime, in this generation to really revel in the joy that has been passed on to me through the impossible, through the insurmountable, through so much grotesque horror and brutality (of enslaved Black people). That this joy was passed forward […]
‘How Do You Love More Deeply’, Especially Now?
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 […]
Lighting Your Path, Finding Your Way in Turbulent Times
Finding your way in turbulent times is a process of remembering the light that you carry within—your moral compass, of connecting with others to do good in the world, and of re-committing to your deepest aspirations. This month, I’ve offered several significant talks with hundreds of people in attendance online at Upaya Zen Center, the […]
Courage, Clarity, & Community: Navigating Change and Uncertaintywith Purpose and Heart an Online Dialogue with Parker J. Palmer
Courage, Clarity, & Community: Navigating Change and Uncertaintywith Purpose and Heart an Online Dialogue with Parker J. Palmer April 11, 20253:00 pm-4:30pm ETOn ZoomBy Donation of any amount Link to Register: https://couragerenewal.org/cou… I am so very honored and excited to be in meaningful dialogue and reflection with my mentor and friend, author and Center for Courage & Renewal (CCR) founder Parker […]
When Career Becomes Vocation
By Valerie Brown About ten years ago, I transitioned my career as a lawyer-lobbyist, a job that brought me ‘borrowed’ status, ‘high-power, and high prestige’ but flattened my heart and soul to my current vocation as a Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition founded by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. The movement from career […]
Where Are You Mostly: Being and Doing?
There are a million things to do in the course of a day, each pulling at your attention. Sometimes the to-do list can feel hard wired into your nervous system as you fight the seemingly losing battle for balance over doing more and being less. When this feeling overtakes me, I come back to this […]
Reclaiming Rest: Making Time for What Matters Most
Sometimes, no matter what is happening around you, no matter what chaos comes your way, and maybe especially because of it, you need to rest, and rest well. There’s a part of you that instinctively knows how to rest, and yet these reminders are essential when the world feels unhinged, uncertain, and volatile. This week I am teaching […]
Heart & Havoc/ Announcing Portuguese Camino 2026.
In the current political upheaval and divisiveness and resulting havoc, fear, and confusion, many people are asking, ‘How do I speak out against injustice and the collateral moral injury without hating those who perpetrate harm?’ ‘What action can I take in the face of the shredding of the moral fabric of society that seeks to uphold justice, […]
