Kindness for a Change
Founders' Training Program
Transform into a wise, powerful life designer so you can thrive, connect and communicate skillfully with your people, and collaborate for change!
This Founders’ Training will be the smallest and lowest cost training I will offer. There are a limited number of spots so we can focus on giving you the most powerful experience possible AND respond to YOUR unique concerns, questions, and needs!
Kindness for a Change
Founders' Training Program
Transform into a wise, powerful life designer so you can thrive, connect and communicate skillfully with your people, and collaborate for change!
This Founders’ Training will be the smallest and lowest cost training I will offer. There are a limited number of spots so we can focus on giving you the most powerful experience possible AND respond to YOUR unique concerns, questions, and needs!
Kindness for a Change is the most complete training available specifically designed to turn loneliness and alienation into thriving, connecting, & collaborating for change
The training integrates three levels of transformation, all of which work together to support your individual and relationship thriving first and foremost!
Individual thriving
- Mindfulness training
- Decrease loneliness & isolation
- Decrease self-criticism
- Increase well-being
- Your brain & nervous system
- Language Traps
- Recovery from mistakes
- Find meaning & purpose
- Find energy & passion
- Unifying Framework applied to You
Relationship thriving
- Mindfulness training
- Compassion & Empathy
- Compassion = Dealing with Reality
- Connect emotionally & deeply with partner & friends
- Brain & nervous system in relationship
- Skillful boundaries
- Skillful disagreement
- Unifying Framework applied to Relationships
Planetary thriving
- How the history of our culture leads to fragile living
- What resilient culture & living looks like
- From the past Industrial to the future Ecosystem Culture
- Life Design models & inspiration from individuals and communities
- Permaculture principles for a resilient & sustainable planet
- Unifying Framework applied to Culture & Planet
A Tour of the Training: Come on inside!
A Tour of the Training: Come on inside!
Training One
Integrative Foundation for Individual Thriving
Training 1.1 – Mindfulness Meditation
Training 1.2 – Thriving Strategies and Overview
Training 1.3 – Loneliness
Training 1.4 – Change and Expected Transformations
Training 1.5 – Kindness
Training Two
Transforming You
Training 2.1 – Mindfulness Deep Dive
Training 2.2 – Enlightenment, Wisdom, Discernment
Training 2.3 – Language Traps
Training Three
Transforming Relationships
Training 3.1 – Thriving Strategies in Relationships
Training 3.2 – Areas of Compatibility: Focus on Sex
Training 3.3 – Repair and Communication
Training 3.4 – Parenting
Training Four
Brain and Nervous System
Training 4.1 – Polyvagal Theory: Safety, Fight-Flight
Training 4.2 – Foundations of Safety and Connection
Training 4.3 – Adverse Childhood Events
Training 4.4 – Neurocognitive Reprogramming
Training Five
Reality on a Global Historical Scale
Training 5.1 – A Brief History of the Planet
Training 5.2 – A Brief History of Homo Sapiens
Training 5.3 – A Brief History of Civilization
Training 5.4 – A Brief History of Violence
Training 5.5 – The Great Mistake
Training 5. 6 – The Great Truth & Transformation
Training Six
Life Design: The Future Made Real - Physical Technology
Training 6.1 – What is Life Design?
Training 6.2 – Permaculture: Permanent Culture
Training 6.3 – Ecovillages & Cohousing
Training 4.4 – Inspiring Life Designers
Training Seven
Life Design: The Future Made Real - Social Technology
Training 6.1 – Life Design: Social
Training 6.2 – Kindness, Love, and Capitalism
Training 6.3 – Government: State of Democracy
Training 6.4 – Seeing Like a State
Training 6.5 – The Commons: Ostrom’s 8 Principles
Training 6.6 – Strategies for an Alternative Nation*
Training 6.7 – Lessons from Cooperative Living
* Chapter 14, Permaculture: A Designers’ Manual by Bill Mollison.
Training Eight
Integration and Future Directions
Training 8.1 – Foundations for Individual Thriving
Training 8.2 – Foundations for Relationship Thriving
Training 8.3 – Life Design: Physical & Social
Training 8.4 – How All Work Together
Training 8.5 – We Need You: Misfit Heroes
"I'm still not sure. What about..."
If you think you can't afford it, I wonder if you can afford NOT to do the training. I mean that in a few ways...
- Money-wise, there’s never going to be a lower cost to this training than NOW because it’s the FOUNDING training.
- Plus, with the payment plans, you can get in for less than an espresso drink a day!
- Health-wise, sooner is better due to all the health benefits in reducing your loneliness*, including reducing your risk of stroke (32%), heart disease (29%), dementia (50%), premature death (26%), anxiety, depression, and more.
* Source: Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community, 2023
Taken a lot of courses and been disappointed?
- Kindness for a Change is not repeating the same old dressed up mainstream cultural story where we damage someone and then blame them for that damage. KFAC is not presenting a STORY at all…it’s primary mandate is dealing with REALITY.
- Though KFAC does have elements of a course, there are three aspects of the training that are different: (1) It is designed to get you out in the world with ACTION. (2) It’s not primarily about the STUFF you know, it’s about a mental SHIFT that happens as you learn in your bones how to deal with reality by honoring all of who you are. (3) The coaching: 8 weeks of LIVE training with a handful of people means you get YOUR questions answered and what YOU care about discussed.
- And remember the 90-day guarantee. All you have to do is engage sincerely. If KFAC doesn’t blow you away, you’ll get 100% of your money back.
If you don't like groups, there's a couple of things to keep in mind.
- If you didn’t feel somewhat uncomfortable with other people, this might NOT be the training for you. We ARE focusing on loneliness after all.
- I assume you have good reasons for not being comfortable in a group, probably because you have had many negative experiences, but this group will be composed of people like YOU. How do we know? Because they’ve made it through the same filter as you!
- The best way to get comfortable with people is not to avoid them, it’s to interact with people WHEN it’s a safe and connecting group of people, and I guarantee this group will be safe.
- Now if after all of this you still want to take the training without the small group component, you can! The Foundation Training does not have the small group coaching. One main reason for this is to offer an alternative so you can get the training you need at a pace that’s comfortable.
"What if I'm not advanced enough? What if I know all of this already?"
- KFAC is designed to help anyone at whatever level of knowledge you come with
- EVERYONE has a piece of the truth. It’s one of the main ideas behind dealing with reality by honoring all of who we are — that not only means honoring yourself but each other. Everyone has a point of view that gets us closer to reality.
- Whether you have expertise and experience with one aspect of KFAC (Mindfulness, for example) or no experience at all, the power of KFAC comes from the unique integration of all the elements.
- We’re all here to help each other…with kindness…for a change.
"I can't even conceive of knowing what I want and not being self-critical."
- That’s just it, right! We’re so beaten down by a culture that invalidates and silences, it’s no wonder we don’t know what we want! Some of us have never been asked or rewarded for knowing!
- On top of all that silence and violence, we’re taught (under the guise of “personal responsibility”) that the solution to our suffering is to blame ourselves. Enter self-criticism.
- Those are the very habits that KFAC is designed to GRADUALLY reduce, one thought and interaction at a time. In a group whose mission is kindness, you will experience others struggling with and overcoming self-criticism, supporting each other, and recognizing and rewarding the signs of knowing what you want.
"The idea of collaborating for planetary change sounds overwhelming. I just want to focus on improving my own life."
- Yes you do! And the primary focus of KFAC is on helping you, the individual. So, you are right on target!
- Now the focus on connections and relationships — though that involves other people — is a critical aspect of individual wellbeing. We all need connections and relationships!
- However, what’s all the cultural, ecological, and planetary stuff got to do with improving your own life? There’s a simple way and two ways that’s are more profound. The simple way is that this stuff is inspiring and beautiful and can wake us up to possibilities we’d never considered before. The second way is that the cultural and planetary impact you can have by developing the ability to deal with reality early, often, and skillfully with kindness — to turn your suffering into strength — is meaningful and motivating! Finally, we are all living within a context. To ignore that context and focus only on our power as individuals is part of the delusion that got us so self-critical and fragile in the first place.
"Will this work if I don't have a lot of supportive people in my life?"
- This is an excellent question that people ask. And, they’re right! We DO need supportive people to make almost any change work. At the very least, we need people who are not DISCOURAGING the changes we’re trying to make.
- And, that’s one huge reason to the small group coaching is part of the KFAC Master Class Training. It’s a group of like-minded (and like-hearted) people who support each other in the new habits of thriving, connecting, and collaborating.
- There is a bit of a warning though. You will change as you go through this training. Not everyone in your life has signed up for you to be different. So, there may be shifts in your relationships as some people become more distant (or you from them) and other people get closer. This can be painful but is a natural part of the ripple effects of shifting your mindset and showing in the world as all of who you are. And, we’ve got your back as part of a new group of people there to support you, including a Transformation Buddy if you want one!
Healthcare professionals love us
The science is with us
Kindness for a Change is based on years of experience in science, including principles of design and healing. It is based on everything I learned co-inventing an 8-week training program with proven results in several randomized controlled trials conducted in cooperation with Dr. Richard Davidson, named by Time Magazine as a 100 Most Influential Person. The primary article on the wellbeing program I co-invented has been cited 122 times by other scientific publications!
Hundreds of patients thriving
My patients' stories are all confidential so I can't share a single testimonial from them. And, the Kindness for a Change training is NOT psychotherapy and cannot substitute for it. However, I can tell you that these are some of the results my patients have achieved using the same principles I'm sharing in this training:
- Decreased loneliness
- Better sense of fit in the world
- Understanding of how their suffering is part of their wisdom
- Increased number and quality of friends
- Better communication
- Better relationships with their kids
- Healthier and closer relationship with romantic partner
- Increased wellbeing
- Decreased depression and anxiety
- Increased meaning and purpose
- Increased energy and passion
- More confidence and joy in life
- Better boundaries
- Less reactive anger
- Better self-awareness
- More organized and efficient
Let's talk money...and the great news about price.
I’ve had patients in their late 70s tell me they wish they had known this stuff when they were younger. It’s never too late to develop the habits you need for thriving and connection, but earlier is better, don’t you think? How much is your life worth? How much is it worth to have the benefits of this training? If it improves every day of your life only 5%, how much would that be worth?
We both know you can try to piece all of this together by looking at free youtube videos, reading books, and listening to podcasts. All the information is out there somewhere! I should know — it’s taken me 20 years to find it, in some cases invent it, and integrate it all into a coherent framework that makes sense to people and benefits them! I’m a DIY-er myself. I respect it. I say, go for it! More power to you!
Or, you could just take advantage of all the work I’ve done and all the experience I’ve packaged for you — already integrated, already coherent, and with me there to guide you step-by-step through the whole process answering whatever questions you have about how the training connects to YOUR real day-to-day life.
We also both know that you can hire a therapist or life coach. Given that you get me for about 24 hours, that would add up to about $7,000-$12,000. And, I can guarantee you that whoever you found for whatever amount of money would not be presenting what I am and very likely couldn’t!
But there’s another reason you should consider signing up today! This is the maiden voyage of Kindness for a Change, the beta launch, the Founders’ Circle. And THAT means I’m limiting the seats to a SMALL HANDFUL OF PEOPLE so that I can provide the most intimate and most responsive experience I’ll ever offer.
AND, I’m offering it at the LOWEST price I’ll ever offer it! Not $1,000 which will the price going forward. With the payment plans I’m offering, you get the Foundation Training for $75 or the Master Class Training for $149 today (or you can pay in full and save)! And, I’m offering scholarships* for those who really need it because everyone should have a chance for training like this!
Plus, I have a 90-day 100% money back CONDITIONAL guarantee. The condition? You agree to do the work: Show up and engage. If you’ve made a sincere effort to do the work, and you are not satisfied, you’ll get 100% of your money back. Just email us at support@oneplanetthriving.com along with a description of what work you’ve done.
So, what are you waiting for? Choose the plan that works for you and I’ll see you inside!
* Scholarships: I’m committed to making this training available for a limited number of people who need an even lower price through a scholarship. The price will not be zero. If you need a lower price than what I’m offering AND you’re fully committed to engaging in the work, email support@oneplanetthriving.com with the subject line: “Scholarship.” And tell me what you can afford, why you need a lower price, and what you think KFAC will do for your life.
8 Week Training: Choose your plan
Foundation Training
Live Large Group with Q&A-
Live with Dr. MacCoon
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8 Live 1-2 hour sessions with Q&A
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Private FB Group
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Master Class Training
Foundation + Small Group Coaching-
Everything in Foundation
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8 Live 1-2 hour Small Group coaching sessions
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Small Group Only FB Group
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Tranformation Buddy Option
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All meetings will be held live via weekly Zoom sessions at 7:00 PM (CT). Each meeting will last 1-2 hours (length depending on discussion and Q&A).
Those in the Foundation Training will meet in live large group every Tuesday for 8 weeks.
Those in the Master Class Training will meet twice per week: the large group training on Tuesdays and the small group coaching on Thursdays.
Live large group training sessions will be held on the following dates:
Master Class participants will meet twice per week. Once for the large group training on Tuesdays (dates above) and once for the live small group training sessions on Thursdays. The small group trainings will be held on the following dates:
Note that all large group sessions will be recorded with ALL material available at your convenience throughout your access period.
However, small group sessions will NOT be recorded unless everyone in the small group agrees and most people want it. This is both to provide greater confidentiality and because YOUR ACTUAL PRESENCE is much of the point. In any case, I encourage you to sign up for the Master Class Training with small group coaching only if you can commit to all small group sessions. This commitment is for yourself and the other members of the group.
Check out these free bonuses! (worth over $40)
Bonus #1: The Heart of KFAC
($25.00 Retail Value)
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The heart of the Kindness for a Change knowledge base
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Over 25 pages of transformational principles and practices laid out and illustrated
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With links to dozens of additional original articles online
Bonus #2: 16 Years of Cooperation
($15.00 Retail Value)
- Top 6 lessons learned from 16 years living in a co-housing community
- Insights into group process and communication in large groups, including consensus
- In-person account of raising young children in co-housing by Brianna Kauer
Bonus #3: Solutions!
($15.00 Retail Value)
- Over 50 pages that identify 12 serious cultural and planetary problems…and…
- Identify solutions to these problems
- The solutions require cooperation which, in turn, requires the knowledge and skills provided by KFAC training
Check out these free bonuses! (worth over $40)
Bonus #1: The Heart of KFAC
($25.00 Retail Value)
-
The heart of the Kindness for a Change knowledge base
-
Over 25 pages of transformational principles and practices laid out and illustrated
-
With links to dozens of additional original articles online
Bonus #2: 16 Years of Cooperation
($15.00 Retail Value)
- Top 6 lessons learned from 16 years living in a co-housing community
- Insights into group process and communication in large groups, including consensus
- In-person account of raising young children in co-housing by Brianna Kauer
Bonus #3: Solutions!
($15.00 Retail Value)
- Over 50 pages that identify 12 serious cultural and planetary problems…and…
- Identify solutions to these problems
- The solutions require cooperation which, in turn, requires the knowledge and skills provided by KFAC training
About Dr. Donal MacCoon
Integrated Expertise
- Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the best national program in his field
- Therapist for 20 years, helping hundreds of individuals, couples, and groups learn to thrive
- Published 20+ scientific articles related to sustainable well-being, anxiety, depression, and dysregulated behavior
- Survived 13 years of personal suffering (3 years of child’s cancer, family implosion, and 7 years of wife’s disabling pain)
- Member of cohousing community for 16 years
- Studied with world experts in ecology, sustainable agriculture, and permaculture
- Ran several political campaigns (back in the day)
Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People
As a scientist, Donal worked closely with Dr. Richard Davidson, named a Time Magazine 100 Most Influential Person and known for his neuroscience work with the Dalai Lama.
Co-inventor of Proven Wellbeing Program
Donal co-invented and scientifically validated a group-based program that helped hundreds of people thrive and increase their sustainable wellbeing.
About Dr. Donal MacCoon
Integrated Expertise
- Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the best national program in his field
- Therapist for 20 years, helping hundreds of individuals, couples, and groups learn to thrive
- Published 20+ scientific articles related to sustainable well-being, anxiety, depression, and dysregulated behavior
- Survived 13 years of personal suffering (3 years of child’s cancer, family implosion, and 7 years of wife’s disabling pain)
- Member of cohousing community for 16 years
- Studied with world experts in ecology, sustainable agriculture, and permaculture
- Ran several political campaigns (back in the day)
Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People
As a scientist, Donal worked closely with Dr. Richard Davidson, named a Time Magazine 100 Most Influential Person and known for his neuroscience work with the Dalai Lama.
Co-inventor of Proven Wellbeing Program
Donal co-invented and scientifically validated a group-based program that helped hundreds of people thrive and increase their sustainable wellbeing.
This world needs you
If you’re feeling lonely and alienated ….. It’s not your fault
Our culture sucks because it tries to tell you that you’re the problem. We tell ourselves “I suck!”…”I’m a failure!“…”I’m such a loser!“…“Why can’t I just be positive?!” And we’re too busy to change. We’re so much in “go mode” that we can’t…be.
So our bad habits keep us trapped in cycles of self-criticism, depression and isolation.
The solution is to deal with reality skillfully, early, and often with kindness. Then we can make positive changes for ourselves and connect with each other to make a better world.
I’ll lay all this out for you in my free live webinar, Thriving Together.
This is for you if you want to...
- Feel less lonely and alienated
- Increase your wellbeing
- Know how being a misfit good for you
- Understand the interdependence between yourself, your relationships, and the planet
- Leave toxic “positivity” behind
- Thrive, connect, and collaborate for change
- Be able to talk to people about the hard things
- Maintain healthy boundaries
- Save a world that’s falling apart
This is NOT for you if...
You believe that “positive” affirmations, looking on the bright side, and affirmations are key
You don’t have any experience of suffering
You aren’t interested in self-awareness and personal growth
You’re not open to doing hard things to change
You want 5 quick tips to fundamentally change your life
You absolutely do not want to connect with other people to accelerate your change
You think the status quo world is fine