Are you seeking a sense of well-being?   

2020 is nearly history (thank goodness 🙌). Let’s flip it and find tools to engage our body, mind, and inner strength. Ditch that stress and move on to a happier, healthier, and more productive 2021. 

Many Masks, Many Identities – Vulnerability and Bravery in Uncertain Times

Dr. Pamela Hopkins and Dr. Plácida Gallegos  

In order to get through these strange days, we are having to wear many masks – literally and figuratively. Your identity may have shifted due to changes and challenges in your business or personal life. This workshop will be an opportunity to think together about how we are navigating these difficult times that have virtually (and practically) turned our lives upside down.  

There are great opportunities in this crisis for us to learn and grow.  We will provide a highly interactive space for people to reflect on and share their coping strategies. Let’s consider our relationships: we can learn from people who are different from us as well as those who share similar experiences.  We will offer ways to support ourselves, and each other, as we strive to become more whole and build stronger relationships through 2021.  

Dr. Plácida Gallegos, Ph.D. has been an organization development consultant and executive coach for the past 30 years, engaged in supporting diverse individuals, groups and organizations in thriving and achieving optimal outcomes.  She is deeply committed to co-creating inclusive organizations and teams that support people to learn and grow to their fullest capacities.  

Plácida is a widely published thought-leader on diversity in teams, intercultural competence, and leadership development especially as these topics relate to Latinx and other People of Color in organizations. Recent publications include a chapter in Diversity at Work: The Practice of Inclusion entitled “The Work of Inclusive Leadership: Fostering Authentic Relationships, Modeling Courage and Humility” and a chapter co-authored with Ilene Wasserman in The NTL Handbook of Organization Development and Change entitled “Diversity and Inclusion in Organizational Practice”. 

She holds an MS in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling from Loma Linda University, an MA in Social and Personality Psychology, and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Riverside  

Dr. Pamela Hopkins, Ph.D. brings 25+ years of experience as a business leader, a leadership development practitioner, a strategic consultant, and an executive coach. She brings an integrated approach to solving strategic issues facing her clients in today’s complex workplace environments.  

Pamela’s endless energy and commitment to creating inclusive, healthy workplace environments, coupled with her deep passion for social justice, has distinguished her as a thought leader in both organization effectiveness and the diversity and inclusion fields.  Dr. Hopkins has been a featured speaker on the impact of micro aggressions in healthcare settings at UCSF SOM, Kaiser Permanente, and the American Orthopedic Association.  

Pamela holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from Fielding Graduate University in the School of Human & Organization Development. Pamela is also a Senior Adjunct Professor at Golden Gate University in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology program and Mills College in the Lokey School of Business. 

Tuesday, Dec 22 1-2PM 

An Hour of Understanding Stress and Ways Yoga can Relieve It! 

The Neuroscience of Stress 1-1:20PM 

Marcia Ruben 

Stress affects our brains. Marcia Ruben, Ph.D. (The Tangle Doctor) walks us through how neuroscientists understand the way stress impacts our brain and our body. The effects can be uncomfortable at best and debilitating at worst, but we can learn techniques to alleviate it. The first step is learning some basic biology.  Marcia gives us an overview of our brains, neurochemicals, and what researchers say really works. 

Marcia Ruben, Ph.D., PCC is an Associate Professor and Program Director of the MS Leadership at Golden Gate University. She was awarded the Russell T. Sharpe Research Professorship from 2016-2018 and focused her research on the neuroscience of leadership goal achievement. She was awarded the Judith S. Browning Teaching Excellent Award in 2015 and 2020.  

Marcia is also president of Ruben Consulting Group, Ltd. and has expertise in executive leadership, team performance, change management, and organizational development.  

Dr. Ruben earned her Ph.D. in Human and Organizational Systems from Fielding Graduate University.  She earned an M.A. in Human and Organizational Systems from Fielding Graduate University and an M.S. in Counseling from California State University, Hayward. Marcia graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. She has co-authored several articles that are recognized as thought-leaders in the change management and coaching industry. Marcia is a Certified Management Consultant and Certified Professional Coach. 

Self-Care at Home 1:20-2PM 

Counter What Happens to Your Body When You Are Under Stress

Nina Samaco, Ph.D. 

Now that you know more about stress, Dr. Nina Samaco, clinical psychologist and yoga instructor, will help you relieve it. Yoga is a somatic practice to embody mindfulness and movement.  Nina will conduct a home version of yoga focusing on stress reduction. No need for a mat. You can do this right at your desk, at home, or in your home ‘work out’ space.  

Nina Samaco is a Clinical Psychologist currently teaching at the Golden Gate University and the University of San Francisco.  In her practice, she has worked primarily with children and adolescents dealing with social skills, developmental, and emotional challenges. She has also developed programs for organizations working with abused children.  It is in this work that she discovered the effectiveness of yoga as a mode of therapy. This prompted her to pursue her yoga teacher training.  Her background in psychology and yoga led her to conduct mindfulness research.  

Tuesday, Dec 22 4-5PM 

Meditation Improv: Stress Relief through Imaginative Play 

Jared Polivka 

Imaginative play is no joke. Picture yourself swimming on a sizzling summer afternoon in cool water. Nice, right? Visualization or imaginative play, such as this Meditation Improv session, can have a powerful, positive effect on your health by relieving stress and creating a feeling of wellbeing. Wouldn’t this be a wonderful antidote to our daily grind? Let us show you how to capture that spirit of play and use it to your benefit.  We will provide guided meditations, breakout sessions, and a whole lot of *calm*. 

Jared Polivka started out as a founder, growth hacker, developer evangelist, and product manager of technology startups. Jared, having worked 80-100-hour weeks for years, took an improv class with Rebecca Stockley that changed the course of his life, leading him to a path of mindfulness, being present, slowing down, and being curious.  

Jared now pursues writing, producing, and acting in Los Angeles while working as a facilitator and teacher of narrative storytelling, improvisation, and imaginative play through his workshops, The Joy of Improv.  
 
Jared has also taught coached and taught workshops at many top universities, such as Stanford and UCLA, and organizations, including Google, Netflix, Twitch, Workday, and Angel List, to name a few.  See upcoming community workshops here: https://joyofimprov.eventbrite.com/ 
 

Wednesday, Dec 23 11-12PM  

Envision Your Next Phase 

Dan Clurman  
 
Take some time out with Dan Clurman to take stock of where you are and potential directions for the next phase of your business and life. This interactive, experiential hour will help you open up to new possibilities by assessing where you are now and projecting your future through a series of focused breakout discussions. Think aloud, find those hidden signals, and envision your future – all with no judgement. 

Dan Clurman is a coach, trainer, and organizational consultant. Since 1982, he has delivered communication training and coaching to business, government, and non-profit organizations. His training and coaching emphasize the interplay of critical thinking, communication skills, and emotional intelligence.  

Dan teaches conflict resolution and coaching courses at Golden Gate University’s Ageno School of Business. He also teaches interpersonal business communication skills at UC Berkeley Extension. He is the co-author of Money Disagreements: How to Talk About Them and Conversations with Critical Thinkers. He is currently completing a book about his approach to interpersonal communication skills. For more info about his work go to www.comoptions.com