Gratitude Circles: Self-care + Shared Connection + Synchronicity

This moment is not about going back to normal. It’s an invitation to reimagine our collective future. We take inspiration from nature which shows us that when we grow together, more blooming is still possible.

Why do we talk about gratitude through the lens of self-care, shared connection, and synchronicity? Gratitude is a social emotion. When we tap into this emotion, we experience the benefits of self-care and lower stress. Feeling calm helps us show up better in our relationships. These are the two wings of gratitude: self-care and shared connection. Gratitude Circles bring together self-care and shared connection through the synchronicity of nature-inspired and artist-designed prompts. It’s a call to a new kind of bravery. Synchronicity creates space for new perspectives to emerge. When the doors of emergence swing open, new partnerships, innovations, and solutions can come through. Synchronicity is a possibility. The inclusive and beautiful kind.

Join Southern California Grantmakers, gthx, and Gratitude Blooming for a monthly Gratitude Circle drop-in series that will explore a different kind of inner-transformation and way of connecting with others. In this emergent space, we move beyond typical structures of teacher-student and expert-beginner to explore new depths of noticing and feeling through gratitude. Gratitude Circles provide a safe way to explore self-awareness and shared insights in ways that only can happen through practicing gratitude in community.

When we can notice what is emerging within and with each other, we can see new ways to lead — together. This is an invitation to a new model of leadership: Inclusive, Transformative, and Emergent.

There are only three real rules for a Gratitude Circle:

●    You are your own best inner-teacher and guide

●    There is no fixing, advising, or saving of others in the circle

●    Silence is a participant in the conversation.

Session Dates

This monthly drop-in series will be offered for three months and culminate in an advanced 2-hour Gratitude Circle workshop. Please click below to register for upcoming sessions.

Session 1
Monday, May 17 | 9:30 am – 10:30 am
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Session 2
Monday, June 14 | 9:30 am – 10:30 am
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Session 3
Monday, July 12 | 9:30 am – 10:30 am

Final 2-hour session
Tuesday, August 10 | 9:30 am – 11:30 am
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Who will benefit 

This series is designed for leaders who want to better align their intentions with their actions. People who learn by doing will appreciate this applied practice.

• I seek a more equitable world and appreciate inclusive spaces where diverse voices feel safe to speak and be heard.
• I am a leader and want to grow my self-awareness and compassion.
• I often take care of others, and now I want to practice self-care through gratitude.
• I care about healing people and the planet and seek tangible ways to put this into practice.
• I want to awaken my senses and relationships through a healthy connection to Nature.

This series is a collaboration between two impact-driven companies founded by people of color: Omar Brownson with gthx and Belinda Liu with Gratitude Blooming. They seek to accelerate the growth of leaders through the emergent practice of Gratitude Circles. This method was developed based on their respective work in inspiring the practice of gratitude through art, technology, nature-inspired products, and branding.

Facilitators

Omar Brownson Co-Founder and CEO, gthx Twitter: @obrownson / @gthxapp Omar makes good visible. He is a catalyst, entrepreneur, speaker and leader. He is the co-founder and CEO of gthx (as in "give thanks") which launched a top-rated gratitude app and now co-hosts Gratitude Circles for leaders across sectors.  Previously, Omar was the founding executive director of RiverLA and has held leadership positions across finance, green infrastructure, sustainability, and social impact. Wherever he is, however, Omar makes sure to take a beat to notice good and to share joy.  Omar was trained in both Circles of Trust by Leading from Within and Healing Circles by Commonweal. He received his master’s in design and public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and Graduate School of Design. He was a Stanton Fellow, Coro Fellow and selected Graduate of the Year by Southern California Leadership Network. He serves on the boards of InsightLA and Kiss the Ground. To learn more about gthx, please click here.

Belinda Liu Founder, Gratitude Blooming Twitter:  @GratitudeBloom Belinda Liu is the founder of Gratitude Blooming, an organization that integrates art, nature and self-inquiry into inspiring gratitude-based tools and experiences for personal insight, human connection and social change.    As a former Teach For America teacher, China Fulbright Scholar, nonprofit education leader and entrepreneur, Belinda is deeply embedded in diverse local and global communities. Her superpowers are shining a light on people’s strengths, bringing them out into the world, and catalyzing deep personal and group transformation. She and her husband are also co-founders of Hestia Retreat Center in Mount Shasta, CA, a magical 10-acre sanctuary for people to explore their purpose and bring their visions to life, starting from the inside out. To learn more about Gratitude Blooming, please click here.

Presented in partnership with:

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This evolve program is made possible by the generosity of The Angell Foundation. evolve is SCG's suite of programming that champions transformational leadership.

Fee
Members: $0
Eligible non-members:$50

Who May Attend
Current SCG, NCG, and Catalyst members and eligible non-members. If you have additional questions about this event please email [email protected]

Registration
SCG members: Register online (you must log in to your SCG account to register).
NCG & Catalyst members: Please contact [email protected] to register.
Non-members: Register online. If you do not have an SCG account, contact us.
If you have additional questions regarding these sessions, please contact us at [email protected]

Accommodations for People with Disabilities
If you have a disability and require accommodation in order to fully participate in this activity, please contact our programs team at [email protected] or (213) 680-8866. You will be contacted by someone from our staff to discuss your specific needs.