BEING RELATIONAL GAZETTE
BALTIMORE MEDIATION’S NEWSLETTER AND TIPS – October 2018
A MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER

Happy October! September was a whirlwind of exciting events and happenings. The fall is such a great time with school beginning again, the leaves changing, and the air of new possibilities! We are looking forward to an exciting month of October and I hope you all are as well.

We are thrilled to share that Baltimore Mediation has been featured in the Roland Park Living Magazine in celebration of our 25th Anniversary! Check out the article here!(Pages 18-20).
GRATITUDE…. ACCOLADES, HIGH FIVES!

Louise has been invited to host a workshop at the Project for Integrating Spirituality, Law and Politics (PISLAP) Conference later this month in Washington, DC at the American University College of Law.

The workshop will be on Relational and Transactional Approaches; What does it mean to be Relational? Transactional? The workshop will lightly examine the lives, practices, and daily choice that can create well-being with a mental shift.
"I CAN RELATE!" BLOG

"We face a crisis of well-being in the legal system which causes great suffering in society and throughout the legal profession. That may be why many of us have chosen to shift our legal work to dispute resolution. But even for dispute resolvers, we still face seemingly insurmountable adversarial obstacles, all of which takes a toll on well-being.

Read the full September "I Can Relate!" Blog here .
OUR TRAININGS

Our October training is full and begins next week! If you are interested in doing a 40-Hour training, please sign up for December!

Don't forget! Our first ever 20-Hour Training on Stepfamily and Blended Families, with a focus on Trauma and Resilience, is next month. We have a few spots left - sign up today!

Interested in more information or registering for a training? See a full list of our trainings here!
TRAINING PARTICIPANTS ARE SAYING…  

"The transformative approach is a powerful resource that can positively impact many aspects of interpersonal relationships and conflicts, and is certainly going to shed some needed light on the adversarial process."

- Jose Piñol , Real Estate
IN A RECENT…

Dinner in Chicago, Lillian Johnston, sister to Louise Phipps Senft, had dinner with my her colleagues and gave them each a copy of Being Relational as a back to school gift. The waiter recognized the cover and said his friend is currently reading it! He said his friend brings the copy of Being Relational with him everywhere. "If anyone could use help 'Being Relational' it's this guy!"
TIP OF THE DAY:
THE SEVEN WAYS OF BEING RELATIONAL:

BEING KIND
This month, we are going to focus on the seventh way of being - Being Kind

At its core, being kind is about your power and how you use it. The first step in understanding what it means to be kind is to clearly understand your power in relation to another person and their power in relation to you.

Two parts of kindness when being relational are active and caring. First, active means that when you encounter someone in need, you do something . It is easy to say, hard to do. It could be as simple as a friendly look in the eye, a smile and hello. Second, is caring for others. Compassion is that emotion that allows you to shift from self-absorption to being attentive to the other person. That manifests as more openness, willingness to accept the other's good faith and less concern about your vulnerability in relation to them.

Try it! And let us know what happens!
SPEAKING EVENTS
The JP Morgan Chase & Co. international conference last month was a success! Louise was the keynote speaker for the Women on the Move. She spoke to thousands of women financial leaders about inspiring women to lead by Being Relational.

Louise will be in Cleveland, OH later this month to present at the International Academy of Mediators (IAM) Conference on Clarity as it Relates to Trust
CLIENT HIGHLIGHT – Helgi Maki

Helgi Maki is a lawyer, consultant and coach focusing on legal innovation topics including the nexus between law and public health, specifically the current trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) epidemic in North America. She was recently among the 25 speakers to present at the ABA's first ever Relational Practice Task Force Virtual Summit. Helgi was in Louise's group for the Virtual Summit, and before hand were able to share trauma stories, Helgi's about the death of her mother and Louise's about her son Archer's accident, and the journey of working through them and with them.

Helgi created a global research project on trauma-informed lawyering in order to help raise awareness about the impact of trauma in the justice system, and about the tools that can be used to address it with both clients and lawyers. She is a speaker and co-author of a forthcoming academic paper on trauma-informed legal practice. As an executive coach, she helps lawyers deal with traumatic stress in order to reach their full potential and increase wellbeing.

 Previously, she was a partner with a major Canadian law firm and was called to the bar in both Ontario and New York. Helgi has personally seen that lawyers who develop awareness of trauma can help their clients increase access to justice. 

In her free time, Helgi loves to travel, especially if it involves island hopping. She also teaches and practices a style of “yoga for dancers” called Gyrotonic, which helps people rethink functional and fun movement. And she loves to check out modern art for creative inspiration.

TEAM HIGHLIGHT - Bill Senft

Bill Senft, CPA and attorney, specializes in the mediation of business contract, partnership and workplace disputes including those giving rise to EEO complaints. He has served private, governmental and non-profit employers providing a neutral and confidential process for working through the difficult conflicts that arise in workplace relationships.

Bill also provides mediation for corporations, partnerships, foundations and family businesses including financial planning, management and corporate control issues, business succession planning and other disputes in the family and business context – always practicing within the relational approach to mediation.

For more than 20 years Bill has served as a finance consultant and legal advisor to entrepreneurs – with clients in many industries and the non-profit sector. Bill has vast experience in corporate transactions, fundraising, tax and finance planning for families and family business, debt workouts and numerous other legal and financial matters.

In his free time, Bill likes to bike ride, spend time with his wife and 5 children, and most recently is attending the University of Pennsylvania to earn his PhD in Nonprofit Leadership.
QUOTE FOR THE MONTH:

"It's painful to face how we harm otheres, and it takes a while. It's a journey that happens because of our commitment to gentleness and honesty, our commitment to staying awake, to being mindful."
- Pema Chödrön

For copies of the Amazon best seller Being Relational: The Seven Ways to Quality Interaction & Lasting Change visit
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