Radical Honesty Institute Update - Nov./Dec. 2023
Dear Radical Honesty Community,
Since the Sept/Oct. Update, the owners have been meeting regularly and making progress in a number of areas for the Institute outlined below.
RHI Organizational Structure
We’ve created a new page about the organizational structure of The Radical Honesty Institute with an explanation of Circles and Stewards.
In addition, some community members have wanted to know more about how we make decisions in the circles and between the circles, especially since the changes in positions and roles in 2023.
Currently, the owners have been meeting every two weeks to develop the various Circles and support them to do more of the daily work. Starting in 2024, the owners will meet every two months and support the Circles to develop their processes and take action.
Our Managing Director, Jesper (more on him below), will oversee the coordination between Circles and track project progress.
We will share more about decision making and Circles structure in 2024.
Owners' Circle
Marvin Schulz has decided to leave the Owners’ Circle.
Here’s what Marvin writes:
“I have resigned from being a Radical Honesty co-owner and I pondered this step for a long time and I am happy that I made the decision out of a calm, non-emotional state. I recognized that while I love being a trainer, I was less interested in the organizational aspects of the Institute.
I will continue to focus on what I love doing which is running workshops, creating new programs and writing. I will continue to lead RH workshops and do most of my work exclusively in German. Big hugs and Merry Christmas!! - Marvin”
We also have an update from three co-owners who left in 2023.
Pete Jordan and Tuulia Syvänen:
In July 2023, Tuulia & Pete (Honesty Europe) stepped down as owners of Radical Honesty Institute. Though they are no longer owners of RHI, they are continuing to lead Radical Honesty weekend workshops and 8-Day Intensive retreats. They are also continuing to work closely with some Trainer Candidates to develop their skills.
They will continue to organize and lead other non-RH events (such as the Honesty Gathering, Honesty & Conscious Touch Retreats, Couples events, Honest Date Nights, etc.).
After organizing and leading workshops in almost every calendar month for 8.5 years, Tuulia & Pete will take a three-month work sabbatical in the spring of 2024. During that time, they will not lead workshops or offer coaching while they do plan to enjoy vacation time as well as work on their new retreat center in Finland.
Anne Bryer
Anne writes:
“Here’s a bit of an update to those I haven’t talked with recently. For the fall, I concentrated on creating classes, gatherings, and fundraisers, focused on community building for three local public schools, two spiritual communities, a synagogue, BIPOC groups through music, intention and honest conversation. While I don’t have any Radical Honesty workshops scheduled this winter, since we’ll be traveling back and forth to Florida, I’m open to co facilitating some in 2024 especially on the East Coast! May our New Years be abundant with curiosity, inspiration and joy, - Anne
Anne, Pete, Tuulia, and Marvin were all part of the original ten-person team who founded the Radical Honesty Institute after Brad decided to retire. We really appreciate them for the countless unpaid hours they gave behind the scenes to create the Institute and continue the development of Radical Honesty into the future.
New Hires
In the last update, we announced the hiring of two new members to RHI, managing Director Jesper Jurcenoks, and Accountability Circle Steward, Kerri Timar Smith. Here's some more about them in their own words:
Jesper Jurcenoks - Managing Director
“Radical Honesty changed my life in 2017, and I was able to speak with my mother for the first time in 15 years. The self work I did inspired by Radical Honesty allowed us to build a warm and loving relationship before her death in 2022.
My interest in progressive education and information dissemination started at 10 years old when I was moved from a terrible public school to a progressive tiny charter school, and realized that there was more than one way to teach. Then at 16 I got to practice this first hand when I was put in front of my first class and responsible for a lesson plan.
Since then I have run for-profit and non-profit organizations large and small on 4 continents, covering technology and Training/Education. I want to change the world, I am professionally at home on Video calls, I schedule meetings in 6 timezones, and I live on a mountain top surrounded by gorgeous nature in the Sierra Mountains 3 hours east of San Francisco, California!”
Kerri Timar Smith - Steward of the Accountability Circle
“Professionally, I consider myself a servant leader, this comes from my desire to primarily focus on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong.
With a background in nonprofit and for profit leadership, I have been trained in a variety of educational instructional strategies, one of which is "radical candor", ultimately drawing me to the Radical Honesty community.
Having spent the last 15 years serving other adults and children in impoverished environments, my drive to help others has evolved into the desire to do and find work that serves me and my young family.
I am a wife and mother first and foremost but I have found a new purpose in helping others through sharing my lived experiences in both private and social sectors.
As a self-proclaimed empath and ambivert, this has afforded me a great deal of success and balance in my life and I hope to bring that sense of harmony to the world around me.”
Accountability Circle
The Accountability Circle has developed a process for grievance issues arising in the Radical Honesty community. We are running through the backlog of old cases while fine tuning the new process.
The main theme of the new process is that we are “giving the gift of feedback” and that we want everyone to be the best trainer they can be.
Ethics Circle
The Ethics Circle is continuing to draft an Ethics document for RHI. This document is a priority for early 2024. This document is one of the ways RHI is addressing some of the concerns stated in the 2023 Petition, along with the Accountability Process described above.
Training Programs and Training Path
While the formal training program will not return in the near future and RHI will not be accepting new trainees, in order to support current TCs, Trainers, and students, RHI will be holding a series of Radical Honesty Salons, once a month for the first part of 2024. These salons will be focused on a number of issues brought up by the Petition and facing those who lead workshops.
In addition, in 2024, all Trainers leading supervision will complete continuing education in supervisory skills and feedback. Supervisors will meet regularly to discuss supervision issues.
RHI wishes you all an invigorating start to 2024.
Sincerely,
Maggie, Christoph, John, Selina, Mak, Gudrun, and Jesper