I have a confession. (Yes, another one.) While I’ve been working to imagine how to help more people embrace their child(ren)’s invitation to do their own individuation work, to heal old wounds, and further develop their relationship skills, the vision has continued to evolve since I recorded the intro episode and announced the launch of helpful concepts along the way, my new premium educational component, just earlier this week.
And while I’m still incredibly excited to create this content and share it with anyone who is ready to take charge of their experience and tackle this inner work, I’m delightfully surprised by the mounting excitement as the vision for Founding Members unfolds in my imagination! (I really would like to rename that though. ‘Founding Members’ hardly captures what I have in mind…)
Which is a community. Just imagine: a community of parents who have recognized this destabilizing circumstance as an opportunity to heal themselves. A community whose members are ready to let go of what they can’t control and focus on what they can. They’ve decided it’s time to grow through this; to work on developing and practicing their communication skills; on identifying and dealing with their hang-ups that may be keeping them stuck or inhibiting their relationships. A community of parents who share this experience of having trans-identified children but are ready to open their hearts to joy again and get back to living.
I’m so grateful for the online and zoom communities that welcome parents who are confused, even doubting their sanity, deeply saddened, grappling with their intense fear and grief. This is an important stage of moving through this: finding others who share the experience and who can recognize your pain, who remain desperate to make sense of this tragic and destabilizing circumstance!
I believe that at some point though, and it’s different for each of us, we have to figure out how to regain solid ground and get back to Life. Some may stay focused on that goal of getting their child to desist, resting their quality of life on whether they succeed or fail at determining the outcome of another. I recognize the meaning and purpose in that, and as humans, we do what we must to get by. But I want this SMP group to be for those who are ready for something different, more empowering (because it’s all about working on yourself,) and with the potential to profoundly change your experience.
“So what does it look like?” you may be asking. Well, I believe in the power of agility and co-creation. I have some ideas, but I’m inviting you (Founding Members) into the process because I want this to be a true needs-based community. To this end, I’m inviting Founding Members to a live zoom “meet and greet” on Sunday, November 6, at 9a Pacific Time/12n Eastern Time/6p Central European where we’ll:
Introduce ourselves and share our intentions and desires for participating in this community (you are welcome to use a pseudonym and abstain from video.)
Create some simple community agreements
Decide on best platform and structure for a private online community forum
Determine a schedule for regular zoom check-ins to ensure needs are being met and the vision remains both intact and adaptive
In the meantime, as parents recognize they want to be part of this community and they choose to upgrade their experience to that of Founding Member, I will be reaching out via email to personally welcome you to the community. I’ll ask you (partly for vetting purposes) what drew you to say yes to this and what you hope to get from being part of this growth-oriented community.
If this is not calling you, that’s okay! Listen to your gut which I believe is your best source of wisdom.
But if it is…if you can imagine what a different experience this community might offer you, I hope you’ll give yourself permission to come along this way with us.
p.s. There’s still more I want to communicate before Nov 1 about this tier. I thought I could fit it all in one post, but alas, the vision keeps forming and there’s just more to say. Watch for future communication about:
StoicMom’s coaching waitlist and why I’ve decided to connect it to this Founding Member tier
Whether it makes sense for current coaching clients to participate in this community (spoiler: yes!)
Answers to FAQ or questions that I anticipate you may still have (please ask them!)
p.p.s. For those who’ve made up their mind they want to be in this community and upgrade in the next day or two, I’m taking off with my husband this afternoon for a weekend getaway to celebrate our wedding anniversary. You should get an auto-communication from Substack confirming your upgraded status, but watch for your personal welcome email to come from me on Monday!