THE COMFORTABLE RACE CONVERSATION PROCESS
A course for socially responsible people who want to learn about
anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion, by having real conversations
so they can make the uncomfortable, comfortable.
THE NEXT COHORT OF
THE COMFORTABLE RACE CONVERSATION PROCESS
STARTS ON
January 23rd, 2025
8 TRANSFORMATIVE PRACTICE CIRCLES WILL MEET EVERY THURSDAY
12:00pm-1:00pm EST
Enroll Now!You might avoid having a conversation about race because….
- You anticipate your feelings and experience will be dismissed or minimized again
- You worry you will unintentionally say the wrong thing and will be called out for not knowing
- You fear you will hurt someone’s feelings
- You are worried they will say something that you will feel uncomfortable to address
- You imagine people will leave the conversation
- You get anxious just thinking about having a real conversation about race
- You feel frustrated when you imagine explaining the reasons you feel the way you do...again
- You fear you will be judged if you make a mistake or if you get emotional
- You just don’t know how to have a conversation about race
And even though...
- You believe in a racially equitable society.
- You want to do something about the divisiveness that you see in the world
- You want to learn about diversity, equity and inclusion
- You have lived experiences of racism and bias
- You may have even taken courses, read articles, books and listened to podcasts and have learned a lot.
- You may have relationships with people of all races and…..
You still feel uncomfortable having a conversation about Race with other races.
As a past participant, I enthusiastically recommend Natalie's course, The Comfortable Race Conversation Process. This course was deep, valuable, and because of its experiential grounding, also personally transformative. Natalie's course helped me to develop my attunement to difference, and to move more deeply into my commitment to work through the unconscious biases that are part of what we inevitably internalize from the social context. This is important to me, as a psychotherapist, because these biases are blocks in my practice to connecting and collaborating with racialized clients.
- Kristin Casady, RP, MA, CTP Dipl (she/her)
Faculty Member, The Centre for Training in Psychotherapy
Why Should I Learn to Have Conversations About Race?
Because you.....
- Have taken the courses or have lived experiences and you are still unsure what to say if the topic of race comes up with colleagues, clients, vendors, friends and family
- Want to know how you impact others in conversations about race so you do not unintentionally hurt someone
- Want to know how to respond if someone makes a mistake with you
- Want to know what to do and say if you make a mistake
- Want to be able to show up as your full self so you can confidently and effectively communicate with others
- Want to understand why you feel so uncomfortable with this topic
- Want to feel like you CAN have conversations about race in an embodied, present and courageous way
- Want to be a part of the change required for a racially equitable society
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
- James Baldwin
Why Should I Take This Course?
‘The Comfortable Race Conversation Process’ not only provided me with a greater understanding of the individual actions I can take, it also gave me the courage to remain active & consistent in bringing forward systemic improvements to policies and practices in my workplace.
Kelly B. - Organizational Leader and Mother of 2
You want to have conversations about race because bridging the gap of diversity is important. You want to lean in and engage in conversations because they need to happen and your discomfort gets in the way. I want you to know that you are not alone. The emotional, physical and psychological discomfort that emerges when talking about race gets in everyone’s way.
We need our humanity at this moment.
Our human emotions, feelings, physical and psychological responses are where we are more the same than different. Our unique experiences are vastly different, but our humanity, which is where we are the same, is where contact is possible.
We need a common ground.
How will we collectively make a change for our children, our communities, our workplaces and our society, if we are not able to talk to each other? so that everyone, who wants change, can connect, hear and understand each other.
We need a common language.
This program is about creating that common ground and language so we all can find a new way to meet each other.
Creating the space and awareness for the emotional, physical, psychological and relational energy that is ALWAYS PRESENT between humans, especially when speaking about the subject of race, is a key element of this process.
If you want to be able to lean into conversations about race - then this course is for you.
Learn how to have conversations about race by having conversations about race.
"When you know better, you do better".
- Maya Angelou
Who Will Teach Me?
Hi! I am Natalie Haynes and I have been a Training Consultant, Workshop Facilitator and Psychotherapist for over 10 years. I became a therapist because I was a client and I became a client because of my anxiety. I love what I do. I teach people how to be with their emotions in a new way, so they can have more permission and compassion for themselves.
My relationship with my racial identity wasn’t always a good one. Having conversations about race was difficult at best, until I understood what the emotional turmoil I avoided was about. When I changed my relationship to my racial identity and embodied the emotional responses I resisted, everything shifted. I created this program because I want to change how people feel about talking about race so they can have the awareness about how they interact and engage in the places and spaces they live in.
How Does This Process Work?
In this program you will learn about anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging, by using yourself as the learning tool. You will learn about YOUR racial identity and how your racial idenity have developed.. You will be able to explore your relationship with the concept of race and how that relationship was formed.
Each one of us has an aspect of our identity that is about race. You have thoughts, feelings, beliefs and stories, about the concept of race - and each story is completely unique. This program will allow you to explore your story in a safe space with others.
The ability to have conversations about race is essential, no matter what race you are. What gets in the way of these conversations are the psychological, emotional and physical reactions that occurs within each one of us as humans. The Practice Circles are where we slow down the process of the conversation so we can discover what gets in the way and embody the change you wnat to see in the world.
Tranformational change happens when we learn. experientially. Your internal awareness of how your emotional, psychological and physical responses may naturally interrupt your best intentions, is necessary for you to change how you show up in conversations about race.
What is The Program Format?
This program is comprised of two parts, experiential Practice Circles and Modules that will be released weekly to your inbox.
The Practice Circles are where we will meet, experiment and learn what happens within us in conversations about race. Each participant will explore their own relationship to the concept of race. Practice Circle will be a live 60 minute workshop via Zoom.
Each module will be released weekly, to your inbox, so you can go through the material according to your schedule. Modules include, 3-4 pre-recorded video lessons, with downloadable supplementary material and homework.
Sounds uncomfortable? It will start that way, but like any new challenge that is uncomfortable at first, we will develop emotional muscle and awareness of what made these conversations uncomfortable in the first place.
The Comfortable Race Conversation Process is not about being comfortable. We don't change without discomfort. You won't be alone. Practice Circles are where you will be guided and supported in deepening your understanding of the material and experimenting with new ways of connecting with others by engaging in conversations about race, in a psychologically safe environment.
The Comfortable Race Conversation was an opportunity to learn, ask questions, and experience honest conversations about race in a non-judgemental setting. I would highly recommend this program!
- Nicole Meier, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine and Practitioner of Functional Medicine Practitioner
This is a safe space for you, where you can increase your self-awareness of the underlying emotional responses that naturally emerge when interacting with differences.
Having awareness of the discomfort you are experiencing, and how you are experiencing that discomfort, will allow you to play an active role in how you CAN change and respond in future conversations.
When you sign up for, The Comfortable Race Conversation Process program, you will receive a link to an online portal, where you will access the recorded material, supplementary documentation and homework.
Race and racism is a reality that so many of us grow up learning to just deal with. But if we ever hope to move past it, it can't just be on people of color to deal with it. It's up to all of us — Black, white, everyone — no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out.
- Michelle Obama
Conversations about race are uncomfortable because it's your body's way of telling you something is up! Your self awareness of what you are feeling, thinking and physically experiencing allows you to create the space needed so you can respond with intention and caring, instead of reacting out of fear and anxiety.
These conversations deserve the time and space to slow down and self-reflect. Leaning into your discomfort with support will allow you to strengthen your emotional muscle and can make the uncomfortable, comfortable. You’ll know intuitively when you’ve got it right.
This program will give you the tools and understanding to support inclusive spaces and places in your homes, communities, and workplaces and society overall.
What Will I Learn?
PROGRAM INTRODUCTION
PRACTICE CIRCLE: JAN 23, 2025 12:00pm-1:00pm EST
In this first Practice Circle, participants will engage in a process to co-create the psychologically safe foundation for inclusive conversations about race and other aspects of difference. Participants will begin their own exploration of how racial identity is developed and will experiment with how our relationship to the concept of race has been impacted emotionally, relationally, somatically and psychologically.
Module 1: SensE
Awareness of your relationship to the concept of race is where we will start. We will explore the terms of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging so that we are working from common terminology. You will explore how your identity has evolved and the psychological reasons why connecting with other races is important...and what has made it difficult for you.
PRACTICE CIRCLE: JAN 30th, 2025
12:00PM 1:00PM EST
In this first Practice Circle, the foundation will be set for a psychologically safe way for each of us to meet one another. Participants will be guided to begin the process of understanding how racial identity is formed and how this aspect of self relates to the other parts of identity.
Module 2: Awareness
Feel the difference of having conversations about the cause of our emotional discomfort that emerges when leaning into the topic of race. Learning how to notice the physical feelings and sensations is a significant part of the process.
PRACTICE CIRCLE: FEB 6th, 2025 12:00PM-1:00PM EST
In this Practice Circle you will explore how race, as a social construct, has shaped your relationship to the concept of race in a deeper way AND connect with others as they do the same. Learning the tools to navigate the difficult feelings to support the work necessary for lasting change.
Module 3: Experiment
Experiment with new perspectives as you explore how race as a social construct has formed how you perceive your racial identity and the racial identity of others. You will learn and experiment with concepts such as, unconscious bias, covert and overt racism, so that what is unknown can be known and understood.
PRACTICE CIRCLE: FEB 13th, 2025 12:00PM-1:00PM EST
In this session you will learn, embody and experiment with how the concepts of covert and overt racism, unconscious bias and stereotypes and how our psychological and emotional reactions can get in the way of connection. Experiment with a new perspective that will allow you to respond with presence and clarity.
Module 4: Experience
Experience what privilege really means, no matter what race you are. Understanding privilege is about exploring someone else’s experience and not about blame. Leaning into this topic is vital to our understanding of who you are separate from race and racism. Your self awareness and emotional resilience will support you as you relate to yourself and others with a fresh perspective, empathy and compassion.
PRACTICE CIRCLE: FEB 20th, 2025 12:00PM-1:00PM EST
Deepen your awareness as you look at race as a part of your identity, rather than the whole of your identity. You will learn how to integrate race as an aspect of yourself and how that impacts relationships to create the foundation for meaningful communication to emerge.
Module 5: Relate
Relate to the concept of race with new consciousness as you will learn how to integrate the parts of yourself that you have learned through this process, will support you as you make meaningful contact with others while challenging any level of system, inequality and social injustice.
PRACTICE CIRCLE: FEB 27th, 2025 12:00PM-1:00PM EST
In this Practice Circle you will learn to lead with curiosity and vulnerability to create trust and inclusive spaces and safety for differences. Increasing your emotional tolerance for discomfort allows for voices to be heard, increasing your opportunities to access another’s creativity perspectives and overall growth.
Module 6: Embody
Embody your relationship to the concept of race with new awareness. In this module you will learn how integrating the parts of yourself that you have learned through this process, will support you as you make meaningful contact with others while challenging any level of system, inequality and social injustice.
PRACTICE CIRCLE: MARCH 6th, 2025 12:00PM-1:00PM EST
In this Practice Circle, you will explore how “cultural humility” can support cross-cultural relationships within the communities, spaces and places you inhabit. You will experiment with how to engage when you “don’t know” or “made a mistake'' and how to deal with the emotions that emerge.
PROGRAM COMPLETION
PRACTICE CIRCLE: MARCH 20th, 2025 12:00PM-1:00PM EST
Now that you have transformed your ability to embody conversations about race and other aspects of difference, you will reconnect with your cohort and explore how to take everything you have learned and transform the conversations you have in your circles! We can change the world one conversation at a time!!
At the end of this program, participants will receive a certificate of completion.
Are you a member of the OAMHP?
Participation in this workshop allows OAMHP members to apply 15 hours (CECs) towards their required continuing education hours.
OAMHP’s review of the general content of this workshop recognizes the learning objectives meet and support the criteria for best known practice in continuing education and for educational requirements for mental health professionals.
When Do I Start?
Join like-minded individuals to understand the process of having real conversations about race, with curiousity, presence and psychological safety, making the uncomfortable, comfortable.
The Comfortable Race Conversation Process program starts January 23rd, 2025
I highly recommend this program. I have a lot more confidence going into what might be an uncomfortable conversation. I learned in a safe environment where I need to have more humility around my ideas around race, racism, and my bias. I feel less guilt around my white privilege and a new sense of responsibility to use to it help others.
- Megan Swan, Wellness Coach + Strategic Advisor
The CRCP Course has helped me realize that I don't have to push the topic of race with my bi-racial children. I can just teach them how to react to these conversations better - not just about race, but any topic. Perspective is most important in their lives.
What Did Others Say?
I took the Comfortable Race Conversation in the spring of 2021. Natalie has a way of creating an environment where people can share, be heard and not feel judged. This course has made me realize the importance of having that uncomfortable conversation with friends and not to shy away but to lean into the discomfort. I have had a couple uncomfortable conversations following this course and I felt proud of myself for speaking up.- Lisa Jeffers
Literacy and ESL Consultant
Mother of 2
The Comfortable Race Conversation Process’ was an amazing course. It provided a safe place to ask questions that normally I would be embarrassed or uncomfortable to ask. It gave me tools to have open conversations at home with my family. It increased my confidence in uncomfortable situations.- Nydia Gagliardi
Personal Stylist
Mother of 2
The Comfortable Race Conversation Process’ program has helped me to understand that avoiding conflict or uncomfortable conversations can create huge blind spots to the largest issues within our society. As an elementary ESL educator, I can take the knowledge and the shared experiences I have gained throughout the course to become a more active agent of change in my school community. I have the courage and motivation to create and maintain a learning and working environment that is safe, caring, inclusive, and free of discrimination.- Sue Sweeney
Elementary ESL Educator
The course deepened my capacity to slow down and notice what's happening in my body so I can respond to it and be able to stay in a conversation about race, rather than going into fight/flight/freeze. It broadened my awareness to the limitations of what and who I engage with and how I'd like to expand my community and who I'm learning from. It helped me consider what it might be like in someone else's shoes and have this sense as I speak and act. There was much to learn from the valuable resources provided, worthy of multiple readings and viewings. I found that the breakout groups provided a safe space to share our experiences, explore, and learn from our mistakes.- Emily Meehan
Registered Psychotherapist
What Is the Cost?
This isn't like any other program, this is a learning by doing process. You will learn about anti-racism in a psychologically supported way.
When you join The Comfortable Race Conversation Process Program
You will receive:
- Eight, 60 min live Practice Circles, with Natalie Haynes. You will have 8 hours to experientially learn the concepts of anti-racism and how our emotional, psychological and physical responses naturally interrupt our best intentions for connecting with others when talking about race.
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Six modules with pre-recorded video lessons so you can listen when you are able and easily integrate it into your day.
- Each module will be released weekly, so you can go through the material according to your schedule.
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Over 6 hours of material, broken down into smaller lessons, Each lesson will include the pre recorded videos, homework, downloadable supplementary material.
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Guidance and support throughout this 8-week process as you increase your awareness, deepen your understanding and integrate the concepts of anti-racism in an embodied way.
- Each participant will receive a Certificate of Completion
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I miss a Practice Circle?
What about confidentiality?
I am nervous, what if I don’t know what to say?
If I am unable to attend, will a refund be provided?
