What is Strength of Connection?
Strength of Connection facilitates the quality of connection within ourselves and between people that creates respect, trust and a world where the needs of all people matter.
Kathleen holds a vision for a peaceful, just and sustainable world. She is committed to co-creating a world where peace replaces violence, love replaces hate, equity replaces inequity, and all people live meaningful lives. She has worked as a Certified Trainer for the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC) since 2003, and as a CNVC Assessor since 2010 when she co-created a community-based path to certification. Community system building and conflict transformation are passions of hers.
Kathleen has worked internationally with individuals, community groups, businesses, schools, colleges, faith-based communities, hospitals, families, prison inmates, and correctional and law enforcement employees. She serves as a trainer for the Freedom Project of Seattle, WA, an organization that supports healing connection and restorative communities both inside and outside prison through the strategies of Nonviolent Communication, mindfulness, racial equity and anti-oppression.
Kathleen offers trainings, facilitation, system building and mediation using practical skills that lead to reconciliation with ourselves, our loved ones and our communities. For over 30 years Kathleen has explored ways to restore harmony to communities including two decades as a music conductor and leader of a nonprofit organization, and seven years as a public school teacher.
Kathleen is co-author with Jared Finkelstein of Choice: A Field Guide for Navigating the Polarization of Our World and Living Interdependently. She is the author of the children’s books How Giraffes Found Their Hearts and How Giraffes Got Their Ears, and conductor for Giraffe Tales a children’s CD setting those stories to music. Kathleen is the conductor on multiple Rainier Chamber Winds classical music recordings. Her website is www.StrengthofConnection.com where her two TEDx talks can be found.
Stories and Inspiration
Call Each Other Back Into Love
There is so much challenging us right now to choose to bring on the love, to find our common needs behind the labels and groupings that separate us. [...]
Uncovering Our Love
Did you know the word "apocalypse" originated in the Greek language and literally means an "uncovering"? It is a disclosure or revelation of great knowledge, an event that [...]
My new book, Choice, is now available!
After over a year of collaborating with Jared Finklestein, we are proud to launch this out into the world. This will help inform navigating your conversations, inside [...]
Watch TEDx Seattle Women: Fearless featuring Kathleen Macferran – recorded 11/19/2020
TEDxSeattleWomen 2020: Fearless from TEDxSeattle on Vimeo. Kathleen presents at TEDx for her third time on November 19, 2020. This complimentary and virtual event will center on [...]
2020 September Virtual Intensive Training
VIRTUAL INTENSIVE TRAINING Alive and Empowered: A Virtual Intensive Training in NVC American Time zones, September 9-18, 2020 Trainer Team: Full bios can be found at the [...]
Interview with Kathleen
Watch TEDx interview Kathleen Macferran backstage
Upcoming Workshops & Trainings
| Name | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Montenegro International Intensive Training (IIT) | 05/10/23 - 05/19/23 |
| Name | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Art and Essence of NVC: Find Strength in the Advanced Nuances of NVC - Slovenia | SI – 2364 Ribnica na Pohorju , , Slovenia | 06/03/23 - 06/10/23 |
| Name | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| "Living with Power" and "The Art of Facilitation" in Krakow Poland (2, 4 or 6 days) | 06/17/23 - 06/22/23 |
| Name | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| International Intensive Training in Türkiye 6-15 October 2023 | 10/06/23 - 10/15/23 |