Summer Leadership Group Program

An 8-session virtual program to help you inspire others and avoid burnout

Sagely is offering a special group program for professionals in roles that require them to foster inclusion, support others, and inspire trust. We will enhance our capacity to do this without burnout by relying on methods from meditation and psychology, neuroscience, macro-social work, and transformative justice studies.

Tuesdays at 12 ET (9 am PT), July 16th-September 10th*

In this group, we will learn, practice, and apply:

  • trauma-informed methods that help us be with and work through the influence of prior experiences of overwhelm

  • therapeutic practices of resourcing, boundary setting, and nervous system regulation

  • narrative reframing exercises that inspire compassion rather than activation

  • system mapping tools that help us occupy the effective position of compassionate witness

  • imagination exercises that help us envision new ways of engaging that move beyond prior patterns

*Meetings are one hour, once a week, from July 16th through September 10th. (Note: no meeting on August 27th.) Every participant also receives a somatic coaching session with Robyn Smith, LCSW. These sessions can be scheduled individually at any time during our program.

Our groups are particularly powerful for leaders building a team; people who need more support at their own organizations; and those who want to know more about the larger culture of inclusion building and transformative justice.

For questions, please email lesley@sagelycreative.com. A brief outline of topics can be found here.

Note: Our groups range from 3 to 7 participants. If needed, please ask about our sliding scale.

Summer Leaders Program
$2,995.00
One time
$1,495.00
For 2 months

Please sign up here for an account. You will be directed to payment and then to our membership page. This page has dates, resources, and, after each session, our recordings will be posted here.

What Our Clients Say

  • “I learned to create more space for myself and others when facing a difficult situation. It helped build my capacity to consider some of the reasons that students and colleagues might be experiencing pain, anger, and anxiety, whether in response to microaggressions, current events, or institutional policies—and to set aside a defensive posture while opening up to listen to those concerns without needing to jump in to “solve the problem,” as is often my first instinct. I see this training as instrumental for me to better serve students."

    — Assistant Dean, Duke University

  • "Robyn is an amazing facilitator because she understands that coping strategies often involve the nervous system. She helps participants ground so that they can engage fully. When they do, they help others more effectively, too. It's a remarkable experience."

    — Lecturer and DEI Facilitator

  • “As a DEI professional, the support and guidance I have received through working with Lesley is incredibly valuable. She expertly balances empowering and lifting up your strengths while challenging you and fostering your continued growth and success. Her trauma-informed and loving approach radiates through individuals, teams and organizations, which makes for long-term impactful change.“

    — Coaching client, DEI Director in the field of Education

  • "I've learned how to prioritize my own needs and avoid burnout. Now I understand that modeling this behavior as a leader is the best way for me to inspire."

    — Faculty Member, California College

About the Facilitators

  • Lesley Head Shot

    Lesley Curtis

    Lead Facilitator

    Lesley Curtis (she/her) is the co-owner and founder of Sagely. She holds a doctorate from Duke University, where she focused on storytelling and social justice movements. She is particularly interested in helping clients heal from the impact of intergenerational trauma by rewriting their stories of what’s possible in honor of past lessons learned.

    Lesley has a unique perspective on inclusive leadership because she combines her humanities expertise with her study of psychology and meditation. She created the neuro-narrative approach to equitable culture change, relying on the close relationship between narrative and neuroscience to help clients make impact. She offers leaders and educators practical skills for being a calming presence for others.

  • Person close up

    Robyn Smith

    Facilitator

    Robyn Smith (she/they) is a licensed clinical social worker and therapist. They hold a B.A. in Film Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, and an MSW in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. They frequently work with academics, particularly those in the field of medicine, on healing work in support of living more fully and authentically.

    Robyn brings their nearly twenty years of experience helping clients heal to their coaching and facilitation work with Sagely. She offers experiential practices of nervous system regulation and somatic healing for leaders. Robyn helps leaders learn and use what therapists know: how to guide others while maintaining a consistent awareness of their own safety and calm.

  • Krishni Metivier

    Krishni Metivier

    Facilitator

    Krishni Metivier, Ph.D. (she/any) is an emerging leader and seasoned researcher at Google, advancing product inclusion, equity, and data privacy. As a strategic thought leader, she has garnered recognition for her compelling insights, spearheaded organizational excellence, and spoken at prestigious institutions such as Google, Harvard, and Duke.

    Krishni holds a doctorate from Duke University, where she completed groundbreaking research on religion, race, and gender. Her academic background demonstrates her commitment to unraveling complex, intersecting systems. Her ongoing research encompasses critical areas such as gender and sexuality, data protection law, accessibility and artificial intelligence, and racial parity. Krishni brings her deep presence and unique awareness of interconnectedness to her work as a facilitator with Sagely.