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Looking for ways to keep up with NVC Academy news, get special offers, free resources, or words of inspiration? Here are five ways to stay engaged:
Kara Shepard-Poat, Copywriter
Kara is a copywriter, editor, and life coach with a passion for words and a deep desire to see others live their dreams. She has been helping small businesses refine their messages, grow their audiences, and bring offers to market since 2017. As a student of NVC and facilitator of several practice groups over the years, joining the NVC Academy team in 2019 could only be described as a labor of love. In early 2022, she felt a new calling to step into life coaching — to help others navigate life's hurdles with grace and show up as their best and most authentic selves. Everything she does is focused on supporting inspired individuals to answer their spirit's call, find renewed confidence, and do things that make their heart sing!
Martha Suárez, Live Course & Help Desk Coordinator
Martha has studied and practiced Nonviolent Communication, Mindfulness, Compassion, and Somatic Consciousness since 2013. Her interest lies in issues related to wellness. She is convinced that the integration and practice of NVC in our lives can give us a friendly and connected way of being with ourselves, with others, and with the planet. As a CNVC certifiied trainer, she shares NVC while offering workshops, practice groups, and one-on-one sessions. She is also a certified Mindfulness and Compassion Instructor.
Mark Schultz, Co-Founder
Mark is cofounder of the NVC Academy. He was introduced to Nonviolent Communication in 1989, and has been enthusiastic about NVC ever since. Mark started a web design consultancy in 1995, and together with Mary, created the first online training site for Nonviolent Communication in 2006.
Mary Mackenzie, CEO & Co-Founder
Mary Mackenzie, M.A., is an author, trained mediator, and CNVC Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication. She holds a master's degree in human relations from Northern Arizona University and is the CEO of the NVC Academy, the only online school for learning Nonviolent Communication.
Mary teaches Nonviolent Communication and other spiritually-based programs to individuals, couples, families, organizations, and spiritual communities through a wide variety of workshops and retreats. Her book Peaceful Living: Daily Meditations for Living with Love, Healing and Compassion (translated to German and Korean and soon into Chinese (simplified) offers inspiring practical methods for creating peace in our everyday lives.
As a pioneer of online NVC training, Mary runs her company in harmony with what she teaches. She and NVC Academy co-founder, Mark Schultz, paved the way to NVC online training in 2006 and have been instrumental in alleviating the financial and geographical barriers to learning NVC skills.
One of her passions is facilitating critical dialogues between people, and she has spent more than 20 years learning a wide variety of effective processes she can draw on in a moment's notice. Known for her clear communication style, she is especially skilled in helping individuals within groups put aside their preferences and find ways to collaborate with each other that are in alignment with their values. Her ability to cut through the confusion in a group has helped many teams quickly move forward in their desired progress.
Melissa Pai Ling, NVC Library Editor
With a talent for developing creative solutions and bringing a high level of attention to both "big picture" and detail in her work, Melissa's background includes:
- Implementing over four years of NVC leadership, in various contexts
- Honing her seven years of writing and editing experience
- Applying collaboration and customer service in various organizations since 1996
- Developing and running entrepreneurial ventures since 2001, and
- Consistently incorporating NVC learning and practice since 2012
Besides deepening her NVC integration and questioning NVC culture, things that bring Melissa joy are dance flash mobs, improv games, mutual inspiration, empowerment, and daydreams of "being in a serene, cuddle-snuggle pile of chubby kitties and bunnies".
Rachel Garmon, Editor
Rachel and her husband Bob have held eclectic positions over the years. Their last grand adventure was to own and run a Health Food Store in Phoenix, Arizona. As such, Rachel brings an amazing amount of information about the science and spiritual aspects of physical health. While some have questioned her detail-oriented manner, her perfectionistic proclivities are perfectly matched as the NVC Academy Audio Editor. Rachel brings experience running her own business, as well as clarity and passion to her work.
Personally, Rachel and her husband Bob live in a home they built themselves in Cornville, a small rural town in northern Arizona. She has two grown sons who adore her. Rachel has a strong value for community and spends much of her time organizing and facilitating local NVC gatherings and trainings. Rachel is a deeply spiritual person who pursues many other avenues for deeper connection with herself and others in addition to her NVC passions; she shows devotion to them all. If you are lucky enough to get even just one of Rachel's big smiles directed toward you, you would understand that spirituality is an inside-out experience.
Ranjitha Jeurkar, Social Media Manager
Ranjitha Jeurkar manages NVC Academy's social media presence and is a Certified Trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication. She lives in Bangalore, India, where she shares NVC with individuals and organizations.
Ranjitha began her career as a communications professional, and has worked in the non-profit sector, in the space of mental health awareness, for the last six years. She brings her skills from both of these spaces to the work she does now. "For the last couple of years, I've been exploring ways in which I can make cooking extremely simple: how do you break down complicated-sounding recipes to clear instructions anyone can follow and apply? My approach to sharing Nonviolent Communication is similar; it's about how we can begin exploring and living these principles in our daily lives, starting from where we are now."
Robin O'Brien, Operations Director
Robin's current life roles include wife/partner, mother, homeschool teacher, caretaker, social activist, and student of life and love. Her 20 year relationship with her husband, Pat, has been a tremendous source of motivation and support for healing and growth. She is passionate about creating social change and world harmony through compassion, parenting, and community. Robin has worked with NVC Academy since 2014. Her role has evolved and grown and she is often heard saying, "It is amazing that I get to do what I love every day and get paid for it too!"
Sofie De Wulf, Promotion, Outreach, and Development Coordinator
Sofie runs the NVC Academy Affiliate and Outreach Program, coordinates live courses and does promotional work. Sofie is a cultural manager, social change activist, art lover and internationalist from Belgium. In all her work she's been driven to combine two passions: art and social change. She worked as a producer in the Belgian theater company LOD and did voluntary work with several Belgian NGOs in Africa and Latin-America, executing photography and theater workshops. Since 2014 she's been living in Mexico-City, where she founded MasterPeace México, an NGO that promotes a culture of peace through art. Sofie is a CNVC certification candidate and is giving NVC workshops to youngsters, social entrepreneurs and enterprises in Mexico.
Vaneet Bajaj, Publisher
Vaneet has been associated with NVC academy since 2019. He is an IT professional with more than 12 years of experience playing different roles and helping multiple organizations worldwide. His core experience area is Online Marketing. He lives in New Delhi, India with his lovely wife, a 3 years old baby girl, and a dog. Other than working for NVC Academy, Vaneet's interests include investing in the stock market, traveling, technology, and movies.
