Catherine Cadden and Jesse Wiens Chu

Catherine Cadden
CNVC Certified Trainer

Catherine Cadden is a mom, activist, educator, storyteller, and dancer with 35 years of experience in bringing innovative programs in nonviolence, mindfulness, and conflict transformation to people of all ages, on six continents. In 1997, she founded the TEMBA School, a visionary K­–8 academic program which integrated nonviolent principles, mindfulness, art, and peace studies. In 2006, Catherine co-founded Play in the Wild! Initiations into Nonviolence for youth, families, and educators.

Internationally recognized for her work, Catherine brought Nonviolent Communication to the first Steiner School in South Africa; gave a TEDx Talk in 2010 on Direct Action in L.O.V.E.; and was a keynote speaker at the UNESCO Asia Pacific Education conference in 2012. She is the author of the book, Peaceable Revolution Through Education.

Catherine lives in Beloved partnership with Jesse Wiens Chu. Together, they co-founded Baba Tree International in 2011 to support people around the world in learning real-world application of spiritual nonviolent practices in a integrated way for social justice. They co-authored the book, The Ongo Book: Everyday Nonviolence. They currently reside in Indonesia with their two children.

I am grateful to have had the honor to study directly with Marshall Rosenberg over the course of 18 years. I owe a great deal of my NVC roots to Julie Greene, one of the original founders of BayNVC. On my NVC journey I have worked with 49 different certified and non-certified NVC trainers in 9 languages, other than my first, because I value diversity, community, and continued learning.

I hold most closely my indigenous roots and elders to guide my parenting, living interdependently, and waking up to be able to walk towards a hopeful future for all beings. These days I am most passionate about honestly facing colonial collapse, systemic racism, and the climate crisis with compassionate choices that model to my children how to live in respect, consideration, and care of all beings.

Jesse Wiens Chu
CNVC Certified Trainer 

Jesse Wiens Chu is an artist, husband, father, and community leader. He is the current executive director of Baba Tree International, which promotes practical peace throughout the world, and an Assessor with the Center for Nonviolent Communication. Previously, Jesse was a twice-elected local government official and the founder of ZENVC, a training organization that integrated mindfulness and other Zen Buddhist practices with Nonviolent Communication. He is a contributing author to A Thousand Hands: A Guidebook to Caring for Your Buddhist Community.

Jesse lives in Beloved partnership with his partner, Catherine Cadden. Together, they support people internationally in the learning and real-world application of spiritual practices for social change. They are co-authors of the book, The Ongo Book: Everyday Nonviolence, and currently reside in Indonesia with their two children.

您好, I’m Jesse. From a very young age, I found life to be completely overwhelming. I struggled daily to make sense of the world or manage my own thoughts and emotions. I didn’t know how to communicate or connect with others. Neither my Chinese or American education gave me the answers that I sought. I longed for purpose, meaning, and at my core, a sense that I was “okay”.

That all began to change when I moved into a Zen temple at the age of 23. For seven years, I trained monastically in practices like meditation and mindfulness. During that time, I also learned about Nonviolent Communication, and began training in that as earnestly as I trained in Zen. Gradually, these two bodies of wisdom, East and West, dissolved my fear and confusion, and helped me come home to myself.

Today, I share what I have learned in order to offer relief and freedom to those who suffer as I did. Whoever you are, I am happy to accompany you on your journey.