BREN HARDT
Whole-Hearted Communication
Bren Hardt, workshop facilitator and consultant
I have yearned for a Earth whose people honors and nurtures all the life upon it. I still use my own 1987 slogan: “The best gift we can give our children is a world without war and the skills to keep it that way.” Those skills, since attending a workshop in 2004 lead by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, are the connection skills of empathy, authentic expression, and deep awareness of our internal world of thoughts, feelings, needs and creative requests.
From 2005 to 2009 I studied NVC with many wonderful trainers including Jim and Jori Manske (RadicalCompassion.com) and Dr. Rosenberg. I became Texas's first CNVC certified trainer in 2009. I also founded HoustonNVC.org, a non-profit and work with others to bring more NVC consciousness to Texas.
In November 2016, I was thrilled to be awarded a local Peacemaker award for my 37 years of peace education and advocacy by The Houston Peace & Justice Center.
My Education & NVC Training
BA Southwestern University
MA in Education, University of Houston
Other NVC Certified Trainers I have studied with include: Liv Monroe, Sura Hart, Robert Gonzales, Susan Skye, Inbal and Miki Kashtan, Kathleen Macferran, Rodger Sorrow, Kathi Aichner, and Faye Landey.
In January 2007, I participated in a Special Session for Social Change facilitated by Dr. Rosenberg (pictured)
Testimonials
"Bren helped introduce me to nonviolent communication, which has changed the trajectory of my life. I can now make choices with full understanding of the needs that are involved for me, and the process has allowed me to maintain a close, open relationship with my adolescent son. I found NVC so meaningful that I'm changing my life plan so that I can share it with others. I'm not sure this would have happened if I didn't have Bren's beautiful living example in front of me."
Susan Wildin, MD
Bren's course opens up Marshall's book to reveal the revolutionary possibilities of this compassionate way of being and communicating, like a positive Pandora's box of hope. She engaged us with patient persistence, inviting each of us to realize as much growth as we were willing to, in a space of safe, loving connection. The course landed with me as an authentic expression of Bren's own practice, a heartfelt, empowering invitation to create the world we want to live in.
Bren's NVC workshop was immediately applicable in my work as a Dean of Students. Though I need much more exposure to fully under-stand NVC's application, the brief time I spent with her opened me up to rethinking how I engage with others who disagree with me. This is immensely helpful when working with students, teachers, colleagues, and parents - indeed, when interacting with all humans. In putting the thought of others' needs first, I'm able to pause before I react to another person's story or emotions. The training offered activities and hands on, interactive role plays that were both fun and thought provoking. I think this would benefit all practitioners in schools and increase the social emotional awareness of all students, who would see adults modeling how best to engage with one another.
Anita Wadhwa, Northbrook HS Assistant Dean and Director of restorative Justice.
Michael Bennie, Fundamentals of NVC class 2021.