GROUNDED LEADERSHIP immersion

seven-week online cohort experience

Join a small group of leaders for a deep-dive into the art and science of cultivating nervous system awareness and resilience as the foundation of your work with others.

You strive to lead with your full humanity—grounded, present, and aligned with your values. But it can be hardest to show up in this way in the moments that matter most, or when you’re feeling overwhelm or uncertainty.

Maybe you’ve noticed a tendency to…

  • Snap at people when you're frustrated or stretched thin

  • Avoid conversations that you know need to happen

  • Go blank or shut down when your leadership is needed most

  • Choose being liked over being honest or direct

These aren't character flaws—they're your nervous system’s automatic responses to stress. When we’re dysregulated, accessing our values feels out of reach. Our stress response takes over, and we default to patterns that don't serve us or the people we lead.

We can't build cultures of belonging or offer compassionate support to others when we’re ungrounded. Effective leadership starts from the inside-out.

This seven-week immersion invites you to develop nervous system awareness, practice self-regulation, and build the inner capacity to stay present so you can show up as the leader you want to be—not perfectly, but authentically.

Orienting from curiosity rather than judgment, compassion rather than shame, and courage rather than fear, you’ll develop awareness of your patterns and preferences and learn to work with your states (instead of against them), so that you can more consistently connect your values and your actions.

When you do this foundational work, your presence become inherently regulating for others, it’s easier to create space for people to authentically connect and thrive, and you lead from groundedness, not reactivity. This is where humanizing leadership begins.

youth leadership cohort

Tuesdays 4:00-5:30 pm PST

Jan 6 - feb 17 2026

This cohort is for you if you are a classroom teacher, workforce development crew leader or manager, youth facilitator, camp counselor, or otherwise support, lead, or mentor young people (i.e. 21 and younger).

team leadership cohort

Tuesdays 3:00-4:30 pm PST

feb 24 - APR 7 2026

This cohort is for you if you are a school administrator, executive director, manager or supervisor, trainer, coach, or otherwise support, lead, or mentor adults.

THE IMMERSION IS FULL!

sign up for the waitlist

course overview

  • During our first session, we’ll start to build the container of our learning community and connect to values as the foundation of our leadership work.

  • During our second session, we’ll take a deep dive into the physiology of the nervous system and how it influences our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. We will explore and practice strategies for developing more awareness of our own stories and states.

  • This week, we will build on the understanding of the nervous system to develop moment-to-moment awareness of our state. We will explore the qualities of nervous system regulation and identify and practice various preventative and responsive strategies for self-regulation.

  • Week four invites us into compassion—not just as a concept, but as an active practice. We’ll explore  self-compassion as a regulating tool and discuss the research around compassion practices as an antidote to empathic overload and burnout.

  • Using a nervous system lens and the framework of Emergenetics , we’ll explore diverse cognitive and behavioral preferences as a way of better understanding ourselves and supporting people whose ways of thinking and behaving differ from our own.

  • Human-centered leadership often requires us to do hard things, to be vulnerable, and to deviate from the status quo. During this week, we’ll explore courage as a leadership practice and build more capacity and resilience into our nervous systems so we can act with more courage in our lives.

  • Our last week will offer the opportunity to reflect on the learnings, practices, and skills that we’ve explored over the past month and a half in order to continue forward with the momentum and intention of this work.

  • You are in a professional role of leadership or influence with youth or adults in your school, business, or organization.

  • You are motivated to bridge the gap between your intentions or values (how you want to show up) and your actions (how you actually show up) in your work with others.

  • You seek to develop a relational, “power with” style of leadership, and want to build the inner tools to lead in this way.

  • You are willing to show up with vulnerability, authenticity, and openness to this experience.

  • You are interested in connecting with other leaders who are committed to creating human-centered spaces and engaging in self-reflection.

  • You can attend at least five out of the seven live sessions.

This course is for you if…

  • You are not in a professional leadership role.

  • You are interested in learning “moves” or strategies that are focused on managing others’ behaviors.

  • You prefer more of a top-down, “power over” or authoritative style of leadership.

  • The idea of reflecting on your personal growth feels overwhelming or inaccessible right now.

This course is not for you if…

Early Bird Rate: $399

Youth cohort: through November 30th

Adult cohort: through December 31st

IMMERSION COST: $449

get on the waitlist

A limited number of scholarships are available. Please use this brief form to apply.

If you are financially able to offer support for others to attend, please consider registering at the SUPPORTER level ($549).

Educators will receive up to 12 PDUs for this course.

Questions? Contact Me!

  • Seven 90-minute live Zoom sessions

  • Individual Emergenetics® profile and narrative report

  • One-on-one profile debrief and coaching session

  • Integration work between live sessions: guided practices, reflections, and other supportive material

what’s included

  • Jo is an educator, facilitator, and founder of Linden Connects, where she supports leaders and teams to create human-centered cultures grounded in nervous system awareness and relational practices.

    Since 2011, Jo has been facilitating leadership development and social-emotional learning with youth and adults across educational, nonprofit, and organizational settings.  Her work integrates neuroscience, mindfulness, and experiential learning to support people to build self-awareness, strengthen relational skills, and navigate challenges with authenticity and resilience.

    Jo holds a Masters of Science in Education and is a certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher. She has studied developmental trauma with Dr. Bruce Perry and Interpersonal Neurobiology with Dr. Dan Siegel. Jo is a seeker of delight, curiosity, and depth, and finds joy in connecting with the natural world, reading nerdy psychology books, and adventuring with her mini Aussie, Rosie.