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Martial arts are found in every culture and in our country alone there are an estimated 10,000,000 active practitioners at any one time. A physical art, it also brings emotional and psychological benefits. Whether for self defense, conditioning, or beauty, the arts bring more than just physical well being. Most of us come to it hoping that it will lead us to power and often it does. But the female roles and the male roles are different. Males need to find control of their emotions in battle. Women need to find their voice and their way of being a Warrior and being Woman. And Sensei. We all hoped to find one who, like Yoda, could lead us inside to find our power. But the skills of being a sensei are many and require training in many fields. For forty years we have taught physical and maturational skills in the dojo. Join us for a discussion of the way to power through the martial arts and beyond.

A child is born and the parents dream. They grow, dream their life for themselves, but just as they are ready to launch, something goes terribly wrong and dreams die. A diagnosis such as bipolar or schizophrenia turns dreams into nightmares. Or things have gone well when a harsh blow so severe that life goes to pieces. What are mental illnesses anyway? Are they genetic or environmental? And what of addiction? More importantly, how does the person and their family find the way to health? Where is the power in all of this? And how does one find it when life seems to have come apart at the seams? There are no sure fire answers, but there are approaches, different models, and hope . Join us for an honest look at tragedies that touch all of us in some way.

It is a big jump from worker to manager. Maintaining work goals, planning for the near future, and putting out fires, the manager stands with both feet planted in the present. But the jump from manager to leader is even greater. They must be a manager, but now they stand with one foot in the present and one in the future. They do not just plan for the future, they envision it. They enliven the dream of the organization and paint the picture of what could be to those who follow them. They create new leaders and prepare them to take on the mantle of power. They usually move up fast because they train those under them to be able to take their spot once they have gone to the next level. Managers may know of their power, but leaders develop it in themselves and others and see creating other powerful people as one of their most important tasks.

Men are supposed to start with steel and then learn the velvet side. Gender roles are changing but we have no models on how to become this man of steel and velvet. Be strong, but not too strong. Be gentle, but don’t be a wimp. We know of the harm of rape to a woman’s body and psyche. But men are raped in just being men. Sudden danger? We are expected to put our life on the line for home, family, or even strangers. Injury, paralysis, mutilation, death? We don’t talk of this expected sacrifice of men’s bodies as devaluing and the damage to their psyches isn’t even discussed. Damage to men is hidden by using heroic terms. But what of those who can’t be or weren’t the hero. How do they survive? And what was the cost to those who did play the hero? For men being the hero is a requirement and woe unto those who fail. Join Don and he talks about his journey through this struggle and listen as Jane comments on it as his life partner.

It has been said that to succeed in a man’s world that women need to assert their masculine side. It won’t work. What a woman must do, is to focus her feminine style of power into a task that is her calling. A woman has the potential for deep power, but she must access it in her way. To reach for a man’s power in a man’s way, is to invite not only failure, but damage to others in the world. Velvet and steel is the path to power for women. Soft, caring, relational, and living an ethic of care will bring power to a woman, whose very core is tempered steel. Without the steel she is weak. It is a balancing act. Are you defined by your roles or do you define them? How do you find your sexual power when the only choices in our culture have been Madonna or Whore? And how do you find your voice? Join Jane as she tells the story of her journey to power. And listen as Don shares his observations as her partner in this life.

Did you know that sexual arousal and fear cause the same brain and body responses? Or that the “fight or flight syndrome” is also the sex syndrome? So is it any wonder that many men and women fear each other’s power? Or that both genders list confidence as the greatest turn on? There is a dance with the brain and the endocrine system that can induce altered states more quickly, but just as deep as any religious experience. In our spiritual guidance and sex therapy practice many came because they found a sexual response in the midst of a deep religious or mystical experience. And just as many came because the spiritual and the mystical broke into a sexual encounter in unexpected ways. And they were puzzled, scared, and yet, wanting more. Find your balance of power within your sexual self and within your relationship, and find a place where sex, religion, and spirituality come together to find the God deep within.

It is not true that you can become anything you put your mind to. All of us have limitations in some area. The question is to use those areas that you cannot succeed in as guides to find your areas of strength. What areas give you joy? What gives you peace? But what of areas of talent are blocked from your using them? How do you transform those heartbreaks into something richer? We come into the world with expectations of others and then develop them ourselves. But what do we do when they can no longer be reached? What is the difference between strength and weakness? Or is there one? And what does our body, developed through the fires of evolution, really need to be able to do in a Modern world? Tune in to find the alchemy of turning perceived weakness into true power.

In a world of peace none of us would need to be a warrior, fighting to protect ourselves, home, or family. But what do we do while waiting for peace to come? In order to consider our options in an imperfect world, we must first look at how we use terms of conflict. What is the difference between use of force and violence? Is being a warrior in a specific setting the same as being a Warrior? And do all Warriors serve in the realm of physical conflict? And why has the concept of the Warrior-Priest begun to show up more than before in history? If you long for peace, but do not want to be a victim, join us for a session that will provide a realistic view that will provide solid footing in a world where peace is not yet.

Marriage, or any relationship for that matter, should never make you smaller. It should always call you to become the best version of yourself. That is the challenge of living with another person. How do you become yourself and at the same time become a couple. How do two people in relationship become powerful and how do two powerful people become one? Finding that balance of power for the two of you requires work, fun, and growth. How does your marriage contract match you marriage vows? And what of children? Marriage does not always equal kids. If you do have kids, how do you find your balance of power with them and with each other? And most important of all: How do you raise powerful children? Remember that the real test of how you did as a parent is not how you have raised your children, but how your children raise theirs. Join us for a look at passing on the mantle of personal power within the family.

If power is a birthright, then why do so few find their way to power? The answer is simple and yet for some, discouraging. It has to be earned. If the world did not challenge us, then how would we grow? Everyone has a task to do. Personal power is what allows us to do it. The blocks to power are not insurmountable, but rather, the basis of our power. Just as fear is the catalyst to develop courage, events that have harmed us can also transform us into a powerful entity that can change the world into a better place. Childhood trauma, societal beliefs, fear of failing or succeeding, and being paralyzed by the search for perfection can all serve as our own personal philosopher’s stone that can turn the base metal of our fear into the gold of an inspired and fully engaged person. “Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive”. Howard Thurman

Feelings: We all have them. We all fear them getting out of control. We even think that when we make decisions we use logic not emotions. But in truth most of us really don’t understand our feelings at all and, so, are not too great at using them. Now, new brain imaging techniques show that before we think about a problem, we usually have already solved it by our emotions. “Fear is a great servant but a terrible master”. (The Warrior’s Codex) How do your core feelings of fear and its partner, anger, work in you. Do you use them or are you controlled by them? Do you know how to transform your fears and anger into a positive form? And what are the secondary feelings that arise in your day to day existence? Do you suffer from anxiety, stress, negative belief systems, and depression? How can you manage them and make them your ally, not your enemy? Join us as we think about the feelings that underlie our thoughts and decisions.

Asked if he misses the old days of WWII, a senior CIA agent responds, “What I miss is the clarity.” (“Three Days of the Condor”) In a complex, changing world thinking clearly and correctly is a critical skill. How do we test what we hear for accuracy? How do we make life decisions that are good for us and others when there is too much information? Join us and learn the two types of truth and the two tests for truth that can be applied to any statement or set of assertions. Knowing these will give you a way of dialoging with what others have to say. More importantly, they allow us to evaluate our own thinking and give us a guide to developing a clean set of beliefs. All knowledge, even scientific knowledge, is based on faith statements that cannot be proven. Knowing our own hidden beliefs, helps us live our lives well in a complex world. Join us to begin the search for a personal truth that works.

Welcome to the path to personal power. Power is a birthright of all of us. However, due to life circumstances, misunderstandings about the nature of power, and fear and confusion on how to find power, we often find it hard to become all we were created to be. We may find the path to power, find it blocked, or find that we are on a path to one of the distortions of power. Why do some people assume that they are destined to be a victim? Why do others struggle to never be a victim again and wind up becoming the abuser they despise? More importantly: How can you place your feet firmly on the path to personal power and become one who fulfills their destiny? We will explore what power is and isn’t, get correctly focused on the reality of power, not its distortions, and on finding the door hidden deep inside of ourselves which leads to our power. Join us as we explore how to find and move ahead on the path to your Birthright to Power.