JK Introduction Page – old

I was born in 1967, the decade that humans impossibly flew to the moon, and the social movement for a new kind of freedom, empathy, compassion and striving for equality began amidst tremendous societal upheaval. This time was also the beginning of the great intercontinental exchange of Eastern spirituality and Western science and technology. I carry within me that revolutionary, evolutionary, and integrative energy into which I was born. As a young adult I caught fire studying the work of famed American humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers who pioneered empathic listening and relationship, and the Indian social leader Mahatma Gandhi who embodied the power of “nonviolence” that he used to liberate his country from the oppressive forces of empire and colonization. Martin Luther King, Jr. would later find inspiration in Gandhi and nonviolence to ignite the heart of the U.S. civil rights movement of the 60’s. In 1998 I met Marshall Rosenberg, a product of that struggle for social justice, equality, and a "new age" of spirituality. Marshall had created a body of work called Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and gave over four decades of his life traveling the world sharing it. I went on to work closely with him as my mentor for over a decade. He passed the torch of that liberating and transcending energy to me and others, and I have carried it forward through an international body of work and training program I co-developed with colleague Ike Lasater called Mediate Your Life, based in NVC and a triad ("3chairs") mediation model for responding to all aspects of inner and outer conflict. This work developed into what I now call Empathy & Mindfulness in Conversation. I see my communication work as an integration of consciousness, conflict resolution, and civilization/social change. I have created an online community and offer training courses, conflict coaching, mediation, speaking, public events, and authoring of books.