Stepping into the new year, our intention is to explore new ways we can learn from each other and collaborate ever more effectively. Our monthly webinars are traditionally the second Wednesday of each month, however, we thought there might be more participation if we reschedule later in the month. That gives us all have time to settle into the new year.

Theme: Conscious Community – Conscious Business:
Weaving money and spirituality for the benefit of all.
Date: Wednesday, 22 January
Time: 10am PST
Hosted by: Karen McAllister and Michelle Heinz from Clear Sky Meditation Center

[Read more…]

The HCN monthly webinar series is held on the second Wednesday of each month and you’re welcome to join us as we explore effective fundraising.

Theme: Compassionate Fundraising – Clarifying who you are, what you need and actually asking for it
Date: Wednesday, 9 October
Time: 10am PDT
Hosted by: Brett Cobb, President, Compassionate Tampa Bay, and HCN [Read more…]

Every year we plan the next webinar series after the Centers Gathering in May. Members of HCN are welcome to suggest topics or offer to host a call throughout the year. We encourage you to invite your colleagues into this online learning space to expand the conversation.

We gather online via zoom technology and each webinar is recorded for access after the live call. The invitation is to explore topics that are relevant for us as holistic centers and share experience, best practices, insights and challenges in a supportive and collaborative way.

Just this morning I was talking to a friend and colleague at Yasodhara Ashram in B.C. Canada. Terry asked, “Do you have a webinar on Adwords?” I was able to reply, “Yes we do!” The library of valuable content is expanding and you’re welcome to dive in and explore.

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Our monthly webinar series is the second Wednesday of the month and we invite you to join Joanne Station, Events Manager of Saratoga Springs, as we explore:

Conscious Business and Holistic Centers

Wednesday 13 February, 10am PST

Overview

The desire to raise human consciousness is both utterly ancient and continually new…and appears to be sadly elusive on a global scale. Yet our world – and our very survival as a species – seems to beg for a massive shift in all realms of human operation. How can we, as a holistic community and holders of sacred space, increase the degree and rate of consciousness today? When it comes to the business closest to us – are we holding ourselves accountable to a higher level of consciousness even when we feel bound by the conventions of business in our daily dealings?

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Terence Gilbey, General Manager and CEO of Esalen Institute, hosted our January webinar and walked us around the big technology lift they went through in the last quarter of 2018.

How did they approach the challenge of shifting almost their entire technology suite stack away from a single custom written platform? Terry shared some of the high level approaches used and then as a group we explored detailed technologies during the Q&A.

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Our monthly webinar series is the second Wednesday of the month and we invite you to join Terence Gilbey, General Manager and CEO of Esalen Institute, as we explore:

120 Days of Transformation: An Esalen Case Study

Wednesday 30 January, 10am PST (rescheduled from 9 Jan due to zoom being down)

Like a number of the centers in HCN, Esalen was started before we had the internet and when computers were the size of small cars. Before the age of the “app”, software was custom written and was designed to work the way the business was run. There was no best practice or an existing model for Esalen so the software grew organically as the center learned how to grow and operate. [Read more…]

Cameron Wenaus, from Retreat Guru and Nate Hughes, from Menla, hosted our November Webinar – Diving Deeper into Analytics and Trends. Both self confessed data geeks they loved the invitation from HCN. Representatives joined in from various holistic centers including: Breitenbush Hot Springs, Kashi Ashram, Le Monastere des Augustines, The Haven, Hollyhock, Findhorn Foundation, Saratoga Springs, Institute of Noetic Sciences and Guest House Center.

Nate started out in customer facing roles and explained the context of the webinar, “I worked as a registration coordinator and front desk manager and saw a lot of trends. Cancellations always seemed to be a pain point for centers. Intuitively we know that it costs us money. I tried to create policy around those trends that would help fix some of the problems”. [Read more…]

Our monthly webinar series is the second Wednesday of the month and we invite you to join Cameron Wenaus from Retreat Guru and Nathaniel Hughes from Menla as we:

Dive Deeper into Analytics and Trends

Wednesday 14 November, 10am PST

One of the areas we’ve been exploring in recent months is how can we attract more return participants, as well as reach new audiences for the retreats and workshops on offer at the many different holistic centers. If we want to expand our reach and deepen our impact in the world there are various considerations. [Read more…]

Tatyana Sanikovich, Director of Human Resources at the Esalen Institute, hosted our October Webinar – Staffing and Students: An Esalen Case Study. Birthplace of the human potential movement, Esalen was founded in 1962 by Michael Murphy and Dick Price. Michael is still an active founder and closely involved in the Center for Theory and Research.

“We offer 500 to 600 workshops a year,” Tatyana explained. “There are 149 beds available in circulation and we try to stay around 120 in terms of occupancy, that’s our new model.” In February 2017, a huge landslide buried a large section of California’s scenic highway in Big Sur, closing Esalen to guests both north and south for over six months, the longest closure in their 50+ year history.

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Susie Arnett, Director of Luminary Programming at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, hosted our August webinar exploring the theme of Programming in a Changing World and Mission vs Margin. Representatives from The Haven, Hollyhock and Le Monastère des Augustines in Canada joined the call, along with Breitenbush Hot Springs, Institute of Noetic Sciences, Mount Madonna and Guest House Center in the US, and the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland.

Kripalu offer between 550 – 600 programs annually, ranging from 2 – 7 days, and welcome approx 18,000 guests each year. Kripalu R&R programs are mission orientated, based around yoga, and offered by their core faculty of 68 people.

Their four schools – yoga, ayurveda, integrative yoga therapy and mindful outdoor leadership – further support their mission of ’empowering people and communities to realize their full potential through the transformative wisdom and practice of yoga.’

Kripalu reach out to service organisations through their RISE program, anchored in the science and practice of mindfulness and positive psychology. It’s a great opportunity for people of all ages and in different roles in society to benefit; K–12 schools, correctional facilities, law enforcement, and healthcare.

[Read more…]