Department of Aliveness · Bureau no. 01
● Open · Ogden, Utah
● Open · Ogden, Utah
Est. 2024
The Grief Cohort · Prospectus
The Grief Cohort · Prospectus
Room for grief.
Room for living.
Room for grief.
Room for living.
Room for grief.
Room for living.
An experience in living beside what cannot be undone.
An experience in living beside what cannot be undone.
An experience in living beside what cannot be undone.
Grief can rearrange what matters: what you want from your days, who you want close, and what you’re no longer willing to postpone. Spend ten weeks with eight to ten people exploring how to live with what’s changed and follow what makes you feel alive. There’s room for what you miss, what you want, and whatever still makes you laugh. You don’t have to turn your loss into a lesson to take your life seriously.
Grief can rearrange what matters: what you want from your days, who you want close, and what you’re no longer willing to postpone. Spend ten weeks with eight to ten people exploring how to live with what’s changed and follow what makes you feel alive. There’s room for what you miss, what you want, and whatever still makes you laugh. You don’t have to turn your loss into a lesson to take your life seriously.
Grief can rearrange what matters: what you want from your days, who you want close, and what you’re no longer willing to postpone. Spend ten weeks with eight to ten people exploring how to live with what’s changed and follow what makes you feel alive. There’s room for what you miss, what you want, and whatever still makes you laugh. You don’t have to turn your loss into a lesson to take your life seriously.
Length
Ten weeks
Group size
8–10 people
Live sessions
One a week, 90 minutes, on video
Between sessions
A private space to keep talking and share what happens between sessions
Join the waitlist →
The particulars
Length
Ten weeks
Group size
8–10 people
Live sessions
One a week, 90 minutes, on video
Between sessions
A private space to keep talking and share what happens between sessions
Investment
$850
Begins
Dates to be announced
Recognition
Recognition
01
01
01
01
What matters now?
What matters now?
What matters now?
Someone dies. A body changes. A marriage ends. A future you had already begun living toward disappears. A place stops being home.
Someone dies. A body changes. A marriage ends. A future you had already begun living toward disappears. A place stops being home.
Someone dies. A body changes. A marriage ends. A future you had already begun living toward disappears. A place stops being home.
Sometimes there is a funeral. Sometimes there isn’t even a word for what is gone.
Sometimes there is a funeral. Sometimes there isn’t even a word for what is gone.
Sometimes there is a funeral. Sometimes there isn’t even a word for what is gone.
Sometimes, much more changes than anyone else can see. An ambition loses its hold. Time with someone you love becomes worth rearranging your week for. Something you kept postponing feels too important to postpone again. Other parts of you are still wonderfully familiar: your humor, your interests, the work you love. All of that belongs here.
Sometimes, much more changes than anyone else can see. An ambition loses its hold. Time with someone you love becomes worth rearranging your week for. Something you kept postponing feels too important to postpone again. Other parts of you are still wonderfully familiar: your humor, your interests, the work you love. All of that belongs here.
Sometimes, much more changes than anyone else can see. An ambition loses its hold. Time with someone you love becomes worth rearranging your week for. Something you kept postponing feels too important to postpone again. Other parts of you are still wonderfully familiar: your humor, your interests, the work you love. All of that belongs here.
You can grieve what’s gone and take what matters now seriously.
You can grieve what’s gone and take what matters now seriously.
You can grieve what’s gone and take what matters now seriously.
Neither cancels the other.
Neither cancels the other.
You may know exactly what you want to change, or barely recognize what you want anymore. Here, people get to know you beyond what happened. They learn what matters to you, what makes you laugh, and what you’re looking forward to. You become part of their lives, too.
You may know exactly what you want to change, or barely recognize what you want anymore. Here, people get to know you beyond what happened. They learn what matters to you, what makes you laugh, and what you’re looking forward to. You become part of their lives, too.
You may know exactly what you want to change, or barely recognize what you want anymore. Here, people get to know you beyond what happened. They learn what matters to you, what makes you laugh, and what you’re looking forward to. You become part of their lives, too.
The premise
The premise
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02
02
02
Let what matters change how you live.
Let what matters change how you live.
Let what matters change how you live.
Recognizing what matters is one thing. Giving it a place in your life can ask something of you. A conversation you’ve avoided. A commitment you need to reconsider. Letting someone get close. We take those possibilities seriously, without making every week another test of how well you’re doing.
Recognizing what matters is one thing. Giving it a place in your life can ask something of you. A conversation you’ve avoided. A commitment you need to reconsider. Letting someone get close. We take those possibilities seriously, without making every week another test of how well you’re doing.
Recognizing what matters is one thing. Giving it a place in your life can ask something of you. A conversation you’ve avoided. A commitment you need to reconsider. Letting someone get close. We take those possibilities seriously, without making every week another test of how well you’re doing.
Together, we try things and bring back what happened. Some choices may change the shape of your life. Others may give you an afternoon you’re glad you had. Both count. You can want more from life without having to become someone else first.
Together, we try things and bring back what happened. Some choices may change the shape of your life. Others may give you an afternoon you’re glad you had. Both count. You can want more from life without having to become someone else first.
Together, we try things and bring back what happened. Some choices may change the shape of your life. Others may give you an afternoon you’re glad you had. Both count. You can want more from life without having to become someone else first.
Your grief belongs in those conversations too. You can talk about what you miss without anyone needing to find the upside. You can be excited about something new without having to prove you’ve moved on. We have room for both, including when they arrive in the same sentence.
Your grief belongs in those conversations too. You can talk about what you miss without anyone needing to find the upside. You can be excited about something new without having to prove you’ve moved on. We have room for both, including when they arrive in the same sentence.
Your grief belongs in those conversations too. You can talk about what you miss without anyone needing to find the upside. You can be excited about something new without having to prove you’ve moved on. We have room for both, including when they arrive in the same sentence.
Grief does not always need to become smaller for your life to become larger around it.
Grief does not always need to become smaller for your life to become larger around it.
Grief does not always need to become smaller for your life to become larger around it.
You don’t have to wait for one to make room for the other.
You don’t have to wait for one to make room for the other.
Why a cohort
Why a cohort
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03
03
03
Different losses. Plenty to recognize in one another.
Different losses. Plenty to recognize in one another.
Different losses. Plenty to recognize in one another.
We grieve people. We also grieve bodies, abilities, relationships, homes, work, communities, dreams, versions of ourselves, versions of other people we kept hoping they might become, and the life we thought we were supposed to have by now.
We grieve people. We also grieve bodies, abilities, relationships, homes, work, communities, dreams, versions of ourselves, versions of other people we kept hoping they might become, and the life we thought we were supposed to have by now.
We grieve people. We also grieve bodies, abilities, relationships, homes, work, communities, dreams, versions of ourselves, versions of other people we kept hoping they might become, and the life we thought we were supposed to have by now.
Some losses are obvious enough that other people know to bring food. Others happen almost invisibly. There is no ceremony. No bereavement leave. No culturally agreed-upon period during which you are allowed to be strange. Here, you can talk about what changed without first making a case for why it matters.
Some losses are obvious enough that other people know to bring food. Others happen almost invisibly. There is no ceremony. No bereavement leave. No culturally agreed-upon period during which you are allowed to be strange. Here, you can talk about what changed without first making a case for why it matters.
Some losses are obvious enough that other people know to bring food. Others happen almost invisibly. There is no ceremony. No bereavement leave. No culturally agreed-upon period during which you are allowed to be strange. Here, you can talk about what changed without first making a case for why it matters.
Over ten weeks, we get to know more than one another’s losses. We learn what makes someone laugh, what they’re reconsidering, and what they’re looking forward to. Someone else may put words to something you’ve struggled to explain, or show you a possibility you hadn’t considered. You get to offer that recognition and possibility to them, too. There’s time to become people who matter to one another.
Over ten weeks, we get to know more than one another’s losses. We learn what makes someone laugh, what they’re reconsidering, and what they’re looking forward to. Someone else may put words to something you’ve struggled to explain, or show you a possibility you hadn’t considered. You get to offer that recognition and possibility to them, too. There’s time to become people who matter to one another.
Over ten weeks, we get to know more than one another’s losses. We learn what makes someone laugh, what they’re reconsidering, and what they’re looking forward to. Someone else may put words to something you’ve struggled to explain, or show you a possibility you hadn’t considered. You get to offer that recognition and possibility to them, too. There’s time to become people who matter to one another.
The ten weeks
The ten weeks
04
04
04
04
Where the ten weeks go.
Where the ten weeks go.
Where the ten weeks go.
Weeks 1–2
Weeks 1–2
The country you are standing in
The country you are standing in
The country you are standing in
You’re here. Some things are gone. Some things still get your attention, make you laugh, or make you want to stay a little longer. We get to know that whole life, including the parts nobody asks about once they know what happened. You don’t need to arrive with a plan for yourself.
You’re here. Some things are gone. Some things still get your attention, make you laugh, or make you want to stay a little longer. We get to know that whole life, including the parts nobody asks about once they know what happened. You don’t need to arrive with a plan for yourself.
Weeks 3–5
Weeks 3–5
No lesson required
No lesson required
No lesson required
You do not owe anyone a redemption story. You do not need to call your illness a gift. Here, we talk about what happened without making it come out well for the listener. We question what you’re still trying to prove, who you’re trying to be strong for, and what you might want if becoming an inspiration were no longer your responsibility.
You do not owe anyone a redemption story. You do not need to call your illness a gift. Here, we talk about what happened without making it come out well for the listener. We question what you’re still trying to prove, who you’re trying to be strong for, and what you might want if becoming an inspiration were no longer your responsibility.
Weeks 6–8
Weeks 6–8
Room for life
Room for life
Room for life
We follow what makes you feel alive and give it a chance in your actual days. It might ask something of you: say what you want, change a commitment, let someone get close. It might simply be a pleasure you’ve missed. Try it. Tell us what happened. It does not need to count as progress to count as living.
We follow what makes you feel alive and give it a chance in your actual days. It might ask something of you: say what you want, change a commitment, let someone get close. It might simply be a pleasure you’ve missed. Try it. Tell us what happened. It does not need to count as progress to count as living.
Weeks 9–10
Weeks 9–10
What you carry forward
What you carry forward
What you carry forward
No final presentation on how far you’ve come. We look at what you want to keep doing, enjoying, questioning, and sharing. We make plans for staying connected to people who have come to matter, and letting them show up for you too. Grief may keep changing you. You still get a say in how you live.
No final presentation on how far you’ve come. We look at what you want to keep doing, enjoying, questioning, and sharing. We make plans for staying connected to people who have come to matter, and letting them show up for you too. Grief may keep changing you. You still get a say in how you live.
Ten weeks is a commitment to one another. It is not a deadline for your grief.
Ten weeks is a commitment to one another. It is not a deadline for your grief.
The mechanics
The mechanics
05
05
05
05
How the cohort works.
How the cohort works.
How the cohort works.
Eight to ten people
Eight to ten people
The same people for all ten weeks. No drop-ins, no rotating seats.
The same people for all ten weeks. No drop-ins, no rotating seats.
The same people for all ten weeks. No drop-ins, no rotating seats.
One live session a week
One live session a week
Ninety minutes, on video, same time each week.
Ninety minutes, on video, same time each week.
Ninety minutes, on video, same time each week.
We talk, listen, write, notice
We talk, listen, write, notice
Sometimes we remember. Sometimes we experiment. Sometimes we laugh much harder than feels appropriate.
Sometimes we remember. Sometimes we experiment. Sometimes we laugh much harder than feels appropriate.
Sometimes we remember. Sometimes we experiment. Sometimes we laugh much harder than feels appropriate.
A community between sessions
A community between sessions
A private place to keep talking throughout the ten weeks. Share something you remembered, something you tried, or something you knew these people would appreciate. I’m there too.
A private place to keep talking throughout the ten weeks. Share something you remembered, something you tried, or something you knew these people would appreciate. I’m there too.
A private place to keep talking throughout the ten weeks. Share something you remembered, something you tried, or something you knew these people would appreciate. I’m there too.
Cameras on
Cameras on
We meet with cameras on so we can see one another. You don’t have to speak every week. Listening, laughing, and being there are ways of taking part, too.
We meet with cameras on so we can see one another. You don’t have to speak every week. Listening, laughing, and being there are ways of taking part, too.
We meet with cameras on so we can see one another. You don’t have to speak every week. Listening, laughing, and being there are ways of taking part, too.
Time you keep for this
Time you keep for this
Set aside ninety minutes each week to join us for all ten weeks.
Set aside ninety minutes each week to join us for all ten weeks.
Set aside ninety minutes each week to join us for all ten weeks.
Between sessions
Between sessions
06
06
06
06
The conversation doesn’t end when we log off.
The conversation doesn’t end when we log off.
The conversation doesn’t end when we log off.
Something from our conversation follows you into the week. You finally say what you meant. A memory catches you off guard. You do something you love and want to tell someone. Bring it to our private space while it’s fresh, without waiting for the next session or turning it into a polished account.
Something from our conversation follows you into the week. You finally say what you meant. A memory catches you off guard. You do something you love and want to tell someone. Bring it to our private space while it’s fresh, without waiting for the next session or turning it into a polished account.
Something from our conversation follows you into the week. You finally say what you meant. A memory catches you off guard. You do something you love and want to tell someone. Bring it to our private space while it’s fresh, without waiting for the next session or turning it into a polished account.
I’m there too, joining the conversation about what you’re missing, what you’re trying, and what’s making you feel alive. Pick up a thread, ask for another perspective, or share something for the sheer pleasure of it.
I’m there too, joining the conversation about what you’re missing, what you’re trying, and what’s making you feel alive. Pick up a thread, ask for another perspective, or share something for the sheer pleasure of it.
I’m there too, joining the conversation about what you’re missing, what you’re trying, and what’s making you feel alive. Pick up a thread, ask for another perspective, or share something for the sheer pleasure of it.
No breakthrough required to post.
No breakthrough required to post.
Boundaries
Boundaries
07
07
07
07
You don’t have to do grief well.
You don’t have to do grief well.
You don’t have to do grief well.
There’s no expectation that by week ten you’ll have reached acceptance, found meaning, or become impressive at coping. We make room for what loss has changed and what you want from living now. You can change your mind, enjoy yourself, miss someone terribly, and still belong here.
There’s no expectation that by week ten you’ll have reached acceptance, found meaning, or become impressive at coping. We make room for what loss has changed and what you want from living now. You can change your mind, enjoy yourself, miss someone terribly, and still belong here.
There’s no expectation that by week ten you’ll have reached acceptance, found meaning, or become impressive at coping. We make room for what loss has changed and what you want from living now. You can change your mind, enjoy yourself, miss someone terribly, and still belong here.
It is
A small group exploring grief and aliveness together
A small group exploring grief and aliveness together
A small group exploring grief and aliveness together
Conversations and experiments that reach into your everyday life
Conversations and experiments that reach into your everyday life
Conversations and experiments that reach into your everyday life
Ten weeks with the same eight to ten people
Ten weeks with the same eight to ten people
Ten weeks with the same eight to ten people
Space to say what you mean without making it sound better
Space to say what you mean without making it sound better
Space to say what you mean without making it sound better
It is not
Therapy, treatment, or any clinical service
Therapy, treatment, or any clinical service
Therapy, treatment, or any clinical service
A requirement to turn loss into personal growth
A requirement to turn loss into personal growth
A requirement to turn loss into personal growth
Content to consume on your own time
Content to consume on your own time
Content to consume on your own time
A timetable for how you should feel
A timetable for how you should feel
A timetable for how you should feel
Fit
Fit
08
08
08
08
You might recognize yourself here.
You might recognize yourself here.
You might recognize yourself here.
Loss has changed your life. You want somewhere to talk about what you miss and what you want now.
Loss has changed your life. You want somewhere to talk about what you miss and what you want now.
Loss has changed your life. You want somewhere to talk about what you miss and what you want now.
You can hear someone else’s grief without needing to fix it.
You can hear someone else’s grief without needing to fix it.
You can hear someone else’s grief without needing to fix it.
You want to feel alive without having to prove you’ve healed, found the lesson, or become someone new.
You want to feel alive without having to prove you’ve healed, found the lesson, or become someone new.
You want to feel alive without having to prove you’ve healed, found the lesson, or become someone new.
You can make time for ten weeks with a small group. If a single evening fits better right now, join us in the Living Room.
You can make time for ten weeks with a small group. If a single evening fits better right now, join us in the Living Room.
You can make time for ten weeks with a small group. If a single evening fits better right now, join us in the Living Room.
The room
The room
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09
09
09
Enough room to finish your thought.
Enough room to finish your thought.
Enough room to finish your thought.
Eight to ten people gives us time to follow a conversation beyond the first answer. You can find the words as you speak, reconsider something, or hear a perspective that changes your own. Every session doesn’t need to be your turn in the spotlight.
Eight to ten people gives us time to follow a conversation beyond the first answer. You can find the words as you speak, reconsider something, or hear a perspective that changes your own. Every session doesn’t need to be your turn in the spotlight.
Eight to ten people gives us time to follow a conversation beyond the first answer. You can find the words as you speak, reconsider something, or hear a perspective that changes your own. Every session doesn’t need to be your turn in the spotlight.
Our experiences will differ. Someone may recognize a feeling you’ve never heard another person describe. Someone else may see things very differently. We can be curious about those differences without deciding whose way of grieving is right.
Our experiences will differ. Someone may recognize a feeling you’ve never heard another person describe. Someone else may see things very differently. We can be curious about those differences without deciding whose way of grieving is right.
Our experiences will differ. Someone may recognize a feeling you’ve never heard another person describe. Someone else may see things very differently. We can be curious about those differences without deciding whose way of grieving is right.
You get to say what your experience means.
You get to say what your experience means.
You get to say what your experience means.
Other people can help you discover more without having the final word.
Other people can help you discover more without having the final word.
My role
My role
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10
10
10
What I bring to the room.
What I bring to the room.
What I bring to the room.
I’m a political psychologist, researcher, and kundalini yoga therapist. Those perspectives shape what I notice: the stories we feel obliged to tell, what happens in us as we tell them, and the possibilities we dismiss before giving them a chance. I bring that attention to our conversations, so we can notice more than the familiar account of how you’re doing.
I’m a political psychologist, researcher, and kundalini yoga therapist. Those perspectives shape what I notice: the stories we feel obliged to tell, what happens in us as we tell them, and the possibilities we dismiss before giving them a chance. I bring that attention to our conversations, so we can notice more than the familiar account of how you’re doing.
I’m a political psychologist, researcher, and kundalini yoga therapist. Those perspectives shape what I notice: the stories we feel obliged to tell, what happens in us as we tell them, and the possibilities we dismiss before giving them a chance. I bring that attention to our conversations, so we can notice more than the familiar account of how you’re doing.
I’ve also had my life rearranged by things I didn’t choose. I know the pull to make a recovery story out of it, and how much living that story can leave out. That’s part of why the Department exists. I’m interested in what you want to change, what you still love, and what catches your attention when you’re not busy measuring how far you’ve come.
I’ve also had my life rearranged by things I didn’t choose. I know the pull to make a recovery story out of it, and how much living that story can leave out. That’s part of why the Department exists. I’m interested in what you want to change, what you still love, and what catches your attention when you’re not busy measuring how far you’ve come.
I’ve also had my life rearranged by things I didn’t choose. I know the pull to make a recovery story out of it, and how much living that story can leave out. That’s part of why the Department exists. I’m interested in what you want to change, what you still love, and what catches your attention when you’re not busy measuring how far you’ve come.
I guide the conversations, offer things to try, and help us stay with something worth our attention. Sometimes I’ll question an assumption. Sometimes I’ll invite you to take a desire more seriously. And sometimes we’ll let something be sad, funny, or unresolved without assigning it a job.
I guide the conversations, offer things to try, and help us stay with something worth our attention. Sometimes I’ll question an assumption. Sometimes I’ll invite you to take a desire more seriously. And sometimes we’ll let something be sad, funny, or unresolved without assigning it a job.
I guide the conversations, offer things to try, and help us stay with something worth our attention. Sometimes I’ll question an assumption. Sometimes I’ll invite you to take a desire more seriously. And sometimes we’ll let something be sad, funny, or unresolved without assigning it a job.
The investment
The investment
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11
11
11
$850 for the ten weeks.
$850 for the ten weeks.
$850 for the ten weeks.
Ten live sessions with the same small group, things to try in your everyday life, and a private space to keep talking between sessions. Time to give grief its due, take changed desires seriously, and experience more of what makes you feel alive, with people who come to matter.
Ten live sessions with the same small group, things to try in your everyday life, and a private space to keep talking between sessions. Time to give grief its due, take changed desires seriously, and experience more of what makes you feel alive, with people who come to matter.
Ten live sessions with the same small group, things to try in your everyday life, and a private space to keep talking between sessions. Time to give grief its due, take changed desires seriously, and experience more of what makes you feel alive, with people who come to matter.
Pay in full or in two payments, with no added fee. Choose what works for you when you join.
Pay in full or in two payments, with no added fee. Choose what works for you when you join.
Pay in full or in two payments, with no added fee. Choose what works for you when you join.
Questions
Questions
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12
12
12
The things people actually ask.
The things people actually ask.
The things people actually ask.
If you miss one session, I’ll help you catch up. Missing two makes continuity harder for you and the group, so plan to attend each week. If you already know you’ll miss three, wait for a cohort whose dates work better.
The Grief Cohort
Length
Ten weeks
Group size
8–10 people
Live sessions
One a week, 90 minutes, on video
Between sessions
A private space to keep talking and share what happens between sessions
Investment
$850
Begins
Dates to be announced
Join the waitlist →
Come for the life you want to live. Bring your grief.
Come for the life you want to live. Bring your grief.
Come for the life you want to live. Bring your grief.
Spend ten weeks taking what matters seriously, following what makes you feel alive, and finding people to share it with. You don’t need to leave anything behind to join us.
Spend ten weeks taking what matters seriously, following what makes you feel alive, and finding people to share it with. You don’t need to leave anything behind to join us.
Spend ten weeks taking what matters seriously, following what makes you feel alive, and finding people to share it with. You don’t need to leave anything behind to join us.
Join the waitlist →
Add your name and tell me what brings you here. You’ll hear first when dates are announced, with the details you need to decide whether to join.
Add your name and tell me what brings you here. You’ll hear first when dates are announced, with the details you need to decide whether to join.