Cultivating Compassionate Conversations

Why Cultivate Compassionate Conversations (CCC) ?

Do you find yourself sometimes getting uncomfortable, defensive, angry or simply avoiding conversations regarding conflicting views on issues that are important to you?

When we engage with people who have different views than ourselves, something happens inside of us. This is not just about thoughts or views as we often get a visceral response, we feel it in the body. There is no question it is much easier to be with people who agree with us and hold the same views, but is that always possible? Strong opposing views become more difficult and sad to navigate when it happens with close family members or friends.

Our most vital spiritual and practical challenge is learning how to stay connected across differences. In this series we will be exploring practical and emotional skills to develop and practise wiser constructive ways of expressing differences and building connection and community rather than separation and division.

True community is not the absence of conflict; it is the presence of the capacity to navigate it wisely.

We will explore the ways to transform communication from a source of friction into a vehicle for personal growth, collective awakening, and authentic community.

Opportunity to:

• Develop the awareness needed to notice reactivity, defensive habits, biases, triggers, and communication blind spots

• Embody practices for staying grounded during tense conversations

• Learn to handle differences without taking them as personal attack

• Develop practical skills to apply Right Speech in expressing what is important to you

• Cultivate the capacity to listen past surface-level arguments to explore the needs underneath

• Learn to identify and dissolve the "us versus them" mentality within your mind, your relationships, and your communities

• For Dharma practitioners: Learn to work directly with greed (attachment to views), hatred (aversion to conflict), and delusion (ego protection) as they arise in real-time dialogue

Who is this course for?

• Anyone who wants to develop more confidence at managing challenging conversation

• Dharma students looking to move their practice from the meditation cushion into the messy reality of human relationships

Course details & cost

• Format: Live Online Sessions

• Schedule: 6 consecutive Sundays, starts on 11 April 2027 from | 7.00 pm – 9.30 pm AEST

   The following seesion are on the 18th April & 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23, May from | 7.00 pm to 9.00pm AEST

• Dates: Starts Sunday the 11 April, 2027

• Cost: $55 Admin cost + Dana

  What is 'Dana': This event follows the traditional spirit of the Buddha’s teachings - offered on the basis of dāna (generosity). At the end of the program, you will be invited to offer a donation that feels right for you, in alignment with your capacity and appreciation.

Testimonials

"The CCC workshop gave me new tools and the confidence to start the process of planting seeds to face my fears and participate in difficult conversations, I would really recommend it!"

"CCC has actually transformed me from within. An important learning for me: Connection is more important than proving my point. This is helping me tremendously, it has instilled a kind of patience in my approach which I had not known before."

"In no small measure, the success of our campaign and the spirit and respectfulness of our volunteers can be attributed to us leaning ‘how to dance' with people who have different views to our own. You are a gem!"

"I managed to navigate important conversations in a radically different way. The way I communicated with my mum with the awareness and tools I learned here, led to feeling like I've been heard for the first time"

Our approach

• Interactive weekly live sessions combining theory and inquiry

• Space to share experiences and learn from each other

• Mindfulness and grounding practices

• Clear practical steps and skills

• Opportunity to learn from real life situations

• Practices to incorporate in your daily life

  
  

Course overview

About Shoshana Faire and Lody Levy

Shoshana and Lody are both committed to the building of social cohesion, and building bridges across the divides that create separation and polarisation both within and across our different communities.  The course provides essential skills and offers an approach to engage constructively in difficult conversations in order to maintain relationships and social cohesion.

Shoshana & Lody have been facilitating this program together for the past 4 years,

including to a group involved in the Voice Referendum campaign and to numerous individuals impacted by the current situation in Israel/Palestine.

Shoshana Faire 

Shoshana brings over 30 years experience in facilitating workshops on Conflict Resolution Skills and mediating conflicts.  She is co-author of the bestselling book ‘Everyone Can Win – Responding to Conflict Constructively’.

Shoshana has a diploma in Mindfulness and Compassion and has been leading guided meditations weekly for 7 years to a diverse local and international group. Shoshana has the strong conviction that the path to peace is through developing constructive ways to talk and listen to each other.

Lody Levy 

Trained in psychology in South Africa, England and Australia. 

She is a Psychotherapist, Art psychotherapist with over 35 years’ experience of supporting people to live more fulfilling lives. ​

Lody is also a Meditation teacher, having studied Buddhist Psychotherapy with AABCAP (Australian Association of Buddhist Counsellors and Psychotherapists and qualified in 2018 as a Buddhist Psychotherapist. She has diploma in Mindfulness and Compassion and is currently on the Insight Meditation Institute 4-year teacher pathway. 

Lody believes that we can all live a meaningful and fulfilling life despite the most difficult circumstances.