Experience the lasting benefits of taking an Open Stance
Open Stance Workshops
At Acorn Patterns Leadership Coaching, we offer Open Stance workshops for community groups and teams. These workshops are based on the work of Ann Van Eron, PhD, and author of Open Stance – Thriving Amid Differences and Uncertainty. Open Stance is, “being in the present moment with an acceptance of “what is,” including the pain, the positive, the mundane, the human experience – trusting life and allowing it to unfold.”
When we are open, we are more curious, compassionate, generous, and grateful. When we are closed we are contracted, in judgement, or controlling. Through the practice of self-awareness and asking, “Am I open,” we begin to better understand ourselves, others, and the personal choice we have to shift from being closed to open.
By sharing in this confidential and non-judgemental workshop space, participants learn from one another, become better listeners and communicators, more flexible and resilient — all while deepening a sense of community.
“What you are aware of you are in control of; what you are not aware of is in control of you.”
— Anthony de Mello
What People Are Saying
“I feel I have benefited from these Open Stance workshops by being able to look back at encounters I have had that I could have handled differently. I am now more aware of when I react without thinking. Makes me a better person to be more thoughtful about responding to negative situations.”
— Pauline
”Open Stance workshops, led by Renee, provides a much needed remedy in our current times. It provides a weekly nurturing, supportive and empathetic environment to listen and grow. For myself, it is a gentle circle of love of care that embraces the whole person — and community. It provides a time each week to get away — to retreat and be silent — but open — in the midst of all the noise in the world. Through the Open Stance process, I am learning to better listen and trust — both others and myself. It is a place for both assessment and renewal.”
— Geoffrey Brahmer
“When Renee asked me to work with her on an Open Stance workshop, I was intrigued by the idea. In the training, I saw that the workshops created a thoughtful, nonjudgmental environment where people could gain awareness of their own ways of responding to challenging situations. Co-leading the workshops with Renee was a pleasure. Her open-hearted presence set the tone for participants to describe challenging situations with enough clarity and depth for more nuanced and creative responses to emerge. As the workshop drew to a close, I was struck by the depth of insight, resilience, and community that emerged within the group."
— Kathryn