unschool for your unlearning.
The UNschool is now in session, but closed to new UNschoolers until January 2024.
fall semester: UNcontrol
September 4th through November 17th.
Welcome to UNschool’s new semester, where we invite you to UNlearn control and embark on a path of personal development, individual healing, and collective justice and liberation.
Control is cunning infiltrator: it seeps into everything. From our connections with others to our very sense of self, it casts shadows of anxiety and distrust, and overtakes our ability to be present and authentic. It fuels a relentless pursuit of perfectionism, a never-ending sense of urgency and distraction, and it amplifies imposter syndrome and performative leadership. It severs connections with others. And it hinders our practice of justice and liberation. We cannot control our way to freedom. Individually or collectively.
For 12 weeks, you’ll delve deep into the art and practice of letting go and getting free from the limitations of control. You’ll learn to see the ways you’ve been conditioned to crave and wield control against yourself and others. You’ll study what happens in your brain and heart and body when you begin to let go. You’ll develop strategies to resist control when it cajoles you into leveraging it. And you’ll do all of this with a like-hearted group of brave and radical humans dedicated to individual and collective liberation.
Control has done a number on you (and all of us). It creates fear of being judged, self-censorship, it inhibits vulnerability and connection, it fuels a need for approval, it amplifies anxiety and worry, it teaches us to suppress emotions, it cajoles us to conform, it drives perfectionism, and it leads us to avoid conflict.
So. Come: deepen your practice of vulnerability; let go of rigid thinking; become more mindful and present in your life and relationships; become more open to feedback and less afraid of criticism; learn to empower yourself and others without using tools of force and compliance; learn to embrace change and feel more comfortable with uncertainty; learn strategies and habits of radical collaboration; redefine who you are as a leader or manager; and heal.
UNschool is not just a course or coaching; it’s a movement for individuals like you. It empowers you to redefine your life on your own terms, challenging oppressive social norms, and embracing personal and collective liberation. Welcome to the new semester.
What participants have to say about the UNschool:
“Invited me to consider questions that have radically changed my life.”
“We personally and collectively explored practices of freedom, liberation, and healing.”
“Inspired me to try on new ways of being, not as a self-change project but as an enticing opportunity to experiment and play with possibility.”
“Learning environment filled with teaching, supportive insights and aha moments.”
“UNschool offered me a compassionate container to dive into a deeper understanding of myself.”
We all want growth, healing, and freedom — and — it’s hard to know how to do it.
Where to look. Which steps to take. What paths to cross…
So we read. We acquire knowledge. We think hard. We talk it out. We sometimes get ah-has, but we rarely experience change that lasts. Let alone healing. Or freedom.
And then come the sensations of defeat and overwhelm. Burnout and isolation. Giving up, or closing in.
It’s a cyclical shit storm of peaks and valleys, highs and lows, lots of effort, and minimal change.
This happens to us as individuals. As groups and organizations. Many of us grew up with this notion of school and training being an add-on – layering new information and skills on TOP of who we already are. Believing that we have to acquire more things (knowledge, approval, proof points, skills) in order to feel whole or accepted. The UNschool knows that unless you look in and transmute some of the existing layers first, you can’t learn/acquire/add-on your way to liberation. The foundation must shift. Harmful, limiting ways of being must be UNlearned.
Healing is nuanced and personal/professional growth in healing ways is nuanced, too. It requires a custom fit, not a one-size-fits-all. It requires stepping outside ourselves, which we aren’t taught to do. It requires thinking differently. Feeling differently. Growing differently.
More than anything, it requires UNlearning. UNdoing. Unlocking. Unleashing.
Welcome to the
For your custom UnLearning
We think transformation / growth / healing is about acquisition – of knowledge, of skills, of certificates, of concepts, of accolades, of proof … But the truth is that Transformation / Growth / Healing is about loss.
Healing, change, growth, and freedom involve:
LESS learning MORE healing.
LESS knowledge MORE practice.
LESS acquisition MORE letting shit go.
LESS efforting MORE ease-ing.
In the UNschool, we will tackle the things many of us have learned to acquire and put on: perfectionism, imposter syndrome, scarcity, control, urgency, self-doubt/critique, fear-based living/decision-making, defensiveness, performed strength/togetherness, questions of enoughness …
There is so much to be gained through loss. And there’s a lot of shit to lose.
The What
At the UNschool, you get CUSTOM:
Coaching.
Practice.
Growing.
Changing.
Developing.
You get a radical container with a radical coach to give you rocket fuel for your radical human being.
This course will help you: Think. Feel. Act. Heal/Grow/Change. Toward who you long to be. Who you are at your core. Before you learned ways of being that held you back.
Think of it as a gym membership for your human/healing/freedom development muscles WITH a personal trainer. And a cheerleading squad.
The How
The UNschool is a 3-month (12 week) semester so that we can go deep and create lasting change in your life.
Every semester, there is a theme/greater context — like perfectionism. Urgency. Effort. Imposter Syndrome. Big shit we’ve learned to pick up and put on, that we need to take off and put down. The stuff that often stands in the way of our healing/growth/freedom that is there for us to UNlearn.
Your semester involves 3 live classes a month, led by me, your instructor. In every class, we’ll hone the skills/wills/drills needed to go toe to toe with your unlearning. And then I’ll coach live in the group. Clients tell me that witnessing and engaging in my live group coaching sessions have been some of the most intimate, courageous, and transformative moments of their lives.
What makes the UNschool even more unique is that on top of class, you get private one to one coaching as soon as the program begins. With me. 3 weeks out of every month.
Like any good UNschool, you’ll also have custom assignments: workout routines for your growing healing muscles, reflection prompts, and challenges.
The Deets
The current UNschool semester begins September 4th and concludes November 17th. Most classes will be on Tuesdays from 1-2pm EST. You can find the complete class schedule in the first question of the FAQ section.
Applications for the current term close August 20th at 11:59pm. Seats for this semester are limited.
Your UNschooling tuition (which includes private one to one coaching) is $297 per month. A semester is three months.
You can experience the UNschool RISK FREE. Come to your first class. Experience your first coaching session. If for any reason you decide it’s not the UNschool for you, you can email us and we’ll refund you immediately. No justification needed. No questions asked.
As soon as the term begins, you get access to:
A vault of previous courses laura has led.
This includes: Ease>Effort, Impossible Goals, Unlearning Perfectionism, and plus two special recorded weekend-long retreats. That’s more than $1,200 worth of program content for those of you who want to supercharge your unschooling. The content already exists, and we’re invested in your growth, so we’re making it available while you’re enrolled.
Access to weekly classes for the term content PLUS group coaching, where you can see others get coached and raise your own hand to get additional coaching.
Forums on class content, where you can ask questions (anonymously if you like) and also read other people’s insights/questions.
Weekly custom assignments unique to you/your healing.
And of course, private 1:1 weekly coaching with laura. You are guaranteed a potent 20-minute private coaching session with laura three weeks of every month (one week off for reflection). You can also request additional coaching.
The tuition is $297/month for the length of the semester. So a 3-month semester course would be a total tuition of $891. You can continue your enrollment into the next semester or not. There are sliding scale and financial support options available.
Spots for each semester are limited since laura can only work with so many people 1:1. An application is required. We will have a waitlist for those who apply after the semester is full and let you know if a spot opens up.
Applications open August 7th and close August 20th. The fall semester begins September 4th.
Healing is hard work.
But it doesn’t have to be a struggle. Or elusive. Or lonely. Or overwhelming.
We all deserve a coach to support us in our journey.
We all deserve to UNlearn the toxic shit that holds us back. To change. To grow. To build an ethic of freedom that is personal to us.
Reach out with any questions. And. Don’t just take it from us. Listen to Colin talk about coaching with laura in service toward his freedom. We think he gives a powerful summary of what unlearning is really about.
Welcome to your UNlearning.
Welcome to the UNschool.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the UNschool start and what dates are classes?
The next semester of the UNschool begins September 4th and concludes November 17th. Classes will be from1-2pm EST mostly on Tuesdays and also some Thursdays. All classes will be recorded; live attendance is not required though is strongly suggested. Class dates are as follows:
- Tuesday September 5th, 1-2pm EST
- Tuesday September 12th, 1-2pm EST
- Tuesday September 19th, 1-2pm EST
- Tuesday October 3rd, 1-2pm EST
- Tuesday October 10th, 1-2pm EST
- Tuesday October 17th, 1-2pm EST
- Thursday November 2nd, 1-2pm EST
- Thursday November 9th, 1-2pm EST
- Thursday November 16th, 1-2pm EST
You can sign up for a private 20-minute coaching session on any of these 9 weeks, as well. Weeks when class does not meet are not eligible for coaching sessions during the September 4th-November 17th window.
How much does the semester theme determine the content? What if the theme doesn’t resonate?
Why is an application required?
A few reasons. First, spots are limited and we will nearly certainly not be able to offer everyone a spot who wants to join. An application helps us determine which folk might be served particularly powerfully by the thematic content that month. Additionally, not everyone allows themselves to be coachable. Sometimes we have an intellectual appetite for learning, but we don’t have the appetite for change in our lives. The UNschool is about change. The application questions are designed to help us ensure that we’re building a cohort of UNschoolers who really want to do the deep inner work of healing.
Is this personal or professional development?
Yes. Both. More. All. It is emotional, personal, professional, spiritual, holistic, human, embodied development. It would be totally appropriate for someone to take this course as “professional development” as long as they know it will ask much more of them.
Will I be expected to talk about my race & racial equity? Is the UNschool seated in an explicit position of racial justice and equity?
Yes. There is no healing that doesn’t involve unlearning systems of domination, control, subjugation, repression, and oppression from all of our bodies. That work looks different based on our identity markers, but it would be impossible to extract racial justice and race and systems of oppression from a course about deep healing and unlearning.
How will this experience be customized for me?
A few ways. Your weekly 1:1 coaching is completely private and completely about you. You will get to determine how to leverage that space to help you in your unique healing journey. In addition to that, laura as your coach will help you create a custom curriculum just for you. Nearly every week, laura will offer challenges, homework assignments, and reflection questions BASED on your coaching sessions so that you have totally-unique-to-you support in your work.
Are there scholarships?
Yes. There are scholarships for folk with systemic/intergenerational financial constraint, as well as reparative-justice based tuitions for Black and Indigenous/Native people. There are also ways for folk with financial and systemic privilege to opt into a higher tuition to support and offset the participation of those needing to pay less. The standard tuition is $297. Supported tuition is $237. Boosted tuition is $357. Your elected tuition will have no bearing on whether or not you are accepted to the UNschool.
How do I book coaching sessions?
When the term begins, you’ll be given a unique username and password to use to sign into a site that will house course materials. In the site, there will be a calendar program where you can sign up for your weekly 20-minute coaching session. Note: laura’s availability is very limited. We recommend the first thing you do every week is lock in your coaching time. Most coaching availability will generally be Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 1:30-5:30pm EST with a few other pockets available.
How do I prepare for coaching sessions? Can we really accomplish much in 20 minutes?
Let’s address the latter first: we can change your life in 20 minutes. In one single conversation. So having a conversation almost every week for three months can be completely game-changing. More can be realized in that time than most people know. It does take a little practice to come prepared to sessions in order to fully maximize your time. When you enroll, you’ll get access to a video at the start of the semester on tips and strategies to prepare for coaching sessions and laura will help get you started.
How do I attend live classes during the semester?
You’ll receive zoom links and be able to download calendar reminders for live classes.
Are classes recorded?
Yes. And they’ll be available in your membership portal for your access at any time.
How will I pay?
You will be charged $297 – or your adjusted tuition amount – every month for the 3 month semester. You will not be charged again unless you re-enroll.
(UN)learning that changes your life.
applications are not currently open.
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