Most of us have been taught that turning toward ourselves is something to feel guilty about. Directly and indirectly, we've been made to feel like the care we give isn't enough. Even though we may be exhausted and on the cusp of burnout, the idea of working on boundaries can feel daunting.
But the good news is, we can adopt some new beliefs about setting boundaries that are much more humanitarian and life-giving. Here's what I believe about boundaries:

• I believe in sustainability - most of us are in this for the long-haul. If we want to keep doing the work we do for others or continue the care we offer, we need to see our needs as important, too.
• I believe in compassion - we need to be kind to ourselves and tend to our own healing just the same as we tend to the needs of others. We don't burn out from caring too much for others, but from caring too little for ourselves.
• I believe in abundance - we can carve out space for ourselves and this won't take anything away from the people we love. In fact, it will add to our capacity.

The world needs a lot of healing, but you're part of this world too. In this course, I'm sharing 8 steps to more sustainable caring.

Big-Hearted Boundaries is the online course for caregivers of all kinds who want to bring joy and life energy into their work.

My commitment through this course is to help you notice where your capacity is so that you can stay within it and keep doing the work you love for years to come. Because boundaries are about so much more than where our "no" is. Boundaries are also about making room to say yes. Yes to what nourishes you, sustains you, and brings you joy. Yes to the things that are most important to you.
Tuning into your boundaries is really about listening to yourself. It's a practice that involves rediscovering a relationship with all parts of you - body, heart, mind, and spirit. It starts with listening to your own inner wisdom, and then honoring it.

This online course is designed for you if you identify as:

• a highly sensitive or empathic person who's trying to balance other people's needs with their own
• a caregiver for a family member or friend who's trying to prevent burnout
• a social change-maker who's invested in their community
• a helping professional who want to practice sustainability in their work

I thought of all the people I've worked with who care for others in their jobs or in their communities (activists, teachers, medical professionals, social workers, and therapists, for example) and how it's often so hard to do that work without burning out. I thought of all the people I know who are performing emotional labor in their most important relationships on a daily basis and who are exhausted from it. I wanted to create a course that could be accessed online and worked through at a pace that was right for each person.
Drawn from years of clinical experience as a Registered Psychologist, I created this course to help challenge the idea that being a good person means everyone else should come before you. This course is a fantastic space to find yourself again, and start living in a way that's more sustainable, authentic, and in line with your values.

In this online course, we'll cover how to:

• Make whole-body decisions that are in line with your values
• Work through guilt about saying no to the people you care about
• Release beliefs about boundaries that are no longer serving you and adopt new ones
• Recognize and recover from burnout

You will also receive two guest interviews with Meg Berryman and Lily Le to help you learn from others doing work on boundaries.

"Women who are tired, who are temporarily sick of the world, who are afraid to take time off, afraid to stop, wake up already! Lay a blanket over the banging gong that cries for you to infinitely help this, that, or the other thing. It will be there to uncover again, if you wish it so, when you come back."

- CLARISSA PINKOLA ESTES, FROM "WOMEN WHO RUN WITH WOLVES"

Sign up and you'll receive:

• 7x pre-recorded 30 minute training audios (podcast style)
• 2x guest mentor 45 minute interview audios (podcast style)
• journal prompts with optional, adult homework to accompany each module
• 4x downloadable PDF guides, worksheets, or articles to supplement the themes

Everything we'll be covering in the course:

Step 1: Get Clear on Why You Want This

First I'm going to help you get solid in understanding just exactly what a boundary is (and isn't!) by radically redefining the term. Look at how resentment, exhaustion, and burnout may already be impacting your life. Through a mindfulness-based exercise, understand your current relationship with boundaries and your reasons for doing the work.

Step 2: Make Whole-Body Decisions

Learn all about whole-body decision making and how it fits in with setting boundaries. Work through some decisions of your own and explore big questions like "what should I do when parts of myself are in conflict?", "how do I say no when there's still do much more work to be done?" and "how do I know the difference between self-care and self-sabotage?"

Step 3: Context, Context, Context!: Understand Your Own Boundaries

Learn more about your own physical, emotional, mental, and time boundaries in different areas of your life. Learn about the importance of context and how we can know when it's right for us to use passive, aggressive, or assertive behavior. (Hint: they all have a place!)

Step 4: The Struggle is Real: Release Beliefs That Are No Longer Serving You

Explore three of the most toxic messages women are given about boundaries and how they affect our worth. Get clear on the impact of these, and let go of the beliefs that are no longer serving you.

Step 5: Let Go of Guilt

Discuss what gets in the way of respecting our own boundaries and why it's so important to start with ourselves. Learn how to deal with guilt, fear, and numbing in new and creative ways.

Step 6: Get out of the Rescuer Role

Discover the internal signs that you're falling into a rescuer role, and learn how to take a step back while holding onto your compassion. Understand how sensitivity is a strength that we can learn to work with without burning out.

Step 7: Recognize & Recover from Burnout

Learn the signs of burnout and several concrete strategies you can use to create a more sustainable relationship with your helping role.

Step 8: Learn From Others, Start Moving Forward

Receive two guest interviews with Meg Berryman and Lily Le to help you learn from others doing work on boundaries. Gather ideas and resources to help you move forward with what you've learned.

Lily Le is a doctoral candidate in counselling psychology and a Registered Provisional Psychologist in Edmonton, Canada. She is interested in promoting healthy relationships and wellbeing in her counselling, activist, and research work. Lily brings a feminist lens to all these spheres.To recharge, Lily enjoys dancing, weightlifting, and hanging out with her dog.

Meg Berryman is a mother, feminist, coach, facilitator and yoga teacher who helps women liberate themselves from socially prescribed ideals + step into sacred, social leadership. She believes that burnout, relationship breakdowns and career crises are portals into deep individual and planetary healing that centers healthy relating, holistic wellness and earth stewardship. She brings together her 10+ years in social change work, her masters degrees in gender and public health and her experience as a yoga teacher, coach and facilitator to create learning experiences for women seeking radical wellbeing, deep connection and an unshakeable sense of purpose. She is a mother of two girls, and lives, learns and works on unceded Dja Dja Wurrung country in Central Victoria, Australia.

How Can I Get the Most out of This Course?

In this 8 step course, the materials are designed to help you make whole-body decisions that are in line with your values. I offer new perspective that may help in working through fear, guilt, and other barriers to setting boundaries. I hope that each of you can find a way to move ahead with compassion - for the people you're in relationship with, and also for yourselves.

So, how do you get the most out of this course?

1. Know What to Expect In this course I mainly use audio recordings (including two guest interviews), though I also try to incorporate ideas you could try on your own, and I include some worksheets and guides, as I understand that people learn in different ways. If you're curious about the weekly theme, you can also have a closer look at the outline above. I also encourage people who don't already know me to have a listen to some of the podcast interviews I've recorded over the years or read articles I've written in order to get a sense of my style and my take on boundaries in order to make sure that we're a good match. I want you to be happy with the course and to feel like this is a full body yes!

2. Be Honest with Yourself About What You Need In terms of an online course, I think it's all too easy to convince ourselves that we'll fit it in "when we have time". If you're here because this is important to you, I'm going to suggest finding a way to specifically set time aside in the same you would for an in-person course or workshop. If it helps to put it in your calendar for a certain day and time each week, or make a commitment with a friend to do it, please do, Know for yourself what would help you the most in making this commitment to yourself and what will keep you going, even when other peoples' needs are calling to you.

3. Practice Making change takes practice, and so when we're working on things like saying no to people we care about, it can take time. I try to give optional adult homework that you can have to work on in between modules, and that way you'll get even more out of the course than just the time you spend listening to the audio. It may be helpful to think about how you can practice, integrate, or reflect on what you've learned after listening to the audio throughout the week. This might be a practice of listening to your body for 10 minutes each day, or a journalling reflection once a week, for example. Some days will be easier than others, of course, but over time you're likely to see more growth and healing by making this commitment. Keep in mind that healing doesn't happen overnight, and have patience with yourself.

Register now for $250

*Please note, payment plans and reduced fees for those with financial barriers are available.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the course start and finish?
Since the course is all pre-recorded, it starts as soon as you're ready! Each module contains an audio lesson that is intended to be completed once a week, with optional adult homework and reflection questions in between the sessions.
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How long do I have access to the course?
The course is intended to be completed over 8 weeks, and most of my clients report the highest benefits if they carve out this intention space for themselves each week. That said, I know life can be unexpected, and you may need to skip a week and come back to the material the following week. After enrolling, you'll have access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.

What if I am unhappy with the course?
I absolutely don't want you to spend money on something you don't want. So, please make sure you're clear on what's involved in the course and ask me any questions if you have them! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact me in the first 3 days and I will give you a full refund.

Is this therapy?
This course is a non-interactive educational experience, which means it's not the same as therapy. It's not a substitute for therapy. If you find that the material brings up strong feelings or is connected with unprocessed trauma, I strongly encourage you to follow up with a therapist in your area. You may be able to find one through Inclusive Therapists or Therapy Den (US only).