There is an instinct in us for newness for renewal,
for a liberation of creative power.
We seek to awaken in ourselves
a force that really changes our life from within.
And yet this same instinct tell us
That this change is a recovery of that which is deepest,
most original, most personal in ourselves.

–Thomas Merton


Circle of Trust is designed to help persons engaged in a variety of professions discover again their identity as leaders and to embrace courageously the possibility of leading and living from a deep sense of integrity.

Based on the work of Parker Palmer and described in his book A Hidden Wholeness, the program uses a retreat-based, small group model of formation. The program is committed to creating open, disciplined spaces – circles of trust – where participants can discover again the deep connection between role and soul. Participants are invited to listen for their own inner wisdom, participate in a community of mutual respect and to reconnect professional identity and personal integrity.

In Courage work retreat is understood not as a withdrawal or escape from a life we don’t want to live; rather, it is viewed as an opportunity to engage at a deeper level with our own true self and our unique calling. Our lives “back there” are not separate from what we do on retreat, and likewise the benefits of what we do on retreat will have a great impact on our personal and professional lives.

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In all retreats, skilled facilitators help create a quiet, focused, and disciplined space—a circle of trust—in which the noise within us and around us can subside and we can begin to hear our own inner voice. In large group, small group, and solitary settings, we explore the intersection of our personal and professional lives, making use of stories from our own journeys, and insights from poets, storytellers, and various wisdom traditions. Clearness Committees, a communal process of discernment around a difficult life or vocational issue, will be offered as part of all retreats.

Our programs renew heart, mind, and spirit. Participants report a deepened sense of purpose and meaning, expanded capacity to listen and be present, an improved ability to build trustworthy relationships, more courage to live authentically, renewed passion for work and a deeper commitment to serving others.

At Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center Circle of Trust retreats are offered in three ways.

Introduction to a Circle of Trust:  The Journey Toward an Undivided Life
Introductory retreats focus on the rejoining of soul and role, of reconnecting who we are with what we do. It will provide an experience of all the basic elements of a Circle of Trust retreat.


Seasonal Retreat Series
“In the course of 20 years of working as a pastor and seeking to help others with the work of connecting role and soul, there have been dramatic changes in the institutions and cultures in which we live and work.  Conversation with colleagues in other professions confirms a widespread feeling that many are walking uncharted and unknown vocational paths.  To remain soulfully alive and professionally enthused, we need communities in which we can practice the art of deep listening.  I am convinced that the Courage to Lead offers just such an opportunity; and thereby plays unique role in the renewal and vitalization of individuals, groups, and institutions.  In an era where we have too much information and stimulation, it will be more and more necessary to protect and nurture inner wisdom.  A Circle of Trust seasonal retreat series can help us do just that.”

Committing to a series retreat is the finest way to experience the depth of this work. Participants come together five times over a period of approximately eighteen months. The Seasonal process enables participants to listen more deeply and make life giving changes in their lives.

Leadership for Kirkridge Retreats will include one or more of the following leaders: 

Winton Boyd has been Senior Pastor at Orchard Ridge UCC church in Madison, WI since 1999.  In this position and previous positions in Fresno, CA and Minneapolis, MN he has functioned as a retreat leader, conflict mediator, service learning experience coordinator, youth worker, spiritual guide, and political activist.  Winton and his wife Tammy have three high school and college
aged children.


Valerie Brown

In 2003, Valerie was ordained by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh as a lay member of the Tien Hiep Order. Valerie has trained in holistic spirituality, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and with the Center for Courage and Renewal. She is a certified Kundalini yoga teacher and a frequent teacher at Kirkridge, Pendle Hill and other retreat centers throughout the United States.

Beverly Coleman is an experienced, independent consultant and facilitator. After more than 30 years experience as an educator/social worker, she retired from the public schools in 2002. She now works as a consultant/facilitator to the Center for Courage and renewal and the National Associations of Drug Court Professions. Her educational background as a public secondary school teacher and social worker, supports and maintains her interest and ability to work with various organization and professions as a retreat facilitator.

Kathy Gille has spent a lifetime working in politics – as an activist for peace and social justice, as a senior congressional aide, and as a strategic consultant to grassroots and advocacy groups.  She has worked as an advisor to The Faith and Politics Institute's Civil Rights Pilgrimages to Alabama and South Africa, and currently serves as a Senior Fellow with the human rights organization, The Washington Office on Latin America. She trained as a facilitator of Circle of Trust retreats as part of an ongoing exploration of ways to deepen our democracy.

Marcy Jackson, M.S.W., M.P.H. has worked with individuals, groups, and families as a child and family therapist in outpatient settings and on an Indian reservation related to experiences of grief and loss and marital and family issues. Marcy is Co-director of the Center for Courage & Renewal where she has primary responsibility for CCR courses and programs. She has been facilitating retreats, based on the Circle of TrustR approach, nationally and internationally since 1996.


SallyZ. Hare, Ph.D., is a teacher and a learner.. She is the Singleton Distinguished Professor Emerita at Coastal Carolina University, where she served for many years as Dean of the Graduate School and Continuing Education and was the founding director of the Center for Education and Community.  During her Kellogg fellowship in the early 90’s, Sally had the chance to meet Parker Palmer as she was exploring the concept of community. Parker invited her to work with him as he created The Courage to Teach. Since that time, she has worked with the national Center for Courage & Renewal and facilitated COURAGE TO TEACH® and COURAGE TO LEAD® and CIRCLE of TRUST programs in South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, Oregon, and Kansas, and leads circle of trust retreats nationally with educators, physicians, community leaders and other professionals.

Barbara Hummel, M.Ed., has a master's degree in counseling and personnel services. She has co-facilitated Circle of Trust retreats in the Midwest since 2002. In addition, Barb works with leaders and organizations to tap existing strengths and identify options to improve work environments and accelerate interpersonal development.  She has been affiliated with the national Center for Courage and Renewal since 1999, and currently serves on its Board of Directors.         

Russ Moxley until April, 2002, was a Senior Fellow at the Center for Creative Leadership, a nonprofit research and educational organization headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina. Now he designs and delivers leadership development workshops in for-profit and nonprofit organizations, coaches executives, does organizational consultation work, and facilitates Courage to Teach/ Courage to Lead/Courage to Serve retreats. In addition, Russ is a well-known public speaker.

  Jean Richardson since 2005 has served as the director of Kirkridge Retreat Center. Prior to this move she spent 10 years on the staff of Ghost Ranch as the Program Director and the Development Director. A trained facilitator of the Center for Courage and Renewal and an ordained Presbyterian minister, she has worked the last 14 years in retreat ministry. Prior to moving into retreat work, Jean served as an urban pastor and as a consultant and adjunct faculty member at San Francisco Theological Seminary.