Our Impact

Evidence of Positive Change

Video Testimonials

What People Are Saying About the Connection Practice

Rita Marie Johnson embodies integrity and demonstrates how to lead a meaningful, connected life. The work is easy to learn but takes a lifetime to master. This practice impacts all areas of life, from intimate relationships to self-talk. The financial investment is reasonable because Rita Marie wants the world to benefit from the Connection Practice.

Ellen WebsterCertified Connection Practice Trainer since 2009

The Connection Practice is absolutely amazing! I use it daily with students and parents/staff! Not sure how I functioned without it actually.

Susie FloydPre-K-4th Grade Counselor

I had some needs met I wasn’t even aware that I had. It was a deep experiential process and I resolved some inner struggles! I liked the fact that you had facilitators for our small groups.

Tony LeFrance Company Owner at Kickstart Orthotics and Prosthetic

As a school psychologist, I’ve seen firsthand the significant positive effect that practicing heart-brain coherence has on students, teachers and staff. Adding the skill related to empathy that is found in the Connection Practice makes that effect more powerful.

Barbara HinojosaPh.D., Licensed Specialist in School Psychology, Texas

Evidence in U.S. Schools

Cragmont Elementary – Berkeley, CA

I thought this school year was going to be the worst of my teaching career because I was getting a cohort of kids with reputations for being difficult and even violent. Because of the Connection Practice, it turned out to be the best year ever. I’m so proud that, at the end of this rough year of converting to distance learning, my class was the only one in the school that had 100% attendance. We stayed connected!

– Carole Goyen, 5th Grade Teacher

St. Mary School – Gilroy, CA

The Connection Practice has been implemented into 4th, 5th and 6th grade classrooms at St.
Mary School in Gilroy, CA. With the combination of magnetic and digital CP Boards, students
can resolve conflicts within the classroom and at home.

Current Community Impact

Juvenile Diversion Program

A Restorative Justice project of the South County Youth Task Force in California is teaching youth offenders with Spanish magnetic and digital CP Boards. The Connection Practice guides troubled youth to a healthy way to resolve issues so they can make amends with those they’ve hurt. This program lowers citations and provides an alternative to the juvenile justice system.

Extraordinary Results for Makoto, Masumi's Son

Masumi Takahasi, a Japanese business owner and CEO, is a certified Connection Practice trainer who shares this story:

One morning three years ago, my nine-year-old son, Makoto, told me he could not stand up. I thought he was joking and I tried to stand him up, but his leg muscles seemed to have no strength. We took him to the hospital but, after many exams, the doctors couldn’t figure out the cause of the problem. Makoto started using a wheelchair.

At that time, I had achieved my goal of bigger company profits. However, I believed that hard work “now” would give my family happiness “later.” So I worked even harder day and night. Then, one morning, I couldn’t get out of bed as my body wouldn’t move. Finally I somehow dragged myself up.

I was desperate to get out of this situation and a friend convinced me to buy “Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life” by Marshall Rosenberg. My wife and I did the exercises in it for six hours straight. For the first time, I got in touch with my painful feelings and cried and cried. After all the tears, hope emerged and the next morning, I was able to move.

Eventually I found the Connection Practice, which combines the empathy I discovered in Nonviolent Communication with insight through heart-brain coherence. When I was learning Part 2 of the Connection Practice, I used the case of my son not being able to walk and I guessed that my son was feeling lonely. The insight I got was an image of a walking trail in our neighborhood. I realized it had been a long time since I walked with Makoto and I could invite him to go for a walk.

At breakfast the next day, I asked Makoto, “Would you like to go for a walk with me on the next holiday?” He said, “Yes” with a radiant smile I had never seen before.

Then I asked, “I’m wondering, is it important to you to be connected heart-to-heart with me?” He thought for a while and then said, “YES”, again with a smile I had never seen before.

I had never noticed Makoto’s facial expression before and was only aware of it now because of the empathy and insight I’d learned from the Connection Practice.

That evening, after nearly two years, my son started walking again. When I heard that news, I fell to my knees in gratitude. My son had never told me he was lonely, but his body was communicating that by not walking. Now Makoto is healthy and he participated in the first Connection Practice Family Camp in 2016.

Since then, I spend as much time as possible with my family and I listen to them empathically. I’m happy just knowing my family is in good health.

Ready to experience the transformation for yourself?

Take the first step on your own journey of transformation with our Inner Wellness for Success course. As the core course in our learning track, it teaches you how to cultivate empathy and insight from the start. Explore Our Courses and Certifications or discover Inner Wellness for Success course and begin your path to personal growth and success.