CATHERINE CADDEN is an educator, storyteller, and dancer with over 25 years of experience in bringing innovative programs in nonviolence, mindfulness, and conflict transformation to people of all ages, on six continents. In 1997, she founded the TEMBA School, a visionary K–8 academic program which integrated nonviolent principles, mindfulness, art, and peace studies. In 2006, Catherine co-founded Play in the Wild! Initiations into Nonviolence for youth, families, and educators. Internationally recognized for her work, Catherine was a keynote speaker at the UNESCO Asia Pacific Education conference in 2012. Her work with her indigenous roots, elders, and teachers taught her to live interdependently with nature, which she shares with all who are willing to learn. She is a Center for Nonviolent Communication Certified Trainer and the author of Peaceable Revolution Through Education.
JESSE WIENS CHU is the founder of ZENVC, an approach to the practice of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) that integrates meditation, mindfulness, and inner work. He has a passion for bringing Eastern and Western wisdom to bear on the problems of today, supporting individuals, couples, and communities to come back into wholeness. In this, he draws from his own Chinese-American heritage, seven years of living and practicing in Zen monasteries, and training with NVC founder, Marshall Rosenberg, and Center for Understanding in Conflict co-founder, Gary Friedman. Jesse is a Center for Nonviolent Communication Certified Trainer and a former volunteer with BayNVC’s Restorative Justice program at San Quentin State Prison. He is also a contributing author to A Thousand Hands: A Guidebook to Caring for Your Buddhist Community.
Together, Catherine and Jesse live their practice with each other in Beloved partnership, one day at a time. They are co-authors of The Ongo Book: Everyday Nonviolence, and they support people around the world in the learning and real-world application of spiritual practices in a lively, experiential, and integrated way.