250-Hour EQ/RQ Certification
Evolve Your Relationships in 18 Months
Picture yourself six months from now…
- Walk into any room at ease, fully present, fully you. – Whether at work, with family, or in tough conversations, you become the person others trust and turn to.
- Stand out with high-demand relational skills. – Open doors to leadership, coaching, and facilitation by mastering what truly sets people apart.
- Feel steady and unshaken, no matter what’s happening around you. – End burnout and emotional overwhelm—not by shutting down, but by expanding your capacity to hold it all.
- Turn tense moments into breakthroughs. – Instead of avoiding hard conversations, you start transforming them—deepening trust, solving problems, and creating clarity.
- Grow faster than you thought possible. – This isn’t a slow, meandering process. You’ll experience shifts that usually take years, happening in months.
💡 This is not just training—it’s a transformational path.
This certification is designed for those who feel the call to deepen their emotional intelligence (EQ), relational intelligence (RQ), and spiritual awareness (SQ)—not just as theory, but as lived experience.
This is not a corporate leadership course. It is a structured, 18-month journey into mastery of self, relationship, and presence.
- ✔ You will be challenged.
- ✔ You will grow faster than you thought possible.
- ✔ You will emerge more grounded, more relationally skilled, and more attuned to yourself and others.
👉 If that excites you, read on.
Certification Requirements:
What Makes This Different?
Most programs teach emotional intelligence. We train it into you.
100% Experiential Learning – No long lectures, no boring slideshows. Every session is interactive, immersive, and transformational. Learn by Doing – Instead of just learning theory, you’ll be practicing in real time, with real people. Faster Growth Than Traditional Development – Research suggests it takes six years to advance one stage of development. This program accelerates that process for most people.* A Structured, Proven Path – This isn’t a collection of workshops—it’s a carefully curated process designed to move you forward. A True Learning Community – Small groups (often 5-15 participants) create a close-knit, supportive environment. Many join for the depth of connection and community as much as the training itself.
Who Thrives in This Program?
This certification is a great fit for those who:
- Seek real transformation. You’re not just checking a box—you’re stepping into a new way of being.
- Want to deepen emotional and relational intelligence. This work changes your relationships, leadership, and self-awareness.
- Are open to states of awareness, presence, and personal discovery.
- Are willing to sit in discomfort and work through growth edges.
- Value structured mentorship. You’ll learn from facilitators who model, teach, and challenge you toward real transformation.
This is not the right fit if you:
- Are looking for casual or surface-level training.
- Are unwilling to commit fully — we need you to be fully in.
- Prefer fully decentralized, self-directed learning without mentorship.
- Are uncomfortable with experiential learning. This is not a lecture-based course.
What You’ll Walk Away With
By the end of this journey, you will:
Remain steady & present in intense emotional moments. Transform relational conflict into clarity & connection. Navigate small group dynamics with leadership & skill. Develop relational mastery in your work, leadership, & personal life. Deepen your spiritual awareness & embodied presence.
This isn’t just about learning skills—it’s about becoming the person who naturally embodies them.
How It Works
Your 250-hour certification is built on a fully experiential model, including:
Relational Flow™ & T-Group Immersions – Develop emotional awareness, presence, and group flow. Monthly Relational Mastermind Group – A structured environment for integration, practice, and mastery. In-House Retreats – Intensive practice in a supportive, immersive container. Mini-Courses on Key Topics – Integral Relationship Theory, conflict resolution, and advanced communication. One-on-One Coaching or Therapy – 10 hours of private work with a therapist or coach of your choice.
Minimum time to certification: 18 months—because deep transformation takes time.
Full certification details are available here.
Also see FAQ below.
How to Get Started
You have two options to begin:
Commit up front – Get the all-inclusive package with discounted retreats (pricing coming soon).
HeartFire Membership – Maintain membership while accumulating your hours.
Most of our trainings are already listed on our community calendar—just subscribe to stay updated.
Your future self is waiting. Are you in?
FAQ Section:
The Role of Mentorship
Mentorship in this program is about guidance, modeling, and co-exploration—but let’s be clear: this is not a small ask.
We’re asking you to trust us for 250 hours of training. That’s a deep commitment. And we want to be equally clear about how we hold power in this space, what we expect from you, and how this relationship works.
The Polarity of Mentorship: Map vs. Direct Experience
A mentor is, on the one hand, someone who has walked the path ahead of you. Our role is to show you a map of landscapes you may not have explored yet, helping you see beyond your current frames of reference and open new possibilities.
To step into this work, we ask you to:
- Be open to new ideas and practices, even those that challenge your existing ways of being.
- Try on alternative perspectives for a few months before deciding whether they fit.
At the same time, mentors are just human beings. No map is complete. No framework is universal. Growth doesn’t come from swallowing what we say wholesale but from applying it to your life and discovering your own truth.
We ask you to:
- Stay discerning. Hold new ideas lightly—let them shape your experience without rigidly accepting or rejecting them.
- Integrate, not imitate. Take what serves you, test it in your life, and make it your own.
- Find a way to play full out, in line with your higher values. Help us make things work.
This is the polarity of mentorship: we show you the map, but only you can discover the terrain. This is not passive learning. You are expected to engage fully, reflect deeply, and show up for your own transformation.
Relational Depth vs. Professional Distance
Another area of misunderstanding is how facilitators and participants relate. Many expect leaders to maintain a professional distance, revealing little of themselves.
That doesn’t work in this setting.
Relational work requires real relating. Our facilitators will meet you at a depth you may never have experienced—even in your closest friendships or marriages. This is what makes this work transformational.
If you have questions about how we navigate the ethics and boundaries of dual relationships in this setting, please ask.
Spiritual Friendship & The Mentor-Student Dynamic
This program follows a structured mentorship model, but not a guru-disciple one.
Some describe this as “spiritual friendship”—a shared journey where mentors guide, model, and challenge, but each person is ultimately responsible for their own awakening.
Think of it as a structured apprenticeship:
- You will learn through direct experience, reflection, and feedback.
- You will be challenged, but always in the spirit of your growth.
- You are expected to bring yourself fully into the work.
If you are uncomfortable with structured mentorship, this is not the right fit.
Yes. In several ways.
Is it tested?
Yes. We have run hundreds of workshops using T-Group and Relational Flow, refining the methodology with similar practices over a decade of hands-on experience. Since 2014, our community has been actively testing and evolving these practices. Our founders have trained in Authentic Relating and similar disciplines since 2012, consistently witnessing profound transformation in themselves and participants. The results speak for themselves.
Is it evidence-based?
Our program is too new to have been manualized (written in a specific manual and tested in a psychometrics laboratory for formal results). That is the challenge with cutting edge programs: they are based on research, but it takes 30+ years to validate them and call them “evidence-based.”
Our work is based directly on approaches and tools that are both research-based and evidence-based. Here is a summary of the underlying research supporting our claim that our program can speed up vertical development by approximately one stage in 250 hours with us, as opposed to a usual time frame of 6-10 years:
Our program, with its intensive 250-hour experiential learning format, small-group immersion, and structured study of developmental frameworks (e.g., Wilber’s Integral Theory), is designed to accelerate vertical growth beyond what is typical in self-guided development.
While research suggests that a full developmental stage shift can take five years or more [1], studies indicate that focused, well-designed interventions can significantly shorten this timeline [2][3][4]. For example, one study found that participants in a structured developmental program advanced at least one stage within two years [3], and other research on intensive vertical learning programs suggests that leaders can shift one to two stages within 1-2 years [1][4].
This acceleration is likely due to several factors inherent in our approach, including:
The creation of a highly supportive learning context [3][5]
Deep experiential engagement—learning by doing, not just by thinking [5][6]
Conscious attention to personal and relational development [7]
That said, growth is not automatic. Development is a deeply personal journey that requires commitment, practice, and integration beyond structured training [5]. Timelines vary, and true transformation is sustained through ongoing engagement with the practices and community.
This program provides a powerful catalyst—but like any transformational path, its impact depends on your level of participation, openness, and willingness to do the work.
Additional Research on Acceleration Through Meditation & Microexperiences
Here are a few points with sources supporting the claim that meditation and microexperiences also support faster vertical development in the context of our program:
• Meditation facilitates postconventional development and higher states of consciousness.
Research suggests that the daily practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a facilitator of postconventional development. In a longitudinal study, a significant percentage of TM practitioners scored at or beyond Loevinger’s Autonomous level. Furthermore, regular experiences resulting from practices like TM should enhance growth through the stages of ego development, and individuals reporting sustained postrepresentational experiences should at least be at the highest stages of the third tier of ego development [2]. Even if transcendental consciousness can be experienced relatively quickly regardless of initial developmental level, consistent practice appears to support sustained development [2].
Other forms of meditation, including Buddhist meditation, Transcendental Meditation, Chi Gung, Tai Chi, Jewish meditation, Sufi tradition meditation, and Christian centering prayer, are practiced by leaders who develop higher levels of awareness and intent [8]. Meditation can cultivate attentiveness that Co-Creator-level leaders bring into their daily lives [8]. Our programs involve extended relational meditations, which produce experiences of the same states of awareness as TM and other modalities that are research-based.
• Meditation cultivates necessary levels of awareness and intent for vertical growth.
Leaders at postheroic stages are much more likely to engage in some form of attentional practice, such as meditation, on a regular basis, intentionally bringing it into their leadership activities [9]. Successively more refined attentional practices allow people to cultivate the levels of awareness and intent needed to grow into and stabilize increasingly advanced stages of postconventional development [8].
Meditation is also key to satisfying the human desire for altered states of consciousness in healthy ways [9]. It can provide access to inner processes and support focus, awareness, and emotional regulation [10].
• Microexperiences accelerate skill development through on-the-job application and reflection.
Our programs involve relational microexperiences during our sessions and as part of at-home exercises. Microexperiences are small chunks of experiential learning embedded in daily work, such as intentionally practicing active listening. They enable leaders to blend learning and working, addressing the learning transfer problem. This approach allows for more frequent “reps” of developmental activity [11].
Powerful growth can occur through action and reflection within these experiences, raising awareness and stimulating responsibility. While complex skills take time, a series of related microexperiences can substantially accelerate skill development by emphasizing different aspects and increasing difficulty [11]. The weekly cycle of task completion and reflection inherent in microexperience programs strengthens self-development muscles, independent of the specific content [6].
Partial Bibliography of Recent Research Supporting Our Program:
1. Integral Review Editorial Board. (2020). Journal of Integral Review, 16(1).
2. Pfaffenberger, A., Marko, P., Combs, A., & Cook-Greuter, S. (2011). The postconventional personality: Assessing, researching, and theorizing higher development. State University of New York Press.
3. Esbjörn-Hargens, S., ed. (2010). Journal of Integral Theory and Practice, 5(2).
4. Integral Review Editorial Board. (2009). Journal of Integral Review, 5(2).
5. Cherniss, C., & Goleman, D. (2001). The emotionally intelligent workplace: How to select for, measure, and improve emotional intelligence in individuals and groups. Jossey-Bass.
6. Parker, S. (2020). Creating scalable leadership development at a large company. Harvard Business Review.
7. McGuire, J. B., & Rhodes, G. (2009). Transforming your leadership culture. Center for Creative Leadership.
8. Joiner, B., & Josephs, S. (2006). Leadership Agility: Five Levels of Mastery for Anticipating and Initiating Change. Jossey-Bass.
9. Esbjörn-Hargens, S., ed. (2011). Journal of Integral Theory and Practice, 6(4).
10. Integral Review Editorial Board. (2015). Journal of Integral Review, 11(2).
11. Parker, J. (2024). Using Microexperiences to Develop More Leaders Faster: 10X Impact at 1/10th the Cost. Web-published white paper, available online at: Vertical.Dev.
Recommended Reading on the Philosophical Underpinnings of Our Work:
Ken Wilber, Integral Psychology and Integral Spirituality.
Robert Kegan, In Over Our Heads and Immunity to Change
Frederic Laloux, Reinventing Organizations
Mariana Caplan, Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path
✔ Most trainings are intimate (5-10 participants), creating a strong sense of community.
✔ This is not just about skill-building. Many participants join because they are seeking deep, meaningful connection after years of feeling isolated.
✔ You will practice relational skills in real-time, in a deeply supportive yet challenging container.
Many describe this as the deepest sense of belonging they’ve felt in years.
Again, do not expect this to feel like a corporate training. Expect a casual, high trust setting where you can try new ways of relating. Where you can let go.
Guiding Vision
We are here to transform the way humans relate—to themselves, each other, and the world.
We believe Relational Meditation is one of the most powerful, life-changing practices available—yet it remains rare. Our vision is to make these practices mainstream, accessible, and deeply integrated into personal, professional, and spiritual growth.
We are committed to creating the most effective, engaging, and transformational experiences on the planet—where deep insight, embodied learning, and real human connection come alive.
Guiding Values
We hold ourselves and our community to these core principles:
Love – Rooted in care, connection, and mutual upliftment.
Alignment – Living in coherence with the highest Truths.
Integrity – Walking the talk, aligning actions with values.
Evolution – Committed to continuous personal and collective growth.
Embodiment – Being fully here in this world, in this body.
Freedom – Honoring sovereignty, agency, and self-responsibility.
Wisdom – Seeking depth, discernment, and clarity in all things.
Kindness – Choosing compassion as a fundamental way of relating.
Presence – Being fully here, now, with what is.
Connection – We awaken in relationship, not in isolation.
Aliveness – Commitment to bring ourselves to life no matter the circumstances.
Openness – Willing to be changed by what we encounter.
Curiosity – Engaging the unknown with wonder instead of fear.
Bravery – Facing what is difficult while overcoming obstacles.
Mission
We create immersive learning environments where relational meditations and advanced coaching techniques support individuals in: Rapidly expanding awareness. Refining their ability to navigate complexity with presence and skill. Embodying deeper, more connected, and more impactful ways of being in the world.
Through experiential practice, deep community, and high-integrity mentorship, we accelerate human development—bringing transformative relational skills into the mainstream and creating a world where awareness, connection, and growth are the norm, not the exception.
We’ll give a short answer, and then a long-form answer you might find fascinating!
Short:
Spirituality in this training isn’t about belief—it’s about experience.
There is a common misperception that personal growth, deep relationships, and spiritual practice are separate—but they’re not.
We approach spirituality as direct perception—how we see, how we relate, and how we grow. You don’t have to believe in anything to step in, experience the practices, and notice what shifts.
We do present some theory around this using Ken Wilber’s work as a framework, but ultimately this isn’t abstract. Spiritual intelligence shows up in how we meet life, how we navigate complexity, and how we deepen connection.
If you’re open to trying, testing, and seeing what unfolds, you’ll fit right in. If you’ve had bad experiences with religion or spirituality in the past, you’ll probably be okay here.
But if you’re the type who avoids looking within, or who endlessly debates anything spiritual to hide behind a closed mind, you will not enjoy this.
Definitions
There are dozens of definitions of the word spiritual. In this training, spirituality is not about belief—it is about direct experience, perception, and transformation.
We see spiritual awakening not as a mystical end-goal, but as an unfolding—a progressive deepening of perception that reveals layers of Reality that were once invisible. These shifts are not abstract; they show up in how we relate, in the quality of our presence, and in the ways we navigate complexity.
All adults possess some degree of spiritual intelligence—the capacity to make meaning, to perceive beyond the material, and to orient toward deeper realities. Religion is simply the outer form that this intelligence takes. Many have had difficult experiences with religion, and yet, all humans engage in rituals, in meaning-making, in practices that connect them to something beyond themselves.
Our approach is eclectic yet structured, relational yet precise. The founder, Benji, has training in Tantric Buddhism, Theosophy, Brazilian Spiritism, and Neotantra and is influenced by thinkers such as Ken Wilber, Allan Kardec, Alice Bailey, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and Adyashanti. These influences shape our teaching, not as dogma, but as a living synthesis of practices that can fit within many worldviews.
Rather than requiring a specific belief system, what we ask is openness—the willingness to test new perspectives, to engage in direct experience, and to allow your understanding of spirituality to evolve.
At the same time, we recognize that every space has implicit assumptions. Ours differ from the norms of Western materialism. Here is what you can expect:
The Role of Belief & Inquiry in This Space
We welcome diverse perspectives, but we teach from our own. You are invited to integrate what resonates, to explore, to digest new insights in your own way.
We do not flatten all views to be equal. We do not pretend that all perspectives are equally deep, integrated, or complete.
Skepticism is welcome—but true skepticism is self-reflective. It’s healthy to question the existence of experiences you have not had yet. We value discernment. Questioning whether you have chakras? Great. Explore the practices and your own sensations… explore how your doubts might block the experience. And apply the same level of scrutiny to materialism and reductionism.
No worldview is required—but openness to transformation is. You do not need to believe everything, but you must be willing to engage.
Mentorship is valid and necessary for growth. Development accelerates when we learn from those ahead of us.
This is a developmental space. If you are here, we assume you want to grow and will challenge you to do so. In this way, there is a yang bias to the space, a bias toward change.
The Nature of Relational & Transformational Practice
Relational practice is a direct path to transformation. Growth doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens by authentic interactions with others.
Tension is not a problem to solve—it is a doorway. Sitting with discomfort moves us forward. Clearing connections moves us forward. Avoiding these keeps us stuck. In this way, we hold a yang bias toward staying in discomfort and clearing tensions in our connections with others in service of growth.
Leaving is always an option, but so is breaking through. We balance self-care with challenge, recognizing that the moments when you most want to run may be the very ones where deep transformation begins. Our job is to challenge you, your job is to do what is best for your soul. Our agreement of “Honor Self” means that you help us balance this.
Relational meditation practices are not just tools—they are the path itself. This is not just a set of techniques to use when convenient; it is a way of being.
Boundaried spaces create freedom. Structure enables depth, not limitation.
Connection is preferable to disconnection. Autonomy is valued, but a tangible state of group Relational Flow is the goal in most of our sessions. (A state of Relational Flow is that sense of “Wow, that was an amazing session! I feel so connected to everyone.” This is why openness, connection and curiosity are held as important values in our space.
The Nature of Reality & Spirituality
When we teach and present the practices, we operate within the following assumptions, which come from our early studies as a community on the work of Ken Wilber, which we generally use as a guiding framework. This helps us have common terminology and a map to unite behind, even when we disagree.
Spirituality is not just a concept or theory or dogma—it is how we meet reality, how we expand perception, how we refine the way we see.
Consciousness is not just a byproduct of the brain. It is fundamental to reality.
Spiritual development is real and measurable. It unfolds in stages, just like cognitive and emotional development.
Energy is objectively and demonstrably real (and the science behind it is fascinating). The subtle body, energetic fields, and expanded states of consciousness are lived experiences, not just metaphors.
We assume authenticity in those describing spiritual experiences. While projection exists, we engage with curiosity rather than dismissal.
Truth evolves. No single worldview has the final answer, but some perspectives are more complete than others.
The Invitation
If you’re reading this far, something in you already knows this is your work.
Maybe you’ve spent years seeking deeper connection, trying to find a space where you can bring all of yourself—your emotions, your intensity, your longing for something more.
Maybe you’ve grown beyond the frameworks you were given—professionally, relationally, spiritually—and you’re looking for a path that meets you where you actually are.
Maybe you’re tired of talking about personal growth and want to experience transformation in real time.
This is not a passive space.
We don’t flatten depth for comfort, and we don’t pretend all perspectives lead to the same place. We don’t pretend you can do deep relational work without talking about spirituality.
This is a dojo, a temple, a lab for relational and spiritual awakening. It will challenge you. It will stretch you. It will show you things about yourself that you can’t see alone.
You don’t have to believe what we believe. You don’t have to accept every framework. But we ask you to be open to the experiment—to stepping in, trying it on, and seeing what happens.
If that excites you, you’re exactly where you need to be.
Welcome.
Being an empath is a gift—a way of sensing what others cannot, of feeling deeply into the subtle layers of human experience. It allows you to pick up on what’s unspoken, to understand what even others may not yet recognize in themselves.
Many of us in this community—including most of the facilitators—are empaths. The founder, Benji, has studied metaphysical teachings on these topics, including training as a Spiritist medium, and in-depth study of Alice Bailey’s writings on transmuting emotions and Swami Rudrananda’s work on digesting energy. As part of this program, we will help you develop the practices and capacities needed to manage your gifts, so that your sensitivity becomes a source of strength rather than exhaustion.
Here’s what you need to know as an empath in this training:
✔ You will feel a lot. This work doesn’t numb or dull sensitivity—it refines it. You’ll learn to process emotions more cleanly so they don’t weigh you down.
✔ Overwhelm is part of the path—but not the destination. Many empaths describe a paradox: to stop feeling so much, we must first allow ourselves to feel more. There is a natural “hump” in the process—where it may seem like sensitivity is increasing before it stabilizes into clarity and presence.
✔ You will learn how to radiate instead of absorb. Instead of being a sponge for external emotions, you will develop the ability to digest what you take in and radiate energy outward. This shift changes everything.
For most empaths who commit to this work, these practices become life-giving and nourishing—a deep relief from the weight of carrying too much, a welcome reprieve from a world that does not understand you.
If this resonates, you are in the right place.
Some authentic relating techniques involve suggesting connecting hands or similar techniques. Our guidelines make it so that you can modify this to suit your needs.
Authentic Relating also can involve giving people the space to act authentically – which might involve choosing to hug, tap toes, push, or otherwise engage in creative ways. There is often a playful vibe in our workshops.
We understand how sensitive touch is for many people, especially where there is a trauma history. Please reach out to us with specific questions. Ultimately, the expectation in our community is: “Honor Self.” This means we expect you to be 100% self-responsible for your own well-being. We also expect people to “Honor Other” where possible – to act consensually and with care for each other’s well-being.
There is related information on this on our main FAQ, at the bottom of the page here.
That depends—who do you want to be a year from now?
🚀 Option 1: Close this tab, keep doing what you’ve always done, and wonder in six months if you should have said yes.
🔥 Option 2: Trust that feeling in your gut—the one that’s saying, “This is the work I need.” Hit the button. Step in. Your future self is already waiting.
👉 Still overthinking it? That’s a pattern too. Break it—apply now.