Leading Through Loneliness Workshop
Compassionate Leadership in an Age of Disconnection
April 16, 2026 | Leading Through Loneliness Workshop with Lisa Baylis & Trymaine Gaither
April 16, 2026 | Leading Through Loneliness Workshop with Lisa Baylis & Trymaine Gaither
Thursday, April 16th at 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm PT
This workshop meets for one two-hour session on April 16th from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm PT, you can check any local time here.
Leading Through Loneliness: Compassionate Leadership in an Age of Disconnection
We are living in a time when many leaders feel more isolated than ever, stretched thin by responsibility, navigating uncertainty, and carrying the emotional weight of caring for others while often feeling disconnected themselves. Loneliness doesn’t always look like being alone; it often shows up as a quiet erosion of trust, belonging, and the sense that we’re in this together.
This interactive two-hour workshop invites leaders to explore loneliness not as a personal failure, but as a shared human and systemic challenge, one that calls for compassion, presence, and collective care rather than self-criticism or withdrawal.
Grounded in research and the practices of Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), the session weaves together reflection, guided practices, and small-group dialogue to help participants reconnect with themselves, one another, and the deeper values that sustain meaningful leadership. Together, we’ll explore what it means to keep showing up, with wisdom and kindness, even when it feels easier to pull away
Why Attend Now?
In an era marked by time pressure, rising inequality, and increasing disconnection, many leaders are being asked to do more with less: less rest, less support, less space to be human. This workshop offers a pause, a recalibration, and a reminder that leadership doesn’t have to be lonely work.
If you are looking for a way to lead that is both compassionate and grounded, that honors the realities of this moment while opening space for connection and care, this workshop is an invitation to begin, together.
Meet Your Facilitators
Lisa Baylis has been sharing well-being strategies for the last 20 years. A natural-born connector with an innate ability to make people feel valued and heard, she is a teacher, a counselor, a speaker, and a mother. Lisa is a published author of Self-Compassion for Educators and the creator of the AWE Method — Awakening Wellbeing for Educators — which merges self-care, mindfulness, and self-compassion.
As a teacher, Lisa has taught internationally and locally. Much of her vast teaching experience was gained in classrooms across British Columbia as a school counselor. She is currently a Doctoral student at UBCO while working in the role as Education Director for the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, the non-profit organization created by Drs. Kristin Neff and Chris Germer to spread self-compassion around the world.
Trymaine D. Gaither is the Special Assistant to the Provost for Access and Opportunity at Washington State University, where he supports faculty, staff, and campus leaders in strengthening well-being, teaching effectiveness, and humane learning environments through mindfulness and contemplative practices. He is a Certified Professional Coach, a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher (Level 2) trained through Brown University’s Center for Mindfulness, and a Trained Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Teacher. Trymaine also holds a professional certification through the International Mindfulness Teachers Association and serves as a Research Affiliate with Brown’s Center for Mindfulness.
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By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Identify loneliness and social disconnection as collective and systemic challenges that impact leadership, well-being, and professional effectiveness, rather than as individual deficits.
- Describe the psychological and physiological impacts of chronic loneliness, including its relationship to stress, self-criticism, withdrawal, and reduced engagement.
- Recognize how social atrophy can manifest internally (e.g., harsh inner critic, fear, numbness) and relationally (e.g., mistrust, disengagement) in leadership roles.
- Apply core Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) principles to meet difficult emotions associated with isolation and leadership strain.
- Practice evidence-based self-compassion strategies (e.g., labeling emotions, body awareness, soften–soothe–allow) to increase emotional regulation and resilience.
- Develop at least one concrete, values-aligned action for strengthening connection and engagement within their professional or community context.
Workshop Details
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Live Session
This Workshop meets online on for one live session, two hours total. Zoom details and other course information will be sent prior to workshop to all registered participants.
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Who Should Attend
This workshop is for anyone leading in demanding times who longs for more connection, less self-blame, and a way to lead that is both sustainable and human.
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Learning Objectives
- Feel a renewed sense of shared humanity and belonging, knowing they are not alone in what they’re carrying
- Have a clearer framework for understanding loneliness and disconnection in themselves, their teams, and their systems
- Learn simple, embodied self-compassion practices for meeting stress, grief, fear, or self-criticism with greater steadiness
- Identify one or two small, realistic ways to strengthen connection, with themselves and others, in their leadership context
- Leave with language, reflections, and practices they can return to when leadership feels heavy or isolating
Continuing Education
Fees for CE credit: $303.0 APA/3.6 BRN
*Must attend the workshop live to receive credits.Please see the dropdown box, below the course title, above the add to cart button to purchase.
For those licensed outside California, please check with your local licensing board to determine if CE credit is accepted.
Psychologists: Continuing Education Credit for this program is provided by UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This course offers 3.0 CE credit.
California licensed MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, LCSWs: Continuing Education Credit for this program is provided by UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. 3.0 CE credit may be applied to your license renewal through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. For those licensed outside California, please check with your local licensing board to determine if CE credit is accepted.
Nurses: UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16351, for 3.6 CE credit. -
Learning Intentions
This session is designed to help participants:
- Understand loneliness and social disconnection as collective and structural realities, not individual shortcomings
- Recognize how isolation and “social atrophy” can show up internally (e.g., harsh self-criticism, fear, withdrawal) and relationally (e.g., mistrust, disconnection)
- Cultivate self-compassion as a practical leadership resource for meeting difficult emotions without bypassing or burnout
- Strengthen the capacity to stay engaged, present, and relational — especially in hard moments
- Reimagine leadership as an act of showing up with care, rather than striving for perfection or certainty
Access to Materials and Session Recordings
The recording of the workshop will be uploaded within 48 hours of the workshop's conclusion. Participants will have access to the recording for 90 days. Access will be provided through CMSC's online learning platform. If you need assistance accessing your materials, please contact us at hello@centerformsc.org.
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
- Marie Curie
FAQs & Important Information
How do I purchase Continuing Education credits for this workshop?
Fees for CE credit: $30 *Must attend all classes live to receive credits.
Please see the dropdown box, below the course title, above the add to cart button to purchase.
For those licensed outside California, please check with your local licensing board to determine if CE credit is accepted.
Feel free to email hello@centerformsc.org for any follow up CE questions.
Psychologists: Continuing Education Credit for this program is provided by UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This course offers 3.0 CE credit.
California licensed MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, LCSWs: Continuing Education Credit for this program is provided by UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. 3.0 CE credit may be applied to your license renewal through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. For those licensed outside California, please check with your local licensing board to determine if CE credit is accepted.
Nurses: UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16351, for 3.6 CE credit.
If I'm unable to attend, can I request a refund?
Our entire Refund Policy is located here: https://centerformsc.org/cmsc-policies/
We encourage you to review the Refund Policy in its entirety. Below is important information that we would like you to be aware of before choosing to make a financial commitment with us.
All refund requests must be made via the refund request form at the link above.
Refunds must meet specific terms of eligibility to include the reason for requesting a refund.
Our Refund Policy (at the link above) includes details on when we are able and are not able to issue a full refund.
All refund request forms are reviewed by a small team of our staff. We ask for your patience and understanding when requesting a refund.
If you have any questions after reviewing our Refund Policy, feel free to reach out to us at hello@centerformsc.org
Important Info: Mindful Self-Compassion is not a substitute for Therapy
Our programs are designed to teach participants the tools needed to develop and cultivate a mindfulness and self-compassion practice.
It is not a substitute for mental health care, personal therapy or medical treatment.
Personal safety and emotional wellbeing are the foundation of self-compassion training and you are primarily responsible for your own safety.
Teachers and facilitators are not expected or able to provide medical and/or psychological care. Course experiences may bring up challenging memories or feelings.
If you have a history with a serious mental health condition or other concerns you think may impact your ability to take this course, please contact CMSC or your healthcare professional to determine if this course is right for you. Your personal contact information may be used in the event the teacher or facilitator reasonably determines a need to call emergency services on your behalf.
Important Info: Productive Participation in Courses & Workshops
Participation is at the discretion of the teachers and facilitators at all times.
If, in the opinion of the teachers and facilitators, you are unable to participate productively and appropriately in the course or workshop you have registered for, you may be asked to discontinue.
Decisions of removal are to ensure CMSC provides the safest space possible for our participants and teachers. Please see our refund policy regarding necessary participant removal.