Right Use of Power Institute

UNTRIGGERABLE: How Mastering our Triggers Awakens Love in our World: Thought Leader Webinar
2024-09-26 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | https://rightuseofpower.org/event/untriggerable-thought-leader-webinar/
This program presented by Jim Dreaver primarily invites us into the realm of Personal Power. As RUP evolves, we are finding that rooting deeply into our personal power and working with our past woundings is profoundly important as a strong foundation for our work in the other types of power.
This process is not a RUPI course, but is, as a Thought-Leader program, an opportunity to explore. Please note that there will be no Thought-Leader program in October. Please come to our RUPI Conference, Oct 18-20!

UNTRIGGERABLE: How Mastering our Triggers Awakens Love in our World
I teach a fast path to inner peace—learning to love our triggers, those times when we emotionally react to someone or something. After all, our triggers show us where we are not yet free.
We must realize that it is our ego “I” that gets triggered, not our true “self,” the deep, functional “I” within us, which is always alert, aware, and responsive to this moment.
When we are triggered, we affirm the mind-blowing mantra, “Who is this ‘me’ that gets triggered?” (that gets frustrated, angry, upset, worried, fearful etc.) and look within.
But what we discover is that the “me,” the “I” exists only as a thought, a concept, a belief, a “story” that comes-and-goes in the spacious awareness we always are.
‘
The more we realize this, the freer we are. Our ego no longer has power over us, and we create a new “story,” one that comes from a profound inner knowing, and compassion for everyone!

Jim Dreaver

Jim Dreaver, a native of New Zealand, served with NZ forces in the Vietnam War, then worked as a chiropractor in northern California. He was on a spiritual journey for many years, before finally waking up to the fact that he was not his ego “I,” nor any other thought or “story,” in 1995.
He is the author of End Your Story, Begin Your Life (Hampton Roads) The Way of Harmony (Avon), and The Ultimate Cure (Llewellyn) and has taught at Esalen Institute and elsewhere for many years. His newest book is Untriggerble: How Mastering our Triggers Awakens Love in our World here: https://www.jimdreaver.com

The Wheel of Consent and Personal Power: Thought Leader Webinar
2024-11-21 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | https://rightuseofpower.org/event/wheel-of-consent-thought-leader-webinar/
The Wheel of Consent and Right Use of Power have been called “a match made in heaven”. What do these practices have to do with each other and where do they overlap? How can each of them shed light on the other?

The Wheel of Consent is designed to help you develop personal awareness and skills around receiving and giving touch, and a lot else in relationship. This involves noticing what you want and what you are okay with, noticing the difference between those two, and communicating that. It’s a practice that deepens both self-responsibility and generosity. And because it’s a somatic practice, the learning lands deeply in your body and psyche.

Betty is very much looking forward to diving in with us about how the Wheel of Consent and the Right Use of Power intersect.

Betty Martin

Dr. Betty Martin has had her hands on people professionally for over 40 years. First as a Chiropractor, then after retiring from that practice, as a sex coach and certified surrogate partner. Those experiences taught her that when it comes to touch (and a lot else), who is doing the touching is a different question than who it’s for. When you are touching someone, are you doing what they want or what you want? And why does it matter? She developed the Wheel of Consent, wrote a book about it, and travels the world teaching it to other professionals.
bettymartin.org
wheelofconsentbook.com

Using Power Wisely and Well: Thought Leader Webinar
2025-01-23 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | https://rightuseofpower.org/event/using-power-wisely-thought-leader-webinar/
In a time when we seem to be hearing more about misuses and abuses of power than about power used for the common good, we want to shine a light on people who are using their power wisely and well. In a time when, wanting to avoid causing harm, people unconsciously misuse power by disowning it, we want to illuminate the good that power can bring. In a time when the shadow of power overwhelms and distresses, we want to get more and more clear about the perils and pitfalls of power. This will allow us to become increasingly self-aware and avoid the tendencies to self-centeredness, greed, need for control and adulation, and loss of empathy that so often accompany increasing access to power.

In this hour together, we will have a chance to listen and to talk with people in high role-power positions who are using their power well and shaping it for good. Let’s see what they have to say about being tempted and tested, how they have responded, and what they’ve learned about power. In contrast to when power is abused, when power is used humbly and well, we hardly notice, Things are smooth, conflicts get handled, mistakes learned from, and multiple people get acknowledged.

In further announcements about this Thought-Leader program, we will be letting you know who our guests will be.

Doorways to Increasing Power Awareness: Thought Leader Webinar
2025-02-20 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | https://rightuseofpower.org/event/doorways-to-increasing-power-thought-leader-webinar/
These are dangerous times of global ecological overshoot, abuse of power and system collapse. Join us this month on a contemplative journey through some relevant themes. Through slides, readings, poems, and questions, we will open doorways of power awareness. First the doorway of dark predicament, then the doorways of complicated hope, awe, re-orienting, and guidance for moving forward. How can our power-conscious understandings help us to orient and act powerfully toward the common good? Led by Cedar Barstow using her personal selection of inspiring and thought-provoking readings and resources. There will be time for self-reflection and then sharing at the end of the hour.

Dr. Cedar Barstow

Dr. Cedar Barstow is the founder and executive director emerita of The Right Use of Power Institute. She is a consultant and teacher on ethics and ethical issues. She has been designing, developing, and teaching this approach since 1994. Cedar’s background includes 30 years as a psychotherapist and 25 years as a teacher. She is the author of books and articles on ethics, counseling with elders, women and independence, and psychotherapy and spirituality. Cedar is also a Hakomi Experiential Psychology Trainer and a member of the Naropa University Adjunct Faculty.

Power Consciousness: Using Down-role Power Wisely and Well: Thought Leader Webinar
2025-03-20 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | https://rightuseofpower.org/event/using-down-role-power-wisely-well-thought-leader-webinar/
Up-role power isn’t all power and down-role power isn’t no power, even though it sometimes may seem that way. As we change roles from teacher to student, therapist to client, doctor to patient and so on, the power dynamic also changes. Join us for a discussion with our panel about down-role power experiences. Our panel members are Dave Medema, Kelly Sheeran, and Janet Zahn. We’ll be talking about power differential relationship changes and challenges, and also how to navigate and use down-role power influence wisely and well. This is another opportunity to increase your power consciousness.
Facilitated by: Fenna Diephius RUP Teacher

Cultivating Personal Power in Chaotic Times: Thought Leader Webinar
2025-04-17 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | https://rightuseofpower.org/event/cultivating-personal-power-thought-leader-webinar/
What does it mean to have personal power in these times of being perpetually bombarded with heart crushing news, climate crisis, and human rights atrocities. Our central nervous systems are activated at levels that could be considered traumatic. How do we anchor into our personal power in such chaotic times?
RUPI members and teachers Maya Shaw Gale and Fenna Diephuis will share their thoughts, experiences, and practices, and engage participants to share theirs. Together we can explore human potential, the importance of Personal and Collective power rooted in Universal power, or the Higher Mind we all embody.

Fenna Diephius RUP Teacher

Maya Shaw Gale RUP Teacher

When Personal Power Feels Dangerous: Thought Leader Webinar
2025-05-15 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | https://rightuseofpower.org/event/personal-power-feels-dangerous-thought-leader-webinar/
Childhood trauma can disconnect us from our true nature. Growing up in challenging circumstances, we develop survival strategies that separate us from our personal power—a disconnection that initially kept us safe but eventually becomes limiting. As adults, though we no longer need these protective mechanisms, we may still feel threatened by reclaiming our authentic power.
Right Use of Power trainings are designed to help us become more Power-Conscious. Although the model that Sarah will be bringing to this Thought-Leader program is not part of the RUPI curriculum, we expect it will support your becoming more Power-
Conscious and effective.
The NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) helped this month's guest reconnect with her personal power and overcome self-shame. NARM is a cutting-edge approach to healing attachment, relational, and developmental trauma by addressing the unconscious patterns that create lifelong psychobiological symptoms and relationship difficulties. These early patterns of disconnection profoundly impact our identity, emotions, physiology, behavior, and capacity for meaningful connection. Healing these patterns ultimately help us exercise our right use of power.

Sarah Buino:

Sarah is trained as a Right Use of Power Facilitator and also serves as Chair of RUPI’s Mission Circle (Board of Directors). We are delighted to introduce her as our presenter this month.
Sarah Buino, LCSW, RDDP, CADC, NMT, is a multi-talented therapist, speaker, educator, consultant, and visionary founder of the therapy practice Head/Heart Therapy, Inc, and business consulting organization Head/Heart Business Therapy. As an esteemed member of Loyola University Chicago’s adjunct faculty and dynamic podcast host, Conversations With a Wounded Healer, she passionately advocates for personal growth and collective action.

Gender and Power: Thought Leader Webinar
2025-06-19 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | https://rightuseofpower.org/event/gender-and-power-thought-leader-webinar/
Join us for an open conversation featuring our guest thought leader, Mischa Byruck (he/him), the founder of “Evolve Men” and “Beyond Consent.” He will be joined by Amanda Aguilera (she/her), the Executive Director of the Right Use of Power Institute, and Cedar Barstow (she/her), the founder of RUPI.
We welcome people of all genders into this conversation. Please bring your thoughts and questions as we explore the multifaceted topics of gender and power.
Mischa Byruck:

Mischa Byruck (He/him) is a men’s sexual integrity coach. As an expert in accountability and harm reduction following accusations, callouts and cancellations, he has supported over 100 clients to transmute conflict into transformation. As a writer, he has been published in O.School, the New Modality, and The Good Men Project. He is a professionally trained coach, with supplemental training in abuser counseling and sexuality, and a leader and advisor to Sacred Sons. He holds a certificate in Somatic Trauma Therapy from the Embody Lab, as well as a BA from Columbia and an MPA from NYU.
Founder, Evolve.Men and Beyond Consent
Instagram: @mischabyruck

What To Do About The Biases Inside Us?: Thought Leader Webinar
2025-09-18 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | https://rightuseofpower.org/event/what-to-do-about-the-biases-inside-us/
Join us for an open conversation featuring our guest thought leader, Dr. Cedar Barstow, Founder of the Right Use of Power Institute.
We all have biases. What are they? How do they impact (and often interfere with) our conversations, our views, our openness to feedback, and, of course, how we use the power of our influence? How do we compensate for these impacts? We’ll be exploring two particular biases: Confirmation bias and Negativity bias. We will also be looking at the related issue of the harmful idealizing/devaluing dynamic that can afflict leaders at every level. Join us!
Dr. Cedar Barstow

Cedar (she/her) is a consultant and teacher on ethics and ethical issues. She has been designing, developing, and teaching this approach since 1994. Cedar’s background includes 30 years as a psychotherapist and 25 years as a teacher.
She is the author of books and articles on ethics, counseling with elders, women and independence, and psychotherapy and spirituality. Cedar is also a Hakomi Experiential Psychology Trainer and a member of the Naropa University Adjunct Faculty. She maintains a private psychotherapy and ethics consulting practice in Boulder/Denver and teaches both Right Use of Power™ and Hakomi nationally and internationally.
The Right Use of Power™ educational materials and exercises were developed by Cedar over a period of 20 years and dozens of trainings.
These teachings have been influenced by many sources in Cedar’s background. She is particularly grateful for her extensive experiences as an administrator, therapist, and trainer of the the Hakomi Method of Experiential Psychotherapy, chair of both the Hakomi Institute International Ethics Committee (HIEC) and the United States Association of Body Psychotherapy (USABP) Ethics Committee, ethics expert contributor to GoodTherapy.org, consultant to numerous organizations, and ceremonialist with the Earth Song Ceremonial Dance Community.

Hopi Perspectives on the Wise Use of Power: Thought Leader Webinar
2025-11-20 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | https://rightuseofpower.org/event/hopi-perspectives-on-the-wise-use-of-power-thought-leader-webinar/
Join us for an open conversation featuring our guest thought leader, Ruben Saufkie — a Hopi wisdom keeper from the Water Clan, fine silversmith, and international teacher who shares about Hopi culture in Arizona, the sacred nature of water, and the wisdom of Hopi prophecy.
~ WATER IS LIFE ~
We are Water ~ Flow like Water.
Lightning and Thunder are Energy
~ to give us strength to endure
ALL challenges we face in life.
~ Ruben Saufkie Sr.
Ruben be speaking with us about Hopi perspectives on the wise use of power and how we share power with non-human beings and Mother Earth herself.
Join us!
Hosted by Maya Shaw Gale and founder, Cedar Barstow
Maya Shaw Gale

Maya Shaw Gale is a Board Certified (BCC) life and leadership coach, a certified Hakomi practitioner and trainer, an energy medicine teacher, and an advanced RUP teacher. Over the past year, she has been part of a team developing a RUP coaching and consulting application. Based in Sedona, Arizona, Maya maintains a private practice where she coaches community and business leaders, healers, spiritual teachers, artists, and highly sensitive and empathic individuals.
Throughout her life, she has studied with a number of shamanic and indigenous teachers and is deeply committed to integrating indigenous perspectives of interconnectedness and reverence for all life into contemporary culture. She has served on the Board of the Tribal Trust Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting indigenous cultures and supporting wisdom keepers in sharing their teachings. Currently, she is collaborating with two corporate consultants to develop Business Beyond Usual, a new-paradigm approach to business.
Dr. Cedar Barstow

Cedar (she/her) is a consultant and teacher on ethics and ethical issues. She has been designing, developing, and teaching this approach since 1994. Cedar’s background includes 30 years as a psychotherapist and 25 years as a teacher.
She is the author of books and articles on ethics, counseling with elders, women and independence, and psychotherapy and spirituality. Cedar is also a Hakomi Experiential Psychology Trainer and a member of the Naropa University Adjunct Faculty. She maintains a private psychotherapy and ethics consulting practice in Boulder/Denver and teaches both Right Use of Power™ and Hakomi nationally and internationally.
The Right Use of Power™ educational materials and exercises were developed by Cedar over a period of 20 years and dozens of trainings.
These teachings have been influenced by many sources in Cedar’s background. She is particularly grateful for her extensive experiences as an administrator, therapist, and trainer of the the Hakomi Method of Experiential Psychotherapy, chair of both the Hakomi Institute International Ethics Committee (HIEC) and the United States Association of Body Psychotherapy (USABP) Ethics Committee, ethics expert contributor to GoodTherapy.org, consultant to numerous organizations, and ceremonialist with the Earth Song Ceremonial Dance Community.

Power Mapping Tool with Jeff Couillard: Thought Leader Webinar January 2026
2026-01-15 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | https://rightuseofpower.org/event/power-mapping-tool-with-jeff-coulliard-thought-leader-webinar-january-2026/
This interactive thought-leader program invites participants into a practical, real-time exploration of power as it shows up in everyday relationships and organizational life. Together, we will work with a simple power-mapping tool to examine live, real-world power dynamics and power struggles, moving beyond theory into direct application.

Participants will leave with an actionable framework they can immediately use to better understand and navigate a current conflict or tension, whether personal or professional. The session is designed to be accessible and valuable across roles and contexts, offering meaningful insights for people at any level of leadership or experience with the Right Use of Power.

Jeff’s bio

Jeff Couillard is a Facilitator for the Right Use of Power™ and a past president of the RUPI Board of Directors. He is Co.CEO and Chief Learning Architect at The Ally Co. (TACO), where he helps senior leaders and their teams to connect with their power, align with what is most meaningful, and take positive action towards it.

Having spent his earlier years leading teams and helping to build leading addiction treatment programs, Jeff has developed a skill set and approach to change that is grounded in the human experience and a deep understanding of power and motivation.

Hosted by RUP founder, Cedar Barstow

Cedar Barstow

Cedar (she/her) is a consultant and teacher on ethics and ethical issues. She has been designing, developing, and teaching this approach since 1994. Cedar’s background includes 30 years as a psychotherapist and 25 years as a teacher.
She is the author of books and articles on ethics, counseling with elders, women and independence, and psychotherapy and spirituality. Cedar is also a Hakomi Experiential Psychology Trainer and a member of the Naropa University Adjunct Faculty. She maintains a private psychotherapy and ethics consulting practice in Boulder/Denver and teaches both Right Use of Power™ and Hakomi nationally and internationally.
The Right Use of Power™ educational materials and exercises were developed by Cedar over a period of 20 years and dozens of trainings.
These teachings have been influenced by many sources in Cedar’s background. She is particularly grateful for her extensive experiences as an administrator, therapist, and trainer of the the Hakomi Method of Experiential Psychotherapy, chair of both the Hakomi Institute International Ethics Committee (HIEC) and the United States Association of Body Psychotherapy (USABP) Ethics Committee, ethics expert contributor to GoodTherapy.org, consultant to numerous organizations, and ceremonialist with the Earth Song Ceremonial Dance Community.

Universal Power: Configurative and Emergent: Thought Leader Webinar February 2026
2026-02-19 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | https://rightuseofpower.org/event/universal-power-configurative-and-emergent-thought-leader-webinar-february-2026/
Universal Power: Configurative and Emergent
Universal Power is the newest type of power that Right Use of Power Institute has been exploring. How do we talk about Universal Power–power that is both all-inclusive and beyond our human capacity to understand?
An interesting distinction that we are making is between the emergent experience of Universal Power coming through us and all creation, and the configurative experience of Universal Power, which is felt outside of us, shaping and influencing us within the largest possible context.
This distinction between ‘configurative’ and ‘emergent’ is particularly useful in understanding how Universal Power intersects with systemic power and collective power, role and status power, and of course personal power.
Let’s talk about it together. This program is an introduction to these concepts and also to our exciting upcoming online course for spiritual leadership.

Thea Elijah

Maryam Thea Elijah is a Murabi Ruhi of the Shadhuliyya Sufi order under Sidi Muhammad al-Jamal ar-Rafa’i ash-Shadhuliyya. She grew up in the household of Lex Hixon, a multiply ordained adept in a number of sacred traditions, and so from childhood, she has been immersed in earnest and honest interfaith conversations. She is also a Chinese medicine practitioner of 40 years with a particular delight in ‘interfaith healing’ conversations between medical modalities that are rooted in spirit. Maryam Thea Elijah is currently designing and preparing to teach the Right Use of Power Institute’s “Right Use of Power for Spiritual Leaders” program.

Hosted by RUPI founder, Cedar Barstow

Cedar Barstow

Cedar (she/her) is the developer of the Right Use of Power approach to issues and dynamics of power and ethics since 1994. Cedar’s background includes 30 years as a psychotherapist and 25 years as a teacher.
The Founder of The Right Use of Power Institute (RUPI), she and her colleagues continue to grow and evolve the concepts, skills, books, embodied exercises and courses that are accessed through the website.

Circle of Honor Celebration – Sun, Feb 22, 2026 | 9:00–10:30 am MST
2026-02-22 09:00 - 10:30 UTC | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83333591229
Come Celebrate With Us
RUPI CIRCLE OF HONOR
Join Us in Honoring a Few of the Extraordinary People Who’ve Shaped Our Journey
Please join us to celebrate:
Sunday, February 22, 2026
9:00–10:30 am MST
Hosted by the Right Use of Power Institute
For more than 35 years—since the beginning of Right Use of Power ethics trainings in 1989—so many people have poured their care, wisdom, and leadership into this work. They showed up, believed in the vision, and helped grow RUPI into the community it is today.
To honor this legacy, we are proud to host our very first Circle of Honor—a gathering dedicated to celebrating individuals who have been truly essential to our journey.
This inaugural Circle of Honor will recognize 14 remarkable people whose contributions span every chapter of our story, from our earliest days to the present moment.
Honorees

Cliff Penwell
Kathy Ginn
Rich Ireland
Marni Harmony
Charna Rosenholtz
Magi Cooper
Jeff Couillard
Maya Shaw Gale
Ren Feldman
Regina Smith
Sherri Taylor
Barbara Castro
Peg Syverson
Peggy Kass

We warmly invite you to join us—whether you’ve worked closely with these honorees, been inspired by their leadership, or simply wish to be part of this meaningful moment of gratitude and reflection.
Event Details
Sunday, February 22, 20269:00–10:30 am MSTRSVP below

This gathering will be a time to pause, reflect, and celebrate the people whose presence and dedication have shaped Right Use of Power. Expect a joyful, meaningful space filled with appreciation and connection.
We hope you’ll join us.
Cedar Barstow, Shiva Roofeh, and Sari AjankoOn behalf of the Right Use of Power Institute and Mission Circle

Thought Leader Webinar | When Power Hurts: From Moral Injury to Moral Courage – March 19
2026-03-19 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | https://rightuseofpower.org/event/thought-leader-webinar-march-19/
In this conversation, Gabriela Zapata-Alma, LCSW, CADC unpacks moral injury as a crisis of conscience shaped by power, systems, and survival responses – and how moral courage and ethical defiance can help individuals and organizations use power in ways that protect dignity, justice, and connection. Come join us in this engaging conversation.

Gabriela Zapata-Alma

Right Use of Power Institute is honored to have Gabriella on our Board of Directors.
Gabriela Zapata-Alma, LCSW, CADC (they/elle) is a liberation-centered clinician, educator, and national expert with 20 years’ experience supporting survivors of interpersonal and structural violence. They lead GZA INK, serve as Associate Director of the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health, and direct the Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor Training Program at the University of Chicago. A survivor and published author, Gabriela centers trauma-informed, survivor-led approaches and intergenerational healing in all their work.

Hosted by Maya Shaw Gale

Maya Shaw Gale is a Board Certified (BCC) life and leadership coach, a certified Hakomi practitioner and trainer, an energy medicine teacher, and an advanced RUP teacher. Over the past year, she has been part of a team developing a RUP coaching and consulting application. Based in Sedona, Arizona, Maya maintains a private practice where she coaches community and business leaders, healers, spiritual teachers, artists, and highly sensitive and empathic individuals.
Throughout her life, she has studied with a number of shamanic and indigenous teachers and is deeply committed to integrating indigenous perspectives of interconnectedness and reverence for all life into contemporary culture. She has served on the Board of the Tribal Trust Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting indigenous cultures and supporting wisdom keepers in sharing their teachings. Currently, she is collaborating with two corporate consultants to develop Business Beyond Usual, a new paradigm approach to business.

Thought Leader Webinar | Using Rooted Personal Power in Times of Political Upheaval – April 23
2026-04-23 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85711670151
FREE EVENT
In times of change and uncertainty, questions of power—how we hold it, use it, and respond to it—become essential. In this Thought Leader session, Farzin explores the relationship between personal power and collective dynamics, drawing from his experience across both liberatory and institutional spaces.
He reflects on how individuals make intentional choices about where to place their energy, skills, and influence, and how power operates within different systems of governance. Rooted in the principles of the Right Use of Power Institute, this conversation invites participants to consider how personal power can remain a steady, ethical, and responsive force in complex times.
Come join us in this engaging conversation.
Farzin Farzad

Right Use of Power Institute is honored to have one of our former Board of Directors join us.
Farzin Farzad (he/him/his) is the Founder of Critical Equity Consulting, LLC, a boutique organizational justice firm that partners with organizations to drive systems-level change and advance equitable outcomes. His expertise is grounded in experience across higher education, local government, and the private sector, and is complemented by Master’s degrees in International Affairs and Diplomacy, along with a certificate in Conflict Resolution. Farzin also serves as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Run for Something.

Hosted by Dr. Cedar Barstow

Cedar (she/her) is the developer of the Right Use of Power approach to issues and dynamics of power and ethics since 1994. Cedar’s background includes 30 years as a psychotherapist and 25 years as a teacher.
The Founder of The Right Use of Power Institute (RUPI), she and her colleagues continue to grow and evolve the concepts, skills, books, embodied exercises and courses that are accessed through the website.

These webinar recordings are available to all Power Positive Members and higher.
