Satir Leadership Development Workshop
Lead with Purpose. Empower Your People. Transform Your Team.
📅 November 10–12, 2025 | ⏰ 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
📍 Virginia M. Satir Center Classroom, Chapel Hill, NC
No matter your industry, leading well is ultimately about people.
The Satir Leadership Development Workshop is a dynamic, in-person training designed to help you become a more confident, authentic, and effective leader—one who can bring out the best in others while navigating complexity with clarity and compassion.
Whether you're a manager, director, business owner, or professional coach, you'll leave this workshop equipped to handle the real challenges of leadership: communication breakdowns, morale slumps, resistance to change, and the pressure to perform.
Rooted in the Satir Growth Model and Satir Leadership Model, this three-day workshop blends practical tools with deep insight into human systems. You'll gain concrete strategies to improve productivity, strengthen team relationships, and lead in ways that are clear, congruent, and deeply human.
What You'll Explore
Through engaging teaching and experiential learning, we’ll explore:
Coping Stances and how they show up in leadership and teams
The Ingredients of an Interaction and how to improve communication
The Iceberg Metaphor as a way to better understand your team and yourself
How to lead through change while maintaining connection and direction
The power of increased self-awareness, esteem, and congruence in leadership
By the end of this workshop, you’ll be able to:
Improve individual and team communication
Navigate change using accessible, human-centered tools
Understand and expand your leadership style
Offer feedback that is clear, constructive, and actionable
Address and resolve performance challenges before they escalate
Strengthen connection, accountability, and team morale
Who This Is For
Managers, Directors, and Organizational Leaders
Internal and External Coaches, Facilitators, and Consultants
Business Owners and Strategic Partners
If you lead people—formally or informally—this workshop is for you.
Why Satir?
Many team issues are people issues. The Satir Growth Model helps you see the person in every situation. It gives leaders the tools to navigate conflict, support change, and foster a team culture where individuals thrive and feel seen. This is leadership that’s not just strategic—but relational, grounded, and sustainable.
Join us this November and walk away with a toolkit—and mindset—that will elevate your leadership from the inside out.
Meet the Training Team
Jean McLendon
David Kiel
Joanne Perold
Marcus Blankenship
This workshop is led by Jean McLendon and David Kiel, two renowned facilitators with decades of experience in leadership development, organizational consulting, and transformational change. They are supported by Marcus Blankenship and Joanne Perold, experienced Satir practitioners and leadership coaches who bring insight from both corporate and consulting worlds.
David Kiel is one of North Carolina’s most experienced facilitators for public organizations, with deep expertise in higher education and organizational change. Over two decades (2001–2023), he led faculty leadership initiatives at UNC–Chapel Hill and Duke University, and is the author of books and articles on faculty development, consulting, and innovation in higher education.
A longtime organizational development (OD) practitioner, David has worked with government agencies, nonprofits, and private sector organizations on large-scale change efforts. His approach integrates Satir Systems, action research, and applied group dynamics. He has co-developed and taught Satir-based leadership and consulting programs at the Satir Center for the Southeast alongside Jean McLendon.
David holds a Doctor of Public Health from UNC–Chapel Hill and has taught organizational behavior at four public universities. He is a member of the NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science and lives in Chapel Hill with his wife, Amey Miller.
Jean McLendon is an internationally recognized leader in the practice and teaching of the Satir Growth Model. She studied directly with Virginia Satir for nearly 20 years and is widely regarded as one of her closest protégés. With over four decades of experience, Jean has trained therapists, coaches, and organizational leaders across the U.S. and internationally in systems thinking, communication, and transformational change.
A former faculty member at the UNC School of Social Work, Jean also served as Director of Training for the Satir Institute of the Southeast and continues to lead programs through the Virginia M. Satir Center. Her work integrates deep personal insight with practical tools that help individuals and teams lead with greater clarity, compassion, and effectiveness.
Jean is known for her presence, precision, and the transformative learning environments she creates.
Marcus Blankenship and Joanne Perold have trained extensively at the Virginia M. Satir Center and co-lead the Satir Legacy Program’s Leadership Working Group. Their facilitation style is experiential and applied, drawing on real-world leadership challenges to help participants integrate the tools and mindsets of the Satir Model into everyday practice.
Together, this team brings a rare blend of depth, relevance, and clarity—ensuring that what you learn is not only transformative but also usable on Monday morning.
Cost & Registration
Workshop Fee: $1,500 / Early Bird Rate: $1,350 (available if paid in full by September 15, 2025)
Deposit: $700 due at registration to hold your spot
Remaining Balance: Due by October 15, 2025
Group Discount: Available for 3+ participants from the same organization
Please note: This workshop is a high-commitment, limited-capacity offering. All payments are non-refundable. We encourage you to register only if you are confident you can attend.
✉️ For questions, group rates contact admin@virginiasatircenter.com.