Message from HueLife Team: Keep Listening. Keep Talking. Keep Hugging.
Pro Tip: Difficult Conversations: Navigating Conflict with Care and Connection
Upcoming Courses
Partners in Action: Shade Dill
Featured Course: Dallas HUE Conversation Method Recap
HueLife Updates: MToP Cohort #46
Mission Update: ICA Zimbabwe Youth Summit 2025
In Case You Missed It: March Newsletter
đź’ Reflection from Richard Fursman, Ed.D., Co-Founder of HueLife:
KEEP LISTENING. KEEP TALKING. KEEP HUGGING.
What happens when someone we love can no longer see us clearly, blinded by a story so powerful it distorts the truth? Irina faced this heartbreaking reality recently in a conversation with her mother, Valentina, who lives in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Years ago, Irina trained facilitators in Ukraine, teaching them to honor every voice in the room—an empowering act of democracy that made her a threat in the eyes of the Kremlin. Now, misinformation and fear have reshaped her mother's reality, leading Valentina to accuse her own daughter of betrayal.
Irina responded to these painful accusations with patience, tears, and a gentle invitation to explore the truth together. Valentina answered with anger, shouting, and disbelief.
This painful interaction raises difficult questions: When does dogma begin to rewrite our memories? What hope remains when even love is overshadowed by propaganda?
I asked Irina if she sees a way forward.
Her answer: “Keep listening. Keep talking. Keep hugging.”
🛠️ProTip:
Difficult Conversations: Navigating Conflict with Care and Connection
When emotions run high and worldviews clash, how do we stay connected, especially with the people we love?
This month, HueLife co-founder Richard Fursman shared a deeply personal story about a difficult conversation his wife, Irina Fursman, had with her mother. Once bound by love, their relationship is now strained by political narratives and painful misunderstandings.
Through their honest reflection, we share in not only the emotional weight of that call, but we also offer five practical strategies for navigating conflict while preserving connection, including how to listen with empathy, set boundaries, and stay grounded in compassion.
If you've ever struggled to find common ground in a conversation that feels impossible, this month's post offers hope, and a path forward in the spirit of everything we live and share here at HueLife.
Effective Communication Strategies with the HUE Conversation Method
Learn to engage, connect, and think in new ways. Transform teamwork with the HUE™ Conversation Method. Harness diverse thinking styles to bridge ideas, empower teams, and achieve more together.
Tools for the implementation phase of plans. Keep teams committed and engaged, bring new people in mid-stream (without starting over), course-correct as needed, and close it all out.
Discover powerful tools to uncover insights, analyze data, and align teams for action. Build contextual awareness, track trends, and create a shared vision for meaningful impact. A great follow-up course to ToP Strategic Planning.
Next Free Monthly Community of Practice May 28that 2:00 p.m. CT
A space to sharpen your facilitation skills and connect with a supportive community—whether you're a seasoned facilitator or just getting started. Join us every fourth Wednesday of the month from 2:00–3:00 p.m. CT on Zoom to present a case you would like advice on, exchange ideas, and expand your network. On April 23, we will have a guest speaker who will share tools to navigate challenging conversations.
Spotlight on Shade Dill, Higher Thought Leadership
Meet Shade Dill, a skilled facilitator and one of our trusted Lumina partners. Shade brings a rich background in leadership development and a thoughtful presence to every session he leads.
This month, he hosted our April Community of Practice where facilitators came together to sharpen their skills, reflect on practice, and explore new ways to connect the HueLife D.E.V.C.A. Model and the Lumina Spark Model.
We’re proud to collaborate with partners like Shade who are actively growing facilitation capacity across communities.
đź“Ť Based in Oklahoma| Specializing in Leadership, DEI, and Lumina Learning
🤝Connect and Stay in Touch with Shade on LinkedIn
🎓Featured Courses
Effective Communication Strategies with HUE Conversation Method
đź”— Follow HueLife on LinkedIn to get updates on upcoming courses, workshop highlights, and real-world facilitation stories
✨ HueLife Updates
Mastering Technology of Participation® (MToP)
Cohort #46 Kicked Off April 16, 2025
This year organizations that are investing into mastering facilitation skills include:
Northspan, City of Bloomington, Washington County, Real Time Talent, Bridgemakers, BlueSpark, ISD318, and Walker Hackensack Akeley Schools.
This year’s cohort is focused on developing skills to help with coalition building, inspiring others to bring their whole self into a process of engagement staying authentic and true to who we are as facilitators.
One of the most impactful exercises in this first intensive of a yearlong program is Image Shift. The Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) employs the concept of "Image Shift" as a foundational strategy to facilitate deep, lasting change in individuals, organizations, and communities. This approach is rooted in the belief that behavior is governed by internal images—mental models or self-perceptions—that people hold about themselves and their world. When these images change, behavior follows suit.
Ready to take the next step? Our next MToP cohort begins in January 2026 — now’s the time to reserve your seat. 📨Email us to register your interest!
*ToP Facilitation Methods (TFM) is a prerequisite. We have many upcoming TFM that will be held prior to the MToP launch. If this sounds like the right next step for you, we’d love to have you join us.
🌍Mission Update
ICA Zimbabwe Youth Summit 2025
Exciting developments are underway for the Zimbabwe Youth Summit, hosted by the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA)-Zimbabwe, taking place on October 26, 2025, at the Rainbow Hotel in the stunning Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Under the powerful theme "Building a New Generation of Facilitative Leaders," the summit invites youth from around the world to become key change agents, addressing critical global issues such as climate change, entrepreneurship, volunteerism, youth leadership, and the transformative role of social media.
The ICA, a global network with over 50 years of experience, focuses on empowering individuals and communities through sustainable human development. This event is part of ICA’s broader global assembly, connecting youth leaders internationally and fostering a vibrant dialogue aimed at practical solutions.
We invite you to participate by attending the summit, supporting students from the United States, or sponsoring young leaders to ensure diverse global representation. Your involvement can help build a robust international community of youth prepared to tackle pressing global challenges with innovative, sustainable solutions.
-1.png?upscale=true&width=320&upscale=true&name=HueNews_BlogIntro_160x600px%20(160%20x%20400%20px)-1.png)
