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Roxy Manning is a brilliant, skillful, kind, funny, and inspiring teacher. Our team sought her out because we had some NVC training behind us and we wanted to bring in an intentional focus on equity and anti-racism. Somehow, Roxy managed to simultaneously break down and build up the core assumptions of NVC: what's up with "universal" needs in a world built on the fundamental inequities of racism, sexism, ableism, etc? How can we ask everyone to call on feelings when we're not all allowed to express all feelings freely, or worse yet, some of us (namely Indigenous, Black, and Brown people) may be harmed for expressing some feelings publicly? What opportunities for connection do we miss, and what strategies for collective wellbeing are hidden, when we don't consider the systemic context of conflict that arises between people? With a fierce yet gentle approach, Roxy led our team through a powerful learning experience that she had tailored specifically for us. By modeling vulnerability in sharing her own experiences, she created a space where team members could tap into our own histories in order to gain understanding and clarity together. Now, we're committed to carrying our learnings forward, and hopefully we can train with Roxy again!

Roxy is my friend, colleague, former student, co-conspirator, and so much more. As friend, I have deep trust that I can count on Roxy to come through in times of crisis; to tell me the truth and hear the truth about anything that matters; and to delight in my celebrations as easily as she shares hers. As colleague, Roxy is someone I would send just about anywhere instead of me and have no concern about the results. As former student, Roxy has learned, integrated, made her own, and transcended all that she has learned from and with me. As a co-conspirator, Roxy is someone I would plan and execute any project for making a dent in anything in the world. As a “so much more” I have the only sadness: that Roxy is so sought after and so focused, that we hardly have opportunities to collaborate recently.

I have had the honor of attending two of Dr. Manning’s workshops at Stanford and both times I was absolutely blown away by the sheer impact of what she is able to do with us. Her vulnerability and authenticity make the space one of the safest academic spaces I’ve ever been in. Her ability to connect with the heart even as she is deftly facilitating a complex and difficult conversation about universal values, about the contextual nature of privilege and its legacies, about impact and intent, about self-care and care for others, is breathtaking. That during this conversation, she is simultaneously doing the larger and harder work of always moving us toward deeper compassion and genuine empathy—for ourselves, for our communities, and for the world, seems nothing short of miraculous. I cannot think of any work that is more important to be doing right now or anybody who is better at it than Dr. Manning.