Wisdom Fusion
An eight-week intergenerational experience of women learning from women.
FREE. ONLINE. By INVITATION ONLY.
I BELIEVE
I believe that each woman has wisdom inside of her that is hard-earned, wisdom and experience that is underestimated, at best, undervalued at worst.
I believe that this wisdom may be buried under layers of shame, humility or self-doubt, and thus has not yet seen the light of day nor reached the capacity to fully touch other women’s lives.
I believe that each woman has hard-earned life experience, and if shared, the resulting wisdom from this collected insight could benefit another woman to overcome similar challenges.
I believe that keeping women separate from one another is keeping her away from an important part of herself.
I believe that there is commonality in our struggles and that there is value in sharing how those who have gone before us have faced them.
I believe that there are stark differences in our experiences and by sharing them we gain a more complex picture of ourselves and the myriad of ways one can be a woman.
I believe that when women come together in trust, humility and mutual respect that deep and meaningful collective wisdom can emerge.
IMAGINE
Imagine a world where it is normal for women to establish relationships across generations with delight and ease. One where women do not have to rely on gurus or “experts” to find direction but can look within and among their wise community to create purpose, meaning, support, sisterhood, and answers to their most burning questions.
Imagine a world where women come together across generations as a powerful force to break down harmful narratives we are fed about relationships, marriage, family, career, our bodies, success, aging, and more. And in this community, we discover our own humanity and strength to embark with open eyes in new ways on our path ahead.
Imagine a world where women of all ages are respected for their wisdom and are seen as relevant, valuable, and forward-thinking. With safe spaces where it’s okay to be wrong, and they can lift each other up, bring each other closer, find power within themselves and among themselves, and be vulnerable, brave, authentic, and loved.
I WANT TO LIVE IN THAT WORLD
I want to live in a world where women come together not because they are in physical proximity, look and sound alike or are in the same phase of life. But rather because they are drawn by the same hunger to share their hearts and wisdom, be vulnerable, support, and learn from each other.
I want to live in a world where women are in relationships across generations and nurture those connections to gain fresh perspective and learn from the other’s hard-earned experience. A safe space where we all have the courage to ask questions that are on our hearts and minds but do not feel like we have permission to ask.
I want to live in a world where women forge new paths away from the dominant, toxic narratives forced upon us for too long. And these fresh versions that we create and spread serve us, our daughters’, and our granddaughters’ best interests so they can push each other forward.
I am filled with hope by what is possible yet starkly cognizant of the chasm between this vision and my own reality.
So I am driven by these two questions:
What do we discover when we get women across generations together and we have open and deeply honest conversations?
How do we CREATE this world?
AN INVITATION
This is an invitation to come together with women who dream, too, of a world that understands, shares and cherishes our wisdom.
This is an invitation to evoke the best in each of us, global women, fused by a shared purpose.
This is an invitation to momentarily hit pause on demanding modern lives, opting instead to reflect, share our stories, as well as offer and receive support. A space in which we can lean on one another and love the crap out of each other.
This is an invitation to speak openly about the areas in our lives where we feel disconnected, unsatisfied and maybe even lonely. A forum to address the barriers we feel inside and talk openly of what we hunger for.
This is an invitation to discover and share our wisdom in ways that are expansive and nourishing.
This is an invitation to explore intergenerational wisdom.
Drawing on intergenerational wisdom is anything but new. We know from historians, spiritual leaders, anthropologists and others that it has been happening for millennia, passed on matter-of-factly during communal mealtimes, performed powerfully through song and dance or embedded in stories told by moonlight. You may have absorbed nuggets of it over hot coffee in the reception hall of your local church or enjoyed moments of it paired with red wine. Yet, intentional practices of sharing intergenerational wisdom seem to be receding in our fast-paced digital lives while we are increasingly becoming more isolated and lonely. Those intergenerational familial relationships we do nurture may come tethered to an agenda or invested in specific outcomes as these women may serve other roles, such as being an in-law, parent or grandparent.
Actively creating relationships outside of our defaults allows for fresh insight, creativity, and understanding ourselves and others in brand new ways. We get to question what we have learned and discover what we really want and need. It holds the power to transform the intergenerational familial relationships we do have in ways we crave.
Who is hungry for a space to speak openly, unfiltered, and have deep conversations? Who is ready to learn about yourself and from other’s hard-earned wisdom?
This is a chance to find direction and experience what I witness when I am in close community with other women: an emergence of not only a sisterhood but a stronger, truer-to-you version of yourself.
WHO IS SUNDAE SCHNEIDER-BEAN
I am a woman in my 40s who is a daughter, sister, mother, wife, and friend. I have lived in multiple countries across three continents while raising two cross-cultural children (sometimes as a solo-parent) and navigating a bi-national marriage.
Professionally, I am celebrating nine years as an entrepreneur proud to have a 100% location-independent business. I have had the honor to serve women from around the globe through their toughest challenges.
I have been by the side of women who have given up their jobs to support their family, lost husbands, divorced, came out, moved away, and more. This has broken down my naivete to the struggles women face when “doing life.”
Leaning on my skills as a facilitator, qualitative communication researcher, and accredited coach, I see so much collective wisdom emerge as I support others through their hard-earned experiences. I am committed to anti-racism work and understand that our lives and experiences are distinctly shaped by our identities and the systems that either welcome, deny, ignore, or challenge them.
Through all of this, I am convinced that together we are stronger.
BENEFITS OF JOINING
- Discover new facettes of yourself
- Learn from other women’s hard-earned wisdom
- Share your journey and support others who just might need it
- Discover you are not alone in your challenges
- Become part of an intergenerational community of women to call upon for support in the future
- Redefine womanhood on your own terms
This experience was originally offered in 2021, due to the deep impact and learning outcomes it will be held again in 2022. This is your chance to get invited.
WISDOM FUSION /ˈwɪzdəm ˈfjuːʒ(ə)n/
“The intentional practice of tapping into intergenerational, intercultural wisdom and experiences to create greater understanding of our challenges, similarities, differences and ourselves.” – Sundae Schneider-Bean
Eager to get started?
Frequently Asked Questions
- I am creating a deep learning experience for women across generations because I passionately believe that when we come into the community in this way, profound wisdom will emerge.
- Learning will be guided by carefully facilitated questions, conversations moderated during 90-minute group calls, and engagement via a private Facebook community.
- While this kind of learning experience led by me would normally cost thousands, I am offering it free of charge in 2022 to a limited number of 2022 applicants.
- You are willing to be real with others, and help cultivate a space for vulnerability, authenticity, and honesty.
- You are willing to support and be supported in a safe container.
- Every woman has a story and life experience. You are willing to share your journey honestly and humbly.
- You look forward to being in an inclusive space where all races, ethnicities and expressions of women are welcome.
- You are in a place of sharing scars, not wounds. Meaning you have healed from challenging experiences and can speak to them.
- You are there to learn and to support where you can, and not invested in pushing your own moral, political or religious agenda.
- You identify as a woman and are aged between 20-70.
- This guided learning experience is six weeks plus opening and closing celebrations. Weekly calls are 90 minutes each.
- You are invited to engage in the private Facebook group in between group calls to continue the conversation and community building.
- All applications will be reviewed internally by us at Sundae Schneider-Bean LLC. Selection of participants will take place early to mid 2022 and be based on close fit to the description in “How will I know if I should apply?” to ensure the participants vary in age and other identities (ethnic background, geographic location, sexual orientation, etc).
- A formal invitation will be extended to high-fit candidates and acceptance of the invitation will be made via a formal agreement (which provides up-to-date information on timing, addresses anonymity as well as reiterates the community guidelines and assumptions).
- If there are more applicants than we can accomodate, those not selected for this round will be informed and put on a contact list for any future related learning experiences.
- This community is an eight-week commitment and each individuals’ perspective is a rich contribution to the process. By accepting the invitation, you are agreeing to attend each live call, unless of course there is an unexpected emergency.
- The calls will be recorded but not shared publicly. The content of the calls will be kept exclusively with Sundae Schneider-Bean LLC and will be analyzed to capture learning outcomes and critical learning themes that emerged during this eight-week experience. Any outcomes or insight that is captured during this time, if shared by Sundae Schneider-Bean LLC, will be done so anonymously. All identities will be protected.
- After the official invitation has been extended, we will communicate scheduling and logistic specifics. At present, welcome and onboarding is planned for August 2022. Group calls are typically scheduled for Thursdays at 3:30 pm SAST and will run 90 minutes.
- Calls will take place on Zoom.
OUR COMMUNITY GUIDELINES / ASSUMPTIONS
We want to get to know you and your perspective. Be willing to tell us about your life, share your experiences and communicate with us where you are in your process. We welcome playfulness, authenticity, transparency and mutual support.
It is of utmost importance to honor the privacy of our members. DO NOT share or make public the stories, posts or identities in the group. Everything within the group is confidential. No screenshots of comments or participants are allowed.
We are in this community to grow and learn together but you are on your own path and journey. Embrace your individual process. Do not let yourself get distracted by your peers' process or compare their accomplishments to yours. We are showing up in different places, with different strengths, different needs, and different dreams.
This learning experience has been built with deep intention and is designed to move us through a learning process. Trust this process. We are building a community as well as individual and collective wisdom. At the same time, if you feel like you’re not learning or feeling safe in this space for any reason, reach out to Sundae immediately and ASK for what you need. I am here for you.
Respecting others in an intercultural, intergenerational community is not straightforward because what respect looks like varies. Since we’re all in this together to create a welcoming and inclusive environment, be mindful to respect the richness of the cultural, language, ethnic, racial, age and national diversity of our members. When in doubt, we stand by the side of social justice and equity principles. Likewise, care and consideration will be taken when the stories members share involve other people in a way that the identities of the people in their stories are also protected.
The emotional safety and wellbeing of our members is critical to this community. We will have ZERO tolerance for any type of hate speech, bullying, or discriminatory statements. This includes race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender, or identity. Should this occur, the member will be contacted directly and we reserve the right to remove them from the group.
Kindness is a distinguishing feature of a supportive community, but here’s a guideline if something unsettling happens: When we have questions or concerns, we aim to call in our fellow community member(s) to ask questions, share impact and/or engage in a meaningful dialogue. This is in the spirit of avoiding harboring or perpetuating pain, creating resentment or holding untested assumptions.
