In 2016, my journey with Nonviolent Communication (NVC) began at home, with my young children. What surprised me most was not that NVC softened my approach to parenting — though it did — but what became visible when I stopped struggling for control: the infinite creativity of my children, and their willingness to find strategies that worked for everyone when they trusted that all needs genuinely mattered. That discovery changed something fundamental in how I understand people and systems.
It also resolved an ethical dilemma I had carried for years. I had long dreamed of working in education, but couldn‘t reconcile that dream with the power dynamics built into the system. NVC gave me tools to hold that tension, and in doing so, shaped my career. I now work as a teacher and community coordinator at a diversified community college, building restorative practices and dialogue into the culture of the institution. My long-term dream is to help shift the culture of education itself, from systems built on punishment, rewards, and knowledge transmission, toward relationship-based environments, where students are empowered to follow learning paths that honour their individual needs and potential.
From a social change perspective, I see NVC first and foremost as a community-building skill. It’s a practice that can shift systems built on competition and domination toward something rooted in collaboration and shared resilience. Throughout this journey, one conviction has deepened steadily: we are not meant to do this work alone. This is why I have chosen to focus on building community both in my profession and in the wider Finnish NVC community. Since 2023 I have served on the board of the Finnish NVC association, currently as chairperson, working to build a platform where practitioners can connect, collaborate, and find companionship, so that they feel resourced and less isolated, and are better able to bring NVC into the world without burning out. My vision is a strong and vibrant Finnish NVC community for everyone drawn to NVC and longing for a place to recharge, learn, and be inspired.
In trainings and other events, participants have often shared that my presence creates a sense of safety and ease: that I am fully there, noticing what matters, remembering what was said, and sensing when someone needs support. People have also noted that my demos and personal examples support and enhance their learning, and that I make complex ideas accessible without flattening them. My facilitation is described as calm, clear, and warm while holding both the individual and the whole group with equal care. As a leader I‘m seen as someone who balances efficiency with connection, humour and lightheartedness.