Dear Breakthrough Community,
When I came to Breakthrough I did not know what I didn’t know. There were a lot of “unknown unknowns”. Like inherent worth, loving nature, adapted parts, 5A’s my little boy and a host of other practices and principles I have used to build a new empowered and fulfilling life. Before Breakthrough I had no idea the power of re-learning how to be an adult man. The power of letting go of the limits and stories that had contributed to a less than authentic version of Arnold. The power of saying yes to love. Fred Jealous said “Men are built for love” and he was right in my opinion. That is the foundation on which I hope to build these little quarterly notes of mine.
Thinking of the “Breakthrough Men’s Community” and the impact of two years of forced isolation inspired myself and others to purposefully reach out and engage the Breakthrough family in three ways:
1) Highlight and expand the practice of phone support
2) Introduce and engage the InTouch Breakthrough app
3) Creating more in-person events and workshops
Phone support is huge part of connecting to community and integrating the Breakthrough practices into daily life. This simple act of spending a few minutes checking in with another, or others, using the tools and principles learned in the workshop helps many in our community continue to grow and deepen the impact of what was learned. Recognizing the value of this simple practice the Board of Directors for Breakthrough has started a new initiative; calling men in our community to offer a phone check-in. Over the coming months you may get a call from one of our board members to simply say hello and offer you a chance to share a phone support call. It is a way for the Board to let you all know that you are the reason they give their time and energy to Breakthrough.
InTouch is a new app for your phone, tablet and web browser and is a fully private social media platform where no data is collected and used for any marketing purposes, nor shared with any outside companies or organizations. It is in line with our commitment to each member of our Breakthrough community that you are safe, you belong and you matter. This amazingly powerful tool will deliver workshop content, setup social events, and user created groups such as dog-owners, skiing, cycling, fishing, book clubs etc. Look for more information on this in the coming months. InTouch is becoming Breakthrough’s “Digital Clubhouse”.
We are excited to announce two wonderful events:
1) “Simpatico Method” Weekend Workshop on effective communications on May 5th – 7th at the beautiful St. Francis retreat center in San Juan Batista, CA. This is presented by longtime Breakthrough presenter Lee Garland and Arnie Buss, who have taken their years of experience teaching this method and written a new book “Hear Here”. They have been teaching workshops on this topic for years and for the first time are going to hold an immersive experience where participants can engage the principles of effective communication in a workshop setting for two whole days. Called “The Language of Understanding” this powerful work is now available to all. Even more exciting is that this event is open to all adults (18 years+)-- not just Breakthrough alumni. This includes couples and singles regardless of background, gender identification or relationship status. Registration is live on our Breakthrough website.
2) Annual summer retreat. August 25th - 27th also at the St. Francis Retreat Center.
There are so many wonderful things happening in Breakthrough right now! In the works, our Fall 2023 Celebration Dinner Dance. In February 2024 we will hold a fully in -person Breakthrough workshop for the first time since 2020. This will take place in the Santa Cruz area.
I began this by focusing on the connection loving community - I personally want to thank everyone reading this newsletter. I am to be part of this organization and my door is open to you. All are welcome any time to stop by the Breakthrough office at 532 Abrego St. in Monterey
With all of you together in the 5A’s,
Arnold S. Westphal
Breakthrough Executive Director & Workshop Presenter