Dotti Berry of IMPACT Communications

Through IMPACT Communications, Dotti Berry has offered seminars and workshops in diversity/sexuality/non-violence for a variety of clients since 1985. As well, she offers one-on-one transformation/relationship coaching.

Her passion for the "reawakening" of our soul self through the integration of our sexuality/spirituality has evolved into her various workshops involving such topics as sexual confidence for women. As well, she has developed a process called Shift2Relate, which helps people to understand that their own transformation is the key to opening up the space for others to shift and change. Dotti encourages people to evolve from the "inside/out" and this takes courage, a word that literally means "of the heart." Therefore, the energy we direct every single day moves through the heart, transforming and empowering not only ourselves, but also society as a whole. It allows us to move from "RelationShip" with ourselves and with others into "RelationShift™" transforming us from "caterpillars of possibility" into "butterflies in flight!"

Dotti is currently working on her doctorate in Human Sexuality at Widener University. She also serves as part of the national leadership team for Soulforce and is a certified Self-Talk Trainer and Life Coach with the Life Coach Institute. Dotti has studied Touch Drawing with Deborah Koff-Chapin and teaches and utilizes Touch Drawing in various workshops to help participants develop from the inside/out. Dotti received a BS.Ed. from Georgia Southern College in 1974 and a M.Ed. from Georgia State University in 1975. Dotti lived in Lexington, Kentucky for 22 years before moving in August of 2002 to Blaine, Washington.

Being the Significant Other in a transgender couple requires an extra dose of commitment and understanding. Do you sometimes forget that you are truly SIGNIFICANT and not just an "other?" Taking care of your own needs is just as important as being supportive for your transgender partner. What does that mean to you? How do you and others who are SOs cope with the seemingly ongoing changes? Whether you are attending Esprit for the first time, or have been around for a long while, remembering that you are SIGNIFICANT is important to remember.

Tuesday 1:00-3:00 p.m.
"T" for Two...The Transgender Relationship (for couples: limited to CDs and TSs attending with their significant other)

How do we communicate in authentic ways with honesty and compassion? How can we better learn to appreciate, listen and learn about one another? What boundaries have we set? How do we decide when/if they need revising? What do we do with our feelings when we feel as if we are on separate tracks, riding in parallel trains? How do we address getting back on a unified track? Don't miss the discussion.

It's time for you to decide what topic is important to your journey. Each SO situation with a transgender partner is unique and different. At the same time, there are common threads. Bring your main issue/concern to the table for sharing and discussion. It doesn't matter if no one else is wrestling with what you are. We will listen. We will share.

Wednesday 1:00-3:00 p.m.
O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? (for couples: limited to CDs and TSs attending with their significant other)

The answer? I've gone to be Juliet. What's the impact for us as a transgender couple when Romeo becomes Juliet, if even for a week at Esprit? How do I deal with Juliet having just "come out of the closet?" What's the impact on life in the real world back at home? How do we decide "what, when and how" to share about being a transgender couple? How do we deal with issues regarding career, children, and family? It doesn't have to be difficult, but drawing a map will help you find your way.

Thursday 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Intimacy and Play (for couples: limited to CDs and TSs attending with their significant other)

Ok, we're not exactly a vanilla couple any more. But what are we? Who are we? What changes? What doesn't? As we explore new ways of intimacy, what's at stake? If we've become "intimacy strangers" (from lack of authentic communication in the past), how do we move past that to being intimacy/sexual play partners again? Is that what we want? How do we embrace the essence of transgender realities in our lives? What part do fantasy and romance play in our life? Intimacy is created in diverse ways. There is no "right or wrong." Communication and the right to choose what you want is what matters. Come and explore, being open to sharing, and listening to others as well.