The Great Work: A Seven-Month Inner Transformation Program

The Great Work brought me back from the edge of the abyss. I read a passage that says, “If we can see a likely path to our desired outcome, we have hope; if we can see no possible path to our desired outcome, we have despair. If we are unsure whether there is a possible path or not, we keep hope alive, but it remains vulnerable to defeat if that path is closed.

The Great Work brought me back from the edge of the abyss. I read a passage that says, “If we can see a likely path to our desired outcome, we have hope; if we can see no possible path to our desired outcome, we have despair. If we are unsure whether there is a possible path or not, we keep hope alive, but it remains vulnerable to defeat if that path is closed.

We feel arising within us this sustained declaration: We will live as beautifully, bravely, and kindly as we can as long as we can, no matter how ugly, scary, and mean the world becomes, even if failure and death seem inevitable. In fact, it is only in the context of failure and death that this virtue develops. That’s why Richard Rohr describes this kind of hope as ‘the fruit of a learned capacity to suffer wisely and generously. You come out much larger and that largeness becomes your hope.’’ This is a pretty perfect description of what The Great Work did for me.

 

Cohort 3 ST

The Great Work popped up in my feed at a time in my life when I was feeling aimless and lost. Every day felt like a repeat of the one before, focused on just maintaining life as a mother, spouse, employee, household manager, and small business owner. The description of the program spoke to my exact worries – how do I break the cycle of my thinking (often negative in nature) and figure out who I really am, what is important to me, and how to manifest a life from which I do not need to escape?

The Great Work popped up in my feed at a time in my life when I was feeling aimless and lost. Every day felt like a repeat of the one before, focused on just maintaining life as a mother, spouse, employee, household manager, and small business owner. The description of the program spoke to my exact worries – how do I break the cycle of my thinking (often negative in nature) and figure out who I really am, what is important to me, and how to manifest a life from which I do not need to escape?

When you have to dig deep, you need a facilitator who can ask the probing questions without making you feel vulnerable. Faith does such a good job of holding space for and spending focused time with each member (during group time and one-on-one appointments) to address their unique needs and ways of learning, processing, and final embodiment of the work. The pacing of the program meetings and homework is more than manageable, and the final product is important reference material for each individual’s journey. It’s not expected that you reach your fullest, embodied self by the end of the program, but the physical takeaways created become the map that guides you, on your own timeline.

One extraordinary thing about The Great Work is that even though you are digging deep into yourself, it is not expected or necessary to fully share your traumas or personal problems unless you want to. You can do the work and reap the benefits even if you just listen and do the work on your own. I feel like there may be a perception that group work means having to bare it all to a group of strangers (even if some are friends), but that is not the case. There’s also no hard and fast timelines. The program moves along in a logical way, but group participants do not need to feel pressured to fully complete each stage before the next, and the unique processing times of each member are respected.

I have been so grateful for the sacred space that Faith created for a group of people in similar phases of their lives to come together and discover ourselves. There were some huge, enlightening revelations. I’m excited to witness, in myself and in the others, the continued growth that The Great Work started.

 

Cohort 1 AH

The Great Work has been catalytic and transformative in my life. It has helped me achieve better insight into who I am and helped me identify and understand the modifiable factors that influence my life. This has been a healing journey that has brought me home to myself. I now trust myself and this process. I treat myself with more kindness and love. I am richer from this program, richer in time, richer in energy, richer in passion and self-awareness. I take with me a clearer vision for my life and incredible new friendships.

 

Cohort 1 JP

I remember Pema Chödrön talking about the flash of awareness, like taking a photograph of a moment, that can happen during meditation. That moment of total insight and knowing.

I remember Pema Chödrön talking about the flash of awareness, like taking a photograph of a moment, that can happen during meditation. That moment of total insight and knowing.

There was a moment like this I had during the program where I was like “oh, I get it now!” Everything became completely clear. It was a total mind/body/awareness/heart/physical/mysterious flash of understanding.

Maybe yogis would call it samadhi, maybe meditators would call it enlightenment. From my understanding, those two states happen like that, briefly and fleeting. I feel like the container of love, non-judgment, support, and wisdom Faith held for us allowed for that to happen.

Now in my mid-40s, I have a sense that I am in the middle of a transformation. I joined this journey with Faith because I deeply respect her as a person, I know she has been through the major discomfort of change to get to where she is now, and she’s highly qualified to hold this environment for people who are interested in evolving.

Who I am at the end of the seventh-month journey is entirely different than who I was at the beginning. We’ve all tried to change. We’ve all tried to create healthy habits and drop unhealthy ones…but unless there is an overarching reason to change, it doesn’t happen. I’ve had much personal growth in my life, but nothing as effective or as powerful as The Great Work.

Before, I had fleeting thoughts and desires about what I wanted my life and my future to look like. Now, I have more of a connection of Point A to Point B. I have a sense of ceremony and ritual back in my life that I’ve been craving, I have routines to support my overall wellness, and I have a 10-year vision that I visit and revisit daily. I learned about the underpinnings of how my mind works in a new way, and I reconnected with my loved ones.

Halfway through the program, I received a major health diagnosis. Being able to fold future healing of this into my vision was one of the most powerful experiences I’ve had in personal growth. Being immersed in The Great Work as a guiding light during this challenging time gave me something positive to focus on and gave me a much-needed long-view perspective of my life.

The best part? As The Great Work is ending, I know that it is just the beginning. I have the deepest respect and gratitude for our guide and am better because of her.

 

Cohort 1 LW

Through The Great Work, Faith creates a container that holds within it the most favorable conditions for healing and connection, for any receptive person at any life stage. The program’s design is nothing short of genius, with many gorgeous opportunities to dive deep into the subconscious, balanced with group work that shows the highest self reflected through the kind eyes of others. Beyond her own wealth of knowledge, Faith’s network of gifted women is vast, and she introduced us to teachers and healers along the way who blessed us with insights and strategies for integrating the work. I do not know a more generous Guide.

Through The Great Work, Faith creates a container that holds within it the most favorable conditions for healing and connection, for any receptive person at any life stage. The program’s design is nothing short of genius, with many gorgeous opportunities to dive deep into the subconscious, balanced with group work that shows the highest self reflected through the kind eyes of others. Beyond her own wealth of knowledge, Faith’s network of gifted women is vast, and she introduced us to teachers and healers along the way who blessed us with insights and strategies for integrating the work. I do not know a more generous Guide.

I have seen my life changed by the expansiveness The Great Work  allowed me to breathe into myself. What I used to reject or hide away in a dusty corner, I now have room to experience without (or at least with less) judgment. In individual sessions early on, Faith glimpsed my tucked-away gifts and quickly manifested the circumstances for me to share them broadly. Strangers-now-soulmates loved me through what I perceived as my ugliest truths, ones that once felt unsafe to share. “Inner Work” practices that once felt daunting and foreign are now as integral to my daily living as feeding myself. I sit in awe to find, in 7 months’ time, I am both emboldened and enlightened—forever changed.

The Great Work led to a creative and intuitive awakening that will serve me for the rest of my days. I have returned to myself. The parts of me that flew the coop—the most fragile and dear—are nestled back in their rightful places. Life has not slowed down nor gotten any simpler, but I am now immensely supported. And that truly gives me strength to stay curious and confident in the unfolding. 

 

Cohort 3 JS

As I reflect on the past 7 months, I am in awe of the transformation that occurred in such a short amount of time. Last year felt like a season of “waking up.” For so long, I gave up my power to please others and avoid discomfort. I became a stranger to my own Self and was not aware of what I truly wanted – my “Holy Yes!”

As I reflect on the past 7 months, I am in awe of the transformation that occurred in such a short amount of time. Last year felt like a season of “waking up.” For so long, I gave up my power to please others and avoid discomfort. I became a stranger to my own Self and was not aware of what I truly wanted – my “Holy Yes!”

I would work myself into oblivion because people valued me and praised me for being such a hard worker. I started my business at the age of 26 – so to me, it felt like it was ingrained in my identity. I believed I was only admired for that facet of my life, so I poured ALL of my energy into that facet.

In order to help me regain my power, Faith pushed me to lean into discomfort and have conversations that I had put off for years because of the crippling anxiety that would ensue at the mere thought of possibly hurting someone. I began to see that I was the one hurting myself by not sharing my truth and sitting with resentment. When I felt strong enough to have a crucial conversation with the person I had become so afraid of, she responded with love. It was then that I started healing this wounded part of myself. Love. It started with Love!!

Through my time in The Great Work, I allowed myself to dream of the Future Me and awaken to opportunities that supported that vision. I found my worth in the way my kids would admire me for my sense of humor and childlike way of reading stories, in the way my soul feels seen and loved by my husband, and in the way my heart floods with joy and the warmth I feel when I meditate. 

I am currently becoming aware of how I react to life and the power that is stripped of me when I don’t start my day with intention. I am becoming more mindful of how I show up, and giving energy to the things that give energy back to me. 

 

Cohort 3 AC

I agreed to join The Great Work with the intention to be softer and more open after years of hardening in order to survive entrepreneurship, motherhood, and the day-to-day in a world that broke my soul.

I agreed to join The Great Work with the intention to be softer and more open after years of hardening in order to survive entrepreneurship, motherhood, and the day-to-day in a world that broke my soul.

As an Enneagram 8, former athlete, bullish Taurus, and full-blown know-it-all, I spent multiple decades moving through life convinced that the values I built my existence around were not just my own but were also meant for everyone. I spent my whole life holding on as tight as I could to myself, believing that it was the only way to lean into my values, be a good feminist, and show the little women in my life how to be a strong and evolved woman.

This program blew that all up and showed me a completely opposite path. It has taught me that the only way to get closer to other people, myself, and the possibilities of my life is to let it all go.

Letting go of myself is the most loving thing I’ve ever done, and without this program, I think I would have spent the rest of my existence holding on for dear life to something that was never meant to serve me.

Now I wake up every morning, knowing that my willingness to get out of bed to live another day is where the meaning lies. I hold acceptance for who I was, love for who I am, and hope for who I will become.

 

Cohort 3 CB

This quote describes how The Great Work program felt for me.

“She cleared out all of her old ideas of things, until she could hear her own joy with almost no effort at all.” Unknown

 

Cohort 1 AW