Becoming a Cycle Breaker: Creating Love&Expanding Beyond Inherited Patterns

Become the cycle breaker in your relationships. A 90-minute experiential workshop on creating love that expands beyond inherited patterns. Have you ever wondered why certain patterns repeat in your relationships? Why you shrink yourself to keep the peace, or hustle for worth, or shut down when things get hard? Love Unlocked is a 90-minute experiential workshop for big-hearted adults ready to expand beyond inherited relational patterns and build authentic, lasting connections. Rooted in the Filipino (kapwa - "shared identity" or "the self in the other.") and African (ubuntu - "I am because we are.") philosophy of interconnectedness — the understanding that we are not separate from each other — this workshop guides you through three movements: Movement One: Where Do Our Patterns Come From? Explore the generational patterns you inherited from your family of origin. Using bell hooks' 6 Principles of Love as a diagnostic lens, you'll identify which principles of love you saw modeled growing up and which ones were missing — and how that shapes your relationships today. Movement Two: What Breaks Connection? Learn to recognize Gottman's Four Horsemen (criticism, contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling) in your own behavior. Discover which horseman is your default, trace it back to where you learned it, and practice the specific antidotes that transform conflict into connection. Movement Three: How Do We Sustain Connection? Explore what it means to build relationships that last. Through the lens of kapwa — shared identity and interconnectedness — you'll identify one practice you can commit to for sustaining the relationships that matter most. Each movement includes guided personal reflection and structured pair exercises. You'll use a companion journal (included) to write, reflect, and process throughout. What's Included: • 90-minute guided experiential workshop • Companion journal with exercises, prompts, and writing space • Framework handout (bell hooks 6 Principles, Gottman 4 Horsemen, attachment styles) • Pen and materials • Tea and light refreshments • Optional 30-minute Q&A and book signing with the author Who This Is For: • Adults who find themselves repeating the same relationship patterns • People-pleasers, over-givers, and those who abandon themselves to keep the peace • Anyone interested in breaking generational cycles • Couples, friends, or family members who want to grow together (bring a friend!) • Those curious about how cultural identity shapes how we love Who This Is Not For: This workshop is educational and experiential, not therapy. It is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment. If you are in crisis or need clinical support, please contact a licensed therapist or counselor.