The Being, Leading Workshop Series

A Four-Part Framework for Transforming Lived Experience into Leadership Capital

This four-part virtual series will walk learners through career path planning trajectory from line-level functions to utilizing a leadership lens. Because it may be difficult for everyone to attend all four sessions, each workshop is designed to stand on its own and offer practical, actionable takeaways. To support continuity, every session will begin with a brief review of key concepts and definitions from earlier sessions.

Workshop Dates (Noon – 1:30 p.m. each session):

Session 1: May 19, 2026

Session 2: May 26, 2026

Session 3: June 16, 2026

Session 4: June 30, 2026

Participants are eligible for 6 virtual Continuing Education (CE) credits.

Please note: Full CE credit requires attendance at all four sessions. 

Introduction: The Alchemy of Peer Leadership

In the world of geology, a gemstone is not created in a vacuum; it is the result of extreme pressure, heat, and time. Similarly, the wisdom held by peer specialists is forged in the pressures of lived experience with mental health and substance use challenges. Historically, these experiences were viewed by systems as flaws or liabilities. The Being, Leading Workshop Series operates on a different premise: that these experiences are, in fact, the raw gems of a unique and powerful leadership capacity.

The Case for Peer Leadership

Peer and Leader have been viewed as disparately separate identities; peers seeking career advancement and professional development were told they could be one or the other. However, the most effective leaders in history-from grassroots activists to modern CEOs-succeed because they possess similar qualities that experienced peer supporters have already cultivated: resilience, empathy, and the determination to find solutions when possibilities seem narrow. Being, Leading provides an empowering framework within which peer specialists recognize inherent value in the gem of lived experience- the highest form of leadership material. When peers align their values and experiences with leadership theories, they aren’t just joining the table; they are redesigning it.

Session 1: Finding the Gem

Focus: Asset Mapping & Radical Self-Awareness

Key Message: Before leading others, you must identify the raw material of your own resilience.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify three personal assets derived directly from recovery.

• Reframe a perceived liability as a unique leadership strength.

• Develop an empowerment statement that bridges self-awareness to purposeful action.

Key Lesson: Your history isn’t a hurdle; it’s the resource. The gem is the wisdom you gained while navigating the dark.

Session 2: Defining the Gem

Focus: Developing Leadership Identity & Values

Key Message: This session moves from the idea of what you’ve been through to who you are as a leader.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify core values of leadership that are important to you.

• Create a personal leadership mission statement.

• Distinguish between the role of peer support to the influence of peer leadership.

Key Lesson: Leadership is an identity, not a job title. Defining your core values ensures your gem doesn’t change shape based on whose company you’re in.

Session 3: Cultivating the Gem

Focus: Boundary Setting, Sustainability, and Emotional Intelligence

Key Message: A gem must be protected to maintain its value.

Learning Objectives:

• Demonstrate power-with vs. power-over leadership styles.

• Identify personal energy leaks that lead to burnout.

• Describe one actionable self-care strategy to counter burnout.

Key Lesson: You cannot lead from an empty vessel. Cultivation is the practice of self-care as a professional responsibility, not a luxury.

Session 4: Polishing the Gem

Focus: Strategic Communication & Systems Advocacy

Key Message: This is where the internal work meets the external world.

Learning Objectives:

• Translate lived experience into professional language.

• Develop an itemized leadership vision statement.

• Create a strategy quadrant that diagrams your personal four-step process.

Key Lesson: Polishing is the process of reducing excess layers so the light can shine through. It’s about illuminating your passion and leading authentically.

Content:

Agenda, slides, PDF worksheets will be available in the virtual gallery to registered participants.

Trainer:

Dr. Jonathan P. Edwards is a social scientist, public health professional, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Peer Specialist, Certified Personal Medicine Coach, and serves on the faculty of Columbia University School of Social Work and as a clinical instructor at Yale School of Medicine Program for Recovery and Community Health (PRCH). He led the largest peer support workforce within the New York City Hospital system and significantly contributed to the development of the peer support workforce. Dr. Edwards has published research on job satisfaction and supervision practices; contributed to the development of National Practice Guidelines for Peer Support Specialists and Supervisors; presented research and practice nationally and internationally; served on a technical expert panel to develop National Model Standards for Peer Support Certification, as well as a national recovery research agenda. He has received several awards and has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and co-edited the recently published “What It Takes: Wisdom from Peer Support Specialists and Supervisors.”  

Registration: Please register below (on this site) using a credit or debit card, which is the quickest way to confirm your attendance.

ONLY if you need to pay by check, please complete this form (click here) and email it to: registration@mipeers.org. Do not use this form if you are paying by credit/debit card.

Cancellation Policy: Registrations may be transferred to another employee of the same agency upon written request to registration@mipeers.org. Cancellations must be received in writing at least 12 days prior to the date of the training. Failure to cancel registration within the allotted time will result in registration fees being forfeited. For questions, e-mail registration@mipeers.org.

Attendance Policy: You must attend the entire training. If you are more than 10 minutes late you will not be allowed to attend as part of the CE requirements. Breaks are built into the training schedule. Participants who miss more than 10 minutes of the training outside of scheduled breaks will not receive CE credit. Attendees must follow the training guidelines.