North Shore Chicago · Community Wellness

Feel stuck,
overwhelmed,
or off track?

Spend one day getting clarity, momentum, and a real plan forward.

Most approaches treat symptoms. We focus on what's underneath. Through a blend of trauma-informed therapy and transformative coaching, these intensive workshops help you understand what's really driving your patterns — and give you the tools, structure, and experience to start changing them.

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Upcoming Workshops

Two paths toward wholeness

Each intensive is designed for the general community — no prior experience needed. Just come as you are.

You'll spend the day in a small group (max 10 people), guided through a structured series of conversations, exercises, and reflections.

This is not passive. You won't be sitting and listening all day.

You'll be actively engaged — thinking, writing, and (only if you choose) sharing — while applying what you're learning in real time.

Breaking the Cycle

Understanding Addiction & the Path to Real Change

📅 Saturday, May 17 · 9:00am – 5:00pm  ·  📍 Winnetka Community House
Addiction Recovery Compassion

Addiction isn't a lack of willpower — it's a learned response to pain. Whether it's substances, behaviors, or emotional cycles, this one-day intensive will help you understand what's actually driving the cycle and how to begin changing it in a way that's sustainable, not forced.

This is for you if:
  • You're struggling with a habit or pattern you can't stop
  • You've tried to "just be more disciplined" and it hasn't worked
  • Someone you love is caught in a cycle and you don't know how to help
What you'll walk away with
  • A deeper understanding of what's driving your patterns
  • Practical tools to navigate urges and emotional triggers
  • A more compassionate relationship with yourself (or someone you love)
  • One clear next step you can actually follow through on
What the day includes

This is not a lecture. It's a structured, supportive, and interactive experience.

  • A safe, non-judgmental space to start the day
  • Why addiction happens (and why willpower isn't enough)
  • Exploration of the underlying patterns that keep the cycle going
  • Body-based awareness + guided reflection exercises
  • Practical tools: urge surfing, HALT check-ins, grounding techniques
  • How to support others without losing yourself
  • Closing integration + next-step plan
$449
Full day · 9am–5pm · Continental breakfast & lunch included · Limited to 10 participants

Unstuck

A One-Day Intensive to Get Your Life Moving Again

📅 Saturday, June 7 · 9:00am – 5:00pm  ·  📍 Winnetka Community House
Growth Momentum Coaching

You're not lazy. You're not broken. You're likely stuck in a pattern your nervous system learned for a reason. This one-day intensive is designed for people who feel stuck in work, relationships, or habits — overwhelmed, unable to take clear action, or tired of "knowing what to do" but not doing it.

What you'll walk away with
  • A clear understanding of your personal "stuck pattern"
  • Tools to work with your nervous system instead of against it
  • One concrete next step you can actually follow through on
  • A renewed sense of momentum and direction
What the day includes

This is not a lecture. It's a guided, interactive experience.

  • Immediate connection — you'll realize quickly you're not the only one feeling this way
  • Why you're stuck (and why pushing harder hasn't worked)
  • Guided exploration of the patterns keeping you frozen
  • Body-based exercises to locate and release stuckness
  • A practical framework for building momentum without overwhelm
  • Future-self visualization + written integration
  • Accountability partner + next-step commitment
Who this is for
  • You feel stuck but can't explain why
  • You've tried to "push through" and it hasn't worked
  • You want real movement, not more information
$449
Full day · 9am–5pm · Continental breakfast & lunch included · Limited to 10 participants
Your Facilitators

Therapy meets coaching

Shale and Matthew bring complementary expertise — clinical depth and coaching momentum — to create workshops that go deep and move forward.

Shale Marks

Shale Marks, LCSW, CADC

Therapist & NARM-Informed Practitioner

Shale is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and certified addiction counselor (CADC) with deep expertise in trauma-informed care. His work is informed by NARM — the NeuroAffective Relational Model — a leading approach to healing complex trauma and developmental wounds. Shale's practice centers on the connection between the nervous system, unresolved trauma, and the patterns that keep us stuck in cycles of pain. He brings clinical depth, genuine warmth, and a compassionate lens to everything he facilitates. When he's not in the therapy room, you'll find Shale on a hiking trail or a ski slope — someone who knows firsthand that healing happens when we get out of our heads and into our bodies.

shalemarks.com →
Matthew Baron

Matthew Baron, M.Ed, ACC

Life Coach

Matthew is a life coach who helps people bridge the gap between insight and action — turning awareness into momentum. He brings coaching tools for clarifying values, dismantling self-sabotage, and building sustainable habits to each workshop. Matthew's approach is practical, compassionate, and deeply rooted in the belief that real change happens one small move at a time. Outside of coaching, Matthew is an avid pickleball player who stays sharp on the court thanks to a dedicated Pilates practice — because showing up at your best requires taking care of yourself first.

matthewleebaron.com →

Get in touch

Questions about a workshop? Not sure which one is right for you? Send us a message and Shale or Matthew will get back to you personally.

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