Transforming Communication into Connection.
Picture this: November 25, 1993. I’m about to kick off a communication workshop, super pumped to share my knowledge.
But wait, there are only two people in the room! After a thoughtful discussion with my friend and company CEO we decide to be flexible and give it another 15 minutes.
I informed the two early birds of our plan. By 9:15, miraculously, all 12 registered participants had arrived, and I began the training.
Thirty minutes into the introduction, the door opened, and two new arrivals joined us. It was Yoni and his business partner, Dina.
We hadn’t counted on them since they had registered six months prior and postponed their participation each month.
But that November weekend, they finally joined us.
For three days, I hammered in communication techniques and philosophy to the participants, never knowing this seminar would change the course of my life.
For three days, I dove deep into the world of communication, building teams, and personal growth.
It was intense, but I loved it. I was helping people unlock their potential, and it was incredibly rewarding.
The third day was the heart of the seminar, where we worked on the individual as the owner and director of their company.
I emphasized that their company would only grow as big as they did as a person. We delved into their visions for life and business.
It wasn’t easy, but I was determined to show them how their company would always reflect who they were as individuals.
I worked one-on-one with each person, helping them see how their self-identity and insecurities held them back and how they could overcome these barriers.
Then came the magic moment: the leaf exercise. We explored what people saw in a simple leaf, then replaced “leaf” with “myself.” It was a powerful exercise, revealing hidden thoughts and desires.
Once the workshop ended and the participants left, I sat with my team, which included two women in their 60s whom I had known for years.
They were role models for me, proving that a woman could have a rich, fulfilled life without marriage or children.
However, during this workshop, I realized that despite this, I desired a partner.
As I shared this realization with them, the door opened, and Yoni entered, apologizing for the interruption.
He handed me a note and disappeared. My assistants continued as if nothing had happened, asking, “So what are you going to do about your wish?”
I fiercely declared, “I’m going to have a partner within six months.”
Later, at home, I opened the note Yoni gave me. It was the page where he did his leaf process. Apparently, he hadn’t finished, and his leaf was partly empty.
In it, he wrote: “ Vered, I wanted to say Thank You for what you are, not for what you transferred to me.
Feeling full just from one look at you, from your smile. Your eyes are real for me, and I love you for it.
Thank you for being there for me in these last three days. I don’t want it to stop.
Today, I am a big hero writing this to you, but tomorrow I’ll probably be much less of a hero.
I have a lot to say. A lot to feel. I do not want tomorrow to kill it with its fears, excuses and this feeling of being small.
I believe in this moment, in this pure feeling that passed between the two of us.
I’m ignoring the professionalism, the need to teach, the manipulation and all the other B/S.
I feel a lot for you. Love you, Yoni.
Now, what could a girl do but say YES to such a proposal?
Against my personal rule of not dating participants, against my belief that I needed someone older, and against my self-doubt,
I picked up the phone and called him.
And as they say… the rest was history, which you can read about in Yoni’s story.