About Us

Karen Starz, President, MA, CNVC Certified Trainer, Main Grounding Officer

Believer, Cat Whisperer, Risk Taker, and Visionary

Karen Starz, a CNVC certified trainer, is a leader who models both success and failure with courage and integrity. Her passion is in the exploration, discovery, and integration of processes which help humans live as they were meant to- in peace. She loves working with communities to find the points of disconnection and bring them into connection through communication, spirituality, and continual learning opportunities. Karen coaches individuals and couples on a committed basis with her packages. She also teaches classes, does speaking engagements, works with groups, companies, and nonprofits building more effective systems, and performing facilitated conversations (mediations). Her favorite quality of being is congruence.

Bryte V. Gordon, Ph.D. Mother, Alchemist, and dedicated Student of NVC Consciousness. 

Bryte has always found solace in nature and her interest in science led her to graduate school where she studied small molecule metal enzyme mimics and specialized in inorganic synthesis and x-ray crystallography.  As a graduate student, Bryte was a founding member of Women in Science at Columbia, where she helped run the Saturday Science Starters program that hosted young girls from Harlem at the Columbia Chemistry Department to engage in fun and enriching science experiments. For the last 15 plus years she has counseled biotech clients in intellectual property law. 

In the true spirit of an experimental scientist, Bryte determined for herself that achieving an advanced degree, establishing a lucrative career, finding a mate, and bringing children into the world did not necessarily deliver that promised "happily ever after"...  There was something missing.  She found that the intense demands of her day job made it seem impossible to be the mother and partner she longed to be.  Even before the pandemic hit, she was already overwhelmed and under-resourced.  Thankfully she discovered Marshall Rosenberg's book "Nonviolent Communication, a Language of Life" that provided the much needed "seed crystal" of awakening to a much more fulfilling life!  Reading the book together with her partner allowed them to successfully navigate co-habitation with her in-laws and young children during the pandemic.  This was just the beginning.  Soon she found her way to Karen Starz and joined a virtual introduction to NVC class and she quickly beheld the potency of cultivating self-empathy as an essential first step towards attuning to her own needs and those around her with an open heart.  With these new skills, she began to navigate her life with much more attunement to what is alive for her and those around her.  

Bryte has remained an active member of the Nonviolent Communication community since 2020 and is excited to continue to cultivate opportunities for deep listening and empathic connection. She is also a mentor with WayFinders on the Hudson, an after school outdoor immersion program for children that fosters "connection with themselves, each other, and the earth," and she is the co-leader for her daughters brownie troop where she uses her NVC skills to foster empathic connection and social-emotional learning for our future generations.

Tammi Terrell Morris, Treasurer

Mother of 2 Boys, Creative, Spoken Word Artist, Author, Autism Advocate, Podcast Creator, Documentarist, Nature Lover

Tammi is a people person who thrives on connection with others. She is passionate about growing her communication skills as she believes that sharing one’s story fosters connection through humanity. Tammi holds a Master of Science Degree in Leadership and Management and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology. As a full-time Mom, Tammi can be found washing clothes, feeding cats, making beds, cooking, and organizing cabinets while she contemplates on ways to make the world a better place for all. In her spare time, which is rare, Tammi can be found re-watching episodes of The Golden Girls, Taking long walks, and planning get-a-ways. Tammi is excited to serve on the Board and looks forward to great connections being made.

Michael Dillo, Board Member, CNVC Certified Trainer & Assessor, Ph.D.

Former civil engineer, Father, Keeper of the NVC-fire

Michael, in his "first" life, was a professor of civil engineering. In his Ph.D. thesis, he specialized in underground constructions in rock, which paved his way from his home country Germany to Switzerland in the early 1990s. As much as he enjoyed living in this beautiful country, he became increasingly dissatisfied with his job as an engineer. He struggled with a fear of change and a lot of "I have to …” messages. In 1997 he was inspired to attend a workshop with Marshall B. Rosenberg to find answers to his questions and fears. During the first three day-seminar, he received some fundamental life-changing answers. However, it took him quite a while to understand the difference between intellectually understanding NVC and internalizing it. Finally, he gave up his profession as an engineer. He then has been certified as a CNVC-Trainer in 2004 and started to work worldwide as such. In 2013 he was asked to join the CNVC Assessors Team and the CALF Team in the USA.

Matthew Lederman, - MD Board Member, CNVC Certified Trainer

Father, Husband, Innovator, and Healer

Matthew Lederman began his professional medical career studying conventional Western medicine to become a board-certified Internal Medicine physician. He quickly realized more skills and tools were needed if he was going to help people achieve his definition of optimum health: to live in a state of, “Life Is Wonderful.” He began his personal and professional expansion starting with additional training in nutrition and lifestyle medicine, eventually participating in the documentary Forks Over Knives as well as co-authoring 6 books, including a NY Times Bestseller. Most recently he co-authored, “Wellness to Wonderful,” interweaving medical science, psychology, spirituality, and life wisdom to help people achieve lasting health, vibrancy, peace, and joy. He further expanded his arsenal of care by completing CNVC Trainer Certification as he found Nonviolent Communication to be the foundation on which mind-body and interpersonal healing lies. He is particularly passionate about bringing NVC into this world to support patients, parents, children, and work teams using technology and other creative outlets. In addition, he strongly believes that effective care must be trauma-informed, and supports that intention through his continued work with the Polyvagal Theory and Somatic Awareness Principles. After 10 years in the corporate world serving as the Whole Foods Market Vice President of Medical Affairs helping launch their national comprehensive medical & wellness centers and integrated hospital and insurance network, Dr. Lederman moved on to build his newest ventures, WeHeal and webe kälm, with his work and life partner of 18 years. WeHeal & webe kälm are the culmination of decades of learning and practical experience organized into an easily accessible program and tools that do everything just short of guaranteeing lasting health, joy and satisfaction in your life. He currently lives in Los Angeles, CA with his beautiful wife and two daughters who inspire him every day to do everything in his power to help heal this world.