Diana Leafe ChristianCreating a Life Together CoverFinding Community Cover














“ These two books form an indispensable compendium of information that should be the constant companion to everyone interested in the communitarian path. ”
— Richard Heinberg, Peak Oil activist and author
The Party's Over, Powerdown, Blackout, The End of Growth

10-week online Sociocracy for Intentional Communities Course, Sundays, Jan 28- March 31, 2024, with short watch-ahead videos & handouts, an optional Sociocracy Buddies Program for course participants, a create-it-as-you-go book on using sociocracy in communities, and weekly two-hour live sessions for practice. HERE'S MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SOCIOCRACY TRAINING.   

For the first five articles in my article series, "Working Effectively with Especially Challenging Behaviors," click HERE.

My mission is to help intentional communities get started successfully, function effectively, and achieve their goals. I have learned what works well from founders and long-time members of more than 170 communities worldwide — ecovillages, cohousing neighborhoods, housing co-ops, shared group households, income-sharing communes, and more. Here are two videos I'd love you to see. First, an 11-minute presentation, Three Aspects of a Healthy, Thrivng Community. Second, a 45-minute slide show (with slides embedded in the video) How Ecovillages Benefit the Wider Culture. My books are Creating a Life Together, (2003), (now translated into six languages) and Finding Community (2007) Here's a 1-minute video from Bay Area Permaculture trainer Kevin Bayuk recommending my work.
     I teach workshops, offer consultations, and present keynote addresses and breakout workshops for conferences internationally. In 2017 I received the Fellowship for Intentional Community's Kozeny Communitarian Award, a lifetime acheivement award for contributions to the US communities movement.

     My workshops and webinars include Starting a Successful Ecovillage or Intentional Community, Helping Your Community Thrive, and Sociocracy for Intentional Communities. I'm an Associate Member of The Sociocracy Consulting Group (TSCG).  I also teach the N St. Consensus Method for groups who like to use consensus. I'm working on my third and forth books now: one on how groups can use Sociocracy for better meetings, get more done, be better organized, and feel more connected; the other on helping your community become more healthy and thrivng.

I'm a certified as a trainer for Gaia Education's Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) course, a Board Member of GEN-US (Global Ecovillage Network-US) and formerly a board member of GENNA (GEN-North America). I contributed chapters to the Gaia Education/EDE books Beyond You and Me and Gaian Economics, and the GEN book Ecovillage: 1001 Ways to Heal the Planet. I've written articles for Communities magazine, GEN Newsletter, the Communities Directory, GEN Newsletter, Permaculture Activist, Permculture Design, and Permaculture magazines. I was editor of Communities magazine (1994-2007) and publisher of Ecovillages newsletter (2010-2012). I live at Earthaven Ecovillage in North Carolina.

Please email me here.

“Your workshop was fantastic! You truly are a master at taking complex material and making it simple — at putting together workshops, teaching, and facilitating. The way you engage participants is brilliant." —Gaya Erlandson, co-founder, Lotus Lodge Community, North Carolina

"Your presentation at the Permaculture Voices conference was one of the best I've seen. . . . down-to-earth, humble, extremely knowledgeable, realistic, practical, insightful, inspiring (and funny). I learned so much!"  —Laura Allen, Los Angeles Eco-Village; author, The Water-Wise Home

“You are a sparkling trainer and a joy to work with. L.A. Eco-Village was energized for a year following your workshop.”  —Lois Arkin, co-founder, Los Angeles Eco-Village

"I love the way you teach — supporting the questioner and question, being totally honest, and keeping a smile and positive, hopeful attitude about everything!"  —Dave Henson, co-founder, OAEC Community, Sonoma County, California

I was riveted — your conference keynote was an awesome presentation. You hit the fundamental, untold truths about cohousing and decision-making.  I 100% recommend time with you as obligatory for any forming cohousing community.” —Mark Westcombe, Chairperson, UK Cohousing Network, and co-founder, Forge Bank Cohousing, Lancaster, England

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