Facilitation expertise,
on demand and in community
Professional development should change practice. The Facilitation Studio helps you move from hoping a session will land to knowing how to design and lead learning that consistently leads to understanding, meaningful shifts, and sustained improvement.
With unlimited access to Bright Morning’s facilitation workshops, plus on-demand Skill Sessions and monthly Ask-the-Expert and Studio practice sessions, you will develop the skill and judgment to navigate resistance, lead change, and ensure the people you serve truly learn.
Most facilitation training focuses on what to do. This Studio develops how you do it and who you are while doing it.
The difference between a technically solid facilitator and a transformational one is not just skill. It is presence, self-awareness, and the ability to navigate tension, uncertainty, and complexity in real time.
Through quarterly intensives with Elena Aguilar, you will strengthen your facilitator presence so you are not just leading sessions, you are leading people.
This is not beginner training.
If you are already facilitating and want to refine your practice, make stronger decisions in the moment, and lead with more clarity and confidence, this is where that work happens.
Facilitators and PD Providers
Who design and lead learning as their primary work
Coaches and Leaders
Who regularly facilitate meetings, team learning, or professional development
Consultants and Specialists
Who are responsible for guiding groups through change
What You'll Learn
- How to design agendas that are clear, focused, and realistic
- How to build sessions that deepen understanding—not just deliver content
- How to increase transfer so participants leave knowing what to do next
- What to do when people disengage, resist, shut down, or dominate
- How to pivot when your plan isn’t working
- How to facilitate tough moments with steadiness and care
- How to create stronger flow, pacing, and learning arcs across a session
- How to run virtual and hybrid sessions that don’t feel chaotic
- How to make facilitation more sustainable over time
- How to strengthen your facilitator presence and confidence
- How to navigate tension, conflict, and uncertainty without losing the room
- …and how to continue refining your facilitation craft year after year
How You’ll Spend Your Time
On-Demand Learning
4 Sessions Each Month
Facilitation Learning Library Skill Sessions (2/month)
Each session is 30–45 minutes with direct instruction, examples, tools, and a simple next step you can apply immediately.
Want to see what this looks like in practice?
Ask Elena Recordings (2/month)
Watch short, on-demand sessions shaped by real participant questions and challenges.
Submit your own scenarios, agendas, or dilemmas. These sessions are built in response, so you receive guidance that is timely, specific, and directly applicable.
Curious how these sessions work?
Live Learning
Studio Sessions (2 hours, monthly)
A monthly practice and preparation space to:
- Workshop your upcoming agenda
- Get feedback on design choices
- Practice responding in hard moments
- Learn from how others approach similar challenges
Time: 8 am-10 am PT (10 am-12 pm CT/11 am-1 pm ET)
Dates: December 10, 2026
Quarterly Facilitator Intensives with Elena Aguilar (3 hours each)
These sessions focus on the internal work of facilitation. You will strengthen how you:
- Stay grounded in high-stakes moments
- Navigate tension, conflict, and uncertainty
- Build trust and connection in real time
- Lead with clarity, confidence, and self-awareness
This is the only space where you will engage in this level of facilitator development directly with Elena. It is where facilitation shifts from skillful to transfotmational.
Dates/Times: Coming Soon
Private Online Community
Ask questions, share tools, and stay connected between sessions.
How You’ll Spend Your Time
How You’ll Spend Your Time
This training is offered as a 2-day in-person workshop and a virtual blended learning experience. Explore the differences and determine which best meets your needs by clicking on each option below.
Explore Your Options
In-Person
Two-day In-Person Workshop
Virtual
Virtual Blended Learning Experience
In-Person
Virtual
On-Demand Learning
4 Sessions Each Month
Facilitation Learning Library Skill Sessions (2/month)
Each session is 30–45 minutes with direct instruction, examples, tools, and a simple next step you can apply immediately.
Want to see what this looks like in practice?
Ask Elena Recordings (2/month)
Watch short, on-demand sessions shaped by real participant questions and challenges.
Submit your own scenarios, agendas, or dilemmas. These sessions are built in response, so you receive guidance that is timely, specific, and directly applicable.
Curious how these sessions work?
Live Learning
Studio Sessions (2 hours, monthly)
A monthly practice and preparation space to:
- Workshop your upcoming agenda
- Get feedback on design choices
- Practice responding in hard moments
- Learn from how others approach similar challenges
Time: 8 am-10 am PT (10 am-12 pm CT/11 am-1 pm ET)
Dates: December 10, 2026
Quarterly Facilitator Intensives with Elena Aguilar (3 hours each)
These sessions focus on the internal work of facilitation. You will strengthen how you:
- Stay grounded in high-stakes moments
- Navigate tension, conflict, and uncertainty
- Build trust and connection in real time
- Lead with clarity, confidence, and self-awareness
This is the only space where you will engage in this level of facilitator development directly with Elena. It is where facilitation shifts from skillful to transfotmational.
Dates/Times: Coming Soon
Private Online Community
Ask questions, share tools, and stay connected between sessions.
What Else You Need To Know
Requirements
The Studio is designed for facilitators who are already doing the work and want to refine, deepen, and strengthen their practice. We strongly recommend having your own copy of The PD Book, which serves as the foundation for the approaches, tools, and language used throughout the Studio.
Investment
Access to Program Content
Recorded Content Available
- Skill Sessions and Ask Elena recordings are on-demand and available throughout your 12-month access.
- Studio (PLC) sessions and Intensives with Elena Aguilar are not recorded because most learning happens through live discussion and small-group work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the Art of Facilitation Certification earned?
Studio participants can pursue Art of Facilitation Certification. Certification is not automatic; it reflects demonstrated skill.
To earn certification, you must:
- Complete all 24 Skill Sessions
- Actively participate in each monthly Studio practice session
- Attend all four quarterly Intensives with Elena Aguilar
- Submit facilitation artifacts (agendas, session designs)
- Demonstrate integration of Bright Morning’s facilitation approach
Certification signals that you can design and lead learning that changes practice, not just deliver content.
What is the cost for certification?
$500 covers artifact review, feedback, certificate, and a digital badge to be displayed on your LinkedIn profile.
What if I miss a session or intensive?
It depends on your goals.
If you are pursuing certification, consistent participation is required. Certification is based on demonstrated practice over time, and the live sessions are where that practice happens.
Here’s how attendance works for certification:
- Skill Sessions and Ask-the-Expert recordings are available on-demand and must be completed as part of the learning experience.
- Monthly Studio (practice) sessions are required. One absence is allowed, with an alternative option to practice and receive feedback with another Studio participant. If you miss a session, you are responsible for arranging and completing this make-up practice in a timely way.
- Quarterly Facilitator Intensives are required and cannot be missed.
If you’re unable to attend, you can join that intensive in a future cohort, which will delay your certification timeline.
If you are not pursuing certification, you have more flexibility in how you engage.
You can attend the sessions that are most relevant to your work and schedule. That said, the full experience is designed to build your skill, confidence, and judgment over time—so your level of participation will directly impact your outcomes.
Can I join if I’m not a full-time facilitator?
Yes. If you facilitate as part of your role and want to get better at designing and leading groups, you’ll fit right in.
Is this more like a course or more like ongoing support?
It’s both!
The workshops offer structured, foundational learning. The Facilitation Learning Library and Studio sessions provide ongoing support—giving you a place to practice, get feedback, and work through real facilitation challenges as they arise. Together, they combine the clarity of a course with the flexibility and relevance of ongoing support.
Is this included in the Bright Morning Membership?
The full Art of Facilitation Studio + Certification Program is not included in the Bright Morning Membership.
The Facilitation Learning Library is included, which gives members access to the Skill Sessions and Ask Elena recordings. Members who are committed to completing the full Studio experience can add on the live program and certification pathway for a small additional fee.
Is this eligible for Graduate-Level Professional Development Semester Units/Credits?
Yes. Participants are eligible to earn graduate-level professional development semester units/credits. The number of credits depends on how much of the program you complete, with up to 6 credits available.
Becoming a Bright Morning member is invaluable. The amount of learning and growth that can happen is really up to you. There are a multitude of practical resources, tools, concrete steps, and strategies—having a membership relieves the pressure, so you can go at your own pace. You can get bite-sized pieces of wisdom, or devour it all. I have been a member for two years and continue to learn and grow. The skills I've developed have had a ripple effect on the leaders and schools I work with. I plan to continue being a member for as long as I can!
Since becoming Bright Morning members, our district has adopted a culture of coaching. One of the most impactful and widespread practices has been the implementation of coaching role-play triads. Utilizing Elena’s various coaching toolkits has provided our leaders and coaches with the necessary language and framing to address real-life scenarios. We have been successfully implementing these strategies across all of our leadership and coaching PLCs.
I love having a Bright Morning membership because it gives me access to an incredible range of resources any time I need them. I have participated in many workshops that provide practical and immediately applicable tools. The membership also offers two different PLCs as safe spaces to think out loud with other school leaders, collaborate, and problem-solve together. As a first year coach at my school, I've especially appreciated the opportunity to meet one-on-one with Bright Morning coaches who have strengthened my practice. I'd absolutely recommend a Bright Morning membership for new or experienced school leaders, instructional coaches, or anyone serving in a leadership role.
From co-planning recurring meetings using the frameworks to utilizing the Buddy Pass to get my entire team on the same page, the impact of having a Bright Morning membership has been immediate and profound. The workshops are high-value, well-organized, and packed with 'day-of' utility. If you are looking to sharpen your leadership and align your team’s approach, this membership is an absolute must.
My favorite part of being a Bright Morning member is the access to the incredible resources associated with our membership. Bright Morning is already generous with the free tools they provide educators and, as a member, there’s even more access. Another favorite part of my membership is that the incredible trainers actually show us how to use the tools in Elena’s books for full impact. I’ve learned so much about myself and my work and have leveled up my skills as both a coach and trainer. This membership is the gift that keeps giving!
After becoming a Bright Morning member, I feel better equipped to coach emotions, and I recognize the importance of my presence in a coaching conversation. I appreciate having resources and tools from the Team Leader Learning Library, which has supported me to be more intentional in how I'm leading my team of coaches and mentors. My whole team having memberships has also been great because we've been using common language and working from new learning together. I recommend a Bright Morning Membership to coaches who want to enhance or refresh their skills and be more mindful and intentional in their coaching practices. It would also be helpful for a leader who wants to learn and be reminded of how to lead well, build trust, rebuild health within a team, and take their teamwork to the next level.
The Facilitation Learning Library is included in the Bright Morning Membership—along with every workshop we offer and year-round community support.
