ME, MYSELF, AND SELF-SABOTAGE
CHALLENGING OUR MINDSETS

Beast and echo will dive into the importance of mindset and how we often fall into self-sabotage, justification, and gathering allies when in conflict, and how understanding our thought process, defense mechanisms, and survival techniques we have picked up along the way are stopping us from living our truest and happiest lives. Using some tools from The Arbinger Institute along with others they have gathered along the way. Beast and echo will share their past experiences and how these techniques have changed not only their dynamic but their lives, and offer you a new perspective and some valuable tools.

SHUT THE F@&k UP!
IDENTIFYING AND SMASHING KINK & RELATIONSHIP STEREOTYPES

We are part of a subculture born of rebellion and a refusal to conform. Why then, do we often find ourselves facing pressure from others in our own community, or even from our own beliefs, to fit a particular mold? Breaking through that mold can be challenging and scary. Join Beast and echo as they dive into where some of these assumptions came from, how they have evolved, and how choosing to either embrace them or smash through them has impacted their journey, dynamic, and path forward.

TUNE-IN AND TUNE-UP
TUNE-UP TIPS TO KEEP YOUR RELATIONSHIP RUNNING

There are times when a major overhaul is needed, but often a simple tune-up can mean the difference between enjoying the road you’re on and breaking down alongside it. Think of these tune-up tips as one of those lifehack videos but for relationships. They might seem like common sense, but common sense is not always common practice. In this session, Beast and echo will share some of the simplest yet most powerful “hacks” we’ve found, and a few that nearly left us stranded.

M/s CHALLENGE
BUILDING A VALUES-BASED DYNAMIC

It’s no secret that power exchange dynamics can be difficult to build and maintain. The secret often seems to be “why?”. What is it that those in successful dynamics have figured out? Often it comes down to building a solid foundation based on your personal values rather than the contract you found on google or what sounded sexy when you wrote it up. In this class, attendees will have the opportunity to hear both the Master/Dominant and the slave/submissive perspectives on building and adopting a values-based power exchange dynamic. Beast (he/him) and echo (she/her) will discuss the tools and tricks they used to create a strong and sustainable dynamic, as well as many of the ways they found that did not work for them. This class is an interactive discussion, and attendees need not be in any specific dynamic or in any relationship at all to attend and enjoy the class.

NEUROCONVERGENT
CREATING HARMONY IN YOUR DYNAMIC FROM THE DISCORD OF MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES

Those of us who live with our own mental health challenges are often labeled neurodivergent – meaning we process and respond to situations and information in ways that differ from the norm. For many of us, this divergence can create significant barriers to intimacy and our ability to connect to one another. In this class, Beast and Echo will talk about the way these barriers have impacted their relationship, and the tools and strategies they’ve developed that allow two neurodivergent individuals to create a NeuroConvergent dynamic.

NO MEANS HARDER & PINEAPPLE MEANS STOP??
NAVIGATING CONSENT AND NEGOTIATIONS

Consent is at the very heart of what we do in the dungeon, or the bedroom, or really anywhere. Understanding consent in kink and BDSM may seem simple, but it’s easier than you might think for sexy fun time to go sideways in a heartbeat. A large part of consensual play is understanding how to properly negotiate. Just because it must be done though, doesn’t mean it must be boring. In this session, Beast (he/him) and echo (she/her) walk you through their approach to consent and negotiation and give you an opportunity to test drive your new skills. By reframing your negotiations, you no longer have to view it as a chore to finish before the fun begins, and start seeing it as part of your scene.

THE HOUSE THAT LEATHER BUILT
LEATHER AND CHOOSING YOUR OWN DESTINY

For various reasons, those in the kink, BDSM, and Leather communities often find themselves without the support of their blood family. Fortunately, we have the freedom to choose our own families and create our support structures. In this class, Beast shares his Leather journey and how it led to the formation of the Leather House, Maison de Beast. He will provide a historical view of why and how Leather Houses and Leather Families began, how they function, and why many are drawn to join them. Beast will also explore practical options for those wishing to join or create one. This class is an interactive discussion; questions and participation are encouraged.

LEATHER INTERIOR
FINDING YOUR PLACE IN LEATHER BY LOOKING WITHIN

You are likely to get as many different answers to the question, “What is Leather” as you can find folks to ask. It has become a symbol, and as with many symbols, it has been left to the individual to add meaning and context. As a subculture, most agree on its beginnings and early history, but each of us that come into Leather brings our own unique perspective. In this discussion, Beast and echo facilitate a conversation unwinding our earliest exposure to Leather, how it impacted our understanding, and how that reflection can help us navigate a more authentic and fulfilling path.

MOMENTS THAT MATTER
CURATING MEANING AND MAGIC

Sometimes, everything comes together just right to create a perfect moment; one that shapes our life, provides direction and meaning, or cements a lasting memory. Many of us spend much of our lives chasing those moments. Imagine being able to intentionally create and craft these moments within your relationships, dynamics, and your Leather and kink experience. In this session, Beast and echo will share their approach to curating these moments and provide the tools necessary for you to take the lead in crafting moments that matter to you.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN PE/AE DYNAMICS

Why do small, seemly silly things often turn into arguments? What if there was a way to know, at the very beginning of a conversation, exactly what your partner needs from you. In this class, Beast (he/him) and echo (she/her) share their communication model and the struggles they went through that inspired it. They use humor and personal stories to illustrate a powerful communication model that can be used in power exchange dynamics, poly, or even vanilla relationships. Be careful, some of these tools can work a little too well.

SHIPWRECKED OR SHIPSHAPE?
NAVIGATING M/s, D/s & OTHER CONSENTUALLY IMBALANCE RELATIONSHIPS

Whether you prefer power exchange, authority transfer, or other terms, these consensually imbalanced relationships can be tricky to navigate. Even the most confident D-type or most dedicated s-type can often find themselves feeling as lost as some of those early sea-going explorers before we learned to navigate using the stars. In this discussion, Beast (he/him) and echo (she/they) will present a different perspective using a nautical metaphor that helped them understand their dynamic in a new way. Will you be setting sail on the Love Boat, or will your three-hour tour leave you stranded on a desert island?

NOT TOO WOO
EMBRACING ENERGY PLAY & THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF BDSM

Are you interested in energy play or looking to embrace your spiritual side, but struggling to understand where to start? Maybe you're all in, but your partner just doesn't get it? In this workshop, Beast (he/him) and echo (she/her) dive into real talk for newcomers or skeptics of the "woo". We’ll explore some of the pitfalls W/we ran into and strategies we employed to help U/us on O/our journey as two skeptics into a place of exploration.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
HEALING AND RECOVERY IN THE WAKE OF CONSENT VIOLATIONS

As a community, we have stepped up our game in recent years regarding consent. More classes and conversations are happening about consent and consent culture than ever. Despite that, the lifestyle is full of humans - imperfect and fallible, and humans sometimes do terrible things. What we haven't done a lot of yet, is talk about how to handle these situations in a constructive and healing way. That's left us to be reactive when something happens, which often makes the damage from these situations that much worse as we struggle to figure out how to heal in the middle of the drama and tragedy. This class considers a restorative justice approach to attempt to repair the damage caused by consent violations and lay out a plan for how we heal as individuals, partners, and a community.