Initiations in Love with Britta Eskey: Exploring Right Relationship Through the Lens of Love
- chri116
- Sep 3
- 6 min read
Summary:
What if life itself is a school of love?
This week on The UpLevel Podcast, we welcome Britta Eskey, author of Initiations in Love, co-founder of COR, and certified compassion cultivation teacher at Stanford. For over 25 years, Britta has guided individuals and communities through transformational work that reconnects us with our essential goodness and deepest values.
Britta shares how love, beyond romance, becomes the foundation for true leadership, community, and right relationship with self, others, and the world. This episode is a heartfelt reminder that leadership and love are not separate paths; they are one.
In This Episode:
What it means to see life as a school of love
How Britta’s stoic German upbringing led to mystical experiences that shaped her faith in love
How right relationship shows up in work, family, nature, and self
The role of compassion and courage in leadership: vulnerability is key
Why transformation often begins with surrender
Discover how Britta’s workshops help people heal core wounds and find deeper integration between masculine and feminine energies
Why falling in love might just be projection… but staying in love is discovery
Why ceremony, community support, and initiation are essential for growth (and often missing today)
Order of Topics:
The Early Mystical Call Toward Love
Initiation Points on the Path to Love
Effervescence, Embodiment, and Integrated Leadership
The Need for a New Paradigm of Leadership
Presence, Productivity, and Defining Love in Organizations
Applying Love and Right Relationship in All Areas of Life
Practicing Loving Presence: Personal Reflection
Ecosystem Care and Inclusion in Leadership
The Shadow of Leadership and Transformative Collapse
The Passage of Transformation and Needing Community
The Birth of COR: Origins and Growth
Healing Masculine and Feminine Wounds
Rites of Passage and Initiation in Modern Times
Interdependence and Collective Initiation
Real, Raw, Radical Love and the Ongoing Journey of Initiation
Love, Reflection, and the Nature of Falling and Being in Love
Continuous Deepening in Intimate Relationships
Action Items:
Cultivate “Right Relationship” Daily
Practice self-compassion: Check in with yourself regularly—are you being kind to yourself?
Extend genuine care to others: Ask how you can support those around you.
Reflect on your relationship with the world: What actions today bring more love into your environment?
Lead from the Inside Out
Prioritize authentic presence over perfection or productivity.
Walk your talk: Share honestly about both successes and mistakes.
Begin again with humility when things don’t go as planned.
Include Yourself in Your Ecosystem of Care
Notice patterns of over-giving; set boundaries that honor your own needs.
Schedule regular moments for grounding, rest, and emotional check-ins.
Acknowledge vulnerability—it’s a strength, not a weakness.
Seek Support and Community
Find mentors, coaches, or counselors who can guide you through transitions.
Build supportive relationships where mutual witnessing and growth are possible.
Embrace Rites of Passage & Initiation Rituals
Mark significant life changes (new job, parenthood) with intentional reflection or ceremony—even if simple or personal.
Allow yourself to be witnessed by trusted friends/community during vulnerable times.
Redefine Love as Real & Radical
Move beyond projection—see people (and yourself) clearly rather than idealizing them.
Embrace love as an ongoing process requiring courage and continual initiation.
Honor Vulnerability During Transitions
Remember vulnerability is temporary but transformative—it leads to deeper authenticity and power.
Approach change with openness; what feels like loss often yields greater truth and connection on the other side.
UPCOMING COR EXPERIENCES You Don’t Want to Miss!
NOBLE MAN INTRO CALLS: In these FREE intro evenings, men will get a taste of what transpires at a Noble Man weekend and ask questions. Men, if you are curious what it would be like to be your full self in front of women, to be appreciated, valued, respected, and even loved by these women, not for what you do, but for who you ... this is the next step for you.
Dates: August 20, September 10
Time: 8-10pm ET / 5-7pm PT
RSVP for the Free Intro Calls here (be sure to toggle to the desired date)
COR WOMAN INTRO CALLS: An interactive evening to get a feel for the COR Woman workshop and have all your questions answered. Even in this introductory evening, you will have a breakthrough in authenticity and relating to yourself. If you’re curious about the transformative experience of COR Woman, join us for one of our free intro calls.
August 13 (8-9:30pm ET / 5-6:30pm PT)
September 10 (7-8:30pm ET / 4-5:30pm PT)
October 8 (9-10:30pm ET / 6-7:30pm PT)
RSVP for the Free Intro Calls here (be sure to toggle to the desired date)
COR WOMAN MINI-WORKSHOP: In this COR Woman mini-workshop, hosted by the COR Community Foundation, we will explore a particular topic, how it shows up in our life, ways to navigate it, and learn a path of ease, peace, and joy. There is a more compassionate, healthy, and balanced way, and we have tools to help with the learning process. All are welcome. Each month, on the third Thursday of the month.
All calls 9-11pm ET / 6-8pm PT
August 21 (Topic: Fostering Friendships) - RSVP here
September 18 (Topic: Embracing Transitions) - RSVP here
October 16 (Topic: Finding Your Voice) - RSVP here
WORKSHOPS
NOBLE MAN
In the presence of trained women facilitators and staff who will step in for the women in your life, Noble Man is your chance to experiment and test what it’s like to let down your walls. Instead of showing up with what you think women want to see and hear, you’ll get to practice what it’s like to be real, to be fully you, to let yourself be seen. Through this, you’ll experience how powerful it can be when you show up as your true self, and how easy it is to connect once you do. You’ll rewire your brain to see new potential, to experience a new way of being.
Whether you’ve done men’s work before or have never done a workshop, this is a weekend like no other, and one you will never forget.
October 2-5 | Crestone, Colorado
COR WOMAN
COR Woman is your chance to pause, to take a breath. It’s the space to step away from the doing, the multi-tasking, the need to take care of others. It’s the space to make yourself a priority for once. It’s the space to step back into who you are when you aren’t doing anything. In the space between, you’ll find the essence of yourself. Connect to your greatest desires, to your inherent brilliance and worth: no striving required. You will be able to strip away the shoulds and conditioning and step into your powerful, capable, and loving self.
September 25-28 | Sebastian, Florida
October 23-26 | Austin, Texas
February 26-March 1 | Crestone, Colorado
TRAININGS
2026 LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT TRAINING | Begins May 4
Registration is now open for our 2026 Leadership Development Training (LDT) – a profound journey into self-leadership and relational mastery. If you're ready to deepen your presence, purpose, and capacity to lead from the inside out, we invite you to explore what’s possible. LDT combines ancient wisdom traditions with leading modern methodologies of psychology to provide you with a practical and comprehensive training for you to step into your full capacity as a leader in your life and community, so that you can give your gifts to the world.
About Britta:
Britta Eskey is the author of Initiations in Love, a spiritual memoir that explores transformation through life’s sacred rites of passage, and the host of the Initiations in Love podcast. She co-founded COR (Latin for “Heart”), a personal growth organization that has been serving individuals and communities for over 25 years. COR offers transformational workshops, leadership trainings, and coaching programs — both in-person and online—that help people reconnect with their essential goodness and live from their deepest values. Its mission is to empower people to become skillful, embodied leaders who can compassionately guide others while living with courage, clarity, and heart. Britta is a certified Compassion Cultivation Teacher, and one of the developers and instructors of the Cultivating the Heart course at Stanford University’s CCARE.
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About UpLevel Productions: Founded by Christie Mann, MA, CPCC, PCC, and Rachel Baldi, CPCC, PCC, UpLevel creates, produces, and delivers Transformative Experiences, Workshops, Training, Events + Media that develop leaders who make our world a healthier, more alive, and connected place to be. As Associate CTI Faculty Partners, UpLevel is licensed to sell, produce, and deliver Co-Active coach training and leadership development programs around the world to support the transformational growth of individuals and culture inside the workplace and organization. www.uplevelproductions.com Instagram @uplevelproductions Facebook & LinkedIn @uplevelproductionscompany
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