Learn sociocracy: a nature-based governance system
that heals power &
makes collaborative decision-making joyful.
Learn sociocracy: a nature-based governance system
that heals power &
makes collaborative decision-making joyful.
Embedded Files
that heals power &
makes collaborative decision-making joyful.
Sociocracy LIVE: Hands-On Training for Real-World Use
Sociocracy LIVE: Hands-On Training for Real-World Use
In Sociocracy LIVE Online you will build knowledge and confidence in the foundational principles, values and processes of sociocracy in an easy to understand, straight forward manner for immediate use in the real world.
It's time to heal "power over".
It's time to heal "power over".
Hierarchical (power over) structures leave us with a hole inside.
We're done pretending they work for us. They leave us disconnected from our truth and our authentic power.
Deep down, you KNOW the "power over" paradigm is an outdated illusion. You can feel it in your bones - we are sovereign beings. We don't need permission to change our systems.
Yet how many times have you ignored your inner knowing to appease some kind of authority? That ends now.
When we're truly collaborative - working WITH each other instead of FOR someone - something incredible happens.
We remember who we are.
We feel the joy of real connection, the wild expansiveness of freedom in action.
We fiercely reclaim our birthright to be fully human, fully alive, fully free.
Learning sociocracy isn't just taking another course -
it is a revolutionary act towards creating the world we all know is possible.
Learning sociocracy isn't just taking another course -
it is a revolutionary act towards creating the world we all know is possible.
Claim Your Freedom
Sociocracy LIVE: 5 Weeks to Transform
How Your Group Works
Sociocracy LIVE: 5 Weeks to Transform
How Your Group Works
Sociocracy LIVE is the most interactive online training in the Sociocratic Circle Method currently available. It blends live sessions and self-paced learning to give you clear, practical tools that shift power, streamline decisions, and energize collaboration.
Learn the Sociocratic Circle Method (SCM) in the most engaging online format—live sessions plus flexible self-paced activities.
I cut through the complexity, making sociocracy clear, practical, and immediately usable. You’ll walk away with tools that transform decision-making, shift power dynamics, and boost your group’s effectiveness.
Five weeks. Maximum interaction. Real change.
What You'll Learn
What You'll Learn
Excellent foundational skills in sociocratic facilitation, using clear processes that turn meetings from bearable—or not—into super-charged, motivating experiences where you make decisions, get work done and finish on time.
How to:
How to:
Use the foundational principles, values, and processes of the Sociocratic Circle Method (SCM) to transform your organization into a model of “power with.”
Generate clear, collaborative plans and policies.
Navigate basic group dynamics with confidence.
Use consent decision-making to harness the group’s collective wisdom.
Apply sociocracy in real-life situations through live practice.
Testimonial
Testimonial
"Zahra is highly knowledgeable on Sociocracy and uses a fun and effective teaching style. She hosted a series of 4 sessions at a retreat that I was organizing and was able to teach effectively enough that people felt confident to try designing such systems in their lives. She offers learning through practice which I believe is the best way to learn if the goal is to apply learnings to real life."
Liora, Nomad Farm, Global Citizen
Building A New Way
How It Works
How It Works
This isn’t just a course — it’s an innovative online learning experience.
Flipped Classroom + Telegram = Maximum Practice Time
Flipped Classroom + Telegram = Maximum Practice Time
Learning begins outside live sessions so in-session time is mainly about doing.
Daily learning happens in our Telegram community:
Swap scrolling for 15 minutes of focused learning.
Short daily exercises and skill-building activities.
Direct access to your guide between sessions.
Live, Interactive Sessions (2.5 hrs/week)
Live, Interactive Sessions (2.5 hrs/week)
Hands-on facilitation, peer review, and feedback — rarely passive.
Small-group exercises and real-world applications.
Group work: 1 hr/week with your learning group (teams can work together or you will be assigned to a group).
Designed for High Impact
Designed for High Impact
Dynamic, fast-paced, and tech-simple.
Show up prepared for active learning (standing desks encouraged!).
Total commitment: ~4 hrs/week including Telegram time.
Max 12 participants — high-touch, high-feedback learning.
Testimonial
Testimonial
"Definitely recommend. Zahra has an amazing didactics and is super patient to teach/share.
She was super prepared with the visual resources and brought a lot of practical activities. Enriching experience! "
Italo, Nomad Farm, Global Citizen
Teaching in Portugal at Nomad Farm - Traditional Dream Factory
From Meeting Fatigue To Meeting Flow
From Meeting Fatigue To Meeting Flow
"Oh God, not another meeting."
"Oh God, not another meeting."
Before Sociocracy:
Before Sociocracy:
Power imbalances dominate discussion
Unclear, overloaded agendas
Poor time management and follow-through
Decisions that don’t stick
"What an awesome meeting!"
"What an awesome meeting!"
After Sociocracy:
After Sociocracy:
Every voice heard through structured rounds
Focused, achievable agenda items
Meetings that end on time
Accountability built into the process
Consent-based decisions that keep things moving
How Sociocracy Can Change The Game For Your Organization
How Sociocracy Can Change The Game For Your Organization
Distributed Leadership
Distributed Leadership
Shift from top-down control to circle-based decision-making, where teams lead themselves with clarity and autonomy.
Problem: In hierarchical systems, a few people make decisions for many—often far removed from those affected.
Sociocratic Shift: Decisions are made in circles—semi-autonomous, self-organizing groups—where authority is distributed and localized. Each circle includes those doing the work, ensuring decisions are relevant, informed, and owned.
What it looks like: Teams elect their own leaders by consent. Operational leaders guide, not control. Everyone knows where decisions are made and how to participate.
Consent-Based Decisions
Ditch power struggles. Use consent rounds to make inclusive, actionable decisions without getting stuck in endless consensus.
Problem: Traditional organizations rely on majority votes or managerial fiat, leaving some voices unheard and creating resistance or disengagement or worse - resentment.
Sociocratic Shift: Organizations make decisions using consent—not consensus, not command. Proposals are accepted when they’re “good enough for now, safe enough to try,” which keeps the system moving while allowing space for reflection and change.
What it looks like: Meetings use structured rounds so every voice is heard. Objections are seen as valuable input, not threats.
Purpose-Driven Structure
Create dynamic roles aligned with purpose. Regular feedback and role reviews keep your structure evolving with your mission.
Problem: Rigid hierarchies often keep people locked in roles that no longer serve the organization—or the individual.
Sociocratic Shift: Roles, circles, and structures are designed around clear aims and reviewed regularly. People know their domains and accountabilities, and they co-create them.
What it looks like: Teams review roles in regular feedback loops. People shift roles as projects evolve. The structure serves the mission, not the other way around.
Testimonial
Testimonial
"This is an excellent course in understanding how to disrupt how we coordinate in a decentralised and equitable manner."
Raam, Blockchain Consultant, UK
Raam, Blockchain Consultant, UK
Who Is This For?
Who Is This For?
Perfect for facilitators, teams, and organizations ready to be change agents through effective decision-making, energizing meetings and freedom from "power over" hierarchy.
Business & Nonprofit Leaders – Enhance your organization’s decision-making and collaboration.
Community Organizers & Ecovillage Founders – Build sustainable, self-governing communities.
Educators & School Administrators – Foster shared leadership in schools and learning environments.
Anyone Seeking a More Equitable and Effective Governance Model
Meet Your Guide: Zahra Lightway M.Ed.
Meet Your Guide: Zahra Lightway M.Ed.
Vision Catalyst • International Sociocracy Trainer
Ecovillage Design Educator • Co-Founder, Light Way Learning Home Educator Academy
With over 20 years as an international educator, school founder, home education innovator, and governance change agent, I’m passionate about catalyzing the positive future humanity is capable of.
I work at the intersection of learning, living systems, and collaborative leadership—where real transformation begins.
My Why
My Why
At 14, I started questioning the top-down systems I saw everywhere—schools, businesses, families, even democracy. Even parenting.
Why? I craved freedom. I still do.
Being bossed around never sat right with me.
And yet, when I first found myself in a position of authority, I slipped into boss behavior without even realizing it.
It was so deeply ingrained—modeled all through childhood and adolescence.
I just didn’t know another way.
But even as I was doing it, something in me knew: this isn’t it.
I’ve been ready for a collaborative system of equals for a long time.
That system, for me, is sociocracy.
When I first heard the words “consent,” “good enough for now,” and “safe enough to try,” I felt them land deep in my body.
Something lit up.
I knew right away I wanted to learn more.
And the more I learned, the more it resonated—not just intellectually, but emotionally, spiritually.
I wanted to teach it.
I wanted to live it.
That’s why I started Sociocracy NOW.
Do I think sociocracy is the final answer for human governance? No.
I think more evolved systems are still to come—as we evolve into them.
I imagine something like real anarchy someday—where we all take full responsibility for life, for each other, for the planet.
But we’re not there yet.
For this transitional period in history right now, I believe sociocracy will help us transition from "power over" to "power with" without falling into total chaos in the interim - a clearly desirable way to go about it.
Read about how a pair of pants changed my life plus learn more about my training and experience,
Testimonial
Testimonial
"Strongly recommend working with Zahra (individually or in groups) if you are considering applying sociocracy frameworks to your organization."
Liora, Nomad Farm, Global Citizen
Liora, Nomad Farm, Global Citizen
Course Dates & Schedule
Course Dates & Schedule
Start Date: TBA Register Your Interest Below To Be First To Know.
Session Times: TBA Everyone who registers interest will be contacted to create a time and day that work for everyone.
Commitment Required: 4 hours/week total (2.5 hrs live + 1 hr peer group + Telegram)
A Note on Currency Unit Pricing
A Note on Currency Unit Pricing
As a global citizen and often digital nomad, the sting of currency disparity has been real for me, especially when earning in New Zealand dollars - $1 NZD is worth about half a USD, GBP, or EUR. Ouch.
For many of us, the new world systems creators, in ecovillages, in intentional communities, in cooperative projects, & in conscious businesses, finances can feel stretched.
So here’s what I’ve done to make this course pricing fair — not the same, but equitable..
Pay 450 units of the currency you earn in -
not the currency of the country where you live.
Earn AUD pay AUD; earn NZD pay NZD; earn USD pay USD;
earn EUR pay EUR; earn GBP pay GBP
This pricing strategy aligns with the sociocratic value of equivalency. It's simple and on the honor system.
If you earn in a substantially weaker currency than these, Email me: zahralightway@gmail.com
Testimonial
Testimonial
"I had the pleasure of learning from Zahra during her presentation on sociocracy for NeighbourGood. She shared her knowledge in such a clear and engaging way, making the concepts easy to understand and apply. Her passion for community-driven decision-making really came through, and I left feeling inspired and equipped with practical tools to bring into our work. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have learned from her and highly recommend her to anyone looking to explore sociocracy."
Sarah Sweet, NeighbourGood, New Zealand
What’s Expected & Refund Policy
What’s Expected & Refund Policy
Expectations
Expectations
Arrive on time to every session and stay the whole time.
Be in an uninterrupted space, on your own laptop or tablet, not sharing with someone.
Participate fully on Telegram - checking in daily, answering questions, responding to peers.
Attend all work group sessions.
Complete all exercises.
Give a thoughtful evaluation of the course.
What Won't Work
What Won't Work
Attending on a phone. (You can use it for audio if needed and will also need your laptop.)
Attending while driving. This is an interactive course and needs your full attention.
Being in a noisy space.
Sharing the same computer with another person who is taking the course. Each person needs to be on their own laptop.
Refund Policy
Refund Policy
Get a full refund up to registration closing - one week before the course starts. After the course begins there are no refunds.
Detailed Course Description
Detailed Course Description
Foundations & Onboarding Training
Foundations & Onboarding Training
A pre-course warm up session to:
Start your journey with a full introduction to the principles, values and processes of sociocracy.
Set cohort agreements.
Meet your cohort in dynamic breakouts.
Learn and onboard to the tech tools (Zoom, Telegram, shared slides/docs).
Choose your peer group name and form learning pods.
Sociocracy LIVE Week 1 Generating Solutions
Sociocracy LIVE Week 1 Generating Solutions
Spot what’s not working and imagine what could help.
You’ll practice noticing issues and coming up with pieces of possible solutions.Guide group thinking in a clear and creative way.
You’ll learn how to lead a structured conversation where everyone explores the issue from different angles before jumping to solutions.Work as a team to build a full proposal.
Together, you’ll combine everyone’s ideas into a plan that makes sense and is ready to share.Next step:
A few people from your group (called “tuners”) will take what you’ve created and shape it into a clear written proposal.
Sociocracy LIVE Week 2 Learning The Consent Process
Sociocracy LIVE Week 2 Learning The Consent Process
Experience the difference between consent and consensus
Practice consent rounds with live scenarios
Learn how to handle objections without conflict
Group work: Practice running consent decisions using your proposals
Sociocracy LIVE Week 3 Deepening Skills & Facilitating Rounds
Sociocracy LIVE Week 3 Deepening Skills & Facilitating Rounds
Dive into facilitation techniques for timing, inclusion, and flow
Run full processes from issue to proposal to consent
Learn how to respond to challenges like domination, silence, confusion
Group work: Co-create a real-world scenario to practice with
Sociocracy LIVE Week 4 Real-World Facilitation
Sociocracy LIVE Week 4 Real-World Facilitation
Each group runs a real meeting process (proposal or consent)
Includes setup, scenario, integration of objections, and live facilitation
Receive direct coaching and peer feedback
Celebrate your wins and reflect on areas for growth
Testimonial
Testimonial
"Yes! I would recommend this training. I like your way of lecturing and training. It's flexible and open. You also have a lot of good ideas that make the content easy to learn! It's easy to follow. Even though my English isn't that good."
Johanna, TDF, Portugal
Johanna, TDF, Portugal
Contact
Contact
Email: zahralightway@gmail.com
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