Community T-group

The next Community T-group is Weds-Fri ~ Sept 18-20, 2024 in San Carlos, CA

WHAT IS COMMUNITY T-GROUP?

The ANAMARIA community is composed of my coaching clients and alumni from T-groups I’ve facilitated.

But a “community” is more than a list—it’s the feeling of connection that comes from knowing you are all startup leaders who are:  

  • Curious how emotions & group dynamics help individuals and teams thrive (or fail)

  • Committed to “doing the work” so that everyone can connect and communicate more effectively

  • Courageous enough to opt-in to discomfort because that risk-taking is how you grow

At this two-and-a-half-day T-group retreat you will: 

  • Join a group of 8-10 startup leaders to re-immerse yourself in unique “here and now” experiential learning

  • Practice the interpersonal communication and emotion skills you’ll need to feel better & lead better

  • Connect with other leaders who share your context and who have T-group experience - and maybe even reconnect with a few buddies from previous T-groups!

HOW TO APPLY

Note: Enrollment is now officially open. If you’d like to submit your application now, please go ahead but know that I won’t be officially accepting participants until Monday, March 18.

I encourage you to apply as soon as possible as I am only hosting one Community T-group this entire calendar year. 

Early Bird Application Window
Save $500 and increase your chances of getting in by
applying anytime before EOD Sunday, March 17th.

Note: I will evaluate all Early Bird applications as a batch and communicate your enrollment status the week of March 18th. If there are spaces left after March 18th, I will evaluate incoming applications and update applicants on a rolling basis until the program (and wait list) are full.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Eligibility To Participate

  • (1) You must identify as a “startup leader and operator”

    • Note: Founders or leaders who are in between companies are eligible, but former founders/leaders who are no longer operators and are now coaches, consultants, advisors or investors are not

  • (2) You must have attended at least one T-group experience before

    • Note: Preference will be given to qualified applicants from the existing ANAMARIA community (i.e., a current or former coaching client OR one of the 240+ alums I’ve T-group-ed with previously) but I am open to including otherwise qualified applicants who have attended one or more T-groups with other programs (GSB, LIT, NTL, etc.). Even if you’re not part of my community yet, please apply!

Weekend Schedule

  • The official T-group program runs from 3pm-10pm on Wednesday; 845am-915pm on Thursday and 845am-515pm on Friday.

  • Note: I will be hosting optional “Level 3 hangouts” from 915pm-1015pm on Thursday night and 515pm-10pm on Friday evening. As you make travel plans, you may wish to preserve the option to attend these hangouts and connect more casually with other participants.

Location

  • We will be T-grouping at my house in San Carlos, CA—both in my living room and under a tent in my spacious backyard.

  • Note: San Carlos is: <25 min drive from SFO Airport; ~35 min drive from downtown San Francisco; ~45 min drive from downtown Oakland; <30 min drive from SJC Airport; and ~20 min drive from Palo Alto.

Program Fee

  • $3,750 which includes the program, facilitation, materials, plus meals+snacks each day

  • Note: Your fee does not include travel or hotel expenses and you may want to budget/plan for those (see “Where will I sleep at night?” below)

Facilitators

  • I will be co-facilitating this T-group with Bobby. We are startup operators & coaches, and we have been facilitating T-groups together for the last few years.

ADDITIONAL Q&A

  • Let me know you’re interested in future dates by submitting your email here and I will keep you posted!

  • For anyone who lives in the SF Bay Area, I strongly recommend NOT driving yourself home late at night, but instead (1) staying at a local hotel/AirBnB or (2) using Lyft to get to/from my house.

    For participants who are traveling to the SF Bay Area, I will provide a list of recommended local hotels that are all a <10 min walk or drive from my house.

  • You’ll enjoy continental breakfasts & lunches on Thurs + Fri and dinners on Weds-Fri. All meals feature our favorite local San Carlos restaurants & caterers, and Bobby may even treat us to some home-baked bread! (We’ll survey you ahead of time so we can accommodate any allergies or dietary restrictions.)

    We always provide a balance of healthy and comforting food — so you can expect a range of salads, sandwiches, Mediterranean food, Ethiopian food, and sweet & savory snacks!

  • After the Early Bird window closes, I usually won’t accept participants at a discount. However, if the program fee is outside your budget, please submit an application and select “Standby” in the question re: payment & guarantee level. I will then reach back out to you to discuss your specific situation.

  • Once you are accepted into a T-group, I will ask you to submit payment of your full program fee to confirm your spot. My official policy is that, once paid, the fee is non-refundable and you should take that into consideration when you commit to attending.

    In reality, of course, I hate seeing my community members lose money as much as I hate scrambling to refill spots in a T-group.

    If you realize you can no longer attend T-group:

    (1) please let me know ASAP and what the nature of the conflict is (i.e., I will view a family emergency differently than, say, an industry conference you want to attend just got scheduled for the same day.)

    (2) I will make a good faith effort to refill your spot either at full or reduced-price, and then refund you whatever I was able to recoup from the new participant taking your spot minus the Eventbrite refund processing fees. (Note that the earlier you cancel, the more likely it is I will be able to refund you nearly the full amount you originally paid.)

    (3) If I am unable to fill your spot, I want you to assume/expect your refund will be $0 — and it will be my discretion if the situation merits me deviating from that policy. (I have done that in the past, for example, for a death in the family, or some other severe + unexpected personal conflict.)

  • Yes! Here are a few:

    Leaders in Tech

    The Stanford GSB Intro T-group

    T-Groups For Leadership

    T-Group Retreats For Exec Teams

  • Shorter - 18 hours of T-group over 2.5 days instead of 24+ hours over 3.5 days

    During the Work Week - Get your weekend back to rest, reflect and reconnect with loved ones

    Non-residential - Sleep offsite and recharge overnight. But we’ll still have evening + night time hangouts for those who want to connect more informally!

  • In 2013, my then-co-founder Michael Terrell and I launched a mission to bring the power of T-group from the Stanford GSB’s legendary course “Interpersonal Dynamics” to the tech startup community.

    In true startup fashion, we piloted our first weekends in early 2014 out of my living room, and scaled the program from there. From 2014-2020 we helped over 230 startup leaders transform their abilities to connect and lead.

    Starting in 2021, I brought T-groups back to my living room (and backyard!) and now facilitate retreats once or twice a year with Bobby