No Hard Feelings: Workshop / Bringitup X Roodkapje

In our daily social interactions, we all face challenges that can make our exchanges feel defensive, reactive, or emotionally charged. We hold back from expressing our needs for fear of being “too much,” or struggle to set boundaries without feeling guilty. We rush to fix or advise instead of listening, assume others should “just know” how we feel, or withdraw when conversations get uncomfortable. Over time, these patterns are undermining our ability to build strong, healthy relationships with the people closest to us.

As humans, we are inherently social beings with intrinsic needs. Our capacity to connect and belong form a fundamental part of our biological design. Since the beginning of our existence, we have depended on our ability to cooperate in community for our survival. Yet in modern times, hyper-individualism, disinformation, and the dominance of digital communication have reshaped the way we relate to one another, leading to growing isolation and polarization.

The communication challenge

Despite how essential communication is to our relationships, effective communication — the ability to express ourselves clearly and to listen without judgment — is rarely part of formal education or consistently modeled in our upbringing. We rely so deeply on the quality of our relationships for our health and happiness, yet few of us have ever been taught how to nurture them.

No Hard Feelings is an experiential workshop designed to change that. Grounded in the practical, evidence-informed framework of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), it invites you to observe your everyday communication patterns. Through guided reflection, interactive exercises, and real-world examples, we will explore how small shifts in language and self-awareness can create profound changes in connection.

You will learn to:

• Identify and articulate emotions and needs with clarity and precision

• Practice empathetic listening to foster connection rather than resistance

• Recognize existing communication patterns and build greater self-awareness

• Develop a shared language of empathy in personal and professional contexts

Ultimately, learning how to communicate effectively is one of the most powerful forms of personal development – nurturing not only the relationship you have with others, but also the one you have with yourself.

Shugufa Kakar is a coach in interpersonal communication and the founder of Bringitup, a Brussels-based initiative that helps people navigate the challenges of relationships. Her work focuses on cultivating self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and the communication skills that allow people to build healthy, authentic connections.

Born in Afghanistan and raised between cultures, Shugufa draws on her bicultural background and personal experience as a former refugee to explore how our histories and cultural lenses shape the way we relate and communicate. As the youngest daughter in a family of seven, she learned early on the importance of community, belonging, and the quality of our relationships for our overall well-being.

Fluent in seven languages, Shugufa brings a nuanced understanding of how language and culture influence the way we express emotions and needs. She holds a Master’s degree in Conflict Resolution from the Barcelona Institute for International Studies, and has extensive experience working with vulnerable communities, including youth and refugees. Her professional path has spanned research in conflict resolution and social work — all rooted in a deep interest in what helps people understand and connect across differences.

Her approach integrates empathy-based communication and cross-cultural awareness, and somatic practices to help people reconnect with themselves and others. In addition to her coaching work, Shugufa is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor, where she teaches adults and children alike to cultivate body awareness, confidence and trust in communities.

Through all her work, Shugufa is dedicated to empowering individuals to communicate with greater authenticity and confidence — transforming everyday interactions into opportunities for understanding and connection.

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