Empowerment Communities
come together in community
A signature program of the restoration project
Coaching & Connection in a Safe, Small-Group Setting
Empowerment communities are curated groups of 8-10 individuals who align on purpose and values and aspire to grow in their life, work, and leadership
Communities meet monthly either virtually or in-person to reflect, learn, share, and grow together in pursuit of empowering the individuals within and elevating them in their restored leadership journey.
Tap the button below to register and submit your deposit for our next cohort of Empowerment Communities. Our team will follow up with you to align you with your community and provide an overview of the next steps.
Preview our Winter/Spring 2026 Empowerment Communities
Scroll down the page for details and to sign up for your preferred community experience!
execution plan
How this works
- After you register and submit your $100 deposit, one of our team members from The Restoration Project will reach out to connect you with your facilitator and next steps.
- Your facilitator will send you an email approximately 4-6 weeks prior to your start date explaining the purpose, desired outcomes, roles, and community plan. Scroll further down this page for our community options and the dates/times they will meet in 2026.
- Monthly meetings will explore concepts and questions aligned with the objectives of the community.
- Meetings will run approximately 90 minutes and offer safe space for everyone to discuss, learn, and grown alongside each other.
- The Restoration Project team will lead the preparation, facilitation, notes, and follow up so participants are free to be present to learn and grow together.
desired outcomes
How you will grow
Empowerment community members will:
- Enhance your confidence and effectiveness in leadership and work.
- Create connection, trust, safety and understanding within the group to learn and grow together and set a foundation to maintain supportive confidants and allies from this group long-term.
- Identify and integrate new ideas and skills that improve your own success and that of your community and/or organization.
Understand Yourself & Honor Others
facilitated by molly knuth
The Restored Founder
February – June 2026 | Virtual Monthly Gatherings on the Last Wednesday of Each Month at 8:30 AM CST
At The Restoration Project, we believe restored leadership begins with awareness of who you are, what you value, and how you show up for the people you serve.
To Understand Yourself & Honor Others means leading from clarity, not chaos. It’s knowing your purpose, honoring your limits, and creating space for others to do the same.
This Empowerment Community experience is designed for founders, small business owners, and entrepreneurs who are ready to grow with intention: those who are tired of hustling toward burnout or waiting for the “perfect time” to begin. Together, we’ll explore what it looks like to build a business that reflects your values, your energy, and your vision for a meaningful life.
Drawing from The Restoration Model, we’ll apply its five phases of restored leadership to the key components of entrepreneurship from your vision to your offers, marketing, and customer experience.
Together, we’ll:
- Reconnect to your original “why” and design your business around your values and strengths
- Explore what it means to lead with integrity, courage, and love in your work
- Identify where burnout, fear, or perfectionism have kept you stuck — and incorporate practices and habits to help you ascend
- Clarify your offers, messaging, and marketing through honest conversation and collaborative support
- Build a rhythm of leadership that honors your humanity while still achieving results
This is not another program on how to hustle harder.
It’s a space to slow down, realign, and build a business that feels good and does good.
Connect with Something Greater
facilitated by lindsay leahy
Men’s Circle for Living with Intention
February – april 2026 | gathering in cedar rapids from 4:00-5:30 pm on february 19, march 5, march 19, april 2, and april 16
At The Restoration Project, we believe that intentional living begins with connection to yourself, to others, and to something greater than the daily grind.
This Empowerment Community offers men a supportive, grounded space to pause amid life’s responsibilities, reflect on what truly matters, and reconnect with purpose. In a world that often celebrates constant doing, this is a space for being — for honest conversation, quiet reflection, and personal growth rooted in awareness and action.
Together, we’ll explore what it means to Connect to Something Greater by:
- Reconnecting with your personal values and vision
- Exploring how to live and lead with more presence and intention
- Building emotional awareness and self-trust
- Redefining success in ways that feel authentic and sustainable
- Strengthening accountability and community with other men walking similar paths
Each session blends guided reflection, group dialogue, and tools for living with intention. Through discussion, journaling, and experiential exercises, you’ll learn to notice your patterns, align your choices with your values, and take action from a place of clarity and calm.
You can expect:
- Honest conversation in a confidential, judgment-free environment
- Simple grounding and mindfulness practices
- Reflection prompts that restore intention and strengthen self-awareness
- Practical tools for living, leading, and relating with more purpose
This is not about striving for perfection — it’s about presence.
It’s about reconnecting to your values, your relationships, and your inner compass so you can live and lead from a more grounded, authentic place.
Because when men connect to something greater, they don’t just change their lives — they change how they show up for everyone around them.
Act with Integrity
facilitated by brooke fitzgerald
Integrity & Confidence
February – June 2026 | Virtual Monthly Gatherings on the first friday of each month from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm cst
At The Restoration Project, we believe integrity is an essential component of restored leadership.
To Act with Integrity means aligning who you are on the inside with how you show up in the world — your thoughts, your words, and your actions moving as one.
Integrity calls us to live with honesty, humility, and authenticity. It’s about speaking your truth while staying open to others’. It’s about admitting when you’re wrong and choosing accountability over perfection. And it’s about the everyday moments you choose to live and lead in alignment, even when it’s uncomfortable.
In this Empowerment Community, we’ll explore the practices that strengthen integrity and deepen trust — in ourselves, our relationships, and our leadership. Through a curated mix of book passages, articles, podcasts, and videos, we’ll reflect on what it looks like to live and lead, and lead with connection and intention.
Together, we’ll:
- Reflect on what authenticity means in your current season of life and work
- Explore the barriers that keep us from speaking our truth or staying open to others
- Practice humility through self-reflection, listening, and accountability
- Identify where your actions and values may be out of alignment — and what restoration looks like in this stage of your leadership
- Learn to repair trust and rebuild confidence through honest, consistent follow-through
You can expect honest dialogue, guided reflection, and a supportive community that values progress over perfection.Because when we act with integrity, we build the kind of leadership and life that others can trust.
Connect with Something Greater
facilitated by Lindsay leahy
Women in Transition
april – June 2026 | Virtual Monthly Gatherings on april 10, april 24, may 8, may 22, and june 5 at 9 am cst
At The Restoration Project, we believe that every transition, whether chosen or unexpected, is an invitation to Connect to Something Greater.
It’s a sacred pause between what was and what’s next, calling us to listen inward, realign our intentions, and trust the unfolding.
Whether you’re navigating a career shift, a relationship change, motherhood, empty nesting, retirement, or simply sensing that a new chapter is on the horizon, this Empowerment Community offers a space to slow down, reflect, and reconnect to yourself, your values, and the greater story you’re a part of.
In this circle of courageous women, you’ll find compassion, clarity, and community as you explore the themes that so often emerge during seasons of change: identity, purpose, belonging, courage, and renewal.
Together, we’ll:
- Reflect on where you’ve been and what you’re being called toward next
- Explore practices that restore self-trust and reconnect you to your inner wisdom
- Notice and release patterns of fear, control, or self-doubt that keep you from moving forward
- Build community through shared stories, empathy, and deep listening
- Reconnect to the greater meaning and purpose that guides your next chapter
You can expect:
- Thoughtful discussion and guided journaling prompts
- Gentle mindfulness and grounding practices
- Supportive sharing in a confidential, nonjudgmental space
- Inspiration for moving forward with greater clarity, peace, and courage
No preparation required — just come as you are. This is a space to rebuild connection, restore intention, and take gentle, aligned action toward whatever is next.
Because when we connect to something greater, within and beyond ourselves, we find that transition isn’t an ending…it’s a restoration.
Lead with Love
facilitated by molly knuth
Lead with Love Experience
February – may 2026 | biweekly on wednesdays from noon – 1 pm cst
Lead With Love is a biweekly empowerment community for people who want to practice leadership rooted in compassion, courage, and connection.
In a world that often pulls us toward fear, reactivity, and isolation, this experience offers a space to slow down, reconnect, and learn how to lead with love as an active, embodied practice — in our homes, workplaces, and communities.
From February 25 through May 6, participants gather on alternating Wednesdays from 12:00–1:00 PM CST for interactive Lunch & Learn conversations exploring:
- Collaborative and relational leadership
- The “get to” vs. “have to” mindset
- Giving and receiving feedback
- Oneness, belonging, and community
- The role of celebration in sustainable leadership
Between sessions, members engage in simple weekly “Little Loves” practices that bring loving leadership into everyday life. Participants are also invited to join optional in-person service projects in March and April, turning reflection into tangible local impact.
Membership includes access to The Restoration Project’s Difficult Conversations course (a $350+ value) and a shared giving initiative — with $750 of registration proceeds donated to participant-selected community organizations.
If you influence even one person — at home, at work, or in your community — you belong here.
from a 2025 empowerment community participant:
“Thank you so much for the conversation this morning and being able to hold space for each other. Having conversations like this are one of the things that make me feel tethered, and know that I am on the right path…”
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do communities meet?
- Dates, times and locations vary by facilitator and group experience.
- Scroll to the individual community descriptions above for details.
How long do Empowerment Communities run?
- Empowerment Communities run for approximately 5 months, but that can vary depending on the topic of study and the facilitator’s intentions.
- Scroll to the individual community descriptions above for details.
How often do communities meet?
- Typically once per month, but this does vary by facilitator.
- Scroll to the individual community descriptions above for details.
How long are meetings?
- Approximately 90 minutes per session
What do we talk about in our community meetings?
- This will vary from community to community based on the facilitator’s plans.
- Some groups focus their community on concepts presented in a book. In this case, most meetings will ground in the content covered that month, offering opportunities to ask questions and/or discuss passages and key concepts.
- Some empowerment communities are driven by more individual coaching needs. In this case, meetings may focus on a couple of specific group members and unpacking key topics they want to discuss with the group or challenges they need assistance with.
Is there a cost for these communities?
- Yes. Membership in an Empowerment Community is $500 for the 5-month experience. This includes 5 90-minute long group sessions facilitated by a coach from The Restoration Project or one of our affiliates, a copy of the book of study, tools, resources, and follow up notes/recordings.
What if I can't attend a group session?
- After each call, your community leader will send follow-up notes and recordings so you don’t miss a thing!
Is the program payment made monthly, in installments, or as a one-time fee?
- Great question! To secure your place in the cohort, you will submit a $100 deposit at the time of registration, which will be applied to the program total. We ask that the remaining $400 balance is paid in a lump sum, and we will send you a payment link so it can be completed with your preferred method.
- If you need alternative payment options, please reach out to our team at help@the-restorationproject.com.
Will meetings be during the day or in the evening?
- Meeting times vary by facilitator and group experience.
- Scroll to the individual community descriptions above for details.
from a 2023 empowerment community participant:
“I wish I could fully express my appreciation for you inviting me to this group and your leadership/facilitation. Words aren’t enough, but know that this is special, a true gift to us all.”
Expectations and Agreements
Inspired by brene brown
Because Collective Change Starts with Individual Change
in order to successfully lead others, we must first lead ourselves. This is what we ask our empowerment community members to commit to:
- I will show up with an open mind and open heart.
- I will be authentic and honest – these sessions are a safe, judgment-free space.
- I will set boundaries and keep confidentiality.
- I will actively practice gratitude.
- I will embrace vulnerability to grow by leaning into discomfort and tough conversations.
- I will operate from empathy (connection and compassion) vs. shame (fear and blame).
- I will embody the core values of The Restoration Project during the next five months inside and outside our community: understand yourself and honor others, live with courage, lead with love, act with integrity, connect to something greater.
Next communities begin in February 2026
We are so excited to welcome you in!
