Dotti Berry

Dotti Berry, CEO of Training2Transform Global Communications, was “Born to Coach.” This is her 21st year (22 if you count the year she was an apprentice for Dr. Sandra Cole during her last year) as facilitator of the Esprit SO/Couples Program, working with both Significant Others and Couples.
She is a Consultant, Coach, Trainer/Facilitator & Speaker. She worked on her doctorate in Human Sexuality. She studied with Brian McNaught, called the "Godfather of Gay Sensitivity Training" by the New York Times, at the Thornfield Annual Conference on Sexuality, where she completed a special track on corporate diversity and gay and transgender issues in the workplace. She works passionately for the acceptance and inclusion of the community of transgender,  gender diverse, and gender questioning individuals, saying, "Not only should they not be left behind, we must invite them to lead the way and take a place at the head of the table."  During 2017, Dotti and Brian McNaught created live hangouts called “Talk With America.”  
Their intention was to:

Dotti says, “If we really, truly want to hear and understand how our family, friends, or antagonists feel, there are ways to make it easier for them to talk, and for us to listen. What we did at Talk With America has application to what we do at Esprit through the SO/Couples program.”
Dotti has coached the expansive spectrum of gender diverse persons one-on-one, and has also keynoted conferences.  Additionally, she has facilitated groups for SO's and couples at other conferences such as Fantasia Fair, Southern Comfort, and IFGE (International Foundation for Gender Education), in addition to her ongoing work with Esprit.
Dotti has authored various articles, and since 1985, has worked with both youth and adults one-on-one, as well as facilitated seminars and workshops for organizations, universities, corporations, religious institutions and Leadership classes. Sodexho, Info Quest Clinical, the Girl Scouts, NCCJ (National Conference of Community and Justice), the University of Kentucky, Women Out Front, and Soulforce are some of the diverse groups who have secured her services in the areas of executive coaching, personal transformation, LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) issues, diversity, team-building, and non-violent process.
Two Women & a Poodle, Dotti Berry, her spouse, Robynne Sapp, and their standard poodle, Rylee Joy, completed a year long journey, www.GayIntoStraightAmerica.com, in 2005/06, with the intention of engaging hearts and minds, creating authentic connections, and transcending differences that separate us. They traveled throughout the state of Washington in 2012, speaking about the importance of The Freedom to Marry for ALL.  Unfortunately, they lost Rylee Joy, their black Standard Poodle on April 6, 2016.  They welcomed a new addition to their family, a red standard poodle, Baylee Joy, who attended her first Esprit in 2017. During Thanksgiving, 2018, they added another family member, Willow, Baylee Joy’s mother. The family of four look forward to being at Esprit 2024!

 

 

 

 

Message from Dotti Berry: The SO program at Esprit is invaluable for Significant Others, as well as couples who attend together.  Whether you are attending for the first time or have attended multiple times, constantly creating your relationship in the “moment” is essential to its success and its ability to thrive in the midst of whatever obstacles you encounter. 
Facilitating the SO program isn’t about doing “presentations.”  The descriptions below merely serve as the foundation for the particular session. I facilitate the process, and we work with what each of you brings into the group session. YOU are the reason the groups work.  It is the information and insights you share about your own personal journey that are key as others witness your process and vice versa.  When you ask your personal questions and share your personal story, you enable others to tap into the reservoir of insights that are yours.

 

If you’ve participated in the past as a SO or as a couple, please join us again.  Each year is new because you are constantly evolving and re-inventing yourself if you are alive and growing.  You are not the same people as you were last year. You are like any any person/couple in relationship. You have new issues/situations which come up on a daily basis.  

And if you think you have “done that already” because you already participated in the SO/Couples program at Esprit in the past, trust me, you haven’t!  And it’s all the more reason to attend.  Why?  You could have “done it already” in a past year, but because you haven’t yet attended Esprit 2024, you haven’t addressed your relationship in the present...and that is what keeps it alive and vital.

The nuances of each relationship are different, adding texture and meaning to life in an expanded way as they are explored. Refuse to succumb to the ordinary and simply “survive” as an individual or as a couple in your relationship. Commit to examining and bringing to light all that is and relish the opportunity to discover how to thrive vs survive, whatever it takes!

Contact Information: Dotti Berry , CEO, Training2Transform Global Communications 1-360-305-0909  coachdottiberry@me.com

Dotti presents:

Monday May 12 9:00AM: SO Program - Overview and Welcome Message (no session)

2025 Esprit Theme for SO’s and Couples: TBA

Tuesday May 13 9:00AM: SO Program - TBA

For SO's ONLY. For the Significant Other of the transgender partner, whether such partner is male, female, or questioning.

Tuesday May 13 1:30PM: SO Program - TBA

For transgender couples (all parties must attend)

 

Wednesday May 14 9:00AM: SO Program - TBA

For SO's ONLY. For the Significant Other of the transgender partner, whether such partner is male, female, or questioning.

Wednesday May 14 1:30PM: SO Program - TBA

For transgender couples (all parties must attend)

 

Thursday May 15 9:00AM: SO Program - TBA

For SO's ONLY. For the Significant Other of the transgender partner, whether such partner is male, female, or questioning.

 

Thursday May 15 11:30AM: Couples Luncheon (for SO Program couples)

Luncheon in Hotel Lounge for SO Program Couples.

Thursday May 15 1:30PM: SO Program - TBA

For transgender couples (all parties must attend)

 

Friday May 16 9:00AM: SO Program - TBA

For SO's ONLY. For the Significant Other of the transgender partner, whether such partner is male, female, or questioning.

Friday May 16 2:00PM: SO Program - TBA

For transgender couples (all parties must attend)

Saturday May 17 9:00AM: SO Program - TBA

For transgender couples (all parties must attend)