Understory Project

A hand with a ring touches moss-covered tree bark with small plants growing on it.

About the Program

The Understory Project is a 12-week immersive online learning journey for those ready to cultivate consciousness, systems understanding, and relational belonging in a time of polycrisis.

Rather than treating personal growth as a solo effort, the Understory Project invites you to explore yourself as part of living systems—inner, social, ecological—and to develop the capacities needed for psychologically sound systemic change. Over six phases—Roots, Mycelium, Compost, Branches, Canopy, Seeds—you will engage in experiential practices, relational inquiry, and embodied reflection that align with how life itself sustains, adapts, and regenerates.

What you’ll get

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    12 weekly live sessions
    1 community session per month

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    Dynamic resources to further your understanding and embodiment of a healthy living systems consciousness

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    A companion journal

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    Private space on Sutra.co for community, connection and ongoing discussions

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    Experiential body-mind exercises

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    Personal and collective transformation

Who is it for

A person with gray nail polish gently holds a black and white butterfly in their hands.

This journey is for those who sense that something more is needed than just personal growth. It is for those who feel called to engage with the ecological, relational, and systemic roots of change. It’s for learners, practitioners, educators, leaders, and anyone ready to step into a story of belonging and co-creation with life..

Our vision for this project is to empower individuals to thrive in a future characterized by resource constraints, climate change, and shifting societal norms. By understanding human behavior, social dynamics, and cultural narratives, we can foster resilience and adaptability in the face of unprecedented challenges.

We welcome and invite people from all walks of life who are concerned about the current state of the world and interested in new ways of thinking and being human in a more-than-human world. In the spirit of interdisciplinary collaboration, we encourage participation from anyone interested in looking beyond the apparent polycrisis and its fundamental drivers. For example, what happens when we question the unexamined dominant notions of self, identity, and purpose, and how these shape our lives, communities, and the larger world?

We intend to provide an iterative learning experience, informed by what unfolds during live sessions and within the group. Each module includes two live sessions: the first an introduction to the topic, and the second a deeper dive into the material. We hope this workshop speaks to those called to cultivate a more joyful, holistic experience of being alive in our complex, often challenging world.

Phase 1: Roots
Phase 2: Mycelium
Phase 3: Compost
Phase 4: Branches
Phase 5: Canopy
Phase 6: Seeds

Phase 1:
1/12/26 (2pm-3pm ET) & 1/19/26 (2pm-3:30pm ET)
Phase 2:
1/26/26 (2pm-3pm ET) & 2/2/26 (2pm-3:30pm ET)
Phase 3:
2/9/26 (2-3pm ET) & 2/16/26 (2pm-3:30pm ET)
Phase 4:
2/23/26 (2-3pm ET) & 3/2/26 (2pm-3:30pm ET)
Phase 5:
3/9/26 (2-3pm ET) & 3/23/26 (2pm-3:30pm ET)
Phase 6:
3/30/26 (2-3pm ET) & 4/6/26 (2pm-3:30pm ET)

Optional Community Meetings

Community Meeting#1: January 21st, 2-3pm ET
Community Meeting #2: February 2nd, 2-3pm ET
Community Meeting #3: March 4th, 2-3pm ET

Winter 2026 Cohort Dates & Times

Investment
$625
Includes course + companion journal

Cover of a journal titled 'The Understory' with a photograph of a dense forest with tall, slender trees and green foliage.

Click here to register if paying in U.S. currency.


*If outside the U.S., you can register by emailing mjuliano@livingsystemspsychologies.org. You will then be directed to pay in your own currency via Wise.com using this link.

✺ Frequently asked questions ✺

  • What is an understory? The understory is the layer of trees and shrubs that grow between the forest floor and canopy.  The understory is a metaphor for the bridge or layer between the forest floor (those of us understanding that change is necessary) and the larger tree canopy (a future healthy living systems consciousness).  The understory supports the bottom up evolution of a new forest canopy or healthy living systems consciousness.  

  • No. The Center for Living Systems Psychologies seeks to create the conditions for a collective healthy living systems consciousness. The first step toward psychologies aligned with healthy living systems is to shift individual and collective consciousness. Mainstream consciousness and the resulting dominant worldview was born out of fear, unresolved individual and collective trauma, as well as the perception of humans as separate from nature. 

  • We will not be recording the weekly live sessions to encourage full participation, which allows for emergence within the group. However, we will hold a monthly community session for anyone who missed the live course sessions.

  • Completion of the course entitles you to an initial 12 months of membership in the community and access to all onsite workshop material.

  • The initial community membership can be renewed for a small fee.

  • We aim to provide unique thought and ongoing discussion, as well as catalyzing experiential exercises designed to instill deep reflection and change.