By Avani Nadkarni, PEPS (Estimated reading time: 2 minutes)
At PEPS, it’s not just the parents that can find meaningful connection — sometimes, the Group Leaders find that connection, as well.
Recently, Elaine Walsh – PEPS Leader Training & Support Manager, mom of two and 20-time Group Leader, and Anushree Dasgupta – PEPS Leader Recruiter, a non-parent and first-time Group Leader – co-led a PEPS Group together and learned far more than they had imagined.
The two teamed up to lead a Kirkland-based Newborn PEPS Group — and discovered several unexpected benefits to co-leading. Elaine often relied on her background in early childhood education and her own journey of parenting two kids to guide her leadership, while Anushree brought an academic lens from her corporate tech background. As a non-parent, Anushree became increasingly comfortable with the parenting conversations as she got to know the families in the group, and not having that parenting lens to refer to often helped her step back and ask questions instead of providing advice.
“There are strengths with different life experiences,” Elaine said. “It helped the group to get two different perspectives. We lead very differently, so it also helped meet everyone’s needs and learning styles.”
The duo took it a step further — they carpooled to the meetings and used that time to have a quick chat about that week’s topic beforehand, as well as a debrief on the drive home to discuss how the evening went and what they could do differently. As a first-time Leader, Anushree said this real-time discussion helped her hone her own facilitation style.
“I was initially not as comfortable with active listening [in this setting],” Anushree said. “But I was able to take in feedback, as well as absorb more information, and make improvements.”
Both Elaine and Anushree noted that a highlight for them was the fact that their group’s connection to both each other and the leaders was so strong; group members expressed the desire for even more sessions. One group member, a practicing Muslim, invited the others to join in breaking fast during Ramadan, creating meaningful connection and resulting in an incredible shared experience for the group, as well as for Elaine and Anushree. The group then went on to celebrate other holidays, like Easter, together.
“I’ve never experienced that level of cultural sharing in a PEPS Group before,” Elaine said. “It was such a rich experience for everyone involved.”
Co-leading can help guide new Leaders by pairing them with more experienced ones, but sometimes it can just help ease the burden. While Elaine and Anushree led most of the meetings as a pair, Elaine has co-led groups where both facilitators attend the first and last meetings but split up the rest. She said it works well for Leaders who can’t commit to all 12 weeks or for those who are nervous about solo leading.
Now, Anushree is confidently leading a group on her own, armed with the knowledge she gained from co-leading, and Elaine continues to lead groups with a new, updated perspective.
“We each wanted to do our best for the group, and co-leading helped me see with a different lens,” Elaine said.
Want to Help Parents Find Meaningful Connection?
Consider leading (or co-leading!) a PEPS Group. If you want to find out more, join PEPS at a virtual informational session on November 17.
About the Author
Avani Nadkarni (she/her) is the Communications & Marketing Manager at PEPS. A Newborn Group alum and former Group Co-Leader, she is a strong advocate of the organization’s mission to connect families to strengthen communities. A former journalist and mom of two elementary-aged children, she is passionate about sharing the PEPS story and help even more families find their village.
