HeArt Speaking
Foundation Year
strengthen communication, self-development and raise consciousness of how you speak
Starts: September 25, 2026
Length: Year 1 — 10 months (runs through May 2027)
How it works: Monthly online weekends + one in-person retreat
Class size: Just 12 people (we keep it small)
Cost: $3,900 or pay monthly (see details below)
The three-year path
I offer a three-year progression
The Journey of Pedagogical Speech
A Three-Year Course in Creative Speech and HeArt Speaking
Year One — Foundation: The Foundation of Creative Speech
The journey begins inward. Here, the participant meets Creative Speech at its source, the sounds, gestures, and breath that Rudolf Steiner uncovered within Anthroposophy, and begins the lifelong work of finding their own voice before ever bringing it to a classroom. This is a year of listening: to sound, to silence, to the self.
Year Two — Practice: Creative Speech in Practice
What has been found within now moves outward. The participant takes the foundations of Year One and learns to carry them into pedagogical life - speech as a teaching instrument, a way of meeting children through rhythm, image, and gesture. This is where Creative Speech becomes Pedagogical Creative Speech, tested and shaped in the practical realities of the classroom.
Year Three — Mastery: The Art of Teaching Speech
By the third year, the participant has grown from student to practitioner. They complete their certification in HeArt Speaking, ready to carry this work into their own teaching and mentoring.
What we actually work with:
The Four Pillars of Speech™
These are the capacities that make speech come alive. Not techniques. Capacities you develop.
- Imagination -
How you paint pictures with words. How you activate someone's inner vision. When you speak with imagination, people don't just hear information- they see the world you're describing.
- Breath -
The foundation of everything. Learning to use your breath consciously means you can sustain presence, avoid fatigue, and speak with real power and ease.
- Sound -
The actual quality of your voice. The resonance. Through specific exercises, you discover how to work with the acoustic properties of your voice to create presence and impact.
- Movement -
The presence you bring into a room. Your gesture, your pause, your breath, your rhythm. It's how your body and your voice work together to create aliveness.
Foundations in HeArt Speaking: Year One
Creative Speech is an artistic, spiritual and practical tool for inner development and conscious communication. As your own relationship to Creative Speech deepens, so too will your ability to bring that consciousness to your students.
This year-long artistic study is designed to deepen your capacities and understanding of Creative Speech as an educator and communicator. Speech is a tool for self development. Each weekend builds upon the previous one. Along with independent and group work, this rhythm will gradually strengthen your imagination, listening, and artistic practice.
Beginning with individual sounds, we will unfold the imagination and discover how sounds awaken images, create mood, and give life and meaning to words. As we learn to listen more deeply, we will shape the world of story and poetry through the language itself, allowing the content to reveal itself through Creative Speech.
Using texts from fairy tales, biographies, Steiner speech exercises and poetry, you will experience practical ways to bring stories to life that engage students' imagination while strengthening comprehension, articulation, auditory processing, attentive listening, and the flexibility of the speaking voice.
You will leave each session with experiences, exercises, and approaches that can be brought directly into your classroom, homeschool, therapy practice, or work with individual students.
What’s actually included
✓ Monthly online weekends
We meet the one weekend of every month. Friday evening, then Saturday and Sunday mornings. Live. Together as a collective.
✓ Your own practice time
Between sessions, you practice. Not a ton - a bissell (1-2 hours a week). You work with exercises we've done, study poetry, notice your speech patterns, experiment with what you're learning.
✓ A community practice month
In December, the group leads itself. One of my mentors might pop in, but mostly you all practice together.
✓ One week with everyone
An in-person retreat in February, five days together where dive deeper and come together as a collective to connect. We do intensive work and we have a lot fun (details and additional costs to come).
✓ Time with me one-on-one
Individual mentoring throughout the year. Questions come up. Things get confusing. If you need support with how to bring this into your particular classroom or situation. That's what these sessions are for.
✓ A certificate at the end
If you want to go further, this is your foundation for the Practice Year.
To join this program complete the application form below.
What people tell me changes
In their classroom
"My students are more engaged and I have learned how to manage the classroom better through this work."
"My voice is not exhausted at the end of the day."
"I can learn a story easily and tell it in a way that everyone listens."
"I know how to reach the students who have language challenges."
In their facilitation
"People feel safe to be vulnerable with me."
"I can go into any room and have everyone engaged in what I am sharing."
"The space I create is inviting and warm."
"I can hold a large group’s attention and they are more engaged."
In their personal life
"My children listen and respond when I speak."
"My communication is stronger and I am well understood."
"I can be fun and playful telling stories."
In their own self development
"Better than any therapy I have ever had."
"Gave me tools to help me move forward."
In their career
"I realized I can teach this."
"People are asking me to lead more."
"I'm considering a whole new direction."
Investment
Pay it all at once $3,900 total
One payment
Pay monthly $4,090 total
$850 to start, then 6 payments of $540
*includes all registration and processing fees
That covers: 10 months of sessions, all materials, one-on-one time with me, the community practice month, the in-person retreat, your certificate, and access to the group afterward.
Your retreat: You cover your own flights, food and hotel for February.
The Actual Schedule
We start September 25, 2026
Every month we meet at
• Friday: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM EST
• Saturday: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST
• Sunday: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST
The full year looks like this
• Sept 2026 – May 2027: 10 monthly sessions (Foundation Year)
• December: Practice month (you all teach each other)
• February 12–18, 2027: In-person retreat Monteverde, Costa Rica https://samaneasanctuary.com/
Dates:
September 25-27
October 23-25
November 20-22
* December 11-13 independent small groups
January 22- 24
In person retreat - February 12-18
Where: The Samanea Sanctuary in the cloud forest of Monteverde, Costa Rica https://samaneasanctuary.com/
March 19-21
April 30-May 2
You're a good fit if you're:
✓ A teacher, facilitator, leader, performer, therapist or storyteller
✓ Someone who works with groups or students
✓ Willing to practice between sessions
✓ Looking for depth, understanding and experience
✓ Ready to commit to the program
✓ Open to exploring your relationship with your own voice
✓ Interested in being part of a real community
✓ Drawn to Waldorf education or anthroposophical ideas (or at least open to them)
Your Questions, Answered
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Not necessary. What matters is that you're genuinely interested in doing the work.
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Life happens. I record sessions and you can watch for a week if you have to miss. The expectation is that you will attend live to get the most from the program.
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You'll receive your certificate of completion and have the ability to move forward into Year Two — Practice: Creative Speech in Practice - where you deepen how to bring Creative Speech into your classroom.
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Yes, see the investment section above or reach out to Debbie for options.
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Yes. This isn't theoretical. You leave each session with experiences that you can use immediately with your students, aiding you in things like classroom management, students who are more engaged with your teaching, clear communication with parents and more.
About Me
I founded The Art of Speech Collective™ as a powerful platform for cultivating Creative Speech. Through this organization, I teach Creative Speech, the art Rudolf Steiner developed within Anthroposophy, using my own approach, HeArt Speaking, with a particular focus on Pedagogical Creative Speech for Waldorf classrooms.
With over 30 years of experience as a Waldorf educator, I've devoted myself to helping teachers develop their voice for the classroom. I teach at institutions such as Antioch University, Center for Anthroposophy, Association for Healing Education, and the Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program. I also mentor educators nationwide at charter and private schools.
My deep understanding of the daily realities of teaching infuses everything I do. I bring enthusiasm and insight to this work and support you in your growth as a student of Creative Speech. Each group focuses on your unique goals, and I'm there encouraging you along the way.
How to get started
Step 1: Complete the form
Fill out the application form. Tell me a bit about yourself, your experience, and what's drawing you to this work.
Step 2: Interview with me
We'll have a conversation. I want to know about you, your goals, and what you're hoping to get from this year. You get to ask me anything. This is a mutual exploration of whether we're a good fit for each other.
Step 3: Register and choose your payment option
If it feels right to both of us, you register and select the payment option that works best for you - whether that's paying in full or spreading it over nine months.
I can’t wait to connect with you!
Debbie Spitulnik
Founder + Lead Instructor
The Art of Speech Collective
Email: Debbie@theartofspeech.org
Apply for The Course
Thank you for your interest in the HeArt Speaking program. This application is an invitation to reflect - there are no right answers, only honest ones. Please respond to each question in your own words; a paragraph or two for each is plenty.
Need a helping hand?
Contact us to inquire about partial subsidy options.