Writing Through Transitions

The 4 tools that turn “I don’t know who I am right now” into “I know exactly how to move through this.”

You’re in the middle of something – a job ending, a relationship shifting, a role you’ve outgrown, a version of you that’s quietly dissolving. It’s disorienting. It’s lonely. And nobody hands you a map for it.

Leia Francisco spent 25 years building one. Writing Through Transitions® is her signature model — the same one she’s taught for decades and used to help hundreds of people move through change with clarity instead of chaos. Now it’s a self-paced course you can start today, in nine guided lessons, using nothing but a pen and 30 minutes at a time.

By the end, you’ll have:

A clear map of exactly where you are in your transition — and what comes next
Four tools you’ll use for every transition for the rest of your life
A written record of your own growth, in your own words, that you can return to

“This was the deep dive… the paradigm shift regarding my initial beliefs about being ‘stuck’ and ‘resistant.’ Those negative beliefs were reframed into a normal part of a transition — I now deeply understood that a transition is not a goal, it’s a process. This was transformative and self-forgiving.” — Pauline Yannece

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You’re not imagining it. Change is coming faster than it used to – futurist Alvin Toffler called this “future shock” back in the 1970s, and predicted we’d eventually feel it in our bones. That’s now. That’s this moment, for you.

The good news: transitions aren’t random chaos. They follow a shape. Once you can see that shape, you stop feeling like you’re drowning in it and you can start moving through it, with a plan.

That’s what this course gives you.

“I found this course a deeply personal and richly rewarding experience… gaining insights on who I was, who I wanted to be, and what truly mattered at this stage of my life.” — David C. Borchard, EdD, BCC

WHAT YOU’LL WALK AWAY WITH

Understand the process — see exactly where you are in Letting Go, the Messy Middle, or Accepting the New Way, and why you feel the way you do at each stage
Own four lifetime tools — self-assessment, structure, support, and a plan — that you’ll reach for in every future transition, not just this one
Feel the shift writing creates — turn a chaotic, overwhelming season into a story you understand and can learn from

COURSE OVERVIEW

Nine bite-sized lessons guide you through letting go, moving through the in-between, and accepting what’s new while pairing each stage with hands-on practice in the four core tools: self-assessment, structure, support, and a plan. Every lesson is short, clear, and immediately usable, with downloadable materials, prompts, and quotes to keep you moving forward.

No journaling experience needed. Just bring your willingness — Leia gives you the prompts and the guidance.

Time commitment: About 30 minutes per lesson topic, plus roughly 30 minutes for the supplemental material — done at whatever pace feels right for your transition. There’s no clock running. This is self-paced with no set start date; begin the moment you buy.

WHO THIS IS FOR

This course is built for you if you:

Are in the middle of a major life change — career, relationship, health, identity, loss — and want solid ground under your feet
Want more than “just journal about it” — you want an actual framework
Like having concrete tools you can reach for, not vague advice
Want a written guide you can return to for every transition still ahead of you

“It has equipped me with the tools to better understand and manage my own transitions, and enabled me to support my coaching clients… a rich synthesis of key concepts and impactful writing strategies.” — Chan Lin Ho, EdD, PCC

WHY LEIA

Leia Francisco, M.A., CJF built Writing Through Transitions® over 25 years as a transition coach, certified journal facilitator, and author of Writing Through Transitions: A Guide for Transforming Life Changes. She trained under William Bridges, Dr. Frederic Hudson, and Richard Bolles — some of the most respected names in transition work — and has taught this exact model for over a decade at the Therapeutic Writing Institute.

“Leia Francisco is among the pantheon of great thinkers in the transition field… she teaches it with elegance and depth. She’s the real deal.” — Kathleen Adams, LPC, Founder, Center for Journal Therapy

You don’t have to white-knuckle this transition.

You can understand it. You can move through it with a plan instead of a spiral. And you can walk out the other side with four tools you’ll use for every change life throws at you next.

Writing Through Transitions® — $127 Instant access. Self-paced. Start the moment you’re ready.

IAJW members save 20% — join here or log in if you’re already a member.

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Leia Francisco, M.A., is a CCE Board Certified Coach, author of Writing Through Transitions: A Guide for Transforming Life Changes, and the creator of her trademarked model, Writing Through Transitions®. As a coach for individuals and organization and as a workshop leader, Leia has helped people from a range of backgrounds and cultures as they navigate transitions. For over a decade, she taught transition writing for the Therapeutic Writing Institute, applying her knowledge as a certified journal facilitator and applied poetry facilitator. Her articles have appeared in newspaper columns, journal articles, and contributions to books on journaling, career transitions, and emotional wellbeing.

Over the past 25 years, Lei’s greatest professional satisfaction has come from helping people understand the transition process and how to grow in their time of transition.

Leia Francisco

My love for journaling and expressive writing is entwined with my passion for helping people with transitions. After many years of writing and coaching, I completed applied poetry facilitation training in 2004 and received my certification in journal facilitation through The Therapeutic Writing Institute (founded by Kathleen Adams), where I was one of its first faculty members. I have taught my signature program, Writing Through Transitions, for ten years. In 2015, I published the revised edition of Writing Through Transition: A Guide for Transforming Life Changes.

Through my individual coaching and certification program, I will train people to facilitate transitions with their own signature workshop or coaching. I know from years of working closely with individuals that writing makes a qualitative difference in how well people navigate difficult transitions.

I believe that our prior work enhances how we coach others in writing their stories. I am a reformed English instructor, a former senior manager who worked for many years on policy issues for women, and a consultant for organizational change. My good fortune has included studying with William Bridges, Dr. Frederic Hudson, and Richard Bolles—my mentors and inspiration in coaching transitions. These experiences have profoundly shaped my work.

What I want to share with the Journal Council are my ideas about developing a new generation of expressive writing leaders.

"As a writer, a person with several degrees and certifications in areas within the helping professionals, and recently a certified Life Coach, it was humbling to realize how superficial my understanding of the transition process was. This course was the deep dive. I took the course for both personal exploration (i.e., "why do I resist transitions and why am I stuck?") and for the professional development opportunity, including gaining some CEU's I need. I could go on about the many takeaways, but the most significant to me personally was the paradigm shift regarding my initial beliefs about being "stuck" and "resistant." Those negative beliefs were reframed into a normal part of a transition (the "messy middle") and I now deeply understood that a transition is not defined by the "end." It is not a goal but a process. This was transformative and self-forgiving." Pauline Yannece

“Leia Francisco, CJF is among the pantheon of great thinkers in the transition field. She has pioneered the use of life-based writing as a dynamic yet nuanced tool for all stages and forms of transition, and she teaches it with elegance and depth. Leia has extended her work to new generations through her certification training in transitions writing. Her alumni roster contains those who are taking transitions writing to new levels and to new populations, including cancer, brain injury, end-of-life care, retirees and more. Her values of authenticity, integrity and service shine through every class or coaching session. She's the real deal.”

--Katheen Adams LPC, Founder, Center for Journal Therapy (1988), author, Journal to the Self

“I found Leia Francisco’s “Writing Through Transitions: 4 Tools for Growing with Change,” course a deeply personal and richly rewarding experience. The course combines Leia’s extensive knowledge, wisdom, and experience with transitions in a self-exploration journey through the three primary stages of a transition process. Each stage of this exceptionally well-designed course provided information, examples, and writing prompts for insights on who I was, who I wanted to be, and what truly mattered at this stage of my life. And, as a bonus, I received 15 CEU’s of credit for renewing my Coach Credentialling.”

--David C. Borchard, EdD, BCC is a life/career coach and author of the book The Joy of Retirement: Finding Freedom, And the Life You’ve Always Wanted, and “The Life Relaunch Compass,” a transition resource for finding a new direction in life and work: Available at www.Visiontrac.net.

The “Writing Through Transitions: 4 Tools for Growing with Change” course has been a valuable learning experience for me personally and professionally. It has not only equipped me with the necessary tools and resources to better understand and manage my own transitions but also enabled me to support my coaching clients to discover new clarity in their own transitions through writing and reflection. This course offers not only a rich synthesis of the key concepts on transitions but also provides insightful perspectives and impactful writing strategies on how to traverse the different phases of transitions. Leia’s ability to make complex concepts accessible and relatable is evident in the course material as she offers valuable tools and techniques to manage change effectively. I would highly recommend this course as a resource to anyone who wishes to gain deeper insights and confidence in navigating significant life changes with resilience and purpose.

Chan Lin Ho, EdD, PCC, Spiritual Director, Transition Writing Specialist and Coach

"Leia Francisco's pioneering work, "Writing Through Transitions," is my platinum standard for navigating life changes in my journal. As a student of Leia's, I was so moved by the power of her course to address my own significant life changes that I chose to train with her in order to become credentialed to teach the course. And it has become one of the most requested courses in my line-up. After completing the course, participants often report that they have gained clarity, strength, wisdom and confidence as they move forward. One participant shared that she is so glad that she didn't write in her workbook as she imagines using Leia's model for any significant change that she faces."

Deborah Ross, LPC, Certified Journal Therapist (CJT), core faculty member at the Therapeutic Writing Institute, co-author of, "Your Brain on Ink," and contributor to, "Journal Therapy for Overcoming Burnout."

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$127.00

Writing Through Transitions

Writing Through Transitions

Leia Francisco

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