Where Hope Finds Direction

We help children and youth, young adults, adults, and older adults, plus caregivers, individuals, families, and corporate teams and workplaces, heal, grow, and find their way forward, through mental wellness education, emotional intelligence, and suicide prevention, guided by the E2 Formula: Evidence + Empathy = Impact™. Evidence is our evidence-informed work. Empathy is our trauma-informed work, led by licensed therapists and people with lived experience who are trained facilitators. Together, they equal Impact™. We offer education, not therapy.

Welcome to The Novaro Collective

The Novaro Collective is a nonprofit based in Charlotte, North Carolina. We serve children and youth, young adults, adults, and older adults, plus caregivers, individuals, families, and corporate teams and workplaces. We bring evidence-informed, trauma-informed mental wellness, healing, and resilience education to the places where people already are: schools, community organizations, detention centers, youth diversion programs, senior and caregiver settings, corporate workplaces, and other community spaces.

We offer education, not therapy. Everything we teach is built on the E2 Formula: Evidence + Empathy = Impact™. Evidence is our evidence-informed work, grounded in what research shows helps people heal and grow. Empathy is our trauma-informed work, led by licensed therapists and people with lived experience who are trained facilitators, and delivered with heart and understanding. Together, Evidence and Empathy equal Impact™: real change people can feel and use.

The Novaro Collective is the new name of the nonprofit founded as The Compassionate Companion Inc. The name is new. The mission continues, and here it is in full: The Novaro Collective helps children and youth, young adults, adults, and older adults, plus caregivers, individuals, families, and corporate teams and workplaces, find a new beginning with direction, through mental wellness, healing, resilience, and suicide prevention. The team and the work you know continue too.

Why “Novaro”?

Novaro means a new beginning with direction.

Nova means new: a new start, a new season, a new story.

Aro means to move forward, like an arrow finding its way.

Put together, Novaro is what we want for every person we serve, children and youth, young adults, adults, and older adults, plus caregivers, individuals, families, and corporate teams and workplaces: a fresh start, and a clear way forward.

That direction comes from the E2 Formula: Evidence + Empathy = Impact™. Evidence is our evidence-informed work. Empathy is our trauma-informed work, led by licensed therapists and people with lived experience who are trained facilitators. Together, they equal Impact™, helping every new beginning find its way forward. We offer education, not therapy.

What We Do

We design and facilitate workshops, trainings, and curricula that help people understand their emotions, heal from hard experiences, and build resilience that lasts. All of our work follows the E2 Formula: Evidence + Empathy = Impact™. Evidence is our evidence-informed work. Empathy is our trauma-informed work, led by licensed therapists and people with lived experience who are trained facilitators. Together, they equal Impact™. What we offer is education, not therapy. Our work centers on four things:

• Mental wellness education, built on the E2 Formula, Evidence + Empathy = Impact™, that meets people where they are

• Emotional intelligence, skills for children and youth, young adults, adults, and older adults, and for caregivers, individuals, families, corporate teams and workplaces, and the leaders who support them

• Suicide prevention, education that opens honest, hopeful conversation

• Healing and resilience, tools people can use long after the session ends

We have facilitated more than 300 workshops across Mecklenburg County, and we partner with schools, community organizations, detention centers, youth diversion programs, senior and caregiver programs, corporate workplaces, and faith communities.

Programs and Workshops

All of our programs follow the E2 Formula: Evidence + Empathy = Impact™. Evidence is our evidence-informed work. Empathy is our trauma-informed work, led by licensed therapists and people with lived experience who are trained facilitators. Together, they equal Impact™ in every session. All of our programs offer education, not therapy.

• My Epic Flow Curriculum: Our 30-lesson evidence-informed, trauma-informed curriculum, with each lesson about an hour, teaches emotional regulation, communication, and resilience. It has been used for two years in detention settings, with juvenile diversion programs, and with adults.

• In Charge of Me: Our emotional intelligence program helps children and youth, young adults, adults, and older adults understand their feelings, make thoughtful choices, and advocate for themselves. In Charge of Me for Leaders brings the same skills to caregivers, educators, corporate leaders, and the adults who lead and support them.

• Trauma 101: A clear, compassionate, evidence-informed and trauma-informed introduction to trauma and trauma responses, offered as education, not therapy, in detention centers, community settings, and corporate workplaces, so people can understand what happened and what helps.

• Adult Mental Health First Aid: Certification training that teaches adults, including caregivers, family members, community members, and corporate teams, how to recognize the signs of a mental health challenge, offer support, and connect someone to help.

• Healing Roots Resilience Workshop: A workshop on intergenerational trauma: how pain can be passed down, and how healing can be passed down too.

• Notebook Navigators: A guided journaling workshop built on My Big Notebook, helping participants reflect, process, and plan their next steps.

• My Epic Flow Experience: A two-session immersive workshop that introduces the heart of My Epic Flow: owning your story and directing your energy on purpose.

Children sharing their affirmations from My Big Notebook.

What the Data Shows

We measure what matters. Participants take a short survey before and after every workshop and curriculum, so we can see what actually changed.

Results:

• My Epic Flow Curriculum, 2026: pausing before reacting when upset, 11% to 67%

• In Charge of Me (Emotional Intelligence), 2026: calming down when upset, 20% to 80%

• Staying Grounded, 2026: 100% would recommend it to a colleague

"I am one resource, not the only resource." (Staying Grounded participant)

Who We Serve

Children and youth. Young adults. Adults. Older adults. Caregivers. Individuals. Families. Corporate teams and workplaces. Middle and high schools. Youth diversion programs. Detention centers. Senior and community centers. Community organizations. Faith communities. And the educators, counselors, caregivers, and corporate and community leaders who show up for children and youth, young adults, adults, and older adults every day.

If your school, organization, company, or program serves children and youth, young adults, adults, or older adults in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area, we would love to talk about bringing a workshop to you.

Our approach, the E2 Formula: Evidence + Empathy = Impact™. Evidence is our evidence-informed work. Empathy is our trauma-informed work, led by licensed therapists and people with lived experience who are trained facilitators. Together, they equal Impact™. What we offer is education, not therapy. Our work also follows the Empowerment Triad of Awareness, Acceptance, and Advocacy®.

If you or someone you love needs help right now: call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time, day or night. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.

Get Involved

Every way you get involved supports work built on the E2 Formula: Evidence + Empathy = Impact™. Evidence is our evidence-informed work. Empathy is our trauma-informed work, led by licensed therapists and people with lived experience who are trained facilitators. Together, they equal Impact™. We offer education, not therapy.

• Book a workshop. Bring a training or program to your school, organization, company, or workplace. Use the Book a Workshop button to get started.

• Partner with us. We work alongside schools, agencies, senior and caregiver programs, community organizations, and corporate partners across Mecklenburg County.

• Support the work. Donations help us bring healing and resilience education built on the E2 Formula, Evidence + Empathy = Impact™, where Evidence is our evidence-informed work and Empathy is our trauma-informed work, to more children and youth, young adults, adults, and older adults, plus caregivers, individuals, families, and corporate teams and workplaces.

Contact and Booking

The Novaro Collective, Charlotte, North Carolina. Email: info@thenovarocollective.org. To book a workshop or training, or to ask about partnering with us, reach out by email or use the booking button below. We would love to hear from you.