My Journey Through Courage and Renewal Facilitator Training: A Q and A with the ACGME’s DeLonda Y. Bonasera
Now in its second year, the ACGME is hosting a three-day retreat offering a unique approach to professional development for members of the graduate medical education (GME) community. Renewal 2025: A GME Retreat Fostering Compassionate Leadership and Personal Growth draws on more than 20 years of widely praised ACGME Courage to Teach, Courage to Lead, and Coordinator Awardee retreats. The experience is intended to broaden the availability of the acclaimed work of educator Parker J. Palmer and the Center for Courage & Renewal to the entire GME community.
The inaugural Renewal retreat took place in 2024. This year’s retreat will take place September 10-12, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico.
We sat down with one of the retreat’s facilitators, DeLonda Y. Bonasera, to discuss what goes into facilitator training. Ms. Bonasera is also the ACGME Board Relations and Awards Program Manager.
ACGME: Who is Parker J. Palmer and what is the Center for Courage & Renewal?
Ms. Bonasera: Parker J. Palmer is a writer, speaker, and activist who focuses on education, community, leadership, spirituality, and social change, and is the founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal.
Dr. Palmer’s book, The Courage to Teach, promotes the concept of “living divided no more,” which has proven relevant to teaching in academic health centers.
The mission of the Center for Courage & Renewal is to nurture deep integrity and relational trust, building the foundation for a more loving, equitable and healthy world.
The ACGME honors Dr. Palmer through two awards that bear his name—the Courage to Lead Award is given to designated institutional officials, and the Courage to Teach Award honors program directors. Having managed the ACGME Awards program for the last 15 years, to now engage more deeply with the very principles behind these recognitions is both humbling and energizing.
The ACGME’s Courage to Teach/Lead Awards Retreat is modeled after the Center for Courage & Renewal’s Circle of Trust® approach, providing participants with a deeply immersive experience in the Courage & Renewal® philosophy. These retreats are designed to cultivate a trustworthy and compassionate space where individuals can engage in meaningful inner work within a supportive community. Through the Circle of Trust, participants are invited to listen to the wisdom of their inner teacher, honor each person’s identity and integrity, and renew the courage needed to live and lead with authenticity. The experience fosters both personal growth and a deeper commitment to collective well-being.
ACGME: What goes into becoming a facilitator for this kind of retreat, and what does serving as a facilitator mean to you?
Bonasera: Becoming a facilitator is more than a personal achievement—it is a meaningful continuation of work that has profoundly shaped my professional journey over the past decade. For the last nine years, I’ve had the privilege of co-facilitating the ACGME’s Awards retreat and co-creating the Renewal 2025: A GME Retreat Fostering Compassionate Leadership and Personal Growth. This is a role rooted in deep listening, intentional leadership, and a steadfast commitment to holding space for others as they explore questions of identity, purpose, and integrity.
The path to becoming a Courage & Renewal facilitator is both intentional and immersive. It begins with the Foundations of the Courage & Renewal Approach, a five-session online experience where I joined other purpose-seekers to explore the values, principles, and practices that shape trustworthy spaces—places where we can show up more fully and live with authenticity and courage. Next, I entered the Courage & Renewal Practicum, a three-month program that included a four-day retreat, ongoing peer learning circles, and an online capstone gathering.
Now, I begin the final phase, the Facilitator Preparation Program, an 18-month apprenticeship alongside an experienced Courage & Renewal facilitator. Through quarterly learning sessions and intimate mentor cluster circles, I will continue developing the skills and presence needed to guide others through courageous conversations that support authentic leadership and healing community.
While the full program is designed to unfold over 18 months, I anticipate completing it ahead of schedule, thanks to my longstanding involvement with the ACGME’s retreats and deep-rooted dedication to this work.
ACGME: Who are the other facilitators for the Renewal retreat?
Bonasera: I’m honored to collaborate on both the Awards and Renewal retreats with a team of extraordinary leaders, including Stephanie Call, MD, the internal medicine program director at Mountain Area Health Education Center in Biltmore Forest, North Carolina; Tina Foster, MD, MS, MPH, the preventive medicine program director at Dartmouth Health Leadership in Lebanon, New Hampshire; Mukta Panda, MD, MACP, FRCP-London, the regional dean at Morehouse School of Medicine Chattanooga, professor of medicine, and author of Resilient Threads: Weaving Joy & Meaning into Well-being, from Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Richard Shugerman, MD, the director of pediatrics for WWAMI and vice chair for Faculty Affairs at Seattle Children’s Hospital in Seattle, Washington.
Together, we co-create spaces where those who care for others are invited to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the deeper “why” behind their work.
ACGME: What makes this retreat different than other retreats out there?
Bonasera: Like many others, this retreat offers intentional time and space away from the demands of daily life for rest, reflection, and renewal. What sets Renewal apart is its specific focus on leaders within and across the GME community. This retreat creates a supportive environment for inner work, helping participants reconnect with their core values, clarify their sense of purpose, and return to their roles with fresh insight and energy. The impact extends beyond the individual; many participants share the practices and perspectives gained at the retreat with their institutions, benefiting their programs and broader GME environments.
ACGME: As one of the facilitators for this retreat, what advice would you give to someone who is unsure about attending?
Bonasera: No matter your role in GME, we encourage you to attend! The facilitators are intentional about creating an inclusive and equalizing environment where titles and hierarchies are set aside. While attendees briefly mention their roles during introductions, these are not a focus throughout the retreat. In fact, the range of roles among participants consistently enhances the experience for everyone.
ACGME: Anything else you’d like to share?
Bonasera: I look forward to the path ahead. This journey isn’t only about facilitating retreats—it’s about becoming the kind of leader who can help others reconnect with their purpose, re-center their inner compass, and lead with authenticity. And that, I believe, is the kind of courage we need—now more than ever.
Learn more about Renewal 2025 and how this retreat can support your personal and professional growth. If you have questions or want to explore whether this experience is right for you, feel free to reach out to Ms. Bonasera by email: dbonasera@acgme.org.