Waymakers is an organization dedicated to bringing hope to those struggling to make a way out of no way and helping those in conflict find their way back home.
For those who feel like conflict – internally, with our loved ones, in our communities or in the world– have consumed us, you are not alone.
Conflict can be thrust upon us by others or it can be self-imposed.
Either way it comes with a sense of estrangement, fear, isolation and hopelessness that can only deepen the conflict. For thousands of years, people have experienced conflict in this destructive way. Some even gave it a name: exile.
The feeling of exile can be experienced most painfully, in the relationships we hold most deeply. To many, exile is a feeling of being disconnected from the people we most desire to be in relationship with.
Whether we choose to run from it, fight it, or resign our fates to it, the experience of exile can be frustrating at best and devastating at worst. It can be the destroyer of optimism.
Alongside the feeling or reality of exile lies its opposite – hope of return, of reconciliation, of restoration. Conflict is natural and inevitable in a world of difference. While it can certainly lead to despair, it doesn’t have to.
Behind every exile, is hope – a belief that while the outcome itself may be uncertain, things can and will be made better through action.
Waymakers Mission Statement
Inspired by the skill, spirit, and the example of Jesus, Waymakers forms peacemakers through transformative training and constructive engagement with conflict.
Waymakers Core Values
We believe constructive conflict is sacred transformation. Conflict is a sacred space—dynamic, relational, and full of possibility. In that space, there is no “me” or “them,” only “we.”
Nonviolence is our foundation. We practice nonviolence not just as a strategy, but as a way of being—centered in dignity, discipline, and the belief that every person has inherent worth, even in the midst of disagreement.
Reconciliation requires both inner change and practical skill. It calls for honest reflection, deep listening, and the skillful tools to navigate conflict with clarity and care.
Peacemaking begins in everyday life. We empower individuals to be peacemakers in their homes, workplaces, congregations, communities, and civic life.
Waymakers training and repair tools are rooted in the legacy of courageous peacemakers. We draw inspiration from Jesus and other spiritual traditions and movements that teach us to meet conflict with compassion, truth, and moral courage.
Waymakers Trainings, Workshops and Newsletter
Waymakers sponsors a number of trainings, workshops, events, a podcast and a weekly newsletter.
REPAIR WORKSHOPS - Do you feel frustrated or hopeless about a conflict in your life? With yourself, a spouse, a child, a community or congregation member, or in the larger political divide? Waymakers is here to help. At REPAIR, world-class peacemakers will deliver skills-based intensive workshops to help you navigate the most difficult conflicts in your life. Our first event will be on October 23-25 in Provo, Utah and will feature talks and workshops from incredible peacemakers including Jim Ferrell, Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, Thomas McConkie, Jennifer Walker Thomas, Emma Addams, Patrick Mason, Chad Ford, Desmond Lomax, LaShawn Williams and more! More details will be coming soon!
WAYMAKER TRAININGS - Are you a mediator, social worker, teacher, organizational or faith leader in search of more tools to help the people you are helping navigate conflict better? Waymakers offers conflict coaching, mediation and conflict facilitation training to help you skill up your tools to be a more effective peacemaker.
WAYMAKERS NEWSLETTER - Subscribe to the Waymakers Newsletter for weekly columns, videos, tools and tips from conflict experts and find out more information about our latest events. By subscribing, every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox. You’ll also get updates on events, podcasts and more.
PROCLAIM PEACE PODCAST - Co-hosts Jennifer Thomas, Co-Executive Director at Mormon Women for Ethical Government and Patrick Mason, Professor at Utah State University, explore a peaceful reading of the Book of Mormon by talking with guest experts who show us how to create peace in turbulent times.
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Who We Are
CHAD FORD is an international conflict mediator, facilitator, and peace educator.
While most people know him for his work at ESPN, being a basketball analyst and writer was actually his side-gig for most of the last two decades. Chad’s peacebuilding work is what defines him.
Chad served as the Director of the David O. McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding at BYU-Hawaii. for nearly twenty years where he created a major and certificate program in intercultural peacebuilding.
In 2024, Chad left his position at BYU-Hawaii to join the faculty at Utah State University. Chad is serving a joint appointment with the Religious Studies department and the Heravi Peace Institute. Chad teaches courses in Religion, Violence and Peace; Bridging Religious Differences; Introduction to Peacebuilding; and Transformative Mediation.
Chad’s work has frequently taken him out of the classroom and into conflict zones around the world — The Middle East, Ireland, Cyprus, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Oceania, China and throughout the United States — as both a mediator and a facilitator. Chad has served as a speaker and conflict facilitator for numerous organizations — working with governments, NGOs and corporations like Nike and the US Olympic team. He’s been able to combine his expertise on both sports and conflict by serving as an executive board member of the non-profit peacebuilding organization PeacePlayers.
His first book, Dangerous Love, weaves Chad’s experiences into a deeply personal step-by-step exploration of how we transform fear and conflict. His second book, 70x7, draws on Chad’s experiences as a Christian peacebuilder to show us how Jesus’s path of practicing 70×7 has the power to repair relationships by transforming destructive conflict into constructive peace.
Chad has his own substack newsletter called the Waymaker (which is different from this newsletter) if you want to follow his latest writing, podcasts and events.
PATRICK Q. MASON is a devout Christian peacemaker who combines intimate knowledge of Christian theology and history with the practical skills of a peacemaker.
Patrick holds the Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University. He has written or edited several books, including Restoration: God’s Call to the 21st Century World; Proclaim Peace: The Restoration’s Answer to an Age of Conflict and Planted.
He was a Fulbright Scholar in Romania in 2015 and is a past president of the Mormon History Association. Patrick is frequently consulted by the national and international media on stories related to Mormon culture and history. He teaches courses on Mormonism, American religious history, and religion, violence, and peacebuilding.
KATIE SEARLE has deep experience in branding, publishing, event planning, and grant writing. But it is her beautiful soul and peacemaking that drives her.
After graduating with a degree in Intercultural Peacebuilding from BYU-Hawaii, Katie leapt into the world of publishing, co-founding Kinfolk Magazine in 2010. The magazine and its family of publications (The Kinfolk Table and The Kinfolk Home) became one of the most influential lifestyle titles in print and media within a few short years. In 2013, Katie co-founded Ouur Media, a lifestyle publisher and agency creating print and digital media for young creatives.
As Katie’s professional career in media evolved, she kept her finger on the pulse of some of her first loves—human rights, conflict resolution and peace building. She became a certified mediator, philanthropic consultant and grant writer, working on behalf of survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, families experiencing homelessness, youth aging out of foster care, and adults with developmental disabilities.
Waymakers Partners
Waymakers has received generous support from Faith Matters and the One America Movement. Our REPAIR conferences have received a significant donation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
