In Harmony Academy

Relational Intelligence for Conflict Navigation

Research-informed practices for navigating conflict with clarity, presence, and care.

PEACE BOAT GLOBAL VOYAGE 123

This April, I'll be joining Peace Boat's 123rd Global Voyage as Guest Educator, teaching embodied conflict navigation to participants from 30+ countries. Follow the journey as we test whether relational intelligence cultivated through artistic practice transfers across profound cultural and linguistic difference.

Yokohama → Singapore | April 7-17, 2026

START HERE

TAKE THE FREE CONFLICT CHECK A 5-minute guided assessment to understand where you are in any conflict you're navigating right now. Based on research showing that conflict unfolds across three dimensions most approaches ignore:

EMBODIED — What's happening in your body
AFFECTIVE — What emotions are circulating
TEMPORAL — What time pressures exist You'll receive:

✓ Your personalized E-A-T profile

✓ Immediate practices specific to your situation

✓ Recommended next steps No account required. No email needed (unless you want results sent).

TAKE FREE CONFLICT CHECK →

WHY TRADITIONAL CONFLICT APPROACHES OFTEN FAIL

Most conflict resolution training focuses on what to say and what to think—treating conflict as primarily cognitive. But research shows conflict operates across dimensions that cognitive approaches can't address:

Your body holds the conflict in tension, posture, and nervous system activation.
Emotions circulate as invisible forces shaping what's possible before anyone speaks.
Time itself becomes contested, deadlines collide with trauma time, urgency clashes with the need for deliberation.

In Harmony Academy cultivates the embodied, relational intelligence that operates where traditional approaches fail.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR APPROACH →

I'm Vilma Esquivel Barragán, currently completing my MA in International Peace Studies at Soka University, Japan. My research explores how sustained engagement with musicking, the relational act of making meaning through music (Christopher Small, 1998), cultivates the embodied intelligence essential for navigating complex conflict. With 46 years of professional musical practice as classical guitarist, chamber musician, music therapist, and choir director, combined with 30+ years of organizational work across international institutions, I bridge rigorous scholarship with embodied practitioner wisdom. My MA thesis, "From Musicking to Mediating: Embodied Knowledge in Professional and Intercultural Conflict Mediation," identifies a critical gap: while conflict is understood as embodied, affective, and temporal, most mediation training remains cognitive-procedural. This April, I bring this research to practice aboard Peace Boat Voyage 123.

CONTACT ME

COMING SOON

I'm currently building:

RESEARCH HUB Open-access publications, frameworks, and resources
COURSES & PROGRAMS Practical training for individuals and practitioners
ORGANIZATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS Capacity building for teams and communities

Want to be notified when these launch?

Plus: receive updates from the Peace Boat journey, new research insights, and free resources.