Oftentimes leaders or social change activists think that, if they create and implement new structures, they can shift the way people in an organization interact. Focusing instead on creating collective understanding of how people are currently interacting and their desired ways of interacting can lead to exponential and immediate change.
                                                                                                – Cyndi Suarez, “The Power Manual”

I have been facilitating diverse groups of people - organizational directors, staff teams, community leaders, college students, faith leaders, racial affinity groups, amongst others - for over 20 years. My experience is that we often try to work with groups at "sub-par" energetic levels, in which most people are left simply learning how to cope with each other.

I am committed to working with groups in ways that help unleash collective growth and transformation and and that create more effective teams.

I am a trained and certified Integral Facilitator - an approach to facilitation that is rooted in the intersection of Integral Theory, Zen Buddhism, and Adult Development Theory. It is chiefly focused on the ability to intentionally work with the underlying energetic dimensions of a group. To address the "context", not just the "content", of a group experience.

A key capacity of Integral facilitation is being able to shift the balance of "sameness" and "difference" in groups. Sameness is important for groups to feel a sense of safety and connection with each other. But too much sameness can be stifling - especially for those who feel left out of this sameness - and lead to stagnation. Difference is important for groups to be able to feel stimulated, learn from divergent perspectives, and constructively use conflict to grow. But too much difference can trigger threat, and lead to a breakdown in group cohesion and people's ability to learn. I pay close attention to all of these underlying dimensions in my facilitation with groups. 

Integral facilitation also works with groups through paying attention to the four "quadrants" of beingness present in any group. These include:

Quadrant 1: What is happening for each individual member of the group on their "interior" space (thinking, feeling, intention, etc)
Quadrant 2: What each individual member of the group is actually doing on their "exterior" (behaviors).
Quadrant 3: What is happening for the group as a whole in its "interior" space (group feel, culture, energy).
Quadrant 4: What is happening for the group as a whole in its "exterior" dimension (agenda, processes, exercises, etc.).

​All of these dimensions are critical to see and pay attention to in order to maximize group potential.