INSIGHTS
Common opinions about expanding our power at work often cite things like getting promoted, gaining decision-making power, getting a raise, expanding your network, and becoming recognized as a leader in your field.
But none of these are foundations of power. They are actually expressions of power.
If you've been here with us at Wayfinding, you'll know we have a more specific, nuanced understanding of power than the average bears out there, and if you're new here—welcome!—and peep that link for your power orientation.
So how do we nurture our foundational...
Helping others rise to a new level of consciousness asks certain things of our beings.
This community is comprised of a wide range of such bridges. Each of you helping to infuse more expansive worldviews into the world of work in amazing ways like regenerating the real estate industry; advancing DEIB in organizational leadership, practice, and policy; bringing psychedelic wisdom to the mental health field; redefining best practices at the highest levels of law; and guiding organizations to get work done in more adaptive, human ways.
You bridge a reality of what’s so...
Burnout is real. If you have experienced persistent fatigue, lack of motivation, and "feeling off" at work or life in general, surprise — you might be burned out.
You are not lazy, lacking drive, or making things up. You are exhausted from the daily grind. You have been running a sprint for ages, and your inner wisdom is telling you that your routine is no longer sustainable.
Not all burnout is created equal.
Once you acknowledge the truth about your burnout, the next logical step is to find the root cause. What is causing the energy leakage? What part of...
I had the incredible pleasure of being interviewed by Julia Winston on her podcast, Facilitator Forum, about my awareness as a facilitator and how I engage to facilitate people's power and leadership via sensing, rites of passage, wayfinding, and learning from nature. This was my most fun podcast interview to date!
Here's the episode description:
"Episode #011 - Rites of passage guide Larissa Conte understands that humans are not separate from nature and brings this perspective into her work to bridge diverse worlds as an integrative systems coach, helping business leaders...
“We need time to rehabilitate from the trauma of the pandemic” as Dr. David Rock, CEO of the NeuroLeadership Institute, wrote in the Harvard Business Review in February. This is a crucial pattern for all leaders and teams to take note of with many more contributing factors than just the pandemic.
It's notable when I have a moment when I'm having the same conversation across all my clients. This is one of those moments.
Here are some factors contributing to why we’re seeing such a widespread pattern:
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Immersion in a constant trauma field in the world &...
The end of the year invites us into our bones.
Whether it's landing our learnings in our bones, being grateful for life's blessings down to our marrow, feeling stripped to the bone by challenges, turning inward to nourish ourselves at the bone level, having the desire to curl up and rest our bones... May we listen and learn from the bones.
Here's a conversation Larissa and Nick had recently to land their learnings and sensing of 2021 in their bones.
Nick: Would you mind inviting me into the house that you speak from when you talk to this community in our newsletters?
Larissa: Yeah,...
Photo: SwapnIl Dwivedi on Unsplash
Recently, I was working with an executive coaching client who got clarity on his calling.
Not just a market opportunity, but rather: what life has been preparing him for to bring forward greater service to the whole that aligns with his gifts and life experiences. He shared about it with excitement, named the trepidation about all the electricity coursing through him, noticed the ways it pulled at his ego, inhabited a visible sense of feeling humbled, then sat breathing deeply and quietly.
Here he was sitting on the threshold of...
Some of the expertise that my clients value the most comes from my personal life and my healing journey from a near-fatal accident that happened 10 years ago on Jan 10, 2011.
This journey is inseparable from my work in the world, informing my work every day.
In honor of my ten-year anniversary, here is a map I made — primarily of the physical layers of my healing journey.
Leaders consistently value the insights I learned through this extended terrain because I learned how to bring a system (my body) back from near-death to bright aliveness, and I know how...
Leading from the inside means listening to our inner sensing and navigating systems change from there. This is why I created this ritual experience to help attendees and listeners from around the world tap into their inner wisdom to know how they feel called to create change on the scales of self, land, family, society, and work.
Here's the recording of the ritual I led for Global Entrepreneurs Week.
#GIW2020 was hosted by the League of Intrapreneurs.
"Navigating unmarked territory to find our way through the mystery is an inherent drive in the human spirit. This ability is the essence of the skill known as wayfinding. It is invaluable, in general, and especially now, as we face very real, high stakes globally."
We speak our values and the way we see life into existence through words, so names have great power. People often ask me why I chose Wayfinding—what it is, what it means to me, and why it's relevant for our times. This is my answer.
Sensing, power literacy, and doing inner work together are crucial skills for stewarding systems change, yet they are rarely discussed due to the double binds we can experience around power dynamics and job security.
Here's a mini clip from my talk—Sensing Power and Cultivating Organizational Aliveness—at last June's Culture First conference hosted by my friends at Culture Amp
In the full talk I explore:
- Our sensing capacity as a critical tool for revealing tension and guiding self-correcting actions in living systems—our selves, teams, and orgs—and how we can...
On the eve of Friday December 8, I threw a ReBirthday dance party ceremony to celebrate the end of my 7-year healing journey.
These years since I stood up suddenly, blacked out, and fell off a waterfall on Jan 10, 2011 have been a journey I could have never imagined. One that I’m forever grateful for because I grew into a greater version of myself—more alive, more true, more loving, more joyful, and more powerful. But, oh lordy, what it took to get here…. Read more...
Brendan Baker, founder of Fabric co-working space, invited me to come speak in a fireside chat about company culture and why we can feel like shit at work. It was a great conversation with attendees from Airbnb, Pinterest, Asana, and many more companies. Here are some of his notes from the evening:
Why This Matters to Larissa
Larissa: “I’m madly in love with human beings as a species. We’re living in perhaps the most complex times we’ve faced. I realized in my career very quickly that if we don’t figure out how to be with each other it...
Yvonne Thackray, founder of the good coach, and I had our first exploration in co-writing an in-depth piece on coaching together based on our collective experience in the field. It's a meaty piece with lots in it that's particularly relevant for coaches.
Coaching as we understand it today is part of an evolutionary process in elevating human potential. As societies continue to realize that each individual has greater potential to live beyond their limitations, coaching has tapped into that growing awareness while filling a gap left by the decline of lifelong structured developmental...
It's been an amazing first year!
I'm so grateful to all the champions, friends, and family who helped me build this offering that is my dream work in the world.
My gratitude to all the Wayfinders who found their way to me—you beautiful leaders who want to lead from a bigger inner posture, from greater internal alignment and service for your own thriving and the flourishing of others. You inspire me every day and make me fall in love with you in every client session, rite of passage, circle, and workshop.
And, of course, huge thanks to my dear partners—Laura Griffiths, David...
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