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Wayfinding Wisdom

Discover your way to joy, impact & liberation.

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DISCOVER YOUR WAY TO

JOY. IMPACT. LIBERATION

I’m Alice Chen.

Coach. Storyteller. Fellow Wayfinder.

I believe that we all have moments in our lives where we reach the edge of our known world and want to be, have or create something that we’ve never experienced before.

We realize that our old ways of doing won’t take us where we aspire to go next.  We are not only ready to “do differently” we are ready to BE different.  We are ready to be more present, alive, joyful & engaged with the mystery that is life…and to allow the decisions we make about our lives, careers, & relationships to flow from there.  We are ready to give up looking for the answer & the path and ready to dialogue & discover our answers and our path.

When you are here – beyond “trying to transform” and instead “committed to the transformation whatever it takes,” then I’m here to walk beside you.  I’m here to support you as you unlearn forcing, efforting, & figuring out life.  I’m in your crew as you learn & discover how to play, experiment & collaborate your way through whatever weather patterns & currents you’re facing.

Together, we hold the world as your classroom, your experiences as your teachers, & you as the explorer & guide.   Together we discover your path forward to whatever is next & help you develop the inner & outer resources you need to sail confidently towards it.

Why Wayfind?

The world is changing rapidly. Yet consider that today’s rate of change is the slowest it will ever be in your lifetime. While technology has helped us become more dynamic and connected, it’s also increased the busyness, uncertainty and complexity of our day to day lives.  Learn more about the implications of technology and its connection to wayfinding on my blog post here.

To thrive in the world as it is and as it is projected to become, we have to get good at wayfinding – learning how to be with the experience of complexity, ambiguity, and uncertainty and navigate through it without being overcome by it.  

We have to learn how to discern what we want & need, trust ourselves enough to follow those instincts, and adjust over time to get where we want to go.  We need to learn quickly from our environment and teach ourselves how to move forward intentionally when no teacher is there to instruct us.

Do you remember taking courses in school on:

Knowing & trusting yourself?
Asking & advocating for what you need?
Getting off the busyness highway?
Experimenting your way into decisions?
Learning how to learn?
Right-sizing change?

I certainly don’t. I wish I had.

But here’s the thing – you can learn to wayfind.

Over time, with support, and in community with other like-minded wayfinders, you can develop the mindsets and skill sets you need to work with and through the complexity, ambiguity and busyness you experience in your workplaces and homespaces.  You can LEARN to thrive.  And I’m here to teach, support, encourage, and walk with you on your wayfinding journey.

LET’S WAYFIND TOGETHER

I help individuals & organizations use inquiry, experimentation, collaboration & learning to transform how they operate and create the joyful experiences & meaningful impact they aspire to.

Coaching

I coach individuals, leaders, & executives at personal & professional inflection points.

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Learning Experiences

I design & facilitate learning experiences that engage & empower.

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Resources

I curate & create content that helps you experiment & explore.

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Speaking

I give talks that inspire & educate individuals and organizations.

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Every relationship starts with a conversation.

let’s talk


“As a result of working with Alice, I'm more comfortable with myself as a leader in a completely different way than I was a few months ago, and that absolutely changes how I show up in spaces, in a much better way. I also feel like I'm just better at leading. I'm better at listening. I'm better at monitoring myself and my thoughts and feelings. I'm better at asking people questions. I'm better at being mindful. I'm better at sensing what's really going on behind people's words and making choices as a result of that.”
Josh Bobbitt
Learning Designer
"I participated in the 6 week Navigating Change Learning Series that Alice Chen designed and facilitated, and I was completely blown away. It is the PD that you wish all PDs were. Alice took into consideration our time, needs and emotions when hosting each session. She was responsive and inclusive, challenged and supported us to talk about really challenging topics like race, gender, and class dynamics. Alice knows how to elevate deeper dynamics in a way that feels empowering to the people in the room rather than pejorative. Each time I attended a session of hers, I truly felt as though I mattered and my perspective was valued and like I was learning as opposed to being talked at. Alice is a gifted coach and facilitator and I look forward to working more with her in the future."
Jill Vachani
Department Head / Citizens of the World Charter Schools
"Alice knows how to create spaces where people can come together to reflect, dialogue and engage with one another around really challenging topics (i.e. like race, politics, emotions, etc.). She creates a warm and welcoming community that encourages people to take emotional & intellectual risks. In her workshops, she seamlessly blends reflection with direct instruction. She invites participants to not just absorb new information, but to really be present to their experience as they are learning. She’s taught me so much about the role of emotions in leadership & the importance of presence and reflection in collaboration & creating impact. I am a more confident, compassionate and effective leader because I’ve worked with her."
Gabe Rodriguez
Associate Director / KIPP NorCal Public Schools
"Working with Alice has been personally and professionally transformative, not to mention joyful. Through reflection, healing, and exercises, I've become more self-aware, more capable of leading from a deeper place of my core being, more intentional, and better equipped to manage and lead with spiritual integrity. I can't possibly recommend working with Alice highly enough."
Rabbi Dr. Shumly Yanklowitz
Founder & Executive Director / Valley Beit Midrash
“One of the many transformative takeaways while working with Alice was the importance of a thoughtful and intentional approach towards decision-making. Although it may seem common sense, there were many factors (family, external expectations, pride, etc.) that, at times, interfered. It was with Alice’s guidance (through lots of thought-provoking questions) that I grew aware of the many factors influencing how I made decisions and, ultimately, how I was leading my life up to that point. Understanding all this, we worked to view each decision objectively and in accordance to my career and life goals. Alice is amazing and I would highly recommend her.”
Karina Macias
Recruiting and Talent Operations / Nova Credit
“After working with Alice on personal coaching, I asked her to come in to work with a startup company I was working at. We were looking for someone to help us navigate how to set up a strong company culture and how to put in place the systems to ensure we could communicate well and work together effectively. Alice was able to quickly build trust with the entire team, learn about our industry, and quickly pull together a plan that greatly helped us as a business. Alice received rave reviews from all the employees and the plan she put together significantly helped us work together as a team.”
David Rust
Founder and CEO / Sagra
“One of my favorite things about Alice’s coaching style is that she holds you accountable for the work you say you’re going to work on. Her coaching worksheets, synthesis of each session, and availability in between sessions kept me motivated and on track. Now I trust in myself so much more, I know where I am going in life, and I have a much better mechanisms in place to deal with “curveball” situations. Alice is an amazing coach and person- I wholeheartedly recommend her.”
Sarah Grady
Program and Grants Manager / Silver Giving Foundation
“The first thing that comes to my mind is how authentic and inclusive Alice is. There is something in her that can connect with almost anybody and that makes you want to listen to her. After my conversations with Alice, I always feel like I can conquer the world. And I don’t just believe it, but I act on it, too.”
Donique Nobles Mohammad
Managing Director of Equity & Anti Racism / Instruction Partners
"Alice did an amazing job helping me to surface my values and guide me in living them out both in my personal life and work life. She helped me ask the right questions at the right time, helped me to step back and understand what is within my power, and showed me how I can design my life to really take into account what I want. Through our work together, I negotiated a sabbatical for myself, took some time to travel the world, found my next dream job and started a family. Alice has been instrumental in helping me bee the driver of my own life."
Awara Mendy Adeagbo
Associate Partner / Promise Venture Studio

THE WAY
OF THE
WAYFINDER

Wayfinding is a skill you can learn to help you navigate the uncertainty and complexity of the modern world.

It’s also a metaphor I use to guide how I coach that comes from current & historical practices of exploration & discovery by Polynesian peoples.

Learn More

LET’S
GO
BEYOND

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So that you can know and own your own story, find courage & conviction in the stories of others, and build the mindsets & skillsets you need to thrive in the world as it is as you call forth new possibilities for the future. Let’s go beyond what is in your life and in this life, together.

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Contact Me

Phone: 510-550-5817
alice@wayfindingwisdom.com
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