A woman with dark hair with purple streaks, smiling, wearing a patterned sweater, sitting outdoors in front of a waterfall.

Hi, I’m Alice Chen

Paradigm Shifter & Possibility Maker

I'm a certified executive coach, facilitator, and speaker with over fifteen years of experience guiding leaders and teams across the globe to embrace complexity, catalyze creativity and architect new possibilities for themselves and their organizations.

I believe that the most transformative ideas emerge when we integrate our intellect with our intuition and embrace all forms of intelligence - analytical, emotional, and intuitive.

I founded Wayfinding Wisdom in 2016 as a studio for creative leadership and living - a place where visionary humans could slow down and access their full range of knowing - from data driven insights to the quiet whispers of intuition that often hold the keys to our most important breakthroughs.

Nearly a decade later, the heartbeat of our practice remains constant: We model and foster wisdom-led leadership that meets the increasingly complex challenges of our world with courage, compassion, and creativity.

My Story

I'm a seeker and explorer at heart.

Professionally, I've been a teacher, community organizer, arts coordinator, and learning designer, managing diverse teams and projects. Personally, I've walked many times through the landscape of loss and mental health challenges, found my way between cultures across three continents, and transformed a back injury that left me temporarily paralyzed into a pathway for deeper wisdom.

This portfolio of experiences has revealed to me that the most transformative growth emerges when we develop 'ecosystem eyes'—seeing holistic patterns while acting strategically.

This requires honoring our wholeness—leading from both intellect and intuition, balancing action with mindful presence, and weaving professional expertise with the magic of lived experience.

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A woman with dark hair smiling outdoors on a rocky coastline with a cloudy sky in the background.

Inner growth and outer change are inextricably linked. Who we are and what we do are two sides of the same coin.

Credentials

  • B.A. Wellesley College, History, Geology, Theatre (Summa Cum Laude)

  • MEd.T. University of Hawaii, Elementary Education

  • Coach Training: Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching

  • Professional Coach Certification (PCC): International Coaching Federation 

  • Yoga Teacher Certification: Southtown Yoga Loft (San Antonio, TX)

    Other Certifications: Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, StrengthsFinder, Akashic Records Training

  • Additional Professional Learning: Growth Edge Coaching, Adult Development & Maturity Coaching, Coaching for Equity, Polarity Wisdom, Emergent Learning, Immunity to Change, Adaptive Leadership, Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness, The Neuroscience of Change

  • Professional Affiliations: International Coaching Federation, Mentor Coach

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Influences

I believe powerful leadership emerges when we integrate seeming opposites: planning with emergence, action with reflection, structure with flexibility. I create spaces that model and invite exploration of these polarities. I coach and facilitate from the head, heart, and gut, drawing inspiration and tools from a wide array of interdisciplinary sources:

  • Gestalt psychology and somatics

  • Organizational and adult development

  • Design thinking and systems theory

  • Mindfulness and wisdom traditions

  • Polynesian wayfinding principles

  • Emergent strategy and adaptive leadership

  • Art , literature, design, and theatre

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Scenic view of the ocean with waves crashing onto the rocky shoreline, green fields, and mountains under a partly cloudy sky.

My Approach

I take a collaborative, experiential approach to leadership development that models the essential dynamics we'll explore and develop together:

  • Planning and emergence

  • Action and reflection

  • Structure and flexibility

  • Individual growth and systemic change

  • Intellect and intuition

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The Wayfinding Collective

  • A woman with long dark hair smiling outdoors, wearing a blue jacket and a patterned blouse, with a blurred natural background of greenery and mountains.

    Tiffany Chang

    COACH & COMMUNITY MANAGER

  • Woman with long dark hair, glasses, and a striped blue shirt smiling at the camera.

    Mona Whiskard

    ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Connect with Us.