Lisa Howard

Building Resilience for
Leaders and Educators

Hi, I'm Lisa!

My work emerges at the intersection of experiential learning, mind/body practice, and connection with nature to create transformational experiences of personal growth and professional development for leaders and educators.It is through this work that I changed my own life and I aim to use my experience to help deepen the well of resilience for humankind at a time when we need it the most.

• about

Offerings

Stress Resilience

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I support visionary leaders and educators find the tools they need to lead with poise and agility in times of constant change. I can help you find presence, perspective, and agency on the pathway through the unknown.

• Training

• Coaching

Social Resilience

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Schools and organizations are facing unprecedented levels of difficulty and change. Now more than ever, it is crucial for teachers, teams, and leaders to develop the capacity to foster positive relationships, deepen resourcefulness, and take collective action.

• In Schools

• In the Workplace

Nature-based Resilience

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Are you feeling the call to spend more time in nature? I guide experiences in deep presence with the natural world in order to reconnect with your self, your kindred, and your sense of greater purpose. Choose a guided hike or find me at Kripalu.

• Get Outdoors

• At Kripalu

Welcome!

I'm glad you're here. Let me share a little bit about myself.My purpose, with all of the work that I do, is to facilitate deeper connection with self, others, and the natural world as a means of deepening the well of resilience at the individual, collective, and environmental level.I came to this work through my own personal and professional challenges. Each phase in my winding journey has lead me to new tools and modalities for building resilience.As a Special Education teacher feeling the limitations in the traditional education system I discovered and quickly became passionate about the power of experiential education. As I dove deeper into the world of Adventure Learning, I began to realize the importance of social connection in a group-based learning experience to transform both the individual and the collective. When learning is social we can transform communities.When I began to encounter my own spiritual and emotional challenges as a result of massive loss and change in my life, I turned to yoga and mindfulness teachings as a way to regain balance and wholeness. Through the study of yogic philosophy, and the practices of yoga asana and meditation, I began to find ways to heal, to listen to my own inner guidance, and gain tools for managing stress, overwhelm, and emotionally reactive situations. When we learn to connect with our inner world, our outer world becomes more navigable.Throughout my entire life, the natural world has always been a steady backdrop, a place to return to. I grew up on a farm, taking care of animals, tending the garden, climbing trees, spending entire days outdoors. As an adult, I have been continuously drawn to the natural world for calming, connecting, and finding clarity. I now live in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts where I turn to the forests for daily medicine. Nature has been a constant, and yet it is always changing and in that way, it shows us how to navigate change. When we connect with the healing power of nature, we see resilience amplified.Through coaching, training, and facilitated group experiences, I offer the methods and practices that transformed my life, in hopes of creating a ripple of resilience that lasts.

• Testimonials

Professional Highlights

• Trained in Presence-Based® Coaching

• Kripalu® Outdoor Guide

• Kripalu® Certified RISE™ Facilitator

• High 5 Adventure Certified Trainer

• The Browne Center at UNH Corporate Facilitator

• Kripalu® Certified Restorative Yoga Teacher

• Trained in Navigating Challenging Dialogue®

• Yogaspirit Studios® 200 hr. Certified Yoga Teacher

• M.Ed. Experiential Learning - Plymouth State Univ.

• Special Education Certification - Immaculata Univ.

Testimonials

"Thanks again for putting together such a thoughtful, fun, and practical training for us! It has been very helpful already. In fact, I have had several teachers tell me how great the training was and that they have been using some of the strategies/practices you introduced."
~ Teacher, Mt Greylock Regional School

"Within a few minutes in Lisa's presence, she is able to ground me and remove weeks of built-up stress. Her mindfulness and calm radiate through the screen. Before I know it, her presence and inquiry has led me down a path that enables me to think clearly about the challenges I'm facing, determine what I want the outcomes to be and create a list of feasible actions to achieve them. I'm so grateful to have met her."
~ Clare; Coaching Client

I knew I needed this. But after I booked it all the doubts flooded in. I almost didn't come. Now, I'm so glad I did. This was exactly what I needed. Thank you.
~ Yoga Summer Camp Participant

"She listens without judgment or expectation. She has a unique ability to guide me to finding my own answers without leading me down a particular path. When I have felt like I was at a standstill or in a state of confusion she asked insightful questions that allowed me to process and come to decisions based on my own innate knowing and truth."
~Caitlin; Coaching Client

I'm going home a better person.
~ Retreat Participant

"I feel a sense of relief when I think about my action steps and the control I have in the situation."
~ Julia; Coaching Client

• Schedule an Intro Call

Mindful Stress Resilience

Change can be stressful. Here are tools that can help.

RISE™: Kripalu's Evidence-Based Stress Resilience Training

Through accessible practices of breath, movement, and mindfulness, learn how you can:

• Better understand your own stress response

• Calm your body in moments of high intensity

• Train your attention to focus on what's important

• Build positivity, productivity, and mental clarity

• Choose practices that easily apply to your life.

• Improve your ability to respond skillfully in moments of high intensity and challenge.

• Schedule an Intro Call

Leadership & Life Coaching

I coach visionary leaders, educators, and entrepreneurs who are navigating change and deepening resilience - from the inside out. Our coaching sessions provide a refuge where you can access greater calm and clarity so that choice and change become possible.

A Coaching Engagement Includes:

• Intro call to determine fit and alignment.

• Intake and contracting process to co-create your customized coaching offer.

• Individualized coaching offer with goals, desired outcomes, and timeline.

• Accountability & support for action-items and skill development.

• Virtual or in-person meetings every 2-3 weeks

• Outdoor coaching available

• Options for referrals, follow-ups, or re-engagement upon completion

Each of us brings a wealth of resources along with a host of challenges, including ones we create for ourselves. Coaching helps you sort through the struggle to find out what you can change, and then create a plan to do so. Coaching is a partnership. Together we get centered in purpose, we practice self-observation and deepening intuition, and we learn to access the power and presence needed to show up with poise and agility in the most uncertain times.

• Want to know more?

• Schedule an Intro Call

Resilient Schools

Schools are on the front lines of today's social, economic, and political challenges and need support to face the daily changes and challenges. I offer tools that can help.

Connection and Caring for Teachers

In a school setting, it is easy to focus on the challenges and let them run the show. A connection session for teachers can help re-focus on positive relationships, mutual support, and practical tools for self-care and finding balance.Half-day and Full-day sessions available.

Active Advisories

A workshop for advisory teachers or anyone who wants to bring more activity into their classes:

• Learn fun, engaging and collaborative activities that fit within your classroom themes and format

• Learn how to incorporate valuable self and social awareness themes into the activities

• Learn how to make meaning from an activity and apply it to real life and school situations

• Schedule an Intro Call

Resilience in the Workplace

I help teams, leaders and organizations find resilience, compassion, and presence in creating or navigating change. Through fun, engaging, and choice-based workshops, participants will have an experience that releases tension while also making connections that last.

Team Connection & Resilience

Customize an experience that meets your needs:

• Have fun and release tension

• Build familiarity and cohesion

• Open lines of communication

• Gain tools for self-awareness and self- regulation

• Strengthen work relationships and build trust

• Learn practices for managing overwhelm

Team Development & Agility

Take your team to the next level:

• Strengthen the sense of support and trust

• Develop agility in collaborative problem-solving

• Navigate communication challenges

• Identify clear strategies to increase performance and achieve goals

• Learn how to balance the needs of the individual, the team, and the task

Resilient Leadership

Transform your Vision into Reality

• Emerging Leaders Development Training

• Executive Leadership Coaching

• Strategic Thought Partnership

• Schedule an Intro Call

Nature-based Resilience

More than just a hike, it's a practice

A guided hike can become a powerful mindfulness practice when we deepen our present moment awareness through our multi-sensory connection to the land.Through the practice of deep connection with nature we find relaxation and rejuvenation, we reconnect to our inner child, and we begin to expand our capacity for resilience as modeled by the continuously adapting natural landscapes.Choose one of the routes below for your private hike or group experience, or reach out to create a customized experience that incorporates one of our workshops as well.

2025 Hiking Routes:

The listed hikes are all moderate difficulty with varied terrain. Trekking poles available.
Timing will vary depending on speed and pace of hikers.

Contact Lisa for pricing, details, and scheduling.

• Schedule Call
• Send Email

It is with gratitude and humility that we acknowledge that we are learning, speaking and gathering on the ancestral homelands of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans.

Guided Mindful Hikes

A guided hike at Kripalu is an opportunity to put mindfulness into action while allowing the beauty of nature to help us return to the present moment, again and again. We open up our senses, marvel at what we notice, and sink deep into presence with the natural world.

The Power of Play

Who says play is only for kids? In this powerful, playful workshop we explore play as a wellness practice and as a window to the self. We laugh, we connect, and we learn how play has so much to teach us about what really matters.

Yoga Summer Camp

At Kripalu's Yoga Summer Camp the Adults have all the fun. We experience lots of outdoor activities plus plenty of time for rest and relaxation on Kripalu's beautiful campus in Stockbridge, MA.
2026 dates coming soon!

Interested in a customized workshop at your site? Contact me below to learn more.

• Schedule Call
• Send Email

Contact

Curious to know more? Send a message to Lisa directly.

List of Offerings

Events

• RISE - Intro Session

• Outdoor Coaching Group

• Building Resilience Coaching Group

Resources