Lisa Howard

Building Resilience for
Leaders and Educators

Hi, I'm Lisa!

I offer experiential and mindfulness based training, facilitation and coaching for leaders, educators and teams seeking to shift their energy from surviving to thriving.My commitment to this work emerges from my passions and lived experiences of transformation through adventure-based learning, mind/body practice, social resilience and nature connection.My intention is to create powerful learning experiences that foster connection to self, others, and nature to facilitate greater awareness and access to the deep well of resilience within.

Offerings

Personal Resilience

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

Social Resilience

Positive social connection is one of the most significant indicators of success in both schools and workplaces. I help teachers, teams, and leaders expand their capacity to foster healthier relationships, proactive communication, and empowered adaptability so we can all feel safer in the places we spend our days.

Nature-based Resilience

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.

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.

Professional Highlights

  • Certified Presence-Based® Coach

  • Kripalu® Outdoor Guide

  • Kripalu® Certified RISEâ„¢ 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

Mindful Stress Resilience

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

RISEâ„¢: 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.

Program Format:

  • Intro session: 90 - 120 minutes

  • Full program: 6 - 8 hours

  • Customized RISE + Team Connection option

Rooted in Kripalu’s deep legacy of wellness practices and grounded in more than a decade of research and tested application, the RISE™ program provides a pathway to understanding the stress response paired with tools and practices that empower a more skillful, centered approach.

Executive 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.

Coaching is a partnership that helps you sort through the struggle to harness your strengths, identify what needs to change, and then create a plan to do so. 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.

A Coaching Engagement Includes:

  • Free intro call to determine fit and alignment

  • A customized, co-created coaching agreement with clear goals, desired outcomes, and timeline

  • Virtual or in-person meetings 2x/month

  • Option for nature-based sessions

  • Presence-Cased Coaching® approach of inquiry into mind and body for guidance and growth

  • Support and accountability for action-items and skill development.

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

Frequently Asked Questions:

What's the Process?

The first step is a 30-45 minute intro call. During an intro call the coach and client will have an opportunity to learn more about each other in order to decide whether a coaching partnership is a good fit. The coach will review the overall coaching structure and answer any questions about coaching. The client will share some information about the situation and together they will explore the considerations of working together on this topic. This call is the first step in building rapport and trust that are essential to the coaching relationship so it’s also helpful to spend time in connection and getting to know each other personally as well.After the intro call the steps for a 6-12 month engagement are as follows:

  • Session 1 - Develop coaching agreement: identify goals and desired outcomes, determine frequency and duration of engagement, and partnership norms

  • Sessions 2 through midpoint - deepening understanding of situation, challenges, and what needs to change. Focus is on identifying new learning, practices, and skills to develop.

  • Mid-point check-in - Coach and client reflect on what's working and discuss changes to agreement or process as needed

  • After midpoint - refining practices and and tools for overcoming barriers, navigating limitations and challenges with greater capacity and empowerment

  • Completion - a closing session focused on celebrations, reflections, and next steps for client and coach.

What is Presence-Based Coaching?

Presence-Based Coaching is considered development coaching. This means that through the process of coaching we are helping to support adults on their developmental path as they work toward the change they seek. Many clients come to coaching with a clear idea of what needs to change externally, and presence-based coaching helps clients identify internal shifts that can make a difference in effecting change. We incorporate somatic experiencing both as ways to harness the wisdom of the body when seeking clarity or answers, as well as practices to strengthen and harness the inner power and resilience to show up differently.

How can I get the most out of my investment?

  • Commit to commit: In the first few sessions, you will have an opportunity to choose a commitment statement that verbalizes exactly what you are coming to coaching for and your commitment to the outcome. A strong commitment leads to greater success

  • Be open to experimentation. This can come through new somatic practices, self-observations, and explorations of new ways of approaching your current situation

  • Come prepared with some idea of what you want to focus on in each session. This could be changes, updates, new challenges, or next steps

  • Be clear about what’s working and what’s not. Honest feedback to your coach helps you partner together better so that you can get the most for your investment

What's the difference between coaching & therapy?

  • Coaching is focused on present moment challenges and future-ready change

  • Coaching identifies the patterns and habits that are impacting current situations and focuses on identifying tools and strategies for growing beyond these rather than digging deeply into their past origins.

  • A coaching agreement has a clear beginning and end, with the goal of empowering the client to become self-sustaining in their growth and development

  • Coaching is not intended to provide healing or treatment for trauma

  • A coach cannot diagnose any medical or mental health conditions and coaching is not intended to treat these

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

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

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:

  • Flag Rock - Great Barrington, MA (3.6 mi., 790 ft. elevation gain, 2.5 - 3 hours)

  • Ice Glen - Stockbridge, MA (1.5 mi., 216 ft. elevation gain, 1.5 - 2 hours)

  • Yokun Ridge to Kennedy Cliffs - Lenox, MA (4 mi., 500 ft. elevation gain, 3 - 3.5 hours)

  • Race Brook Falls to AT - Sheffield, MA (3.6 mi., 1,230 ft. elevation gain, 3 - 3.5 hours)

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.

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.

Find me at Kripalu!

As a member of the R&R faculty at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, I lead mindful outdoor experiences in addition to teaching several workshops and Kripalu Experience Programs. Here are the places you're most likely to find me!

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.

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Contact

Have a question? Send a message to Lisa directly.

List of Offerings

Nature-Based Resilience

Connect to Nature

Events

Resources

Facilitation Tools

Reading List

Care & Connection

Teams experiencing change need to stay grounded in mutual care, respect, and trust. I can help your team, classroom, or organization build the connections needed to navigate the unknown.

Careful Communication

Teams in transition need careful communication with self, others, and the collective.
I can help build critical skills toward clear, truthful, and effective communication in challenging times.

Community Building

Strong teams are founded on intentional agreements that are upheld by the collective. I help teams and organizations select and develop norms and ways of being that align with shared values.

Facilitation Skills

We all need safer spaces to learn. I train facilitators to become intuitive, deeply grounded leaders who can navigate the unexpected and adapt quickly while maintaining conditions for individual and collective care and safety.