Venturing In to Deeper Connection

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• Training & Consulting
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Hi, I'm Lisa!

I support leaders and teams who are ready to venture in to the relational challenges of leadership and team dynamics.In a world where fear and uncertainty are becoming constant and our networks are fragile, fragmented, and fraught with challenge, too many leaders and teachers are isolated, overfunctioning, and numbing their way through.I offer empowering experiential workshops, as well as coaching and development for leaders and teams who are ready to bring fun, safe connection into their schools and workplaces as a way to rebuild trust and safety and meet the future with collective agility and strength.Resilience is a collective effort, not a solo journey. Let's venture in together.

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Lisa Marie Howard

Hi! I'm glad you're here. Let me share a little bit about myself.My purpose is to facilitate deeper connection with self, others, and the natural world as a means of deepening resilience for individuals, collectives, and the world we live in.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 playful, group-based learning experience to transform both the individual and the collective. When learning is fun, experiential, and social transformation accelerates.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 collective resilience for the future.

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Professional Highlights

• Certified Presence-Based® Coach

• 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.

Mission

My mission is to bring a new wave of collective resilience into schools and workplaces through fun, experiential learning that strengthens teams and leaders for the challenges ahead.

Values

Curiosity

Compassion

Courage

Choice

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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

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Executive Coaching for Connection-Centered Leaders

Lead the way to collective resilience.

As a executive or educator you have guided your team through many challenges already and you see that this instability and uncertainty are becoming the norm, not just a moment to get through. Your team are increasingly isolated, over-functioning, and fearful. You know the importance of leading by example, but you're feeling the strain too.

You want to alleviate the constant strain on yourself and your team.

You want to make connection safer and easier and build a stronger sense of support.

You want to bring more joy, creativity, and passion back into the work and culture.

You want to open lines of communication and collaboration where stress has interfered.

I coach visionary leaders, educators, and entrepreneurs who are navigating changing and uncertain times. My coaching is tailored to the unique needs and challenges of leaders and teachers who see and feel the imperative to cultivate safe, genuine connection in their workplaces and classrooms.

I believe resilience is not a solo journey. Now, more than ever, we need to build collective resilience, we need to Venture IN to the hard work of connection, within ourselves, and within the systems we live and work in. I am here to help you re-center connection in your work.

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

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Frequently Asked Questions:

• What's the proess?
• What is Presence-Based Coaching?
• How can I get the most out of coaching?
• What's the difference between coaching & therapy?

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 typically as follows:

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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.

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How can I get the most out of my investment?

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What's the difference between coaching & therapy?

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Training & Consulting

The resilience we need is not individual, it is collective. I help teams, organizations, and systems mend the relational web that is crucial to collective safety, support, and success.And, I make it FUN!

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

Teacher Training

Bring fun with a purpose into your professional development, and your classroom. Learn how to use experiential learning to teach powerful life lessons.

• Experiential Activities for Classroom Belonging

• Caring Classroom Contracts

• Experiential Facilitation Skills for Teachers

Collectively, we foster connection to increase the trust, communication and co-regulation that supports creativity, innovation, and excellence. Here's How:

Listening

Facilitated Listening sessions for Systemic Change

Connecting

Forming the groundwork for safety, support, and success in the workplace.

Developing

Building skills needed for communication, collaboration and co-regulation.

Tending

Cultivating practices and rhythms for continuous connection and support.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
~ Maya Angelou

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Upcoming Events

Lisa Howard has been facilitating playful, connected flow for over 15 years, and is a certified Coach, Consultant, and former Special Education Teacher. Lisa’s purpose is to facilitate connection with self, others, and the natural world as a means of deepening resilience for individuals, collectives, and the world we live in.

How to Have MORE FUN!

An interactive, experiential playshop for grown-ups who want to feel like a kid again.

Through activity-based learning, discussion, and reflection, we will explore:

• Why fun?

• What creates fun?

• What gets in the way of fun?

• How can we all have more fun?

Participation and sharing is fully choice-based, and participants will be encouraged to modify/adapt as needed or desired.

Only 20 spots available, get yours now!

What to Expect:

• A playful, social, active learning experience

• A welcoming, open space with intention toward care and compassion for all

• An opportunity to "play your way" with permission to choose your level of participation and sharing at all times

• A carefully facilitated sequence of activities designed to spark curiosity, reflection, and individualized learning

• Resources for relevant research and texts

• Opportunities for follow-up and continuation of learning or support

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Details:

February 27, 2026
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Location: Center for Peace Through Culture
137 Front St, Housatonic, MA
Pre-registration Required: $20

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Yoga Summer Camp at Kripalu

At Kripalu's Yoga Summer Camp the Grown-ups 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 Yoga Summer Camp with Lisa:

• June 14 - 19, 2026
• July 5 - 10, 2026

• Lisa at Kripalu
• Guided Mindful Hikes

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

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Nature Connection

More than just a hike, it's a practice

"Nature is a network of infinite interlocking intelligences emitting frequency that you can tune into at levels way beyond knowing the names of birds and trees. And if you do, your capacity for imagination, innovation, and feeling return naturally. Life comes back to life."
~Boyd Varty; Track Your Life

A guided hike can become a powerful connection practice when we deepen our present moment awareness through our multi-sensory connection to the land.Through the practice of deep awareness in 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.

2026 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.

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.

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Connected 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.

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

Caring Classroom Contracts

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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.

Mindful Outdoor Experiences

A Guided Outdoor Experience with Lisa at Kripalu is an opportunity to practice mindfulness in 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.

Adventurous Awareness:
The Power of Play

Who says play is only for kids? In this powerful, playful workshop we lean into our sense of adventure as 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 ourselves, our choices, and how to expand our power to choose.

Already Enough:
Growing With Compassion

Embracing a spiritual practice invites us to navigate the nuanced space of believing in our own “enoughness” along with a commitment to continuous growth and development. How can we continue to grow with self-care and compassion, while navigating overwhelm and burnout from a constantly changing and chaotic world? In this workshop we will explore growth and development as an embodied expansion, with an eye toward greater compassion for self and collective.

Interested in a customized version of these workshops at your site?
Contact us below to learn more.

• Schedule Call
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Contact

Have a question? Send a message to Lisa directly.

Resources