by Sahar Azarabadi

I’ve been awe-inspired by the recent Summer Olympics (Summer from the vantage point of the global north). Athletes from around the world push the boundaries of what is physically possible. Gabby Thomas zoomed into winning Gold in the 200m with a time of 21.83 seconds. There were feats of antigravity in speed climbing. Simone Biles soared to Gold with the Yurchenko double pike vault, and so much more. At the heart of all these accomplishments are incredible displays of athleticism, no doubt. And, it got me thinking that at a deeper level, they are an illustration of apprenticeship and devotion – which are also at the core of our programs.

Apprenticeship is a time-honored way of learning through practical experience, a lifelong journey that shapes our understanding of the world and ourselves. Far from being a passive process of absorbing information, true learning through apprenticeship is an art form and continuous process of discovery, inclusion and deepening. 

Dr. Carol Dweck, a leading researcher in the field of developmental psychology, makes the distinction between entity and incremental theories of intelligence. Entity theorists believe that they can learn new things (skills, knowledge) but their underlying intelligence level essentially never changes. This perspective backs down from challenges as task failure is conflated with personal limitation / judgment. By contrast, incremental theorists believe that intelligence can be increased and cultivated over a lifetime through practice and continued learning. This perspective’s engagement with challenges centers on effort or process rather than personal limitation. My sense is the incremental view is also a stand and advocacy for an alternate shaping to dominant culture which continuously pressures us to have all the answers, have certainty, seek validation, and criticize ourselves when things ‘fail’. (Dweck & Bempechat, 1983) Note: I would propose that the reference to intelligence here is not solely cognition, but integrated capacity across streams of competence (Cognitive, Emotional, Somatic, etc).

My guess is the vast majority, if not all, Olympians take (and embody) an incremental view of intelligence and learning. Commentators often remarked at Simone Biles’ unparalleled capacity to self-correct and make micro adjustments midair. This is made possible by engaging in a continuous learning process, practice, and apprenticeship to her craft. One of the many gifts that was ignited for me in and since the Professional Coaching Course is being reminded of the delight, wonder and reverence of learning and discovery. For this, I’m truly grateful.

On devotion: in a recent interview after the Olympics, Gabby Thomas shared the level of commitment that was required to make it to Paris – the missed dinners with friends, the missed family time, diet / nutrition, and the pain and setbacks with training. My feeling is that this depth of commitment which includes discipline and structure, has an additional ingredient. Something I would call devotion. (Side note: she mentioned looking forward to devoting herself to pizza now that she’s out of intense training!) 

Devotion carries a sense of deep, wholehearted relating that goes beyond obligation or duty, and which gives us a sense of meaning. Devotion involves a level of vulnerability and intimacy that can open us to new possibilities. When we are devoted, we move through the world in a way that enriches all life. In our year-long certification program, our invitation into Integral Coaching is in vocation. Parker Palmer offers,

“Vocation at its deepest level is, ‘This is something I can’t not do, for reasons I’m unable to explain to anyone else and don’t fully understand myself but that are nonetheless compelling.”

By devoting ourselves and embracing apprenticeship, we open ourselves to a wider, deeper, expansive spectrum of experience…including meaning, belonging and contribution.

If you were also inspired by the Olympics, I invite you to dedicate time to connect with what matters most to you, deepening and expanding your relationship with devotion. And take up the Practice for the Quarter if you would like to continue the inquiry.

With love,

Sahar

Coming Back To Myself

Take 5-10 minutes daily to inquire using the following questions, taking notes in whatever way is supportive for you:

• What is my relationship to learning? What shaped (and shapes) this?
• In what ways did I engage an entity view? An incremental view? 
• What am I apprenticing?
• What is / are the thing(s) I can’t not do?
• What do I notice (head, heart, body, relationally) as I’ve been reflecting?
• What learning will I integrate into tomorrow?

touching the profound by adrienne maree brown

recently, many times, i have touched the profound.

it wasn’t just a good day, but a series of days – weeks – where i felt interconnected, and on purpose, and vibrant, and met, and loved and loving and adaptive. of the world, literally, made of the substance of all that exists. and even when struggle and crisis arise, i feel able to meet it with that profound energy, which translates into curiosity and awareness.

it is not lost on me that this sense of aliveness coincides with a break from social media. and comes in the wake of a season of despair, facing the things which make me shudder with doubt about human purpose.

i read some things that brought me deeply into this wonder, and i have and will share those.
but this recent contact with the profound feels most deeply rooted in practice. and it occurs to me that i want to write a poem about this kind of experience:

love is this humbled crawl
from dirtself to godself
stripped of masks and pontifications
i find no difference
ask anyone, love unveils it
we are divine cells of earth

endless and special

i writhe in the soil
until a rhythm comes
i dance through the swampheat
oil spills rainbow my grief
burrow to the molten core of me
pounding the heart of everything

flame in our kiss

i love myself in cycle!
every day reveals the ongoing ritual
by which i show myself devotion
candles lit, i raise a bowl to my lips
give thanks for the labor of sustenance
and the body which can swallow it

we bow, flesh to concrete

to trust love i must surrender
to the awe of being human
even falling far from heaven
i am sacred, worth forgiveness
worth prayer, lust and tenderness
i am never separate from god

and she wanders in us

to trust love i gaze in mirrors
soft eyes recognizing my distinct life
by its flaws
i swoon for each wound and scar
i remember: i’m made of the same dust
as mercury and mars

we are constellation

i remember: when my lover worships me
it is the love in me for myself
that can receive it, can believe it
i remember: my first breath was like this
loving myself enough
to demand to be held

we emerge helpless

i leave no dark unturned
no vast expanse unexplored
no mystery ignored
i have only one lifetime in which to love myself
so i will be naked
and i will be known

we each live
a whole world in one story
– let it be a love story
we have only one lifetime in which to love ourselves
so let us be naked
and let us be known

The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey To Optimal Performance by Josh Waitzin

Waitzin is a former child chess prodigy and later Tai Chi Chuan world champion who shares his personal journey and what he has learned about the process of learning and the path to mastery. Waitzkin emphasizes the importance of embracing the process of learning rather than focusing solely on the outcomes. His description of how true mastery comes from a deep understanding of the fundamentals is poignant: 

“As I struggled for a more precise grasp of my own learning process, I was forced to retrace my steps and remember what had been internalized and forgotten. In both my chess and martial arts lives, there is a method of study that has been critical to my growth. I sometimes refer to it as the study of numbers to leave numbers, or form to leave form. A basic example of this process, which applies to any discipline, can easily be illustrated through chess: A chess student must initially become immersed in the fundamentals in order to have any potential to reach a high level of skill. He or she will learn the principles of endgame, middlegame, and opening play. Initially one or two critical themes will be considered at once, but over time the intuition learns to integrate more and more principles into a sense of flow. Eventually the foundation is so deeply internalized that it is no longer consciously considered, but it is lived. This process continuously cycles along as deeper layers of the art are soaked in.”

The author is gifted in honing into the granularity of particular processes to reveal essential and universal underlying principles. At the core of the book are lessons in integration and embodiment.

LAUNCHING THE GRADUATE PATHWAYS

Over the last few months the NVW team has been tirelessly preparing a brand new program model that we are all very proud of and excited about. You may have already heard about it – we have launched the Graduate Pathways! You get to choose between the Connected Pathway or the Engaged Pathway. Each pathway has its specificity and is designed to support you once you’ve completed the Professional Coaching Course. As a graduate of the PCC, you will be automatically enrolled (at no cost) for the Connected Pathway, or you can choose to dive deeper with the Engaged Pathway, a yearlong group container devoted to supporting you..

Whether you are an emerging coach who wants to stay in the flow of learning, an established coach looking for advanced support, or someone transitioning back into coaching after time away, we’re here to grow your skills within a collaborative, community-oriented environment. The aim is to make it easier for our graduates to gain access to advanced graduate courses and supportive spaces intended to nurture integration and community over the course of the year. Our deep desire is for you to continue falling in love with life, and opening up to possibilities, while cultivating more mastery.

Led by our distinguished faculty members who are dedicated to guiding you through the next chapter of your learning and development, the team has brought their expertise to create a cohort-driven pathway focused on collective growth and integrated learning.

Your completion of the PCC marks not just the end of a chapter but the beginning of a lifelong connection with New Ventures West. We want to support how you continue to engage, connect, and cultivate your unique voice in the world. You can expect a deeper commitment to your personal and professional growth. 

Our faculty members stand out in their fields due to their exceptional expertise and dedication to guiding students through the next chapter of their learning and development. Some of our leaders lined up in Year 1 of the program include: Sahar Azarabadi, Adam Klein, RJ Jennings, Sarita Chawla, James Flaherty and Janeena Sims.

Below is a glimpse of the road map for our October 2024 – October 2025 year. We will open up a second cohort in April 2025. On the Engaged Pathways, the first year contains two long-form courses and two intensives alongside other programs, support containers and resources. Specifically we have planned:

THE DEVELOPMENT CONTAINER:

(1) Kick-off & (1) Completion Session – we meet at the start and end of the Engaged Pathway year to welcome, learn as a cohort and focus on collective growth.

(3) Mid-year Integration Sessions – an opportunity to embody the learning throughout the year in a meaningful and sustainable way.

Pods – organized cohorts to hold the container of learning and awakening the dimensions of your life together.

CORE ADVANCED CLASSES:

Advanced Somatics

Thwarting the Inner Critic 

Integral Group Development

Living More Unified: Deepening in the Relational and Integrating Streams 

More info below in the course calendar

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

• A book with integral study guide
• Recorded faculty sessions
• Thought leader salons
• Enhancing capacity and skillfulness for all of life
• Extend a transformative PCC journey into even deeper learning
• Grow the impact on your life and others’
• Make meaningful connections
• Deepening relationships
• And so much more…

 

“Choose your pathway to belonging.” This isn’t just a phrase; it’s an invitation to take charge of your journey and find your place in a supportive community where we continue to co-create purpose, meaning and contribution together.

If you have any questions or are curious to know more, please join PCC Leader and Managing Partner Sahar Azarabadi, and our Graduate Community Steward, Marcia Poppe, during an Open Office Hour this August to learn more.

NOTE:

1. Classes can also be taken a-la-carte alongside the Connected Pathway
2. Even if you sign up for the Engaged Pathway, there is no obligation to attend all courses. Select the ones that work for you! We understand the timing may not work for everyone’s schedule, however you will have plenty of time and opportunity to learn from your cohort and cross-pollinate ideas from the different courses, supported by the yearlong container and sessions.
3. Classes attended during the Pathways are eligible for recertification with NVW, with the possibility of renewing for up to 3 years, depending on where you currently stand with your certification. For more info, inquire with [email protected].

MINDFUL LEADER

 

We are once again sponsoring the 9th Annual Mindful Leader Summit, which will be held at the DoubleTree Crystal City in Washington, D.C., from September 26^th to 29^th, 2024. Leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, HR professionals, Health & Wellness professionals, coaches, consultants, teachers from all over the world will be attending. The conference is running an early bird pricing until August 30th!

Our faculty member, Vernita Parker, will be taking the stage with her warm presence and welcoming smile to discuss, “Leading From the Ground of Wisdom.”

What would it be like to lead from a place of deep solidity, accessing the wisdom of your heart, head and body? 

To find out, join us at the summit, as we engage in an interactive discussion exploring this question and more.

WEBINAR WITH ACSM MALAYSIA

 

On August 28 at 9 pm Eastern Time, Sahar Azarabadi will be speaking to “Three Levels of Coaching: The Transformative Power of Integral Coaching®” on an immersive webinar with the Association of Coaching Supervisors and Mentors (ACSM), Malaysia. 

Participants will:

• Explore a key Integral Coaching framework
• Learn and explore ways to foster vertical development
• Reflect on your own development as a coach

 

Register HERE.

NEW BROCHURE!

 

Our cohort-based approach guides people, coaches, and leaders to become more present, supportive, and effective in their work and life. Integral Coaching™ evolves to respond to the full range of needs as human beings develop, including the heart, mind, body and spirit. If your friends, family, colleagues, or clients have witnessed your skills and are curious to learn more about Integral Coaching, please feel free to share our NEW BROCHURE!

Thirdspace

Congratulations to our friends at Thirdspace on a wonderful milestone! They have just completed their 15th PCC a couple of weeks ago, adding 13 new integral development coaches to the world! Very special indeed!

CELEBRATING!

Dear friends,

A year has passed since I joined New Ventures West. Can you believe that? Yep, true! So much has happened since I began stewarding this community, devoting myself through love & care, pouring bits of kindness into every aspect of what the role brings and asks of me. Especially into the relationships and interactions I have with you, our graduates, the team, faculty and partners. How blessed I feel! This community is a place of nourishment, growth and interconnectedness, of finding daily opportunities to be more compassionate, to bring more love, to become more. 

My invitation to you this quarter is to look back and reflect on your last 12 months. What happened in your life? How did you spend your time? Who did you meet? Do you have reasons to celebrate? How grateful are you, for what came into fruition and for the relationships you have?

I have many reasons to celebrate and be grateful for! During the past 12 months I have seen New Ventures West evolve and innovate, inviting all of us to also grow and innovate together, as we are all challenged to expand, contribute and embrace more, each of us in our own unique way.

I want to begin by celebrating the big shift we are going through as we are about to embark on a new way of offering graduate advanced training at our school. The Engaged Pathway has been carefully and creatively put together so that the experience of learning has its focus turned towards the field of the collective with all that it allows and brings. It is about nourishing relationships and building new ones, all of which is possible through the unforgettable and transformative New Ventures West container we know so well. Join a Pathway and celebrate with us!

Another big reason to celebrate is the new website, evolving each day as a new way of communicating our work and offerings to you. Gathering all elements of: the Program Paths of Coach Certification, Personal Development, Leadership Development and Advanced Training (inside of which you can find the Connected and Engaged Pathways), I celebrate the beauty, the colors, the shapes, the fonts, the elegance of it all. We are committed and dedicated to offering the best possible user experience!

I also celebrate how the role I hold has been expanding and taking shape. As I host regular Cohort Gatherings, together, we continue building, nourishing and strengthening our relationships. Every conversation, every feedback is unique and has a place to land. What a beautiful and meaningful experience these gatherings have shown to be! I am so incredibly grateful and proud of all the conversations we had in the last year and ongoing, and I cannot wait to dive deeper with you going forward. My door is always open.

So much is yet to come for the Graduate Community! I feel inspired by all this, a whole year as a vibrant season of growth! A year that holds stories not yet told and promises of continuous renewal and beginnings in the months ahead. May we always welcome change with our hearts open wide, in trust and joy for all that life grants us with.

Sending you love and light,

Marcia

Welcome New Graduates!

 

NVW PCC “V”

Alison Wong, San Francisco, California
Amy Jensen, San Mateo, California
Andrea Kamman, Berkeley, California
Cindi Koyama, Eugene, Oregon
Eric Hanson, San Francisco, California
Jen Castleberry, Mukilteo, Washington
Kelley Bonsall, Portland, Oregon
Kelli Cochran-Barram, Richmond, California
Les Sherry, Danville, California
Max Alaghband, Corona Del Mar, California
Mindy Shotwell, Portland, Oregon
Pragya Madan, Sammamish, Washington
Root Schermerhorn, Baltimore, Maryland
Ryan Hunter, Denver, Colorado
Teryn Rikert, Mill Valley, California

 

Thirdspace PCC “W”

Ariela Picciotto, Paris, France
Christina Afoke, London, UK
Clara Jung, UK
Daniela Niederhofer, Bavaria, Germany
Darrell Uden, Essex, UK
Debra Minsky, London, UK
Ella Dessington, Johannesburg, South Africa
Ella Lawson, Southsea Hampshire, UK
Frances Mulligan, Hunstaton Norfolk, UK
Gavin Birchall, Preston Lancashire, UK
Maria Diaz-Morera, Barcelona, Spain
Paul Scott, Chelmsford Essex, UK
Robert Moffett, Chelmsford Essex, UK

 

Convivium: 

Joel Bergeron, Quebec

 

Centre for Coaching: 

Peter Mithamo, Cape Town, South Africa

Professional Coaching Course
Begins Sept. 19, 2024 (Blended Virtual / SF)
Begins Oct. 24, 2024 (Blended Virtual / SF)
Begins Dec. 5, 2024 (Blended Virtual / SF)
Begins May 28, 2025 (Montreal)
Begins June 26, 2025 (London)

Foundations of Coaching
Sept. 17-19, 2024 (Virtual Pacific)
Oct. 14-15, 2024 (London, UK)
Oct. 15-17, 2024 (Virtual Pacific)
October 24-26, 2024 (Montreal, CA)
Nov. 12-14, 2024 (Virtual Pacific)
Dec. 4-6, 2024 (Nantes, FR)
Dec. 10-12, 2024 (Virtual Pacific)

Coaching for Development
Begins Sept. 4, 2024 (Virtual SAST)

 

Engaged Pathway: Includes all Advanced Courses
(or select courses à la carte below)
Next Cohort Begins October 1, 2024

Advanced Somatics: Thriving and Responding from Embodied Presence
Begins Oct. 8, 2024

Thwarting the Inner Critic
Part 1: February 19-20, 2025
Part 2: March 20, 2025

Integral Group Development: Enact Transformation with Coaching and Facilitation
Begins April 9, 2025

Living More Unified: Deepening in the Relational and Integrating Streams
Begins August 2025 (dates TBD)

Book Study Group
Begins Oct. 29, 2024

 

Free Meet the Leader
Aug. 29, 2024

Free Coaching as a Guest Client
Aug. 25, 2024
Nov. 23, 2024

Free Integral Learning Lab
Sept. 28, 2024
Nov. 2, 2024

Graduate Community Gathering
Oct. 9, 2024

Integral Coaching Forum
Dec. 10, 2024 (Virtual)

Facilitating Coaching Circles
E-course available on demand
Workshops scheduled upon request

Coaching Supervision
Start any time

Unless otherwise indicated, programs take place virtually in Pacific Time.

For the full class schedule see here.