In this episode of Stepping In, Adam speaks with Christy McClendon, a New Ventures West graduate and President/CEO of New Pathways for Youth (NPFY), an organization serving youth living in extreme adversity. NPFY programs aim to break through self-destructive thinking and develop essential skills, empowering youth to achieve their desired future.

In our conversation, Christy explains how NPFY’s youth, mentors, and staff engage in ongoing self-development, which is, in many ways, at the root of the organization’s impact. This fascinating exploration of the intersection of service and skillful means provides a powerful glimpse into how Integrative Coaching can support this essential work.

Here are some of the topics covered in the Stepping In podcast episode Supporting High-Risk Youth with Integral Coaching:

How the New Pathways for Youth provides one-to-one mentoring and creates communities of mentors and youth for support.
The ways coaching helps mentors focus on vertical growth and holds an aspirational space for youth.
The importance of achieving milestones like passing classes, graduating high school, and having a post-secondary plan to break the cycle of poverty.
How to break the cycle of poverty by achieving external goals, fostering internal growth and resilience.
How to create a sense of belonging or acceptance, so New Pathways aims to provide this essential sense of connection and belonging.
Addressing emotional challenges like anxiety and depression is crucial to academic and career development.
Building resilience, enabling youths to face challenges without derailing their progress.

The overall goal is to help all individuals, whether as coaches or parents, cultivate awareness, empathy, and effective strategies for nurturing growth and well-being in others.

About Christy McClendon
A former CEO, Christy McClendon, now provides executive coaching and consulting to leaders focusing on personal development and self-discovery.

She holds a deep central belief that each and every individual has potential and capability that can be unleashed through thoughtful reflection, observation, and practice.

Leveraging over three decades of executive experience managing high-performing teams and leading for impact, Christy now helps leaders of corporate and nonprofit teams to navigate strategic, challenging, and high-stakes initiatives with grace, wisdom, and compassion.

About Adam Klein
Adam is dedicated to creating a more just, sustainable, creative, and loving world. Before joining New Ventures West, he helped create a first-in-class business solution to combat global slavery and relaunch a San Francisco Bay Area center for integral spiritual formation.

Adam has a Master’s degree in Engineering from Santa Clara University. Some time ago he entered the world of Ironman triathlons and ultra-running as a means to further understand the importance of the body and the deep, integral nature of being human.

Adam focuses on integrating NVW’s purpose and bringing it to fruition. He oversees strategy, tech, and the flow of various internal work streams, as well as supporting graduates and ensuring ICF compliance.

He regularly leads the Professional Coaching Course, hosts our orientation events in San Francisco, is the creator and host of the NVW podcast Stepping In, and has his own business coaching leaders and individuals.

About the Stepping In
Stepping In is a podcast of bold inquiry into life’s biggest challenges with one of the world’s oldest and most distinguished coaching schools, New Ventures West.

In a spirit of curiosity, compassion, and honesty, we delve into how Integral Coaching can address some of the most pressing issues we face as individuals, communities, and stewards of our planet.

In the Stepping In Podcast, we explore what it takes to develop the sensitivity and capacity required to live and thrive in an increasingly complex world.

About New Ventures West
From its humble beginnings to one of the top accredited coaching schools in the world, New Ventures West pioneered one of the deepest, most transformative forms of human development available for coaches, leaders, and anyone looking to bring people alive in possibility.

Further Exploration
New Ventures West: https://www.newventureswest.com/
Getting Started with Integral Coaching: https://www.newventureswest.com/get-s…
Free and paid Integral Coaching events: https://www.newventureswest.com/class..

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction and overview
02:29 Impact and success
03:27 Mentorship program
05:20 Mentor growth and development
08:24 Creating an aspirational space
11:18 Youth program structure:
12:29 Program evaluation and improvement
14:47 Witness, rival, and hero distinctions
16:28 Challenges of poverty and adversity
18:51 Health implications of adversity
25:00 Integral Coaching and mentoring
29:09 Horizontal development goals
30:10 Breaking poverty cycles
31:19 Vertical development goals
32:24 Emotional well-being
33:22 Building resilience
38:37 Future generations
40:39 Whole self-approach
42:12 Fostering a culture of growth.
47:19 Partnership with New Ventures West
49:58 Open invitation for community support

Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed used with permission
License 1504673862 Date 4/30/24
©EMI Blackwood Music Inc OBO Oakfield Music LTD

Supporting High Risk Youth