by Madison Wagner

Meet our “Futures Lab Team”!

At the start of the year, Inner Strength made the decision to embark on an intentional exploratory journey with multiple stakeholders, outside expert learning journeys, and contemplative reflection to chart our future. Building on the incredible success over the last eight years, and recognizing the increased pressures in our world and in the educational system, we want to be as intentional and visionary as possible so we can truly contribute to empowering youth and changing culture.

Our vision is big, and we have brought together an amazing group of individuals to create a collective field of intelligence, intuition, multi-perspectival input, and tons of passion and heart. The core Futures Lab includes 30 people (professionals in education, technology, business, philanthropy, diversity equity inclusion and belonging, as well as 11 youth interns). An Inner Strength core team of 4 has already been working biweekly with Insyte Partners who are facilitating the process with Theory U (a systems thinking, contemplative organizational development technique.)

We had our soft launch this summer and look forward to convening in person in September. Wow! Unlike most 2.5 hour Zoom calls, this one left me beaming, overflowing with awe and possibility, and moved by the deeply felt dedication and personal investment of every member of the team.

We spent a large portion of our time learning why everyone had chosen to join Inner Strength on this journey, what this work means to them, and how they envision a brighter future. So many people expressed such a heartfelt desire to really make a significant impact on the lives, hearts, and aspirations of youth and the recognition that guiding teens towards a more thoughtful engagement with life can really empower them to succeed in the face of challenges ahead.

I am humbled by the collective brilliance, love, and expertise on our team, and am certain we have exactly who we need to uncover the bold and crucial steps needed to unlock Inner Strength’s highest potential.

P.S. If you are a thought leader or someone who has found success in relationship to similar issues that Inner Strength is facing as an organization and as a service provider, we may reach out to you! 🙂