Leadership and organizational change research and theory is a vast field. My approach to leadership development has been informed by a number of approaches that embrace whole-person and complex systems perspectives; for example, brain-based leadership, mindful leadership, Dialogism and Dialogical-Self Theory , Theory-U, and Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS), to name a few. This work is fundamentally grounded in relational neuroscience and relational approaches to leadership.

My doctoral research explored leadership from an Interpersonal Neurobiology perspective. This research is the first of its kind, articulating the multiple levels this framework has influenced and shaped leaders’ practices, development, and identity. It has profoundly impacted my own work as a leader in the field of mental health, as well as my leadership consulting practice.

A fascinating field called Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) influences how I see the experiences that people bring forward as well as what kind of change needs to take place in order to facilitate integration, which is a hallmark of wellness.

IPNB is a vast and growing interdisciplinary field that draws on scientific findings from quantum physics, neurobiology, psychology, attachment theory, and neuroscience with research in human development.

One of IPNB’s core principles is that the quality of our relationships directly shapes the function and structure of our brain and nervous system throughout our lives. Further, it recognizes key processes of the embodied brain and how we can use our minds in the service of functional and structural change that can be intentionally harnessed for change.

IPNB shows that we are able to participate in our own health through focused practices such as reflection, mindfulness, and other awareness activities. We can contribute to integration within ourselves and in our relationships with others, through actively developing greater awareness. This conscious engagement of mental (cognitive, emotional) and neurobiological processes is key for wellness in all aspects of lived experience including personal and professional realms.

I often support people in fine-tuning these practices to their unique needs and preferences.

Developing greater compassion is a mindfulness-based practice that is very powerful in transforming our relationship with others and ourselves. It has been shown to be a more powerful indicator of well-being than self-esteem. Self-compassion accesses the mind and embodied brain in ways that supports whole-person change.

I frequently draw upon ways to tap into this powerful, heart-centered resource, which serves to enrich and strengthen, transform and heal.

One of IPNB’s tenants is that awareness of our whole body, from the inside, is imperative for integrated functioning and well-being. Learning practices that bring intentional awareness into the body is key for wellness. This honors the biological necessity for top-down (brain to body) and bottom-up (body to brain) linkages, where the energy and information of the nervous system can flow, be deeply understood, and accessed for the cultivation of wellness.

Therefore, I support people in developing the capacity for embodied consciousness that is necessary for transformative change.

The Stone Center’s Relational Cultural Model brings attention to the multiple-intersecting experiences that impact human development such as gender, sexual orientation, class, and race. Mental and physical problems are seen to be outcomes of disconnection in personal as well as larger societal and cultural relational contexts within which we develop and function.

This framework recognizes that individual wellness and growth are inextricably linked to relational capacities that promote connection, and that suffering occurs with acute or chronic disconnection in relationships.

Attachment research and theory also plays a significant role in understanding patterns that influence both personal and work relationships. Understanding how implicit memory of early relational experiences can shape mental, (i.e., emotions, thoughts, perceptions), and behavioral adaptations provides opportunities for precisely considered interventions and practices that can facilitate neuroplastic and experiential change.

I also integrate principles and practices from cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavioral therapy in my work. These top-down approaches can assist in recognizing patterns of thinking and behaving that deter from optimal functioning. Then, tools and strategies can assist in challenging and reshaping thoughts and behaviours that serve neuroplastic change.

I also use EMDR in my therapeutic work. This unique approach is used to support the integration of traumatic experiences and to transform anxiety. Through the bi-lateral stimulation of the brain, through non-invasive methods, memory is integrated in ways that free people from limiting patterns.