Why we practice in a collective.
OUR STORY
Our story
By Meghann McNiff, founder of the Integral Coach Collective.
I was in a grove of bristlecones pines with my family when I recognized the spirit of our Integral Coach Collective. As friends and coaches, we have been in intimate collaboration for years. Shepherding us into this collective just made more certain what already was. We feel ourselves like a grove of bristlecone pines, standing together as individuals while participating in something much bigger than ourselves. Like those ancient, powerful giants, we know that our individual growth impacts the health of the entire forest, and that our forest is vital to the larger systems of our planet.
Bristlecone pines are the oldest living things in the world. They can stand for a thousand years after they have stopped living, and during that transformative process they continue to be a vital source of knowledge and nourishment to the forest. Like them, we take a long view. We know that growth and transformation happen slowly, over time – and that each of us matters to the life around us. Our particular grove is rooted in the shared foundation of Integral Coaching.
As a collective, we value:
The best way for now
We grow and evolve through reflection, self-discovery, and attunement to the needs of our coaches and our clients. We take one step at a time and are guided by what we discover, as we discover it.
Freedom and belonging
We are held in a structure of support and collaboration, and at the same time we are each autonomous practitioners and business owners. We know the truth of our interconnection. It’s not that we believe in growing the pie bigger; it’s that we know there is no pie. We know the world needs each of us. And that scarcity is the anthem of the old ways of colonization, capitalism, and patriarchy. We share our ideas, our networks, and promote each other – because what’s best for each of us is also best for all of us.
Cycles of nature
We appreciate that all relationships have a cycle - and just as we honor beginning and endings with our clients we appreciate that members and the collective itself will have rhythms and cycles of initiation, growth, harvest, rest, and completion.
Integrity and responsibility
We give our best to each other, and to our clients. And we have deep compassion for our shared humanity. We make requests, offer feedback, ask for repair, and acknowledge when we are in error. We stay in the conversation with courage, honesty, and kindness. We acknowledge the International Coaching Federation code of ethics to exceed this standard in every way.
Our vision
We envision this collective as a grove of growth and development. Where each of us, clients and coaches alike, are nurtured by our connections — while at the same time standing ever more firmly in ourselves, as ourselves. Knowing that we are living into a new world together, as we discover it. And that this discovery process isn’t an individual or collective experience. It’s both.