"In the middle of the road of my life I awoke in a dark wood, where the true way was wholly lost." -Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)
Our Mission
As Dante reminds us, in the midst of many exemplary and productive lives, we can experience moments of of 'becoming lost.' These are intensive developmental transitions where we feel unsure of the way forward and where right action feels indiscernible, lost in swirling mists. We may be unnerved by our lack of sureness. At these moments, most of us find it useful to have guides: an array of assessments, a bank of somatic and cognitive practices, and a varied set of narratives and targeted learning to help us see our way forward. We need spaces of sheltering, reflection, and wise conversation, to see more clearly our our individual path, and its alignment with our greater work in the world.
The Next Chapter Institute is committed to supporting the evolution of human consciousness by providing clients structured, sheltered immersion, coaching, and visioning to individuals and teams during developmental transitions, to grow their capacity to serve others and themselves.
““Go far enough on the inner journey—go past ego toward true self—and you end up not lost in narcissism but returning to the world, bearing more gracefully the responsibilities that come with being human.””
Our values
- Commitment to social justice and centrality of multiple diverse stories
- Belief in "interbeing"; interconnectedness of all sentient beings on our living planet
- Commitment to compassion, kindness, reflection and pausing
- Diverse Institute faculty and fellowships
- Belief in neuroplasticity and the capacity of humans to grow and change
- Embrace of non-linear, non-traditional learning as well as tried-and-true
- Support for not knowing
- Commitment to building communities of knowledge around adult development and narratives of development: "Making Learning Visible"
