Gayle Karen Young

Education

I have my M.A. in Organizational Psychology from Alliant International University, and my B.A., magna cum laude, with Honors in Psychology from the University of San Francisco.

Education came primarily from life, particularly the challenging descents. Other educational forums have include facilitating for the Stanford Graduate School of Business and their Women in Management program, experiencing Big Mind, David Deida, Sofia Diaz, learning much of myself from Susanne Cook-Greuter, and reading voraciously everything from spiritual texts, academic texts like Robert Kegan's work, mythological works by Joseph Campbell and Michael Meade, to the beautiful prose and poetry out there that expresses so much of this human experience I've chosen. Favorite poets include Theodore Roethke, Rainer Maria Rilke, Mary Oliver, David Whyte, T.S. Elliot, e.e.cummings, Rumi, Hafiz, Zayra Yves, and many, many other voices that have taught me over the years that "the doorway between worlds is round and open, don't go back to sleep..." (Rumi)

Career

I'm an organizational psychologist working as a consultant in a small consulting firm called Maxcomm. I love the work of leader development, working within the corporate structures that are so influential in our social systems. Warren Bennis said, "The process of becoming a leader is much the same as the process of becoming an integrated human being. For the leader, as for any integrated person, life itself is the career. Discussing the process in terms of ‘leaders’ is merely a way of making it concrete.”

I love helping people expand their awareness of their own choices and behaviors as related to their life situations, both past and present. The consulting work I primarily do is around leadership development, change management, strategic communications, building high performance teams, and personal and organizational transformation. What I do in those contexts encompasses coaching, group dynamics, group facilitation and research, and helping leaders evolve and adapt to increasingly complex external environments.

I have a particular passion in working with women leaders. While the corporate world has been fun, additional passion lies in working with and being on non-profit boards, and supporting organizations like Spark (sparksf.org) that work to change patterns of inequality that globally impact women.

Hobbies and Interests

Unexpected pathways and unintended consequences, people, human development and potential, women in leadership, being curled up with a good book and lost in a distant land, astronomy, hiking to high places, RPGs, singing songs in harmony, gadgetry and technology, shoes, clothes, pretty much anything shiny, organizational development, group dynamics, cognition, metaphors and language, fun stationary, social justice, civil rights, fine cheeses, retro clothing, any travel and particularly international travel (need to go back to Italy!), meeting new people, viewing architecture, swing dancing, waltzing, clubbing, shopping, immersion in water, great theatre, walks beneath the shade of trees and the scent of the outdoors heavy in the air, buying books I don't have time to read, finding good quotes and poetry, riding atop water whether kayaking or white water rafting, gelato on hot days, finding kindred spirits, photographs of friends, admiring other people's art, knitting, finding new hobbies, jumping in puddles, feeling the muscles in my body move, perpetually learning how much I don't know, experiencing the simple joys that make up "La Dolce Vita" moments like a good meal with good company and good conversation, getting lost and finding yourself, taking random interesting streets just to see where they end up, hot baths, breathing in views by candlelight and moonlight, sexuality, sitting in stillness

Perspectives

Inquiry Responses and Comments