- Location: Oakland, CA, USA
- Local Time:–:–:–
Chantal Laurie Below
There’s a lot of suffering in the world and we create suffering within ourselves unnecessarily. I attempt to alleviate that suffering by helping clients see other options, access more freedom, navigate complexity with more ease, recognize their resourcefulness, and diminish their fear.
I work with clients across industries (technology, healthcare, non-profits, foundations, media, etc). While I don’t have expertise in every industry, I do have expertise around the human condition. I work with clients who have a deep desire to investigate what, beneath the surface, is inhibiting them from living and leading in the way they most want.
A co-founder of a Healthcare startup came to me because he just ‘wanted to do his job’ and navigate fewer people-related issues. He began our coaching assuming he didn’t have the ability to be an effective people manager and ended it recognizing the deep satisfaction that comes from growing and developing people. To do this, we focused on exploring various parts of the client’s identity that felt uncomfortable when managing humans, in particular, the part of him that felt ‘ill-equipped to navigate strong emotions’ and the part of him that feared ‘hurting someone with harsh feedback.’
Through our work together, it became clear my client had limited emotional vocabulary, and strong values (like working hard and seeking harmony) which served him well for a long period, but, as a leader of an organization, he needed to connect with his interior emotional terrain and courage in order to be less fearful of emotions in others and to effectively lead them. Through our work he practiced listening more deeply to people and resisting the temptation to always ‘solve a problem’ and built skill in delivering honest feedback which could motivate the person and build trust in the relationship. Through our work, the client accessed ways of connecting and relating to humans at work (and in his personal life), this gave him greater meaning and dramatically improved his team’s performance.
My work has been shaped by my own experience of beginning my career in the non-profit and social impact world. This foundation drives me to ask the question of myself and clients, ‘How can we most be of service to ourselves and each other?’ My work is also heavily informed by the wisdom of coaches and leaders around me: Bob Kegan’s adult development work, Jennifer Garvey-Berger’s work on navigating complexity, and by countless others. I’m always looking for different mechanisms to help clients unlock insights or access greater clarity. I’m a constant learner, seeking out another certification, modality, training, or conversation that can help me support my development and support my clients in new and deeper ways.
“Working with Chantal has been transformative for my ability to lead. She is a thought partner who pushes you to think beyond self-constructed limitations, opens your eyes to new possibilities, and cheers you on as you practice new skills. Her pragmatism and action-oriented approach make every session useful and immediately applicable.”
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Executive and Leadership Coach
I use a number of methods with clients – everything from the Leadership Circle Profile 360 to Immunity to Change mapping. I use frameworks, visualizations, and a host of other tools that can enable growth and development.
When not working you can find me plotting our next family vacation to a National Park or Machu Picchu, running through the hilly streets of my neighborhood or taking a yoga class, searching for a great new book or TV show, driving one of my three kids to a sports game or tournament, or enjoying dinner at a new restaurant with a dear friend. I like to seek out new experiences, tend to special relationships, find down time with family, and make sure there’s plenty of joy, humor, and love along the way.
I generally work with clients for six-month coaching engagements virtually. For facilitation engagements, I customize offerings so we might work together to design a two-day off-site or a three month leadership development program.