Three programs across the arc of adult life.

For leaders meeting complexity

Transformational Leadership Development

Our flagship work develops leaders who can meet complexity with clarity and steadiness. Rather than adding another set of techniques, this program supports a deeper transformation in how a leader sees, thinks, and makes meaning — the qualitative growth that adult-development researchers call vertical development. It is designed for leaders who sense that the challenges they face call not just for better tools, but for a genuine shift in perspective: mid-to-senior leaders, executives, organizational-development professionals, executive coaches, and leadership educators who carry responsibility for the direction and culture of the organizations and communities they serve. Every element is organized around our RISC model and delivered through cohorts, coaching, and community.

The program brings together five integrated components:

The program builds on more than fourteen years of transformational leadership education designed and delivered by our founder, and on the research of the adult-development scholars named on our home page. Seeing Differently was first offered in 2021 — before the Institute was formed — to an inaugural cohort of professionals drawn from organizations including NASA, Raytheon, FIS, and Eli Lilly; that work now continues and expands through the Institute.

For adults 55 and beyond

Connected & Curious

“Live your life with choice, curiosity, and courage.” — Richard Leider

In a fast-changing world, two things endure: a clear sense of purpose, and genuine connection to others. For older adults navigating the transitions of later life, isolation and disconnection pose real threats to wellbeing, continued learning, and meaning. Connected & Curious creates a welcoming, structured community for older adults, keeping curiosity, connection, and continued growth at the center of the second half of life.

The program rests on the same conviction that runs through all of our work — that people can keep growing in depth, perspective, and purpose at every age, and that later life is a season for meaning-making and contribution rather than simply winding down. It is grounded in our founder's work as an AARP Life Reimagined Fellow. A particular focus is helping older adults meet a rapidly changing world with confidence, including practical, accessible introductions to technology for non-techies: the tools that support connection, learning, and daily life.

Activities include regular virtual community gatherings; educational webinars on technology literacy, purpose, life transitions, and resilience; a written program of newsletters and reflection prompts; and topic-specific learning sessions — all in low-barrier virtual formats designed to be welcoming across every level of comfort with technology. The program serves adults generally aged 55 and older.

Our guiding conviction is simple: older adults are not a population in decline. They are a community rich with purpose, experience, and capacity for growth. This program's role is to create the conditions in which that community can form, deepen, and sustain itself — through consistent gathering, generous exchange, and the curious engagement that keeps life vital at every age.

For women in their next chapter

Women in Midlife and Beyond

Midlife is not a plateau — it is a threshold. For many women, the years from their mid-forties onward bring a convergence of profound transitions: careers shifting or concluding, relationships deepening or changing, aging parents needing care, and a growing inner call to live with greater authenticity and purpose.

This program draws on the Institute's vertical-development foundations and applies them to the particular terrain of women's midlife experience — the questions of identity, meaning, contribution, and what it means to step fully into the second half of life with intention. Grounded in coaching, peer community, and cohort-based learning, it creates a space where women can be both deeply seen and genuinely challenged to grow.

Activities include workshops exploring identity, values, purpose, and contribution; individual and small-group coaching using vertical-development and RISC tools; a peer-community structure for ongoing connection and mutual accountability; virtual gatherings and webinars on purpose, vitality, relationships, financial agency, and navigating a world that often undervalues women's wisdom; and written resources and reflection guides between sessions. The program serves women generally aged 45 and older.