“A coach is thinking partner who helps you to see what’s in the way of you moving forward.” — Marcia Reynolds
My coaching story
I started coaching in 2016 after a 2-day retreat in the woods of occupied Abenaki lands with a dear friend and collaborator, Ross Chanowski. In a conversation about the overlap between what we loved to do, what people around us needed, and what could resource us, we identified coaching as one of my sweet spots. That started me on a journey of experimentation of coaching my friends and, turns out, I loved it and it was helpful.
Over the next 5 years, I coached 3-8 people a year, consistently and slowly learning about and improving my skills through practice and feedback. While I started with my friends, within a few years, I’d coached everyone I could and those folks started to refer people to me. Surprise, surprise; coaching people you aren’t your friends is different. I was streched in beautiful ways and felt affirmed that I could successfully work with folks who I had no relationship to other than our coaching connection.
In 2020 and 2021, I took two coach trainings with Coaching for Healing, Justice, and Liberation; my slow and consistent learning deepened and fast. With the support of the two lead teachers (Sarah Jawaid, Damon Azali-Rojas), my coach mentor (Jamari White), and all of my peers, I/we released all sorts of limiting beliefs, healed and reconnected parts of ourselves we’d lost access to, and gained/sharpened tools that help us liberate ourselves and support the liberation of others. Today, I improve my coaching (including self-coaching) by reading, listening to, and talking and practicing with other experienced coaches.
My coach approach
I am a dreamer, lover, time-traveler, and mystic. I lean heavily on imagination, laughter, joy, surprise, intuition, the wisdom of the body, metaphor, and moving through multiple time horizons at once. Together, we will get clear about where/how/who you want to be, see what’s in the way, and explore generative pathways forward (or inward/backward, if that’s what’s needed).
Who I love working with
My coaching is rooted in one key metaphor: the transformation of caterpillar into butterfly. I specialize in working with folks who know they are ready for a pivot that might require a little melting. If you are someone who has been facing a barrier for months (or longer) and knows something bigger or deeper is needed to breakthrough, I’m your guy!
If you are changing the world to make it a place where more beings can be free and thrive, we will likely fit well together.
I prioritize working with BIPOC clients but love working with anyone who is ready to take a transformative leap.
I especially find resonance working with men who are working or wanting to work towards dismantling patriarchy in and around themselves.
The Details
Working with me as a coach generally starts with a free 30-minute chemistry call (bookable here) for us to explore if we are a good fit for working together.
I offer personal systems coaching, liberatory coaching, and professional coaching.
I created my personal systems coaching framework and have been offering it since 2016. In 2019, I began offering coaching in professional settings and in 2021, I evolved my practice towards liberatory coaching.
Folks in professional settings often use organizational resources (ex: professional development funds) to pay for coaching with me. Organizations also occasionally hire me on retainer to be available to anyone on their team. This works well for organizations that want to invest in all or frontline/lower-ranking staff.
For organizations with retainers, ad-hoc calls can be scheduled 1 or more at a time using specific calendly links for your organization.
For anyone I work with individually (personal systems coaching or liberatory coaching), we will typically start with six sessions, usually over a span of 3-6 months. From there, sessions can be added in sets of three or ad-hoc as we find a rhythm that works for you and your budget. I often book calls 6 weeks in advance and, depending on the season, sometimes farther.
Working with me in 2024
I will wrapping up with my current slate of incredible coach partners sometime around April 2024. I have 1-2 slots available starting in January and then a whole slew (slough? sloo?) of slots open starting in May/June. If you’re interested, let’s do a (resonance call by the end of April 2024 so we can see if we’re a good match (thanks to Jen Kiok for the inspiration to use the word resonance here, rather than ‘chemistry check’ which is the word I previously used).
UPDATE 1 May 2024: my coaching plate is approaching full. Chemistry calls booked after today may be canceled once my coaching plate is full. My next availability for new coach partners will likely be late 2024/early 2025.
UPDATE 24 July 2024: my 2024 coaching plate is full. You are welcome to book a resonance call with me whenever feels right for you. My next openings for coaching begin in Feb 2025.
Testimonials
Lawrence is the first professional I have worked with, whom have made me feel safe enough to share myself all the way through. He masters the fine balance of sharing himself to ensure a safe space, while keeping it professional and the focus on you. He is amazing at feeling what is needed it the moment, while directing me forward, towards my goals. — Niklas W.
Lawrence is a great companion to walk alongside you in your journey toward self development and actualizing your career goals. With a radical & holistic approach, he can help you unearth the secrets you already have within. — Sidra F.
Lawrence has had a transformative effect on my life in the past few years… Life-coaching is at times an inadequate term for what this process looks like… And the remarkable thing has been that when we have set intentions, goals, and done these visioning exercises… usually within a year of me articulating an intention, my life transforms in such a manner that those intentions are realized. — Huma G.
Lawrence is a special mix of enormous heart (e.g. deep listening, empathy), brilliant mind (e.g. insights, connections), and connected soul (e.g. groundedness, big picture). What else could you want in a coach??
— Jaco Cohen
I appreciate Lawrence’s active listening and deep engagement with what I expressed as my goals, struggles, and challenges. While his practice had its own shape, it felt very much like Lawrence adapted his coaching practice to the goals that I wanted to achieve, the problems I identified, and the shifts I wanted to make (and learned that I wanted to make through coaching!)… — Miriam M.