LAURA CALANDRELLA
Facilitator | Sustainability Strategist | Author
Our ability to create change requires us to see the interconnectedness of our world
Our ability to create change requires us to see the interconnectedness of our world
Our ability to create change requires us to see the interconnectedness of our world
Welcome —
Before I dive into my professional bio, I want to take a moment to say a personal hello. One of the reasons that I love what I do is because of who I meet along the way. No matter how different our backgrounds or lived experiences are, we share a passion for the beauty of this planet that instantly connects us.
When I bring together diverse client groups who are meeting one another for the first time, I often ask them to share their answer to this question:
What is your favorite memory of being in nature?
The conversation that ensues instantly removes barriers and builds bridges between strangers (in some cases, who are adversaries).
We all have our own sense of place. Each of us can draw upon the many stories about the moments we have felt connected with the environment around us. And it is through story that humans most deeply connect with each other.
Answering my own question is hard.
My earliest memories are laced with the smell of creosote as I wandered my desert home in Arizona. As a burgeoning biologist, I found myself waking to the trumpet of elephants in my Kenyan campsite or caught in the torrential downpours of the Brazilian rainy season.
My adult life has been a romance with the forests of the American South and the rich cultural tapestry of communities that surround them. It is through this landscape that I (re)discovered myself as an athlete — swimming, running, and cycling my way through vast ecosystems.
I share these windows into my world as a way of introducing myself beyond the credentials, experience, and expertise. It is a way for me to build relationship with you.
That’s important to me because at the heart of everything I do is the idea that relationship is the fuel that ignites change. We are better able to find solutions when we know who we are, what matters to us, what gets us up in the morning, and what keeps us up at night.
I look forward to the day we’ll cross paths and be able to swap our stories in person. In the meantime, I hope you’ll stick around virtually so that we can get to know one another.
Join my newsletter list, connect with me on a social media channel, or drop me a line to say hello. All of my connection info is below.
It’s great to meet you.
We can do more together than we can do alone
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PROFESSIONAL BIO
LAURA CALANDRELLA is a facilitator and sustainability strategist who guides leaders to a deeper understanding of their role in creating a sustainable future for our planet.
Her consulting practice focuses on helping her clients build strong collaborative partnerships that meet the challenge of today’s intersectional environmental issues. For the last two decades, she has worked with leaders across the globe to unite diverse perspectives under shared visions for change.
She outlines her experiences, expertise, and methodology in her recent book Our Next Evolution: Transforming Collaborative Leadership to Shape Our Planet’s Future (2020).
Whether working with rural communities in Mexico or with Fortune 500 companies in her home base of Atlanta, Laura teaches the leadership and communication skills that are critical for any innovative, long-term solution. Her work leverages the power of relationship to achieve impact in holistic, creative, and unprecedented ways.
Laura holds a masters in development studies from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, where she was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. She holds a BS in biology and a BA in Spanish from Arizona State University, where she was nationally recognized for her environmental leadership by the Udall Foundation.
She is a rostered facilitator with the National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coach Federation with over 10 years of coaching experience. And, she is certified in multiple leadership assessment tools and frameworks that she uses to guide groups to higher levels of effectiveness.
Her love of adventure and athletic passion often take Laura across the globe with her bike and French Bulldog in tow. Connect with her LinkedIn , Instagram and Twitter to engage in conversations and ideas about how to build the world we want to see.
Apennine Mountains, Italy (December 2020)