Transformative Arts seeks to integrate artist's tools - from poetry to dance - with the sacred practices of ritual and symbolism, promoting the healing and well being of individuals, communities, and systems.
- Kayla Kirsch
- Kayla Kirsch
TEACHING AND COACHING
I am available to work with you in workshops and one to one sessions, in person or virtually.
I enjoy leading individuals and groups into safe territory to explore and grow and learn. At best, we become adventurers who make new discoveries, gain skills, and develop practices that go beyond the expedition. I view myself as a learning guide rather than an expert dispenser of knowledge. I enter the process with experience, models, and knowledge but that is not the whole story. Through lively discussions, experiential practices, and deep questioning, we engage in an exploration of familiar and uncharted territories. I utilize my skill as a graphic facilitator to tap our visual thinking and draw out ideas. I would be deeply honored to serve as your coach and teacher.
My interest in education spans a lifetime. I attended traditional and alternative schools, from a school-within-a-school program in high school to Amherst College to the University without Walls program at University of Massachusetts to CA School of Professional Psychology. When I was nineteen, I received a one-year grant from the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial to visit 25 elementary and secondary schools in which students are active decision-makers and participants in their own learning. I visited urban street academies, rural free schools, and college-town alternative schools. I saw a variety of ways that learning can be structured to actively engage students, especially those who were turned off by previous experiences in school. These innovative schools went beyond a handful of good teachers who cared about their students – each school as an organization was designed to support its learning community, from interdisciplinary approaches to built-in time for in-depth investigations. I began to view education as something that can be optimally designed for learning.
As a young adult, I thought that one day I would start and direct a K-12 school; instead I discovered that I enjoy working with adults. For over 20 years, I have led workshops, classes, and seminars in a variety of settings. As a Senior Consultant and workshop leader at The Grove Consultants International, I lead workshops including The Principles of Graphic Facilitation, Team Performance, and Strategic Visioning. As the founder of Leapfrog Consulting, I have taught facilitation, graphic problem-solving, effective meetings, and leadership development for women. In my world of art, I have helped hundreds of women and girls how to stilt walk and perform as a member of Women Walking Tall, performing locally and at national festivals and led Creating Fire Women's Leadership retreats.
My teaching practices are influenced by personal experiences in the field, including my work as a performing musician/artist and organizational development consultant. While performances have enabled me to work collaboratively on new works, I co-design and facilitate gatherings for diverse stakeholders to work collaboratively towards agreed-upon outcomes using graphic facilitation and visual thinking as a tool for whole systems change. As a teacher, I am able to dance between carefully designed processes and the art of improvisation to optimize engagement and learning.
A consultant once told me, “Never lead anything that hasn’t had value to you personally.” Transformative arts has been my primary source of healing and vitality since I was a child. I recognize practices such as writing, drawing, music, dance, and other forms of expression as life savers for individuals and communities. As a teacher, I enjoy sharing what I have learned over decades and helping provide fertile ground for students to explore, renew, and grow. I can help you tap into a deep well within you that evoke imagination, hope, and renewed motivation.
I am available to work with you in workshops and one to one sessions, in person or virtually.
I enjoy leading individuals and groups into safe territory to explore and grow and learn. At best, we become adventurers who make new discoveries, gain skills, and develop practices that go beyond the expedition. I view myself as a learning guide rather than an expert dispenser of knowledge. I enter the process with experience, models, and knowledge but that is not the whole story. Through lively discussions, experiential practices, and deep questioning, we engage in an exploration of familiar and uncharted territories. I utilize my skill as a graphic facilitator to tap our visual thinking and draw out ideas. I would be deeply honored to serve as your coach and teacher.
My interest in education spans a lifetime. I attended traditional and alternative schools, from a school-within-a-school program in high school to Amherst College to the University without Walls program at University of Massachusetts to CA School of Professional Psychology. When I was nineteen, I received a one-year grant from the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial to visit 25 elementary and secondary schools in which students are active decision-makers and participants in their own learning. I visited urban street academies, rural free schools, and college-town alternative schools. I saw a variety of ways that learning can be structured to actively engage students, especially those who were turned off by previous experiences in school. These innovative schools went beyond a handful of good teachers who cared about their students – each school as an organization was designed to support its learning community, from interdisciplinary approaches to built-in time for in-depth investigations. I began to view education as something that can be optimally designed for learning.
As a young adult, I thought that one day I would start and direct a K-12 school; instead I discovered that I enjoy working with adults. For over 20 years, I have led workshops, classes, and seminars in a variety of settings. As a Senior Consultant and workshop leader at The Grove Consultants International, I lead workshops including The Principles of Graphic Facilitation, Team Performance, and Strategic Visioning. As the founder of Leapfrog Consulting, I have taught facilitation, graphic problem-solving, effective meetings, and leadership development for women. In my world of art, I have helped hundreds of women and girls how to stilt walk and perform as a member of Women Walking Tall, performing locally and at national festivals and led Creating Fire Women's Leadership retreats.
My teaching practices are influenced by personal experiences in the field, including my work as a performing musician/artist and organizational development consultant. While performances have enabled me to work collaboratively on new works, I co-design and facilitate gatherings for diverse stakeholders to work collaboratively towards agreed-upon outcomes using graphic facilitation and visual thinking as a tool for whole systems change. As a teacher, I am able to dance between carefully designed processes and the art of improvisation to optimize engagement and learning.
A consultant once told me, “Never lead anything that hasn’t had value to you personally.” Transformative arts has been my primary source of healing and vitality since I was a child. I recognize practices such as writing, drawing, music, dance, and other forms of expression as life savers for individuals and communities. As a teacher, I enjoy sharing what I have learned over decades and helping provide fertile ground for students to explore, renew, and grow. I can help you tap into a deep well within you that evoke imagination, hope, and renewed motivation.
