There is a very old Egyptian belief that as you pass from your mortal life into the afterlife, the heart of your soul is weighed on a great golden scale against the feather of Ma’at, goddess of truth.
If you lived a life of gratitude, balance, justice, and truth your heart weighs as light enough to balance the scale. And so you would be allowed to proceed to the wonders and wealth of a beautiful afterlife.
But if your heart is heavy with the weights of regret, of doing harm, of making selfish and short-sighted choices, the scales will fall and your journey ends there.
Business has become a Sunday confession for heavy hearts. “It’s just business. It’s not personal,” the new, “Hail Mary, full of grace.” As if all we have to do to release our personal responsibility from doing harm is to wrap it in profit and free-market rhetoric.
And we are all losing.
Goodness, decency, generosity – they have been branded as weaknesses.
But after two hundred years of capitalism and progress, I contend that those of us who still fight upstream to make humans matter are, in fact, the strongest among us.
My work, and the frameworks I have crafted, are designed to be deeply grounded but aspirational. Hopeful guiding lights in creating a more just and balanced (business) culture by embracing the reality we are in and using it to grow the future we want.
To change the culture of commerce so we can continue to profit and thrive in the undoubtedly rocky years to come, we have to stop looking at the business + customer relationship as diametrically opposed, and instead see it as a symbiotic partnership that requires new philosophy and action on both sides….
EMBRACING ENTROPY
Manage risk by embracing the collision of chaos and creativity.
Learn to see, explore and break out of patterns that leave you in rigid, frustrated exhaustion.
Become a future thinker by embracing the energetic capacity of eruptive change.
CODIFYING CONTEXT
Be observant and thoughtful in how you see yourself in your world.
Beyond being objective, Codified Context is creating a system of personal and cultural expectations designed to work like puzzle pieces for how you and your work fit into a larger whole.
From problem solving to cultural awareness, this is how you learn the skill of understanding the whole, so you can design the pieces that fit effortlessly.
CULTIVATING CURIOSITY
Make curiosity a way of life. Make inquisitiveness a tool of leadership.
Way more than just learning to ask better questions, cultivating curiosity is a leader’s map to innovation, connection, and inclusiveness.
When curiousity is cultivated, the invitation to gather becomes a beacon that calls others in. From marketing to sales, this skill changes the way we relate to one another.
VALUING VALUES
Know what matters to you AND value what matters to others.
Understanding the difference between beliefs, dogmas, morals, and values in yourself is an art that requires skill, learning, and emotional regulation.
Understanding, identifying, and valuing the values of others is next-level humaning. The kind that changes the world.
And it’s hard as fuck.
HOLISTICALLY HEALING
Own your pain. Work on your trauma. Heal yourself so you can help heal the world.
Wellness, support, mental health, social systems – these are the buzzwords of human resources and employee retention. But they SHOULD be the part of leadership development, strategic planning, and business culture.
Building the skill of holistic healing is the internal commitment to be better today than yesterday and create paths for those following you to do the same.
GENERATING GENEROSITY
Give in ways that encourage more giving. More abundance for all.
Generosity in business and leadership is seems far simpler than it actually is. For too long, giving has been commodified as a tactic for advantage-getting, compliance, martyrdom, and manipulation.
The skill of giving in ways that generate more giving is a sticky and compelling tool for strategic growth, happier culture, and saving the damn world from shitheads.
I want you to thrive.
I want you to be happy.
I want you to live like thriving and being happy is the whole point.
Because it is.
And I want that for all of your stakeholders, team members, clients, and customers as well.
The Framework outlined above is the backbone and guiding principles of every engagement and educational offer we are a part of.
And it can be for you too.
So what IS it?
Think of it like Agile or Lean or any other business framework. It’s a way of approaching decision making for a specific outcome.
In this case, that outcome is to both survive the next phase of last-stage capitalism and thrive as a leader in whatever comes next.
Working with Illana can take one of two engagement paths:
Leadership Coaching
Coaching is designed for independant business owners, artists, writers, leaders, aspiring leaders, etc… who are looking to learn a sustainable framework for creating exceptional work profitably and ethically.
Coaching engagements last for nine months.
Over the course of our time together, you’ll learn every piece of The Framework as outlined above. You’ll also have plenty of room for guidance on the day to day running of your business and creative process.
Here’s how it works…
To start:
We begin with two intensive sessions [two 2-hour sessions very close together]
$2250.
Then:
One 90-120 minute session per month
You also get:
+ Unlimited Voxer (voice and/or text chat) access
+ Access to the best referral network in the business
$750-$1250 per month – on a sliding scale.
Coaching is not limited to a particular stage of business or idea development. I have clients who are very advanced and I also adore working with brand new business owners and creators. If you prioritize values and value over hustle and quick fixes, let’s talk. I invest deeply in those I choose to work with and aim to form years-long connections with my coaching clients. My coaching rate reflects my desire to maintain an affordable level of real, true partnership.
I take a maximum of six coaching clients at a time.
Mentorship
I take a select few Mentorship clients each year.
Mentorship differs from coaching in that it is designed to teach The Framework above to those who advise or support other businesses and business owners and who want to broaden their skills. It’s perfect for other business coaches, VAs, OBMs, marketing consultants, etc… who want to expand their education and professional toolkit.
As a mentee…
We begin with 2x 120 minute calls to get to know one another.
Then
+ We talk once per month for 90-120 minutes
+ You have open access to me on Voxer.
Mentees agree to a one-year contract which can be renewed when mutually agreed upon.
Mentorship is offered on a sliding scale based on the interests and goals of each mentee.
Those interested should expect to invest, but should also expect flexibility and equitable costs.
Organizational Consulting
I work with select organizations and internal leaders and teams who are interested in leading change not just with what they offer, but also in how they do business.
If you’re organization is looking for new ways to integrate ideas with action, ethics with profitability, and changemaking with culture-building, let’s talk.
Custom Workshops start at: $7500.
Monthly Retainers start at: $5000.
