Laurel Freeland
Facilitator, Trainer and Coach
Social Ecologist
“I love walking in the forest, being silent, and gathering wild herbs, greens and mushrooms. Tai Chi, dancing, good music and great conversations nourish my soul. I really enjoy researching, learning and developing courses and processes that enhance all life. And I am not too bad at telling stories of inspiration and possibility to children and grownups.”
Laurel attended her first Zenergy course in 2003 and immediately saw the value of using the materials in her corporate organisational change facilitation. Between 2003 and 2016 when she joined Zenergy Global Australia as a programme leader, she made significant career changes. She completed two post graduate qualifications, undertook a massive learning curve to deliver sustainability and living systems education in academia, not-for-profit, local government and community based organisations. She completed the Zenergy Diploma of Facilitation and achieved a M. Ed (Social Ecology). She also gained qualifications in Deep Ecology and Climate mentoring and helped start Australia’s first community owned Wind Farm Cooperative and a local community bank.
As a social ecologist she feels a deep affinity with the Earth. With a history of people development delivering human potential programs, she combined this with deep ecology and living systems perspectives that enable people to feel more connected with each other and the earth. This emergent way of being helps people to move beyond outdated polarized and linear thinking to a grounded presence that informs their work. She has brought these skills into the work of whole person facilitation, training and coaching.
The wisdom she brings comes from a breadth of multisectoral experience working in complex systems. She is known for seeing the potential in people, being in present time and throwing out the script if needed.
Relevant Experience
- Broad based background delivering workshops in Transformative Learning and Leadership
- Workshops in Active Hope, Eco Intelligence, and Values in Action
- Climate Education and Mentoring
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicators, Learning and Communication Styles Inventories, Training to Train, Learning to Learn
- Investment for Excellence possibility thinking
- Facilitation training and coaching in-person and online
- Community Planning and Regional health and food security projects
- Exploring emerging ways of working beyond business as usual (collectives, cooperatives, wellbeing economy, doughnut economics, community sovereignty)
- Strategic Planning and Coaching First Nation individuals and group
Background
Laurel has vast experience in training, education and resource development as well as other streams such as stakeholder engagement across multiple sectors – business development for rural enterprise, sustainability strategies, climate websites and sustainability leadership and 101 for local government, writing case studies in regenerative agriculture, large scale organisational change rollouts in the telecommunications sectors, delivering diploma courses in management, marketing, customer service in the tourism industry, industry training in supervision, risk management, marketing public training in eco intelligence and values in action.
She has facilitated and coordinated a variety of online and in-person programs in university, business and government sectors. Her work with the National Centre for Sustainability saw her developing and delivering sustainability leadership programs to postgraduate students, educators, local government and community sectors. Her work spans transformative leadership and learning, eco intelligence and sustainability values in action. She is skilled at bringing diverse groups of people together to connect, communicate and collaborate with purpose.
Accreditations
- M.Ed (Social Ecology)
- Diploma of Facilitation
- Work that Reconnects Facilitation
- Graduate Certificate in Sustainability Education
- Climate Reality Mentor
Contact
Email: Laurel@zenergyglobal.com.au
Profile: LinkedIn