A sunlit forest clearing surrounded by tall trees, with warm light opening through the center.
, , , , ,

Holding the Room Without Owning the Outcome

One of the hardest and most liberating truths of facilitation, mediation, coaching, consulting, and leadership is that brave space cannot be held by the facilitator alone. Our role is to create the conditions where bravery becomes more possible.…
A rocky uphill trail winding through sunlit grasses and hills.
, , , , , , ,

Brave Space Is the Right Kind of Hard

My own journey into the arena of brave spaces began long before M E Clarke Consulting existed. In my early twenties, I studied peace and conflict resolution at American University, where I first began to understand that conflict is not simply…
A sunlit dirt path leading from a shaded forest into open rolling hills.

Why Safe Space Isn’t Enough

There is no such thing as a perfectly safe space. When we stop promising comfort and start cultivating courage, we create room for honesty, accountability, curiosity, repair, and real transformation.

Action in Stillness

When the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2026, I was sound asleep. I woke the next morning in a new year, expecting to feel different. Our household had been taken down by the flu over the year-end holidays, and we were only just beginning…

Creating Brave Spaces

Adapted from Beth Strano’s poem “Brave Space” There is no such thing as a “safe space.” At least, not in the way we sometimes wish it could be: a place free from friction, discomfort, conflict, or missteps. A place where no one says…

Knowing, Not Knowing, and Inner Knowing: A Leadership Practice for Uncertain Times

The Emerging of a Framework by Meghan Clarke What if the most powerful leadership tool you have isn’t a new strategy, a bold vision, or a five-year plan but the way you orient yourself in uncertain times? Over the past few years, I’ve…
, , ,

Lessons in Letting Go

“Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.” ~ Eckhart Tolle In the spring of 2021, I said yes to the opportunity of a lifetime: linking arms with Meghan to step into the heart-centered…
, ,

Surmounting the Job Hunt: Anecdotes of Home and Work

I am watching the sun set on La Jolla Shores beach for the first time in over ten years. I moved into my studio apartment 17 days ago, and I slowly exhale the salty ocean air, relieved at the thought that my new bed—albeit cheap, inflatable,…

Somersault 2.0: Stick the Landing

Growth often feels like a somersault — a moment where we leap, invert, and find ourselves briefly disoriented. Learning new things requires us to step into not knowing. But equally important is what happens in between those somersaults —…

Why Don’t We Know Pauli Murray?

Pauli Murray was a poet, priest, lawyer, legal strategist. A human rights architect. A quiet thunder. And yet—for many of us—Pauli’s name didn’t enter our orbit in any history class or lecture. And we live in the architecture of the…
, ,

Unlock Your Leadership Potential with Coaching

In today’s dynamic world, leaders are expected to continuously evolve, adapt, all while inspiring their teams. Wondering how you stay ahead, nurture your own growth, navigate all that comes your way…and lead with confidence? Coaching is…
,

Trails of Life

I am grateful to have the opportunity to be able work with such awesome people on incredible community building projects with M E Clarke Consulting. Life takes us on a journey of various trails throughout life, sometimes those trails are through…