The Online Elders Business Skool

I warmly invite you to apply to become a Member of our online Elders Business Skool.

This is a chance to work with me and your fellow Elders (in training) to build the kind of strong Eldership Foundations that you’ve been longing for…

Do you long to…

Belong to a Beautiful and Wise Leadership Community
Discover Your Unique Eldership Niche
Clarify, Articulate And Communicate Your Unique Point of View
Confidently Attract the ‘Right’ People And Organisations To Help And Support

Eldership isn’t easily recognisable in our Western world. It’s part of our human world that’s disappeared. Yet it is recognised in ancient indigenous communities, such as the Native American Indians or the Aborigines, because it is an essential function of healthy, thriving communities.

Elders are those who:

We turn to as we stand in the eye of the storm
Symbolise the continuity of life
Create a connection to the planet and its Universal Wisdom
Offer dependability and stability in times of crisis, collapse and breakdown
Hold the bridge between the physical world and the emerging future
Are the wise ones, who capture, decimate and make sense of our history and
Embody ancestral wisdom for the future generations.

Eldership is a function of a Human Organising System, it’s not a role or an identity. And it’s not about age. Instead it’s the embodiment of Universal Wisdom.

…Which is something that’s desperately needed in our world right now…

WHY AN ELDERS BUSINESS SKOOL?

The Online Skool has been founded especially for Senior Organisational Leaders and Consultants who long to make a deeper Social Impact in our Human Organising Systems and Culture.

To achieve this we need to learn more deeply about our own Ancestral System in order to bring embodied SYSTEMIC Wisdom to support the transition and transformation of our Social and Organising Systems.

We do this for…

Our FAMILIES
Our ORGANISATIONS
Our COMMUNITIES
Our FUTURE GENERATIONS
Our PLANET

Walking the path of Eldership involves making a more meaningful and long lasting contribution to the WHOLE system which leaves a positive Legacy for the future generations…

About you

You’re someone who is (or has been) an AUTHORITY in your field
You want to feel positive and enthusiastic about LIFE
You are longing to more deeply BELONG in a Community with others who are walking the same path.
You’ve done some deep work / therapy to heal your own wounds and are now ready to ALCHEMISE them into resources and gifts to help others
You love creativity and are COURAGEOUS to explore and experiment with more of the things that really excite, intrigue and ‘call’ to you.
You are courageously CURIOUS to go deeper into human Social Systems and long to feel more connected to life, people and the planet.
You’re INTUITIVE and can sense there are hidden entanglements in our Human Social Systems that can be healed.
You feel A SOUL CALLING to help heal and transform our Human Organising Systems
You’re looking for a SAFE COMMUNITY to learn how to hold a safe and brave space for people and Organisations to return to a healthy, thriving culture

ABOUT ME

I specialise in Eldership and am the Founder of Eldership For Leaders and the Community of Elders.

For over 30 years I’ve worked in Leadership and Culture Making with Senior Leaders in blue chip companies such as GE Capital, Lloyds bank, Marshalls PLC, Capita, LV Insurance, Covance, the Department of Work and Pensions and many Local Government organisations.

But my greatest accomplishment so far has been doing the kind of work that changes mind sets that inspires Leadership and Social Change.

I’ve helped hundreds of Senior Leaders, Coaches and Consultants to connect to their deeper purpose and their true authentic Essence, so they can walk the path of Eldership and make a unique difference in their field.

WHY LISTEN TO ME?

At the age of twenty eight after founding my first consultancy business, I had a ‘Spiritual Calling’.

A number of close family members died and my good friend and colleague, Julian, who I’d worked with at the Police, unexpectedly took his own life. The shock and grief I experienced took my life and work path in a very different direction.

It was as if, (to quote the book): ‘One Day My Soul Opened Up’.

I began to be more consciously aware of my own clairsentient and clairvoyant gifts. I knew I felt ‘different’ but they were never acknowledged or recognised in my childhood.Instead I was labelled ‘quirky’.

My career was in the Corporate world, so this newly found awareness became somewhat of a challenge. How do I safely use these newly found gifts and how do I INTEGRATE them into my work?

As a child I loved the Performing Arts so I turned to this field to study Embodied Presence, Creativity (and spirituality) and Constellations. At the same time I entered group therapy and trained in Gestalt, TA and Exec Coaching. Around this time I met my Mentor, Sir John Whitmore who introduced me to a Global network of Visionaries, Change Makers and Artists

Eventually this led me to teaching High Performance Leadership at Cranfield Business School and introducing Systemic Constellations to illuminate hidden patterns and entanglements in Organising Systems and Human and Organisational Trauma.

Whilst at Cranfield I recognised that there was something missing in our Social Systems. The (hidden) trauma that I witnessed in our Organisational Leaders often emerged from their loss of safe belonging in their families, our harsh educational systems and a hidden loyalty to old Institutional Systems and Communities. Researching more deeply I began to see what was missing from our Social Systems and that was Eldership.

The Eldership Business Skool is the culmination of all my personal research, experience and exploration working with Leaders and Culture Making over the past 30 years. It’s deeply rooted in my Soul’s Purpose and is my contribution to both society and the planet.

My purpose is to build a warm, safe community to guide Leaders, like you, to become the next generation of Elders.

Our collective purpose is to build a bridge between the past and future generations to transform our outdated Social Systems.

I loved working with Zena. She gives her heart to what she does, which means she cares, and as the recipient, you know you are getting total investment and involvement. Zena woke up parts of me that had lain dormant, teaching me a more spiritual side, helping me focus on the people I work with, and nurturing them differently.
Consequently, I have been able to unlock some of the genius in other people, something they have told me.
I put a huge amount of this down to the help and coaching Zena gave to me.
She’s a genuine, lovely person who I would definitely work with again given the opportunity.

Neil Rampe

Chief Revenue Officer at M24Seven

AN ELDER'S PURPOSE:

To live in integrity and authenticity in all aspects of life
To act as a transformational presence for individuals, groups, organisations and communities
To be courageous and express truth and insight
To be a wise guiding force for future generations
To hold safe containers for ‘liminal’ space for transformation to occur

WHO IS THE ELDERS SKOOL A PERFECT FIT FOR?

It’s a PERFECT fit for you if you:

Are committed to Ethics, Values and Global Human Rights
Would love to talk more deeply (soul-fully) with Leaders and Organisations
Are curious to learn about the Systemic Realm and its hidden resources
Long to find your own voice, particularly around social reform and transformation
Are still searching and exploring what your own particular niche and calling is
Need support to cross the threshold to the next level of your development
Are ready to look into your own Ancestral System for the hidden resources
Would love to belong to a warm, safe, brave Community of like-hearted people
Need to learn how to build safe, brave containers and communities of exploration both for yourself and for others

You will walk away with:

Greater confidence to show up and be more authentically ‘You’ in all situations
The ability and capacity to think more Systemically
Able to work more powerfully with Organising Systems
A clearer sense of your unique niche and point of view
An understanding of the kind of people you’re here to help and support
More confidence in building community and safe belonging
A deeper sense of yourself in the role of an Elder.

The one thing I’ve learnt on the road to Eldership is that you can’t do this alone, we Elder together.

You’ll need the kind of support that goes beyond books, workshops, training and personal practice.

You’ll need a safe and ‘Systemically Informed’ community

“Zena is a Courageous Leader”
…and this is the ‘Gold’ for me. She journeyed with me to bring me to a greater understanding about my Eldership Niche and how I impact social systems.

The work is deep and revealing and it needs an authentic spirit to be able to provide this space. This is what Zena does best, bringing her humanity and soul into the work, she creates a caring and acceptance that is so transformational.

Since working with Zena I’m starting to attract the right people to work with, both professionally and personally.

Rosie McGuigan

Educational Coach

WHO IS THIS ELDERSHIP BUSINESS SKOOL NOT A FIT FOR?

This isn’t the programme for you if:

You can’t commit to attending the monthly three hour constellation session.
You’re very independent and someone who prefers to work alone
You need someone available 24/7
You need instant results. (Becoming an elder is an ongoing PRACTICE, there is no end point)
You hate working on-line
You struggle with depth psychology and deep work
You haven’t done any personal development or therapy
You’re looking for therapy or a therapy group (this work isn’t therapy)
You’re looking for friendship from the Community, (although we’re a lovely, warm, kind bunch, this is a ‘Professional’ development space).

WHAT THE STRUCTURE LOOKS LIKE

We have an online private community that’s on the Skool Platform where you can create your own profile and chat to other members. The Platform also has a Classroom where you can access videos, teachings and articles related to Eldership.

We meet online twice a month on a Friday afternoon (1:30 – 4:30pm) UK Time.
The second Friday of the month is the ‘Other World’ Session which is where we come together to explore a member’s issue they would like to explore from a systemic perspective. This could be something related to a family issue, work or something where someone feels stuck and would like to explore a possible resolution through a systemic constellation.

We use the systemic constellations process to explore more deeply and illuminate what may lie beneath the surface.The constellation usually lasts around an hour and we use the remaining time for plenary discussion about the systemic themes and how they may relate to eldership.

We ask that all members commit to attending the ‘Other World Session’ as this isn’t recorded for confidential reasons. It’s also an opportunity for everyone to check in and connect more deeply with one another to explore what may be emerging in the wider Elders Business Skool System.

The last Friday of the month is the ‘Everyday World’ Session, which may include teachings and / or specific topic explorations such as ‘Attachment theory and Belonging’ or ‘Siblings through the Systemic lens’. The Everyday World Teaching Sessions are recorded and uploaded into the Classroom on the Platform so people can watch it at their own time and at their own pace.

WHAT ARE SYSTEMIC CONSTELLATIONS?

“In all chaos there is a cosmos. In all disorder a secret order.” — Carl Jung

Systemic Constellations are the bedrock and cornerstone of the Elders Business Skool.

To step into Eldership we need to be able to work Systemically. Learning to map our Social Systems is a powerful way for us to operate at a much greater distance so that we can see the WHOLE SYSTEM. This allows us to see the system from many different perspectives at the same time, which helps to resolve more complex issues by illuminating the invisible dynamics in the relationship systems.

Systemic constellations is a pioneering, innovative process that brings an unprecedented level of clarity to illuminate and resolve dilemmas and complex issues that lie hidden in our unconscious awareness.

The Constellations Process creates a 3D map that brings fresh information, profound insight, simplicity and movement that re-energises and brings agency and direction back to individuals, groups, organisations and communities.

Based on the work of the German psychotherapist, Senior Leaders in European Businesses began to see that Systemic Constellations could be applied to organisations to navigate past the blocks and resistance to resolving complex dilemmas they were facing.Success in companies such as BMW and IBM has now meant that there’s a strong and growing interest in this fascinating process all over the world.

THE PRELIMINARIES FOR STARTING THE SKOOL:

A One Hour Zoom Session:

You will meet for a one and a half hour zoom session with Zena to explore where you are right now and develop your own personal route map and practices for achieving your expectations. During this stage you will also explore:

Your own Eldership
Systemic Principles
Contracting, Skool Boundaries and commitment
Building the Container for your journey

You will then be given access to the Skool and the Platform.

THE TWO CORE ELEMENTS OF THE ELDERS BUSINESS SKOOL:

CORE ELEMENT #1 - THE ONLINE PRACTICE GROUP PLATFORM

When you join the group you’ll get a link to access the online platform. There are vidoes and resources which are free to you as part of being part of this group.

I will also be adding resources as we go.

CORE ELEMENT #2 - DAILY JOURNALLING

Journalling is a way to go deeper into your felt sense and explore the hidden patterns in your own system. It’s recommended that you do this in the morning, however what’s important is that you find some time to write ideally, every day.

THE 4 ADDITIONAL THINGS YOU GET FROM THIS SKOOL

ADDITIONAL THING #1: LIVED EXPERIENCE OF BEING IN ‘SYSTEMIC’ RELATIONSHIP

The online platform will give you ongoing access to the group members where you can find out how others are doing on their journey. The boundaries are established so that we create a safe container for our work here and the Skool.

To hold the safety and ethical integrity of the group and the Skool, we hold strong boundaries around relationships with other members ‘outside’ of the Skool.

Systemically the group is ‘the Mother’. As humans we relate to groups like we relate to our own mother. We join, participate and leave groups (and organisations and communities) in relation to our own particular attachment style, which means that we often re-experience old unresolved, often hidden issues in group settings… We work with this consciously in the Skool, which can be incredibly enlightening and healing.

Don’t worry though, we’re not a cult! But we are a small, ongoing, Systemically focused community which means that we are using our group experience consciously to learn more deeply about our own system. This means we can lead more powerfully using a Systemic Lens to focus on the WHOLE System.

The main purpose of the Skool is to support you on your Individual Eldership Journey and to learn about how to be more Systemic in your thinking both for yourself and in your approach to group dynamics and Human Social Systems.

Therefore, crossing the boundary from learner into personal friendships and potential business exchange (involving money or personal help and support), may affect your sense of safe belonging and your connection to the Community as a whole.

We therefore respectfully ask that during your time in the Skool:

Contact with other members should only be through the Online Platform or in the group sessions
No coaching / exchanges of support, business or money with other members is allowed
No emails or contacts may be made or taken without the permission of the Skool
If you’re uncertain about any of these boundaries or you feel that a boundary has been crossed, you can contact Zena directly

ADDITIONAL THING #2: ACCESS TO 1:1 COACHING / CONSTELLATION SESSIONS

If you need some focused one-to-one time beyond the weekly session, I extend a special rate for those currently on the programme. I normally charge £350 for systemic coaching, but if you’re in the group and need some extra support, you get it at the reduced rate of £150.

ADDITIONAL THING #3: ACCESS TO MY ‘MINDSHARE’

When I’m working with the Skool I tend to have deep insights outside of the sessions. They come when I’m out walking, reflecting, journaling etc.

Even when we’re not together I will be thinking about you. There’s an enormous amount of value in having access to this kind of focus and collective intelligence.

ADDITIONAL THING #4: SPECIAL PRICING

If you join and decide to stay after the first six months, you can stay at the same price rolling over monthly.

THE EXCHANGE

The cost is £200 per month with a minimum six month commitment. Payment is by standing order on the 1st of every month.

After six months if you want to continue in the Skool, this can be reviewed at the end of the six months, (if it feels like a good fit on both sides).

Zena was my tutor for a leadership programme for High Performance Leadership. What stayed with me from working with Zena was her analytical approach which was on point about me as a leader, the organisation and their relationships. Zena brought that to life, making it tangible by using a systemic approach. Learning from Zena has been a privilege, if you ever get the chance grab it, it will be fun, memorable and life changing.

Tumikilani Banda

Associate Director, NHS

WHY SIGN UP NOW?

If this feels like a fit for you, there are a few compelling reasons to consider signing up:

1. The world urgently needs elders in all walks of life right now and this is such a unique opportunity to open up a new and exciting function in our Society..
2. I only have room for a limited number of people in the Skool, which means that we are not always open to new members

If This Feels Like A Fit…GREAT!

Just book a 90 minute zoom call so we can explore if this is a good place for you to join.

If not, a bow of gratitude to you for reading and exploring the possibility of joining our Skool.

Start close in,
don’t take the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.

Start with
the ground
you know,
the pale ground
beneath your feet,
your own
way of starting
the conversation.

Start with your own
question,
give up on other
people’s questions,
don’t let them
smother something
simple.

To find
another’s voice,
follow
your own voice,
wait until
that voice
becomes a
private ear
listening
to another.

Start right now
take a small step
you can call your own
don’t follow
someone else’s
heroics, be humble
and focused,
start close in,
don’t mistake
that other
for your own.

Start close in,
don’t take
the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.

– David Whyte, River Flow:New and Selected Poems