Renee Owen
Coach and Consultant
Mission:
To promote wellbeing
through life-long learning.
My vision:
To see humans flourishing in a society that is in balance with the natural world, socially just, and that uplifts the human spirit.
From Artist to
Educational Leader
My entry into educational leadership was unconventional. I certainly never imagined I would earn a doctorate degree from an Ivy League School or become a published author.
My husband and I were artists, living off the land in a very remote area of Southwestern Colorado. Our oldest daughter, Mesa, was becoming school-age, but closest school required a three-hour a day bus ride. So I started a charter school — grass-roots mama style — with no formal degree in the field of education.
Paradox Valley School was an educational experiment. Poverty was extremely high and educational levels were low. So our test scores that first year were in the lowest quartile of the state. I was determined to change the legacy for our students.
Knowing the kids so well and having so much freedom (“in the middle of nowhere”), we were able to experiment with progressive pedagogies and use data to track success.
Read More: Paradox Valley Charter School
As Director, I opened every day with a morning circle. Being an artist and musician myself, we engaged heavily in the arts. We built close relationships with every child, like one big family.
We received funding through Annenburg Rural Challenge, which was working with Harvard Graduate School of Education to implement project-based learning.
Before long, our students were out-performing the elite schools and scoring in the top 10% of the state!
I started working with schools around the state — training boards, working with leaders and teachers. I even got hired to write a book on project-based education. I was filled with hope that through education, we could build a world where human wellbeing was possible, and I was inspired to spread that vision.
Read More: Rainbow Community School
I was enthralled with the Rainbow model, and I took the job knowing the school wanted to me to help Rainbow become academically rigorous and more professional. After extensive work to train the faculty, map the curriculum, write standards, craft policies, and create a self-organizing system, we more than doubled the size of Rainbow’s campus and doubled enrollment. Most importantly, I worked with all stakeholders to make Rainbow a more equitable school.
Rainbow became winning state and national awards. Soon, I co-founded Rainbow Institute, an adult education arm of Rainbow, intended to be a catalyst and a resource for a holistic educational revolution. The Institute hosted conferences and providing trainings in racial equity, mindfulness, and more. It was incredible work…and I was getting burned out. Like so many educators, I was throwing everything into my work, and I didn’t realize that I needed to take better care of myself. I started to think about my life’s path in larger terms.
I felt a powerful calling to bring wellbeing into education on a larger scale. During this time I became a Change Leader with Ashoka and worked with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on the Children’s Wellbeing Initiative. We wrote a book called “Changemakers: Educating with Purpose.” I also became a fellow with Collaborative for Spirituality in Education through Columbia University.
I took on number of other projects, but my calling was to work directly with teachers and leaders. I spent many years commuting to New York for my doctoral degree at Columbia. It was there I discovered coaching, and in addition to my doctoral degree, became trained as a coach through Presence-Based Coaching.
Becoming the
Executive Director of
Rainbow Community School
Eventually, as our children grew older, it was time to move. I accepted the Executive Director position at Rainbow Community School, in Asheville, NC.
Rainbow’s founding E.D. was a brilliant Harvard scholar, Aostre Johnson, who had worked with some of the “greats” in progressive education and human development, such as Erick Erickson and Jerome Bruner. Dr. Johnson was also a spiritual mystic and a leader in the Sufi movement. Therefore, when she and two other woman founded Rainbow, its holistic model included a spiritual element. From their experience, the soul of the child needed to be at the center of education to authentically address the other domains.
Teaching Leaders
at the University Level
Now my work is to teach new leaders at Southern Oregon University and to coach and consult with teachers and leaders working in any field who know they are being called to a life of wellbeing for themselves and others.
If I could sum it up? Take risks, work hard, be kind (to yourself and everyone else), and always be real. The field of education will ask you to do things you know are not in the interest of wellbeing. But when we work together to define our values and stay true to our deepest core, we can be well.
Education
Doctor in Education (Ed.D)
Columbia University Teachers College,
Organizational Learning and Development,
specializing in Adult Learning and Leadership.
Experience in K12 Schools
Over 20 years’ experience leading
public and private schools.
Higher Education
Assistant Professor,
Educational Leadership and Adult Education,
Southern Oregon University.
Certifications
- Non-profit Executive Management, Duke University
- Waldorf Teacher Foundations
- International Coaching Federation (in progress)
I believe in humankind,
and I believe in you.
Emancipate yourself
from limiting circumstances,
unconscious beliefs, and anxiety.
Offer your highest self to the world.
Be real. Be free. Be well.
Work with Me
I have learned to trust my natural intuitive abilities. While I love theory, I try not to let my knowledge of academic theory get in the way of allowing insight to shine through.
As your coach, I am your greatest advocate, a savvy strategist, and an honest critic. I will challenge you to dig deep and make the most of your natural talent, compassion, and resilience.
I will help you define your goals, and guide you toward meeting those goals through a combination of inquiry, embodied learning, and action steps.
